Tag: Holy Spirit

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Orthopraxy: Fellowship

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As we continue working our way through the practical side of church ministry, we have already looked at corporate prayer and intercession, which are foundational to the life of the church. As we read in Acts 2, following the day of Pentecost:

“So those who received (Peter’s) word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

Acts 2:41-42

When the church began, and thousands of new believers were added, the first thing Luke (the author of Acts) wants us to know is that there was great unity among them. They joined together around the Word of God (a topic we will get to in a few weeks), fellowship and sharing meals, and the prayers (which we have already looked at).

Today, we will turn our attention to biblical “fellowship,” as this word means something much different than the average 21st-century understanding demonstrates.

What is Fellowship

In Acts 2:42, the Greek word for fellowship is “koinonia.” If you have been around church very much, this is likely a word you have heard thrown around at various times when discussing an upcoming fellowship event, such as a church luncheon or a men’s meeting. 

Usually, when we use the word fellowship, we imply a social gathering of believers. So we tell people, “make sure you get to church early, to have a time of fellowship before the service.” We encourage people to join a cell group or a Sunday school class, not only for the teaching but for fellowship. The idea being promoted is that if we are going to be believers together in the same “church,” then we need to take time to make friends with one another.

Can Friendship Be Forced?

The problem with many “fellowship” activities planned by church leaders is that they don’t always work the way we hope. Of course, we desire that believers would come to know one another deeply. However, when everyone comes together, people tend to sit with their family or existing friends instead of getting to know others. Even when we do mingle with people we don’t know, our “small talk” is usually very shallow and limited.

I don’t mean to imply that we must know every person deeply. Even if it were possible, it goes against our natural human inclinations. Most people would rather have a small group of people they know well, trust, and can be vulnerable around. It isn’t natural to fully expose our inward self to the masses. And that is okay.

Even as a senior ministry leader, myself, responsible for thousands of believers in the Sozo Ministries network of churches, I still tend toward introversion and take a long time to build deep friendships. I don’t necessarily want to have an intimate relationship with every person I meet just because they are Christian, and that is fine.

But the question is, then, what is the goal of fellowship, if not to be friends with everyone in our church?

The Foundation of Fellowship

The first answer is that true, biblical koinonia is grounded on our shared faith in Jesus Christ. It is “unity of faith” that the New Testament writers point to as the thing that holds us together as a body.

“If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” 

1 John 1:6-7 (emphasis mine)

According to John, we cannot have fellowship with one another unless we all walk in the light with Jesus Christ. He is our first partner in fellowship. As the head of the church, He is the one we seek intimacy with, which opens the door to intimacy within His body. Just look at how the Apostle Paul speaks of this relationship toward Jesus and one another in his letter to the Corinthians:

“I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you  — so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” 

1 Corinthians 1:4–9 (emphasis mine)

Not only were you called into fellowship “with” Jesus Christ, but you were placed in the fellowship “of” Jesus Christ – that is with the community of believers who are with Him as well!

Fellowship in Unity

This means that when we come together as the body of Christ, we are not gathering because we are all friends with one another. Instead, we are gathering because we are all friends of Jesus, and together we can make more of our relationship with Him!

Think about it like this: have you ever been invited to a birthday party for a friend, only to arrive at the venue and discover you don’t know any of the other guests? I’m sure you didn’t turn around and leave just because your friend has made other friends throughout their life. Instead, I’ll bet you joined the party, met a few new people, and took part in celebrating the birthday boy or girl’s life together. 

Every conversation you had with the other guests would be centered on this unity of celebrating your mutual friend: “How did you meet our friend?” “When did you meet them? “What stories can you tell me that I don’t know about our friend?” This is precisely what unity around Jesus looks like as well. 

As we come together in fellowship as the church, we gather to celebrate our mutual friend, Jesus. We may not be friends with everyone in the room — in fact, we may not know another person there at all. That doesn’t matter because He is the focus. As we look at Him, discuss Him, sing to Him, share stories (testimonies) about Him, etc., the unity built among everyone in the room will be tangible. Unity in our love for Him is the foundation of our fellowship.

The Extention of Fellowship

I know as some of you read this, you are getting frustrated with me. Sure, we might not be capable of being friends with everyone in our church, but shouldn’t we at least try? Isn’t living as part of the faith community important?

