Intercession the hard work of Prayer

Colossians 1:9-12

Will you pray for me, or I will pray for you are very kind words, but how many will do the hard work of prayer?  I am sure you recall the “Golden Calf” the one that Aaron told his brother Moses about it’s origin, “And Aaron said, ‘Let not the anger of my lord burn hot.  You know the people that they are set on evil.  For they said to me, ‘Make us gods who shall go before us.  As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.  So I said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’  So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.” (Exodus 32:22-24)  Liar, liar, pants on fire, now that is not what Moses said, but the Scripture said that the people had cast off the reverence of God, they had broken loose, and Aaron had let them do so. 

This may not be a good example of intercession; in that Moses ask this question, “Who is on the Lord’s side?  Come to me.” (Exodus 32:26)  And all the sons of Levi gathered around him, and Moses told them to put on their swords and they began to kill those who had broken loose, it is not clear how they decided whom to kill, but that day they killed brothers, and sons, about three thousand men died.  It was the next day before Moses made his second intercession for the people.  This is profound, Moses knew about the “book of life” and after telling the people “You have sinned a great sin. (Idol worship) And now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” First Moses confesses or agrees with God that the actions of these people was sin, sin against the holiness of almighty God.  Take up the story in verse 32, “But now, if you will forgive their sin – but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.”  But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book.  But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; behold my angel shall go before you.  Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.”  Then the Lord sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf, the one that Aaron made.” (Exodus 32:32-35)

You better know God in the most intimate way before interceding in this manner.  Moses was a type of Christ; he was atoning for the sins of these people.  He called sin what God called it.  (When the word atonement is used, we must be clear that only Christ Jesus actions on the cross-brought about reconciliation between God and mankind.)  Sin is always dealt with, God has always required payment for sin, and Jesus was the payment, but in this case God sent a plague on the people.

Paul the apostle gave us this understanding of interceding in prayer in Ephesians 1:15-23, and in Colossians 1:9-12.  There are many prayers in Scripture that you can use to intercede for the one you promise to pray for.  Do the hard work of prayer it will bless you.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

This is how I'm praying for you

 

Colossians 1:9

I do not recall at anytime in my life when a person who was close to me, a friend, a family member, a pastor, a teacher said, this is how I’m praying for you; “that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”  That does not in anyway mean those listed above have not prayed in that manner for me, it is just that I do not recall anyone sharing those thoughts with me.  So today, if you are receiving this email, at least two people have prayed in this way for you, the apostle Paul and myself.

How will that prayer change your life?   First, let me be so bold to state that it is God’s will for each of us.  It is the heart of God that his children grow in knowledge of Him.  That they learn to trust His word and by doing so will not lean to their on understanding, or the lies of the enemy and the world system.

If you are reading this and you have tried being a Baptist, or some other denomination, and it just didn’t work, stop trying, and ask this question of God; are you real, and if you are real, will you reveal yourself to me, because I want to know you.  Next, ask God to open your spiritual eyes to His truth, and begin to read the book of John.  You may want to also ask God to place in you the ability to believe any and all truth, because you want to know truth.  God has a plan for you, He created you to have fellowship with Him and He loved you so much that he allowed His only Son to become like one of us without sin, so that we could understand this great love the Father has for us.

If you are in Christ, you have already come into a relationship with Him, then let’s move on to “being filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”  Romans 12:1&2, gives us this understanding of God’s desire for us to have knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.   “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”  God is saying to each of us, take the test, but not by your standards, but by God’s word. 

Is this our problem, we just do not believe God’s word?  Now this is not Church or some Bible study with others who we want to look good for, it is just you and God, so be honest, any actions on our part that does not comply with the written word of God is disobedience, it’s using a standard of our choosing, not God’s.  I found myself at that place yesterday, in a Bible study.  So it is a matter of will, I release my will that has been polluted by the enemy of my soul, and this world system, and ask the Father to change my thinking, to renew my mind, to “be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift.  That is why it is called the present.”  (Author Unknown)

Our Beloved Fellow Servant

Colossians 1:7

Many a person has been used by God to advance His kingdom on this earth and many people have been used to expose us to new technology that have changed for the better our life style.  Many men and women have done amazing things of valor and the history books give proof to this statement, but very few of all the people on this earth ended up in the book of all books, God’s word, the Bible.  One such man is found in verse seven, “Just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant.  He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.”  This is my take away from verse seven; Epaphras is first and foremost a servant to and for the Lord, he also is a teacher, because they learned from him, and a minister of Christ, and was sent and maybe supported by the church at Colossae.

