Pastor Kyle states that the second thing that every Christian needs to know about prayer is that every Believer is called to stand in the gap in prayer as an intercessor for others. It is good to remember that in the story of the Exodus, God did not leave the Israelites; the sinful and broken Israelites left God. Moses’ intercessory prayers for his people reminds us of Jesus’ prayer from the Cross for His people: “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing”. In John 17:18-21 Jesus prays, “As you [Father God] sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” An intercessor is a mediator; one who interposes between parties at variance, with a view to reconcile them; one who pleads or prays in behalf of another.
There is only one mediator between God and man – Jesus Christ, but God calls you and I to stand in the gap for other people that we know. Hear the call of God to be an intercessor as a part of your life mission. Be on the frontlines of advancing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, holding up weak saints, inspiring doubting brothers and sisters, delighting in your Lord and Savior. Are you standing in the gap for others in your life right now? Jesus tells us in John 4:35-36 “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.” Your prayers move the hand of God and God will move through you. You may not feel that you have very much to offer in terms of ministry, but I promise you that the ministry of prayer is one of the powerful ministries that you could be involved in, because godly prayer truly changes things. But, know that when we prayer about a problem, God gives us an opportunity to go and be a part of the solution. Prayer, in and of itself, is amazing, but prayer almost always lead to action in Believers. Stand in the gap, proclaim truth, defend the faith and hold out a Christian hand.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
The third thing that every Christian needs to know about prayer is that the power in intercession kicks in when Christians "do life" together. 1 Corinthians 12:12, 26-27 says, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” The life of faith is not a solo existence or journey, it’s done together in family and community. Prayer is communing and dialoging with God with the foundational praise of Psalm 103:1 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!” In Matthew 18:20 Jesus tells us, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Galatians 6:2 tells us, “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Standing in the gap requires putting ourselves in situations where that can happen. In Mark 11:17 Jesus proclaims,
‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’?
What is the house of God today? Is it a place of singing, fun get-togethers, entertainment, interpersonal relationships, but lacking true prayer, worship, adoration and glory with steadfast dedication, resolute devotion or unswerving desire for God, Lord and Savior? We, the body of Christ are the church. We, disciples of Jesus Christ are the house of God collectively. We have been given a commission and a mission to be people of prayer. Pray for someone else and have someone else pray for you. It is Christian live on live and the tremendous power of prayer together. James 5:16b says, “Pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” When Christians “do live” together, they grow in maturity and righteousness before the eyes of God. It is how God designed us. Prayers are being answered and lives are being changed from the inside out. Not only our life, but the lives of the people around us.
1 Peter 3:12 tells us, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” Atheist and agnostics do not know God. No God = no truth, but Know God = know truth. The reason for the Great Commission of Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” is that people in the community hear and see the Christian life in us, see that we have the “fruit of the Spirit” that their lives are lacking and want to be a part of that, saying: “what do you have? Tell me more about this Jesus.” When Christians “do life” – living out the authentic Christian life together, our community improves, our families improve, and those we lead, we are better to bless them.
The Gospel is most powerfully seen through the words of the Bible, but the power of Jesus Christ is most powerfully felt through prayer in all of our lives. When somebody prays for you, you feel it – don’t you. And when you pray for someone else, they feel it too. I want every one of you to pray for a minimum of ten people you know this week. If you don‘t think that you should pray for them, well you should. Pastor Kyle just told you to. See what God does. When Moses prayed for an entire nation, God heard him out and granted the prayer request. Imagine what God could do for your church, your community, your family, friends, neighbors and those we lead to Christ that stands in the gap for Christ’s sake with immediate, incremental and eternal consequences. I believe that we can change the community, nation and the world in righteousness, and definitely change you.
The goal is to pull others up and get them over to the other side; over the wall from darkness to light, from sin to obedience, from rebellion to willful submissive compliance, from eternal punishment to eternal reward, from damnation to salvation, from Hell to Heaven. The point is that no man, woman or child gets left behind and they hear the truth of Jesus Christ at the foot of the Cross that shall set them free and crosses that line into Heaven. It is the power of intercessory prayer.
In Christ, Brian
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