The answer is yes, being a part of the community is very important. But, it isn’t the foundation. What I mean is that we should never encourage people to join our church “for community.” We are not a social club. We are the fellowship of Jesus Christ. Knowing Him is the foundation for which we gather in koinonia.

However, the extension of our fellowship becomes love for one another as we see Jesus’ love for each other. As the Apostle John tells us:

“We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.” 

1 John 4:19-21

I love verse 19! “We love because He first loved us.” Love for others is an extension of our fellowship with Him. As we live in intimacy with Him, the Bible tells us we become like Him (2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 John 3:2), and therefore, we begin to love others just as he loves them.

The Fruit of the Spirit

One biblical evidence that we are transforming into the image of Christ is that “the fruit of the Holy Spirit” will shape us and be demonstrated through our lives.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” 

Galatians 5:22-23

What is interesting about this list is that we cannot demonstrate any of these fruits outside of a relationship with others. 

  • Love must be shown to others. 
  • Joy, in the Greek understanding, is the publicly shared celebration of gladness. Although we might be joyful in ourselves, the fruit of joy comes when it is shared. 
  • Peace, again in the Greek understanding, means a cease to war. It is peace among people or harmony between parties who might otherwise be opposed to one another.
  • Patience and kindness are attitudes expressed toward others.
  • Goodness simply means we set our mind toward the public good in all things.
  • Faithfulness deals with both our commitment to faith in God, as well as our trustworthiness. As we live by faith in Christ, other people should be able to trust our integrity when they meet us.
  • Gentleness, again, is demonstrated in how we interact with people.
  • Self-control simply means keeping a level head and restraining our passions, sinful desires, and extreme emotions. Again, this ability to discipline ourselves is best demonstrated in our public life.

As a friend recently pointed out to me, many of these “fruit” are also mentioned in “the love passage” of the Bible:

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 

1 Corinthians 13:4–7

The point is that the character of Christ, which is formed in us through fellowship with Him, is outwardly demonstrated in our love for other people. Thus, love is the extension of our fellowship.

The Expression of Fellowship

If fellowship is founded on our unity in Christ and is extended as our love for others conforms to His love, then there must be a tangible expression of that fellowship when we come together as the body of Christ. 

How are Jesus’ work in us and His love coming through us demonstrated in the church? Biblically, it was shown in the valuing of people over possessions. As Craig Keener writes in his book, Gift and Giver:

“Besides the numerical growth of the Christian community, the community grew in its cohesiveness through the believers’ commitment to one another. The Greek term for “fellowship” (Acts 2:42) could mean economic sharing as well as spending time together. When we go out to dinner with friends from our church, we often think we are doing well; and to be sure, such fellowship is better than the isolation many churchgoers feel today. But the first Christians were far more serious about fellowship in the biblical sense than we are. The believers “shared all things in common” (Acts 2:44).”1

Giving 100% In The Offering

Now, we must understand that this sharing of all things literally meant all of their worldly possessions.

“And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.” 

Acts 2:44-45

Remember, this was also centered in Jerusalem, the capital city of conquered Israel. The Roman Empire was taxing the average person at 90% of their income! “Selling their possession and belongings” wasn’t a believer deciding to give up a second television for the family or forego a new vehicle this year in order to tithe a little more. This meant taking the last 10% of their income (after the government took everything else) and still putting it into the offering plate at church. The expression of their fellowship meant keeping nothing for themselves, and in turn, trusting that the local community of faith would take care of them.

The love for others, created through their unity with Christ, inspired them to give all they had for each other. Unfortunately, this is a level of “fellowship” not seen in most of our churches today.

Love Feasts

Another expression of their fellowship came in “the breaking of bread” together, as they “received their food with glad and generous hearts” (Acts 2:46). These large communal meals became known as “agape feasts” or “love meals” and were an everyday part of the early church’s life. Sometimes they were coupled with taking communion (another part of celebrating Jesus together, which we will discuss in a future post). Other times, they were simply about sharing a meal as the family of God.

Because people had given everything they had to the church, it bound them to life together with other believers. Even if they were not friends with everyone in the church, there was a commitment to one another that went deeper than most family ties would today.

Things were not always perfect at these love feasts. For example, in Acts 6:1-7, we see that some groups within the church felt excluded by other groups and that the shared food was not being fairly distributed. However, the church leaders were quick to fix the issue, so that fellowship would not be broken. In fact, as much as we elevate deacons in the church today, the first deacons in the church were tasked with serving tables to ensure that the fellowship was maintained. 

