Intercession: The Throne Ministry # 15

If Two (Or More) Agree

In Matthew eighteen, there is much instruction given by our Lord Jesus Christ about the behavior, conduct, and work within the fellowship of the Church. In verses eighteen through twenty His Words enlighten us as to the power of corporate, united prayer.

"I solemnly tell you that whatever you as a Church bind on earth will in Heaven be held as bound, and whatever you loose on earth will in Heaven be held to be loosed. I also solemnly tell you that if two of you here on earth agree together concerning anything whatever that they shall ask, the boon will come to them from My Father Who is in heaven. For where there are two or three assembled in My Name, there Am I in the midst of them" (Weymouth New Testament).

Jesus is saying:

"That if two (or more) agree (harmonize together, make a symphony together) on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, (concerning the Kingdom of God, this is understood in the text) it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered ... (drawn together as My followers) in (into) My Name," (The Name of Christ that is above all names is the Name which when used, should represent the very essence and character of Christ; and it is this Name which authenticates the Will of God; and we should not use His Name except it be in line with God's will.)  There I am. (The I AM, Who appeared to Moses, the eternal God, the Living Word who appeared to Daniel, the Alpha and the Omega - Christ, Who appeared to John, the resurrected Lord of Glory who appeared to Paul, HE WHO IS = continuance in time present; HE WHO WAS = continuance in time past; HE WHO IS TO COME = continuance forever.) There I AM in the midst of (you) them."  ("Among you," intermingled in close, intimate union with you).

Truly this is fellowship in the Spirit of prayer!

"Yet I have Left Me Seven Thousand"

In the Word of God, one of the greatest examples of corporate prayer can be found when Elijah took his stand on Mount Carmel; however, in 1 Kings 19:18, the Lord said to Elijah:

"Yet I have left Me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him."

Let us remember that God spoke these words to Elijah when he was very discouraged and felt that he was the only one left who was serving God. The Lord was saying: "Elijah, when you stood on Mount Carmel, you did not stand alone"; and in Romans 11:4 and 5, the Lord is repeating this same Word and saying to us today: 

"I have reserved to Myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal." And then the Holy Spirit adds this, "Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace."

Note the statement, "at this present time." It is God's grace, the action of His love, that in every age He always has those who will not "bend their knees" to the gods of this age - those who "having done all, to stand. Stand therefore."

Here the number 7,000 is used figuratively and signifies the perfection of Divine Order. It is made up of the number seven and the multiple of ten times itself. "Seven" denotes spiritual perfection, and "ten" signifies the perfection of Divine Order ( the completeness of order), and implies nothing is wanting; it marks the entire round of anything. However this does not mean that the remnant, the 7,000, are perfect and are always moving in God's Divine Order. The number seven thousand here is significant of those who stand for the perfection of God's Divine Order, as it is expressed through Jesus Christ in each and every age. They stand, seen or unseen, named or unnamed, they stand age after age after age ... they stand for God's Eternal Purpose and Will in Christ Jesus. Behind every move of God to increase His Son, there are those who are His faithful bondservants standing together in "one spirit" in prayer.

Beloved, as Elijah triumphed on Mount Carmel, the 7,000 stood. When Elijah was discouraged, they stood! and down through the ages, they stand! Yes, they stand for the perfection of God's Divine Order! And when we come to Rome many years after Elijah, we find they are still standing! The ruler of this world broke loose in hatred upon the early Church when Rome, the seat of satan, unleashed its fury upon the called of God. At that time, Paul wrote to the Roman Christians: "We are (not I am) more than conquerors through Him That loved us" (Romans 8:37).

God is saying, "Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of God's grace." Oh, brethren, beloved of God, let us join the ranks of the seven thousand and be "among" those who corporately stand in effectual prayer, and thereby produce the Lord's intended results in the ages.

~T. Austin-Sparks~

(continued with # 16 - "For Ever, O Lord, Thy Word Is Settled in Heaven")

The Uniqueness of Christ

Matthew 16

When Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” they replied, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” But Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:13-16).

What set Jesus apart as the Messiah?

• His birth: He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born, as prophesied, in Bethlehem to a virgin. Though angels announced His arrival and He reigns over all creation, Jesus entered our world in a lowly manner so He could be identified with the meek and the poor.
• His wisdom: At age 12, He spent three days with rabbis, asking questions that showed his uncommon understanding.
• His baptism: Though He didn’t need cleansing, Jesus asked John to baptize Him so He could identify with sinners and demonstrate His love to them.
• His temptation: Satan tempted Him relentlessly for 40 days, yet He did not sin.
• His ministry: He challenged man-made religious traditions. And by healing people—regardless of nationality—raising the dead, and forgiving sins, He revealed that God wants to be involved personally in our lives. Leading Pharisees wanted Him dead, but the Father protected His life until the crucifixion.

Many people deny Christ’s deity, calling Him simply a “prophet” or “good teacher.” But Jesus was never merely human. As complex as it is for us to comprehend, He was fully God and fully man. This is the unique way in which our heavenly Father chose to demonstrate His eternal love for us.

