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Mission Statement
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ADVANCED INTERCESSION Acts 2:42 - And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. This tells us that the first century Christians devoted themselves continually to prayer. What kind of praying did they do? Before we look at specific examples, a definition of terms is in order. Definitions: 1. According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, the original Greek word for prayer in Acts 2:42 means prayer (worship) by implication, an oratory (chapel –X pray earnestly. It is from two words one of which means supplicate, worship, forward, i.e. toward, denoting motion towards, accession to, or nearness at. The other means to wish: by implication to pray to God, pray, will, wish. 2. Isaiah 59:16 – He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; it sustained Him. Isaiah 53:12 - …He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. The Hebrew word translated intercessor and intercession in these two scriptures means to impinge, come betwixt, cause to entreat, make intercession, light upon, meet together, pray, reach run. 3. Hebrews 7:25 – Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. The word used here means to intercede in behalf of, from above, beyond, across, for the sake of, instead, regarding, more than, superior to (exceeding abundantly) in behalf of, for the sake of, in stead, to entreat in favor for or against, deal with. This word is also found in Romans 8:26b - …the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 4. Romans 8:27 – Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8: 34 – Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Romans 11:2 – God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying… The word Greek meaning is confer with; by extension to entreat in favor for or against, deal with. And that’s just what God did in Romans 8:27, what Jesus does at the right hand of God in Romans 8:34 and what Elijah did in Romans 11:2 So we see here that we have four different meanings for our one English word for intercession. 1. It was the disciples in Acts 2:42 who were worshipping, going forward, toward the Lord, obtaining nearness at. 2. In Isaiah 59:16 it was God who came between, reached out and ran – but He wanted a man to do it but couldn’t find anyone willing. So, in Isaiah 53:12 Jesus is the One who came betwixt on the cross. 3. Hebrews 7:25 and Romans 8:26 show us intercession by the risen and ascended Lord Jesus and by the Holy Spirit. It is prayer coming down from above. 4. Romans 8:27, 34, and 11:2 shows us how God, Jesus and Elijah conferred together in order to pray. All of these definitions are what we want to experience and is often found in progression. We begin times of prayer with worship in order to actively run toward the Lord and get near to Him. Funny thing happens though when we get close to Him, we often automatically find ourselves willing to come between someone else and God in prayer. This is where we make petitions. If we don’t stop there, God will literally, by the Spirit, let us experience being “seated with Him in the heavenlies” so our prayers come down from heaven upon the earth, upon whomever or whatever we’re burdened to pray for. It is from this position, and only this position that we can confer together with the Lord as to how to pray, what to pray, etc. When in a group setting, this can often look like we’ve stopped praying and begun to just talk about how we need to pray. But, according to these definitions, it’s all a part of the intercession. It is also very necessary so that everyone in the group is on the same page. Everyone knows what we’re praying and how we’re to go about it. Sometimes in prayer groups I'm in, especially if the Lord is directing us to perform some prophetic act, whoever is leading will stop and say, “Now does everyone understand what we’re doing and why?” I always tell people who are new to intercession with a group, “When you have a question about what we’re doing or praying, ask it right then. It’s OK and won’t interrupt the flow. We want you to fully understand what is going on because we need the prayers that God will give you to pray.” So, what kind of prayer was the prayer of the Bible? 1. It was time consuming and often included fasting. Acts 13:2-3 – As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. Acts 14:23 – Talking about Barnabas and Saul – So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. Acts 6:4 – The church leaders had the congregation appoint people to take care of the physical needs of the body so that, “we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” I Tim. 5:5 – Talks about widows indeed (those not supported by their own families) were supported by the church so they were free to be full time pray-ers. Now she who is really a widow, and left alone, trusts in God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day. Anna was one of these women so supported before the church age by the temple. 2. It was earnest prayer. I Tim. 2:1 – Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men. The word here is the same word as found in Romans 8:27 which means to confer with. I don’t believe this means to just confer with God. I believe, that we’re to confer with one another. Find out what is going on in the person’s life, what bill is our legislature struggling with right now? In other words, get informed so you know what questions to ask the Father during intercession. Gary needed to have some medical tests run. He didn’t just go have the tests, he did some research on the web to find out more about the procedure so he’d know not only what to expect but what questions to ask the doctor. If we do this for health reasons, doesn’t it make sense to do it before talking to Dr. Jesus? Interestingly, when Jesus was struggling in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Luke 22:44 says, “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly…” the word prayed here means to confer with. 3. When the people prayed in a group they were of one accord. Acts 1:14 – These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. Acts 4:24 – So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them…” 4. Their prayers were not general or vague. Acts 12:5 – Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. The word `fervently’ in this verse means stretched out and is a picture of a soul stretched out in intense earnestness. The same word is used in Luke 22:44 in describing how Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. “And being in agony He was praying very fervently…” The word agony means strive together, wrestle. Jesus was not just nicely kneeling down or leaning against a rock praying as many religious paintings depict. He was stretched out and wrestling as He conferred with God. The same word is found in Romans 15:30 where Paul pleads, “Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me. This is a real admonition to us to be willing to get so involved in the affairs of another that we’re willing to experience agony in prayer for them. 5. Their prayers were a ministering to the Lord. Acts 13:2 – As they ministered to the Lord and fasted… This was a real ministering to the Lord as opposed to asking Him to minister to them. In the process, God spoke direction concise and specific. When we experience this kind of worship that is truly focused on Him and ministering to Him, we often don’t stay there long enough. Sometimes we don’t stay there long enough because we have our own agenda and time frame. Worship can only last 20-30 minutes, you know. Or, I have an appointment at 3 o’clock, can’t we stop the music and get on with the praying? When the International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City, holds a conference, they always plan for the morning and afternoon sessions to have 45 minutes to a hour and a half of worship time. It’s amazing how many people use this as an excuse to come in late right before the speaker. After all, isn’t that the purpose of the conference? To be taught something? They miss the point that is the core of the IHOP ministry which is, get in the presence of God and you’ll learn, grow, receive and be better able to understand what God has given the speaker to say. Other times we stop ministering to the Lord because, when we get in His presence, we’re immediately aware of how unworthy we are and begin to make supplication, asking for forgiveness, naming sins, naming others who need to repent, etc. This takes the focus off Him and onto ourselves. So to truly minister to the Lord, we need to first of all, go to church or our prayer meetings cleaned out and ‘fessed up. Secondly, we need to discipline ourselves to keep worshipping, to press in. There is often a point in our worship where we feel that, OK, it’s time to quit that aspect of prayer and get into the asking part. But this isn’t always true. Sometimes what appears to be a stopping place is the Holy Spirit giving us a choice whether to press into Him or have prayer time as usual. My experience is that often, it is when we choose to press in, that is when the miracles happen. That is when we’re taken to another level. That is when we get the direction we’re seeking about a decision or we get insight into a problem. A good biblical example of this in Genesis 18. You read the chapters before and you see that Abraham has been ministering to the Lord. Then one day, the Lord showed up when he was just sitting in the tent door during the hot part of the day. God gave him the promise, Sarah laughed, and the Lord decided to tell Abraham what He was getting ready to do. He told him His plans for Sodom and Gomorrah and they had that marvelous conference meeting, conferring together. 6. Their prayers were burdening. Acts 14:22 – Paul and Barnabas are strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” This word `tribulations’ means afflicted, burdened, anguish, persecution, trouble, tribulations. It does not indicate the light-hearted, carefree joy-popping on Jesus life of prayer with shotgun effects. It is rather the serious, not-looking-back-come-what-may, decision, serious, obedient, life of prayer both in word and action. 7. Their prayer life was often exhausting. Acts 14:23 – So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord to whom they had believed. And involved sleep and the ability of God to utilize the time when their conscious mind was out of the way so He could speak to their spirit. See the following scriptures: Daniel. 8:27 – And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days; afterward I arose and went about the king’s business. I was astonished by the vision, but no one understood it. Daniel. 10:9 – Yet I heard the sound of the words; and while I heard the sound of his words, I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground. Genesis 15:12 – Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. Jeremiah. 31: 26 – After this I awoke and looked around, and my sleep was sweet to me. Psalm 4:4 – Be angry and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah. Psalm 16:7 – I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons. Psalm 17:3a – You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night… Years ago, a lady I’d been working with became aware of the fact that God often calls me to pray either late into the night or in the middle of the night. We went on a retreat together, sharing a room. As we were unpacking, I began to talk to her about how to arrange the room so that if one of us gets called to pray in the night, we wouldn’t disturb the other one. “Oh, that would be you,” she said. “I tried that – getting up to pray when I woke up in the night – but my system just can’t handle that. It gets my digestive tract all messed up.” “Yes,” I said, “That does happen.” She was shocked. “You mean God doesn’t take it away?” “No, not usually,” I said. “You just have to deal with it.” But what price are you willing to pay for time with the King of the Universe? Sometimes our intercessions may bring on unpleasant physical conditions like Daniel experienced in Daniel 8:27. God has told me several