Another issue can be seen in Jude 12 concerning false spiritual leaders taking advantage of these love feasts. Nevertheless, love feasts continued as part of the life of the church for centuries.2

Creating Fellowship Today

The challenge we have today is that our world is entirely different from that of the early church 2000 years ago. Whereas the early church was limited by their location — there was no mass transit or mass communication — globalization has given us unending access to everything at any time. With the internet, I have access to all earthly knowledge in seconds. With YouTube tutorials, I can learn any skill I want. With modern transportation, I can be anywhere in the world in 48 hours or less.

Naturally, this access has shifted the focus of most modern individuals far beyond life in our local communities. Even as I write these words, I am continuously aware they will be read by believers all over the world — in the U.S., Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East — many of whom do not share my cultural background. (I still don’t have a noticeable readership in South America or Australia, but maybe one day.)

As society’s focus has moved beyond the ties of physical location, the church is faced with a new set of challenges that the early church did not have. If our people live globally, how do we ground them with a fellowship locally?

I think the answer lies in returning to the foundation. We must lift up Jesus in our lives and seek to build relationships with others around Him. (And I mean face-to-face relationships, not online.) Of course, this will require a willingness to share our faith with unbelievers in personal evangelism. More than that, however, it requires a willingness to put ourselves out there and be vulnerable with other believers. We will never see a thriving local fellowship until we lead the way ourselves.

Let’s Get Practical

Inherent inside every Christian believer is a desire to be part of the body of Christ. As His character is developed in us and as the Holy Spirit releases gifts for service through us, the desire for fellowship is natural. Therefore, as leaders in the church, we must simply follow the process of Unity -> Love -> Expression to create a true biblical fellowship in our churches.

1. Celebrate Jesus

Any time the body of Christ comes together, we must make Jesus central.

Of course, we need to take time to greet our visitors and do other social things as the church. However, our primary focus must remain Jesus. Preach Jesus. Talk about Jesus. Share testimonies of what Jesus is doing. Invite people to know Jesus deeper.

We may never all become best friends, but we can all live in unity around Him. If the focus of the church ever leaves Him, true fellowship will be broken.

2. Encourage Love

As we lift up Jesus, we also aim to disciple people into His image. While the process of sanctification will take place internally in the lives of believers, as leaders, we ought to create opportunities for the fruit and gifts of the Spirit to be demonstrated externally.

Make room in your service for people to serve one another. Give time for those who have discovered their spiritual gifts to use them (and give opportunity for those who have not yet discovered their gifts to seek the Holy Spirit and try something).

I remember the first time I visited a friend’s church in college. When we arrived, I met the pastor, who asked me about my story and why I chose to come that night. Then, as if I belonged to the church already, he asked if I would help serve drinks to people as they arrived. I no longer felt like just a visitor because I had a job to do, serving everyone else who would come. Though it was a small act, it invited me to become part of the fellowship the church had been building for years.

3. Facilitate Corporate Expressions of Fellowship

For the early church, giving generously to the community and joining together in love feasts became regular and expected expressions of fellowship. Though these things can and should be part of our modern-day practice as well, I would also encourage you to consider your own church and see what other “expressions” of fellowship you can maintain regularly to keep people engaging with one another. 

What can you do as a church that will give people the opportunity to gather in unity around Jesus and serve one another at the same time? Though I could give many examples in my own cultural context, I will leave this as an open-ended question for you to ponder for yourself.

Let’s Connect

If you want more than just a blog, join me on social media for more #ChristianLife and #Gospel Leadership insights throughout the week. I can be found on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and LinkedIn, and would love to see you there.

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Endnotes

1 Craig S. Keener, Gift & Giver: The Holy Spirit for Today, Repackaged Edition. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2020), 85.

2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agape_feast

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© Anthony Scott Ingram 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

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Orthopraxy: Intercession

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In the last post, we took a deep dive into corporate prayer — what it is and isn’t. We saw in that post that prayer is an essential practice for the Body of Christ to grow in. Just as God said, His household should be a “house of prayer” (Isaiah 56:7, Luke 19:46). In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul commanded that the culture of the church ought to be unceasing prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

As we continue to look at prayer as a church practice, however, there is another side we must explore. There is corporate prayer, which we discussed, and of course, there is the private life of prayer for the believer (which we will not discuss much in this series.) Then, there is a middle ground, where the private prayer life of an individual believer has significant, practical implications on the public body. I am referring to what most of us would call “intercession.” To be more specific, I am talking about what many modern charismatic believers refer to as “prophetic prayer.” I believe the biblical definition points to this wording, too, as we shall soon see.