Do we have any more ink on Epaphras, yes in Chapter 4:12,13, the apostle Paul has this to say about him; “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.  For I bear witness that he worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis.”  Do you have anyone in your life that you can count on  “always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God”?  I am so thankful to say I know of two men who are engaging the throne of God on my behalf, asking that I will just let go and let God do it all for me.

The book of Philemon, a small book in the New Testament, has only 25 verses, and it is a letter to Philemon and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house.  In verse 23 Epaphras is called, “my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus” and he also is sending his greeting to this house church, but look who else is there, “and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.”

You maybe an Epaphras or you may know a person that is being used in that way to support the kingdom of God.  He is a fellow soldier in this army of Christ, a fellow worker doing what you may not be able to do for many reasons at this point in your life.  They are encouragers and servants to some big name guy like Paul, and may not get notices or even appreciated by many, but our Father is keeping a record, and someday soon, God will say, “Well done my good and faithful worker.”  So be faithful to your calling.

Bart Phillips was such a man; he served Jim Daly at Focus on the Family in such a manner.  He was a prisoner of Christ and a fellow worker, and his race is over and it was finished in a manner pleasing to our Lord.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice my blog; http://fromourbackporch.blogspot.com/

A Wordsmith - Not I

Colossians 1:6

 A wordsmith is somebody such as a professional writer or journalist who uses words skillfully.  A linguist is one who studies the use of words, the scientific study of language and its structure, including the study of morphology, syntax, phonetics, and semantics.  Just for clarity to anyone who might read this, I’m not either of these, I had to look up the word morphology, the study of the structure of words in a language.

What is the morphology of the word grace in the English language? Simple elegance or refinement of movement: she moved through the water with effortless grace.

• Courteous goodwill: at least he has the grace to admit his debt to her.

• (Graces) an attractively polite manner of behaving: she has all the social graces.

2 (in Christian belief) the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.

• A divinely given talent or blessing: the graces of the Holy Spirit.

• The condition or fact of being favored by someone: he fell from grace because of drug use at the Olympics.

3 (also grace period) a period officially allowed for payment of a sum due or for compliance with a law or condition, esp. an extended period granted as a special favor: another three days' grace.

4 a short prayer of thanks said before or after a meal: before dinner the Reverend Newman said grace.

5 (His, Her, or Your Grace) used as forms of description or address for a duke, duchess, or archbishop: His Grace, the Duke of Atholl.

Wow, and you expect someone like me to understand fully how the word is being used in a sentence, you have got to be kidding!  So when the apostle Paul makes this statement; “which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing – as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.”  (Colossians 1:6)  I need to deal with a few things that came earlier in this letter; these were the gospel of Christ Jesus and the faith to believe it, and how to understand the truth about grace.  Not (social graces), not (simple elegance or refinement of movement), not (courteous goodwill), nor is it a (title) or a (grace period) so as to make good on a payment.  Jesus Christ the only Son of God has stepped out of heaven and made the payment in full for your desire to live independently from His Father, your debt is paid in full.  You cannot earn grace, your performance will not obtain this grace, and it is a gift from God the Father that cost Him greatly, the death of His Son.

When one invites Christ into their life by faith, that grace is part of the package, Jesus comes to live by His Spirit in that person, and Jesus is grace and truth.  That is why we must understand grace, to be semantically correct in how we use this great word.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice  

A person of Faith

Colossians 1:3-7

What happens to you when you meet or are exposed to a person of faith?  I’m not talking about someone who has faith in him or herself, nor am I talking about someone who has faith in the government, or a political party.  What I am referring to is a person whose faith is vested in Christ Jesus. 

My observation of such a person is that they are secure in the middle of the worst of storms.  They seem to see what can be in the life of a person who others see as a person without hope.  They do their neighbors no harm; in fact they bless them by their service and actions. 

Have you met Jesus?  That’s a great question and it comes with an answer; yes, each and every time you have encountered a person of faith in Christ Jesus.  It was Christ living life out in them.  This person’s life has been changed by association with Jesus, and they have placed faith in His ability to keep his promises, as seen in John 3:15, and John 5:24.  They have crossed over from death to life, and that new life is too wonderful, it must be shared with others.  When you meet Jesus he turns on the light, and the darkness that has kept you in fear must depart, as seen in John 12:46.  You may be saying I’m so weary of this fear and uncertainty but I’ve tried religion, and it did not work, this is what Jesus is saying to you, stop trying, and “Confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, and you will be saved.”  (Romans 10:9)  (Emphasis added.)

