Well, more or less where I left off,
I spoke in the previous session about a
sovereign visitation of the Lord that came to
our church in Fort Lauderdale, and about the
impact that it had and the change in
our whole attitude toward prayer.
And then I spoke about some kind of
birth that took place out of that prayer.
And I'd like to build on that now,
and make some very simple practical suggestions for
what I believe God is asking of his
church, really, worldwide, at least in what we
call the Western world.
I think probably in some parts of the
third world, and in areas of real political
oppression, the situation may be somewhat different.
I would like to speak about two central
thrusts of the purpose of God, intercession and
outreach.
I've said for many many years, and I
still believe it, that if you want to
sum up what God has been doing for
his people in this century, the one word
that I would choose would be restoration.
I believe this has been a century of
restoration.
And I define restoration as putting things back
in the right place and the right condition.
And taking an overall view of God's dealings,
I personally believe that God has two covenant
peoples in the earth, Israel and the church.
And that for both, the 20th century has
been a period of restoration.
Putting Israel back in their God-given political,
geographical, and at the same time putting the
church back in its spiritual inheritance.
And from my point of view, the church
has been as far away from its spiritual
inheritance in Christ, as Israel have from their
geographical inheritance in the land.
And in many many ways, the process of
restoration is parallel.
In fact, I think the church can learn
a lot from what has happened to Israel.
But I'm not going to dwell on that.
I'm going to focus on restoration in the
church.
I believe it's an unfolding process.
It's by far from complete.
But if we were to focus on certain
areas of restoration, I would say first of
all the supernatural power and gifts of the
Holy Spirit.
I believe that's the thrust that opened the
way for restoration.
I believe that the New Testament church was
supernatural through and through in all its functioning.
I tried to check this out once by
reading the book of Acts.
Which has 28 chapters in which I consider
to be the New Testament pattern for the
church.
And I read it to see what would
happen if I removed all reference to the
manifestly supernatural.
And I discovered this, that not one of
its twenty.
So I conclude that to talk about New
Testament Christianity without the manifestly supernatural is an
error.
There is no such thing.
And I believe that a great deal of
what God intends to do can only be
done on the level of the supernatural.
I don't believe the supernatural.
I believe the supernatural.
And I see this as being the first
thrust beginning in the early decades of this
century.
I see another area of restoration is spiritual
life in the houses and homes of God's
people.
Something that has generally speaking accompanied most periods
of revival in the church.
And which was very manifestly present in the
early church.
Where the phrase the church is used four
times.
I believe that also being restored are what
we call eleven
apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors.
And in 1963 in the last church of
which I was officially pastor.
On Sunday morning I preached a rather long
-winded sermon explaining why there could be no
more apostles in the church.
On that I have one simple comment to
make.
I was wrong.
It's very interesting most places in the church
today.
But they would be threatened if somebody was
presented as a pastor.
If you go through the New Testament.
You'll find apart from Jesus himself.
There was only one man who was called.
You know who that was?
Philip.
That's right.
I have counted 28 persons in the New
Testament who were 14 before Pentecost and 14
after Pentecost.
So I personally believe that the church was
and it never will be what God intended
it to be without apostles.
In the book of Acts the only or
in the whole of the New Testament.
The only people who appointed elders were apostles.
I'm not going to talk about them.
I believe another area of restoration which I
if I remember rightly I spoke about.
The restoration of what the gospel is.
It's not just the gospel.
It's the gospel of the kingdom.
It's the message that God is willing to
take over the government of the human race.
And that is appointed governor is Jesus.
You see the gospel as we have tended
to think of it.
It's something like this.
If you believe in the death of Jesus
Christ for your sins you can be forgiven.
Takes us out of the kingdom of satan
and into the kingdom of God.
And it's designed to make us kings and
priests.
Not in the next dispensation but here and
now.
Jesus said in Matthew 24 14 this gospel
of will be proclaimed in all the world
as a witness to all the nations.
And then the end will come.
He made very careful provision that we would
never water down to the end of this
age.
That same message is to be proclaimed in
all the world as a witness to all
nations.