Intercession in the Old Testament

In the Old Testament, there are generally two Hebrew words translated as “intercede.” They both carry the general idea of being an arbiter or mediator, seeking to bring two parties together in agreement or reconciliation, though they each come at this purpose with a different approach. (Unfortunately, both of these words are difficult to transliterate for English readers. One is פלל or pll, and the other is פגע or pg’.)

Intercession is Based on God’s Decree

The first of these two – פלל – is a judicial word. It emphasizes making an appeal based on an objective or legal truth. Biblically speaking, this would typically be the objective truth of God’s word or a decreed judgment of God. For example, we see this word used twice in 1 Samuel 2:25:

“If someone sins against a man, God will פלל (mediate) for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can פלל (intercede) for him?”

1 Samuel 2:25

The viability of each use of פלל in this verse is dependant on the target of a person’s sin – whether it be against man or against God. This means that the effectiveness of intercession is directly based on a preexisting determination in God’s law.

The point is that for intercession to be effective, it must rely on revealed decrees and judgments of the Lord. A person cannot simply “intercede” for anything they desire and expect to receive it. Intercession prayer must be according to His will (1 John 5:14).

Intercession is Based on Human Willingness

The second Old Testament word – פגע – emphasizes the process of meeting with a person and “pleading” with them or “entreating” them toward reconciliation. The effectiveness of this intercession has to do with a person’s willingness to be the arbiter or mediator for reconciliation. For example, Isaiah 59:16 speaks of the Lord’s wonder “that there was no one to intercede…”

In Jeremiah 27, we see a group of false prophets challenged due to their lack of intercession. God had already decreed that the Temple’s holy vessels would remain in Babylon for some time (27:22), yet these false prophets were prophesying that they would be returned shortly (27:16). Jeremiah calls them out:

“If they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with them, then let them intercede with the Lord of hosts, that the vessels that are left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem may not go to Babylon.” 

Jeremiah 27:18

He says, if they are prophets and have received God’s decree, then let them show a willingness to do the work of intercession in the Lord’s presence. Unfortunately, their willingness wasn’t there.

These two words show us that effective intercession always seeks reconciliation between two parties and requires two things. First, it requires the declaration of the Lord. Then, it requires the willing involvement of man to agree with God’s decree through both prayer and action. 

As we will see, this same idea carried over into the New Testament as well.

Intercession in the New Testament

There are various forms of the Greek word “entynchano,” translated as “intercede” in the New Testament. Specifically, “entynchano” and “hyperentynchano.” This word means “to appeal” or “plead,” with the pleading usually done before the Lord, on behalf of someone else.

Entynchano is not pleading with people to be reconciled to God. Instead, it is pleading with God to remember His promises toward a person. (Remember, Jesus saves. It is His work, not ours.)

This form of intercession, then, is a continuation of what we saw in the Old Testament language. “Entynchano” means that we have heard the decree of God over someone or something and have the willingness to come into His presence and plead for His declaration to come to pass.

While my sovereignty-minded friends will struggle with the idea that human pleas can impact the effectiveness of God’s will, it is a very biblical idea.

Abraham Shifted God’s Plans

For one example, look at God’s declaration of judgment on Sodom in Genesis 18. Before He sent His angels to bring about destruction, God decided to hear what Abraham would say!

“The Lord said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.'” 

Genesis 18:17–19

Abraham thinks through this judgment in light of the character and grace He has seen in the Lord, and He begins to bargain with Him. “God, if you find 50 righteous men in the city, will you spare it?” God relents. “40?” “30?” “20?” Again and again, God’s plans change according to the request of Abraham, until finally, they come to the final plea:

“Then he said, ‘Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.’ He answered, ‘For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.’ And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.” 

Genesis 18:32–33

God had already decreed destruction, but Abraham’s intercession on behalf of the city gave an acceptable change of plans if only ten righteous might be found there. But, unfortunately, Abraham did not understand the depth of Sodom’s sinfulness before the Lord, the ten righteous were not found, and the angels destroyed the city anyways.