~Charles Stanley~

Intercession: The Throne Ministry # 14

Corporate Continuing Prayer

In the New Testament, our brethren knew the reality of what it was to intercede "with thanksgiving" -

Jude: "Earnestly contending for the faith," prayed .. "Now (right now while in the midst of contending ...) Now Unto Him that is able to keep ..." (verse 24).

John: on the Isle of Patmos, realizing the magnitude of God's judgment said, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus ... Amen" (Revelation 22:20, 21).

Peter: encouraging his persecuted brethren, and facing death himself, triumphantly prays, "To Him = His Is (which is stating a fact, not a wish,) His Is the Might Unto the Ages of the Ages: Amen" (1 Peter 5:11).

Paul: realizing his kinsmen after the flesh were cut off (later to be restored) so "that He (God) may show mercy to all," prayed, "Because of Him and Through Him and To Him are all things; To Him be the Glory Unto the Ages: Amen" (Romans 11:36).

Paul: later from his prison cell, with his heart throbbing with the Glory of the Great Mystery cries out, "Now to the One being able beyond all things to do super-abundantly of which we ask or we think according to the power operating in us, to Him [be] the glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus unto all the generations of the Age of the Ages. Amen" (Ephesians 3:20, 21).

The Value of Corporate Prayer

Dear ones, just as individual prayer puts a thousand to flight, so two will put ten thousand to flight; therefore, the most effective prayer is the corporate, united prayer of the Body of Christ. Corporate prayer does not necessarily mean that we have to be in the same locality. When any two, or more, of the Body are united in the "one Spirit," that is, when they are united in motive, object, and purpose for the FULL PLAN of God which is expressed in Christ Jesus, then effective corporate is being offered. They can be "separated upon the wall" - for "the work is great" - but united in prayer for the glory of God" (Nehemiah 4:16-20).

Toward the end of their earthly walk together, Paul and Timothy were examples of those who are "separated upon the wall" for the work's sake. Paul was in prison, penning the Holy Writ, and Timothy was at Ephesus, standing against that which could dilute the Church. Although in separate locations, both were united "in Spirit" in order that Christ be "All, and in All."

Corporate prayer is when two or more of the Body of Christ, regardless of locality, are united in the one Spirit, laboring together in prayer for the will and purpose of God as expressed in the Word of God. 

~T. Austin-Sparks~

(continued with # 15 - "If Two (Or More) Agree")

Following In His Steps

O Lord , I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps (Jer. 10:23).

Lead me in a plain path (Ps. 27:11).

Many people want to direct God, instead of resigning themselves to be directed by Him; to show Him a way, instead of passively following where He leads.
--Madame Guyon

I said: "Let me walk in the field";
God said: 'Nay, walk in the town";
I said: "There are no flowers there";
He said: "No flowers, but a crown."
I said: "But the sky is black,
There is nothing but noise and din";
But He wept as He sent me back,
"There is more," He said, "there is sin
I said: "But the air is thick,
And fogs are veiling the sun";
He answered: "Yet souls are sick,
And souls in the dark undone."
I said: "I shall miss the light,
And friends will miss me, they say";
He answered me, "Choose tonight,
If I am to miss you, or they."
I pleaded for time to be given;
He said: "Is it hard to decide?
It will not seem hard in Heaven
To have, followed the steps of your Guide."
I cast one look at the fields,
Then set my face to the town;
He said: "My child, do you yield?
Will you leave the flowers for the crown?"
Then into His hand went mine,
And into my heart came He;
And I walk in a light Divine,
The path I had feared to see.
--George MacDonald

~L. B. Cowman~

Intercession: The Throne Ministry # 13

Corporate Continuing in Prayer

Continuing Prayer with Thanksgiving (continued)

Christ is the ultimate example and full expression of praying and watching "with thanksgiving"; - a thanksgiving that is the mighty force and accompanying power which, when united with prayer in the Spirit and watching i the same, becomes a vital and intricate portion of the preordained plan of the Father through the Son. The Lord's travail in the Garden of Gethsemane expresses for us these equal proportions of prayer. It is through His experience in Gethsemane that we will come to know that the accompanying power of thanksgiving, which is needed in our praying and watching, has its source in the depths of Christ's Own Spirit and Soul - in His heart and affections, in the depths of His desire, in the bowels of His mercies, in the innermost parts of  His Being which is the Spirit of God's Beloved Son. Hear the Spirit of the Son as He cries out from the depths of His being unto His Father: "Abba, Father."

"Abba, Father,"
not My will (my desire) but Thine be done ...
Lo, here I AM, come to do Your Will, O God;
[to fulfill] what is written of Me
in the volume of the Book ...
I delight (I desire, I AM grateful, I AM thankful,
I AM well-pleased) to do Thy Will ...
My desire, My disposition, My attitude, My
inclination, the whole bent of My Mind and Spirit,
the desire of My Whole Being,
Is is please Thee, My Father, to pleasure Thee
with that which is "according to Your good Pleasure,"
MY FATHER, "ABBA, FATHER."