Now having said all that I'm not going
to preach on any of it.
Not directly.
What I believe emerged from God's dealings with
us as a community.
And I'm one of those persons when I
see God doing something.
I try to give careful attention.
I go to my bible to see what
the bible has to say.
And I try to learn what is the
lesson that God is trying to teach us.
And in so far as I've been able
to understand this lesson.
I want to share it with you.
That this is the direction.
And I see that the two main practical
thrusts.
That God wants to bring forth from the
church.
Our intercession and apostolic outreach.
And I want to take a little while
to talk about both.
If we were to.
Well let's put it this way.
God has called us to be a kingdom
of priests.
I'm not going to give you all the
scripture references.
Because you're all preachers and ministers and you
know them all.
But God has called us to be a
kingdom of priests.
In other words if you want to be
in the kingdom you have to be a
priest.
See the kingdom is for priests.
Like if we were talking about a society
of botanists.
If you wanted to be in the society
you'd have to be a botanist.
Or if we were talking about a race
of giants.
If you wanted to be in that race
you'd have to be a giant.
So when we talk about a kingdom of
priests.
If you want to be in the kingdom
you've got to be a priest.
What is the distinctive ministry of the priest?
Can be summed up in one word.
Sacrifice.
That's right.
In the Bible the only persons permitted to
offer sacrifice were priests.
If anybody other than a priest.
Now Peter says we are called to offer
spiritual sacrifices.
We are not called to offer the animal
sacrifice.
What are the spiritual sacrifices that we are
called to offer?
In Hebrews chapter 13 and verses 15 and
16.
Hebrews 13 verses 15 and 16.
Therefore by him that is Jesus Christ.
Let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise.
That is the fruit of our lips.
Giving thanks to his name.
But do not forget to do good and
to share.
There are, I suppose you could say, four
sacrifices mentioned.
Praise, thanksgiving, sharing and doing good.
And the writer of Hebrews says those four
sacrifices please God.
If you look in Romans chapter 12 and
verse 1.
You find another sacrifice that is required of
Romans 12.1. I beseech you therefore brethren
by the mercies of God that you present
your bodies a living sacrifice.
Holy, acceptable under God.
God requires that his body or her body.
These are basically the sacrifices of Jesus.
In Hebrews the seventh chapter verses 24.
Speaking of Jesus in his heavenly ministry.
But because he continues forever.
He has an unchangeable priesthood.
Notice it's a.
Therefore he is also able to save to
the uttermost those who come since he ever
lives.
To make intercession for them.
What is the priestly ministry of Jesus there?
Making intercession.
So we can kind of round out the
picture.
Our priestly ministry is first of all the
offering of ourselves.
A life of sacrifice.
And in a certain sense it's constant is
intercession.
It's interesting to consider the time span in
the life of Jesus.
30 years of perfect family life.
Three and a half years of intense public
ministry.
And almost 2,000 years of intercession.
I think if we could see that it
would give us a different perspective on ministry.
Now I want to suggest that within the
body of Christ we are all called to
be priests.
To offer praise and worship.
But that there is a very specific calling
to be intercessors.
You've probably heard my wife Ruth say.
She's called to be an intercessor.
And I bear testimony to that.
Intercession is part of her life.
She intercedes basically when she breathes.
My first wife Lydia had a tremendous ministry
of prayer.
She prayed too as naturally as she breathed.
But it wasn't, it was more I would
say in a way spiritual warfare.
What I'm suggesting to you is what I
believe the Lord is saying.
And it's particularly to those of us who
are.
We need to give much greater priority to
intercession.
And we need to give much greater scope
and recognition to our intercessor.
I've heard since I've been here in Christchurch
at least three different projects for extending the
kingdom of God.
And I'm sympathetic to every one of them.
But I believe the ultimate measure of success
in each case will be determined by the
intercession that's behind them.
I would like to take a little picture
from the Old Testament.
I would like to take the priestly tribe
of Levi.
And the priestly house of Aaron.
As types of intercession and intercessors.
And I want to share with you very
briefly the place that was played in the
victories that Israel won by the priestly ministry.
Just take two examples, very simple ones.