When you meet a person of faith, they will have a spirit like Caleb in Joshua 14:12.  “So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will help me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord has said.”  Caleb knew all about the enormous people, they were huge in size, they had big cities, and they were well armed, he had seen this with his own eyes.  But Caleb believed God, he believed that God would do all that He had promised some forty years before, and he acted on that faith.

Such a man was Epaphras, and such a person you can be.  Epaphras would have not made history if he had not met Jesus, none of these things would have been said of him.  Jesus has promised to change the darkness in your life to light, to free the chains that have kept you in a prison of fear and failure, and if you do not have faith ask, and He will give you all that you need to trust in Him.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Christians have better Options

 

Philippians 4:19

What are you betting the farm on?  It seems like each day someone wants to help me make more money, and they each have this in common, they want to take what I have accrued and put it to work.  Each of these guys have a better plan for what to do with my money, than the other, but they have this in common, they all plan on making money on what I’ve accrued, even if they lose very large amounts of it.  Now that is just wrong!  It might be time to change the rules of that foolish game to, you win when I win and you get zapped when you loose my money.  I bet that would cut the number of offers to come to dinner on them and hear the latest way to abscond with your life savings.

As a Christian do we have a better option?  The answer is found in 2 Corinthians 8:3-5, “For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their on freewill, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints – and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.”  I will be very bold and say that is not the advice you will get from the Financial Advisers.  Few of them will tell you to give yourself first to the Lord, and then give beyond your means, trusting God to honor His promise of Philippians 4:19.

Who was this Macedonian Church?  They were the church at Philippi, and they were not a people of wealth, this is what the apostle Paul said about them; “For in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.”  (2 Corinthians 8:2)  What is different about then and now?  It’s very simple, often my mind goes to the words of my friend Carroll Ray Jr. who lived out this saying; “Just act like Jesus tells the truth.”  They believe that Jesus tells the truth, how do we know because history and Scripture give a clear record of their actions.  The church of 2010 is very good at words, it often mouths the right words, but its actions speak for themselves.   Do we trust the promises of Scripture, do we believe that “Jesus tells the truth?”

This is a promise that seems to come when we act out the principals of Scripture; give with the right heart attitude; give without making a big deal of your gift; give as if it was a gift to the Lord Jesus Christ; because it is.  Someday, and it may be soon, we will stand before the Lord, and Jesus will be thanking us for believing that He told the truth, my friend Carroll has experienced this, you may want to read the account of Matthew 25:31-46.  But this I know, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

my blog; http://fromourbackporch.blogspot.com/

Do you have an Account in Heaven?

Philippians 4:15-17

In the area of giving and I’m discussing money, what often is referred to as your money, the money you worked so hard for, the money that you earned by your skills and many talents, that money.  Are we clear that it is your money, and Jesus has also made it clear that “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35) Just so that it is clear, the Creator who designed you, who gives you breath, skills, talents, and the ability to make and keep money, has this to say; “It is more blessed to give than to receive”.

The apostle Paul is telling the Philippi Church that you were there for me, not just in words but in actions, and he is telling them they were in partnership with him in the area of giving and receiving.  Now that’s cool, that was the right thing to do, but please read verse 17, “Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.”  Now what is that all about, are we being told that an account has been set-up for us and that God Himself is not only acknowledging our action but is adding to our account.

I believe Scripture is clear on the above statement, we have a choice about how we use what God has blessed us with, and before I go any farther, let me make clear that I do not believe you earned it, sure you went to work, but who blessed you with those skills, and talents, who gave you the health to perform at your job?

If God is increasing your account, what actions on your part might cause God to make withdrawals?  1) If a Christian begins to believe you can ignore the teaching of Scripture, such as the following; “Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.” (Dt 16:17)  It is of the utmost importance to give with the right heart attitude as stated in 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  If you read Malachi 3:8-11, the Scriptures are very clear on addition and subtraction.  You have the choice to have blessing or curses, you can let God add to your credit or make withdrawals, and the withdrawals come in many ways.  The credit is often seen in this life, and also the withdrawals, but in eternity there is no withdrawals, and the value of your account is not based on your gifts, abilities, and talents to make money but on your faithfulness to bless others with your life and resources.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice