The Sufferings of Intercession

Within the following post I would like put forth a new insight that has shed some light on the activity of intercession for me. Throughout the writings of Paul we can see a theme of “fellowships” that have been laid out and he called us to. His epistles speak of the “fellowship of the Son” (1 Cor. 1:9), the “fellowship of the Spirit” (2 Cor. 13:14; Phil. 2:1), the “fellowship of faith” (Philem. 6), and even John notes a “fellowship” we have with “one another” (1 Jn. 1:7). But the one we will be addressing throughout this post is what Paul refers to as the “fellowship of sufferings,” found in Phil. 3:10. I have always looked to this verse as being mostly the partnership we make with the Spirit through our denial of self unto the pursuit of holiness. For instance, I will deny giving into my carnal desires, fast from food, entertainment, external pleasures, pray on a consistent basis, try to be humble, and view this as the majority of that which Paul called us to in this fellowship (excluding the “external sufferings” that we will briefly discuss below). And it is this, but only a part. It’s one side of a two-sided coin.

The Glory of the Wrestle – Part 2

In trying to build on what was said in part 1, I would like to begin this post by stating the Lord cannot fully bless a man until He has first conquered him. The degree of blessing that can be experienced by an individual corresponds exactly with the amount of completeness God has had victory over them. And it is in the illustration of Jacob wrestling with God this is no more apparent.

Little did Jacob know, while standing on the ford of Jabbok, when the sun began to set and darkness commenced to cover the land that his victory would be found in defeat.

The Glory of the Wrestle – Part 1

In the beginning God…

What does it mean to engage with a being that created the very air you are breathing and the ground you are walking upon? What is dialogue’s formula when the one you are speaking to “hangs the earth on nothing” (Job 26:7)? Thankfully, because of the Cross, the only formula needed is a persistent “yes” that maintain’s an agreement with the Spirit’s leading, which in turn will fuel the exerting of oneself to do the things the Word calls us to. As we agree with His ways and pursue the knowledge of God through prayer and fasting, we grow in grace and enter into a Christian lifestyle that is an advocate of scripture — for this is Christianity in its most simplified form.

The Forerunner – Part 3: The Mandate

The mandate of a forerunner is by far the weightiest subject to be addressed in this set of posts. Within my own reflection, I tend to define this as a commissioning the Lord gives to believers for the ushering in of a greater “kingdom now” reality. It is a ’sending’ (greater authority given) from God (you will understand to what and when you have been sent) to make ready humanity’s intellect and spirit for the coming of Jesus, by way of the “Kingdom” emerging into the “now” in an increased measure.

We have all been given a gifting for ministry (Eph. 4:11) but we are to use these giftings to walk out a greater calling, which has been strategically set upon our lives (example – Paul was an apostle, but he was sent to the Gentiles). In essence, what we are talking about is a sending. This mantle pervades

A Gulf Between Theory and Practice

The assent of theological constructs is not what makes a man Christian. There are those today who habitually press this issue of correct knowledge as being the plumb-line that separates death from life (To know Jesus brings eternal life [Jn. 17:3], but just a temporal, no, better yet, secular knowledge of His deity does not bring one everlasting bliss. For even the demons tremble at His presence and recognize He is God). Those who receive the Word without power are acquiring nothing less than a facade of ideological religion. This concept can be grasped in Paul’s first letter to Thessalonica as he pens, “For our Gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power” (1:5). The reciprocating implication that can be found in this verse is the potential for receiving the Gospel void of power. Let me elaborate. It is the power of the Spirit that transcends the words that fall from the pulpit in a congregation. Power brings more than an external adjustment, it leaves them in a state that is more than fundamentally the same.