Two instances in which Israel won total victories
and without having even to fight.
And in each case the key was the
priestly ministry.
The first example is Jericho.
The ministry of the priests with the ram's
horns.
We read very quickly verses six
and seven.
Now I'm speaking to people who are familiar
with the outlines of the story.
So it was when Joshua had spoken to
the people.
That the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets
of round men went before the priests who
blew the trumpet.
The priests blowing the trumpet depict a continuous
ministry of intercession, prayer, praise, proclamation.
Verse 13.
The seven priests bearing seven trumpets of ram's
horns before the ark of the Lord went
on continually and blew with the trumpets and
the continuing emphasis on.
And then in verse 16 and the seventh
that Joshua said to the people.
And in verse 20.
So the people shouted when the and it
happened when the people heard this.
Then the people went up into where
was the emphasis on the ministry of the
priests all through.
Now let's look at another example of total
victory in second chronicles.
King Jehoshaphat of Judah was informed that a
very large hostile army was advancing.
And he realized that he did not have
the resources to deal with them.
And so at the beginning of the chapter.
He proclaimed a period of fasting and prayer
and call.
And then we read in second chronicles chapter
20.
Following on.
That after they prayed.
One of the Levites gave a prophetic.
Obeyed the directions.
And this is the result.
Then the Levites of the.
Then the Levites of the children of the
Corinthians stood up to praise them.
And they rose early.
Hear me O Judah and you inhabitants of
Jerusalem.
Believe in the Lord your God.
And you shall be established.
Believe his prophets.
And you shall prosper.
And when he had consulted with the people.
He appointed those who.
When they began to sing and to praise
the Lord.
The Lord set ambushes.
Again for the people of Ammon.
So when Judah came to a place overlooking
the wilderness.
They looked toward the multitude.
And there were their bodies dead.
Fallen on the earth.
Again an absolutely total victory.
Over a vast hostile army.
What was the essential ingredient in the victory.
It's the ministry of the priests.
I believe that in a certain sense.
The lesson for us is that.
In so far as we understand.
And release the ministry of the priests.
That's how far we'll experience total victory.
And I want to suggest to you.
On the basis of what I observed in
the church.
In most parts of the earth.
That really.
We are not giving the priests.
Their proper position.
We are not giving sufficient recognition.
To the ministry of intercession.
Basically.
We make our plans.
We have our program.
We go on with what we've been accustomed
to do.
And we ask somebody to pray for us.
I'd like to look for a moment at
what David experienced.
You know the story of his bringing the
ark into Zion.
And the first time he met with disaster.
We look in 1st Chronicles chapter verses 7
and following.
We don't have time to go into the
details.
But we just look at 1st Chronicles chapter
13 verses 7 through 10.
So they carried the ark of God on
a new cart from the house of Abinadab.
And Uzzah and Ahio drove the cart.
Then David and all Israel played music before
God with all their might.
With singing, on harps, on stringed instruments, on
tambourines and with trumpets.
There's a kind of tendency in the charismatics
to prove that isn't necessarily true.
They were praising the Lord.
Verse 9.
And then the anger of the Lord was
aroused against Uzzah.
And he struck him.
Because he put his hand to the ark.
He decided there was a lesson to learn.
And he better learn it.
And when he'd learnt his lesson.
Praise God he went back.
And in 1st Chronicles 15 verses 1 through
3.
David shares the lesson that the Lord has
taught him.
1st Chronicles 15 verses 1 through 3.
Then David built houses for himself in the
city of David.
And he prepared.
Incidentally what's the good of bringing the ark
if you don't have a place prepared for
it.
Then David said no one may carry the
ark of God but the Levites.
And David gathered all Israel together at Jerusalem.
We didn't give the Levites their job.
We substitute.
And then in the same chapter verses 11
through 16.
And David called for Zadok and Abiath and
the priests.
And for the Levites for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel,
Shammaiah, Eliel and Aminadab.
Then he said to them.
Excuse me.
You are the heads of the fathers houses
of the Levites.
Sanctify yourselves.
The Lord our God broke out against us.
Because we did not consult him.