times that my body is often a prophetic picture of the church. One summer I began to experience a sharp pain in my stomach. I’d pray about it but nothing would happen. I’d fast, and the pain would still be there. I’d eat and it wouldn’t go away. Nothing I did worked. Then one day at a Dallas prayer group we discovered that almost all of us were experiencing some kind of problem with our digestive tract. In prayer, God revealed that, since we were all strategic-level intercessors, He was trying to get our attention about something in the Dallas body of Christ. The churches, He said, were not properly digesting their food. Some had too much Word and not enough of the Spirit. Others had too much of the Spirit and not enough of the Word. The church needed a balanced diet and to process their “food” correctly. So we prayed that way. Later that day, I felt my stomach pain again. “What is this Lord?” I cried. He reminded me of what He’d revealed that morning. “When you feel the pain, don’t pray for yourself; pray for the church.” So I did and within 24 hours that pain was gone never to return again. Two years later, I had to have some x-rays made. Examining them, the doctor said, “Oh, look. Here it looks like you used to have a stomach ulcer but it’s all healed now.” It is important to know that as we push through the intercession, the physical ailment will go away. We don’t need to get into a self-imposed martyrdom. It’s good to remember Job 33:19 – spoken by Job’s fourth friend who was not chastened by the Lord – Man is also chastened with pain on his bed, and with strong pain in many of his bones. 8. Their prayers were revealing. Amos 3:7 – Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. If, in your prayers, you do not spend the bulk of the time listening to God speak to you, you only have a one-way conversation. The Lord’s Prayer is a very short prayer perhaps as an indication of how much time Jesus spent listening to His Father. He did say that He did not say or do anything except what He had first seen His Father do and heard His Father say……and Jesus said quite a bit and did an awful lot ! A part of the revealing prayers may be in the use of - Prophetic words - Psalm 64:7 – But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly they shall be wounded. - Prophetic acts – 2 Kings 13;14-19 - Joash King of Israel, Elisha and the arrow) Mark 14:22-25 – The Lord’s Supper John 13:3-15 – Jesus’ washing the disciples feet. - “Dark Speech.” – Numbers 12:8 – God speaking about Moses – I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings/riddles. Psalm 49:4 – I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will disclose my dark saying (riddle) on the harp. Psalm78:2 – I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old. Proverbs 1:6 – To understand a proverb and an enigma (dark sayings), the words of the wise and their riddles. Daniel 8:23 – And in the latter time of their kingdom when the transgressors have reached their fullness, a king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes (dark sentences). Dark speech is often known as something you do that later, looking back, you realize you could view what happened as a parable and learn something from it. 9. The leaders were devoted men of prayer. Acts 6:4 – but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word. They appointed others to do the physical ministry of the Word; they did the study, teaching and preaching. 10. The early church engaged in constant prayer. Acts 16:25 – But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Is there a place to pray in your church during church? 11. Their prayer included Visions – Acts 18:9 – Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not keep silent. Dreams – Job 33:15-18 (spoken by Job’s fourth friend whom God did not reprimand) and angel messengers. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on their beds, then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction. In order to turn man from his deed, and conceal pride from man, He keeps back his soul from the Pit, and his life from perishing by the sword. Angel messengers - Acts 27:23 – For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve. 12. The Holy Spirit as well as Jesus spoke to them. Acts 16:6,7 – Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. Please note in this reference that in verse 10 it says he had seen the vision, but we sought to go into Macedonia. There was no competition among or between the disciples. God was the one on whom their minds were centered. Whom He chose to speak through or give dreams or visions to was His business. I think they were just grateful that He was so involved in their lives and spoke so much. We are all called to a life of prayer. Read Ezekiel 22:30 – So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. and Isaiah 59:16 – He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor, therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him and His own righteousness, it sustained Him. How many of us really want to fall into the category of being so selfish as to not be willing to intercede for our fellow man? We must not be hesitant because once or twice in scripture God chose to speak through the “still, small voice.” The bulk of the time He spoke very loudly! Proverbs 1:20-21 – Wisdom calls aloud outside; she raises her voice in the open squares. She cries out in the chief concourses, at the openings of the gates in the city she speaks her words: Elsewhere in that book we learn that He shouts in the streets! Our challenge before us is three-fold. 1. Be willing to receive and incorporate into our lives each of the 12 points listed above. 2. Experience “Enoch prayer” - walking and talking with God constantly. 3. Prepare ourselves and our churches to support full time pray-ers. Some businesses have caught this vision before the church has and have hired people to pray on-site in a specially prepared room during business hours for the business. 1 Samuel 12:23 – Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way.
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