Herein dwells the Spirit of the Son, and in these beautiful words we find the meaning of "Abba, Father"; this is the accompanying power we need to balance our praying and watching. Beloved, there is great power that joins our prayers when, in spite of all circumstances, we can intercede for God's Purpose with the cry in our heart, "Not my will but Thine be done," - Abba, Father, it is my pleasure, my joy to do Your Will."

So we see that intercession "with thanksgiving" involves much more than just our praise and worship, or our being grateful for His blessings and benefits. The accompanying power of thanksgiving, which completes the whole of effectual prayer, consists of a heart which [no matter what the trial or circumstances] has learned in measure, and is learning unto fullness, that "all things work together for good (God's End through His Way) to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His Purpose."

~T. Austin-Sparks~

(continued with # 14)

Sitting at His Feet

He went up into a mountain apart (Matt. 14:23).

One of the blessings of the old-time Sabbath was its calm, its restfulness, its holy peace. There is a strange strength conceived in solitude. Crows go in flocks and wolves in packs, but the lion and the eagle are solitaires.

 

Strength is not in bluster and noise. Strength is in quietness. The lake must be calm if the heavens are to be reflected on its surface. Our Lord loved the people, but how often we read of His going away from them for a brief season. He tried every little while to withdraw from the crowd. He was always stealing away at evening to the hills. Most of His ministry was carried on in the towns and cities by the seashore, but He loved the hills the best, and oftentimes when night fell He would plunge into their peaceful depths.

 

The one thing needed above all others today is that we shall go apart with our Lord, and sit at His feet in the sacred privacy of His blessed presence. Oh, for the lost art of meditation! Oh, for the culture of the secret place! Oh, for the tonic of waiting upon God!
--Selected

 

It is well to live in the valley sweet,
Where the work of the world is done,
Where the reapers sing in the fields of wheat,|
As they toil till the set of sun.
But beyond the meadows, the hills I see
Where the noises of traffic cease,
And I follow a Voice that calleth to me
From the hilltop regions of peace.
Aye, to live is sweet in the valley fair,
And to toil till the set of sun;
But my spirit yearns for the hilltop's air
When the day and its work are done.
For a Presence breathes o'er the silent hills,
And its sweetness is living yet;
The same deep calm all the hillside fills,
As breathed over Olivet.

 

"Every life that would be strong must have its Holy of Holies into which only God enters."

~:L. B. Cowman~

Intercession: The Throne Ministry # 12

Corporate Continuing Prayer

Continuing Prayer with Thanksgiving

Recently the Lord strongly impressed us with a scripture in Colossians 4:2, "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving."  This was saying to us that in our praying in the Spirit,which is praying with our spirit in union with the Holy Spirit, we must "watch" in our prayers, and we must "watch ... with thanksgiving." Thus we began to understand that we must continue and persevere, be earnest and devoted in our prayers; and in this persevering prayer, we must "watch - we must be alert, diligent, guarded, and circumspect.

Brethren, to watch effectively in prayer  we must learn to be circumspect, which means we must [by faith] through the eyes of the Holy Spirit see the full circumference of things. We must  view things to the farthest point, which includes ALL OF GOD'S FULL PURPOSE IN THE CHRIST, and we must simultaneously watch against the enemy's activity to stop it! Therefore, in order to intercede effectively according to God's Purpose, we must not be pressed down to our own circumference of things - our own small world of problems, crises, joys, etc.

Furthermore, Colossians 4:2 tells us that we must do this praying and watching "with thanksgiving." In this scripture the way the phrase, "with thanksgiving," is used denotes that it is an equal proportion of the three things stated here:

1. Continuing prayer;
2. Watching in the same;
3. With Thanksgiving.

These three parts are designating that each one of the three are equal in measure and in proportion and in importance; it takes all three to make up the whole of effectual prayer. Therefore, "with thanksgiving" is the accompanying power that gives "Continuing prayer, and watching in the same ..." the symmetry [balanced proportion and the corresponding harmony] needed to bring about and produce God's intended results. In Moule's Colossian Studies he adequately paraphrases this scripture, and he expresses how the three are equal parts that make up the whole of effectual prayer:

At your prayer, prayer in all the width and depth of its meaning, worship as well as petition, persevere; prayer is indeed a rest and joy, but it is also a duty, a work, a ministry, and so it calls for purpose and persistency; watching in it, keeping wakeful "in" the strength of the holy exercise, against sin and for God, in thanksgiving; letting the spirit and action of gratitude as it were surround your watching and praying lives. Too often is thanksgiving forgotten, especially when the believer is under trial; let him recollect its preciousness and its power, and never pray without it. If there is nothing else for which he can give thanks, he has always God in Christ, and he has "that Blessed Hope," and he has the trial itself, which is sure to be somehow "precious" (Colossians 4:2).

~T. Austin-Sparks~

(continued with # 13)