Moses Effectively Interceeded for Israel

We see another example of this intercession in the book of Exodus. Moses had led God’s people out of Egypt, with God working many signs and wonders along the way and giving Moses step-by-step instructions. Once the people reach Moun Sinai, God calls Moses up the mountain to receive the ten commandments. Meanwhile, the people of Israel backslide away from the Lord and begin worshipping a golden idol.

God gets very angry and decides that rather than delivering the people, He should destroy them where they stand:

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.'” 

Exodus 32:9–10

Moses quickly intercedes for the people, not requesting anything based on the people’s deservedness but on God’s revealed character and plans!

“But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, ‘O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.'” 

Exodus 32:11–13

Look at how Moses calls on the Lord to remember His plans as far back as Abraham and see how far they had come in His goodness. If God were to destroy the people now, it would not reflect poorly on the people. They were clearly deserving of wrath. Instead, it would appear that God’s promises are invalid. He promised to rescue a people He already knew was sinful. Now, He must uphold His decrees!

“And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.” 

Exodus 32:14

In the next chapter, we see Moses’ intercession continue. God agreed not to destroy the people but then decided to send them on their way without Him. Moses reminds God that their identity as God’s chosen people is wrapped up in His presence with them. Again, God relents and agrees to go with Moses as He had previously promised (Exodus 33:1-5; 12-16).

God Released Wrath When There Was No Intercessor

Recalling Moses’ prayer on behalf of the people in Exodus, there is one other example of the effectiveness of intercession given in the Old Testament, which seems appropriate. 

In the book of Ezekiel, God gives a long list of the sins of His people, including false prophecies and injustice to the poor. Once again, God decides He is going to bring wrath on the people. However, there is a brief pause before He does. He speaks:

“And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.” 

Ezekiel 22:30

God says before He brought destruction, He looked for a man who would put themselves into the gap between Him and the sinful nation to plead for grace. 

The Hebrew phrase is intense. It literally means He wanted someone to “get in My face” on behalf of the land. It is the same Hebrew language used to describe Moses’ intercession in Psalm 106:23. Yet, in Ezekiel’s day, there is no one to intercede.

“Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned their way upon their heads, declares the Lord God.” 

Ezekiel 22:31

God’s Decree and Human Action in Jesus

As a final example of a life of intercession, we must look at Jesus. It was prophesied in Isaiah 53 that to fulfill God’s decree, Jesus would offer not only His prayers but also his actions as “intercession” for the lost:

“Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” 

Isaiah 53:12

The entirety of Jesus’ life would be about reconciling the lost back to God. He would be the promised Lamb of God, who would pay the price for sin and release those who would trust Him from God’s wrath. The fulfillment of God’s promise of salvation through His sinless death in their place would be the final objective truth by which reconciliation could take place.

Based on God’s judgment which would fall on Him on the cross, the purpose of His earthly ministry, teachings, and prayer life (John 17) would be about entreating people back to God. In all ways, Jesus would be the mediator pulling both sides back toward each other (1 Timothy 2:5). This was the life of intercession.

In the same way, intercessory prayer is about partnering with God on behalf of others — the church, the lost, and the world. Intercession is not meant to be a part of the church service. Rather, intercession should be a core practice in leading the church to take its place in the ministry of reconciliation between God and man. This is the heart of the gospel and the fundamental mission of the church.

Let’s get practical. 

As we can see, intercession is something much different than what takes place in our usual corporate prayer times. In corporate prayer, we join together as a body to celebrate what God is doing among us and pray with expectation for His faithfulness toward us each day. That is NOT intercession.

Intercession is where members of the body engage with the Holy Spirit to hear what is on His heart and then pray with Him to see His will come to pass. This is key. This is why I believe the definition of “prophetic prayer” is applicable.

First You Need God’s Decree

For someone to intercede, biblically, they must first hear God’s will: be it a decree, a promise, or a judgment. While this can and does take place by spending time in His written word – the Bible – those with a calling toward intercession will go deeper into specific practical matters as the Lord speaks to them (John 10:17, John 16:12-15). They need to be able to hear God’s Holy Spirit clearly.

Since intercession depends on hearing God’s voice, I find it difficult for most congregations to truly have an effective time of intercessory prayer during a regular church service. Many of the people attending do not understand what they are being asked to do. Those who do may not have the maturity to take part in biblical intercession as a brief, passing moment in a broader worship service.

For this reason, I would encourage pastors to create intercessory teams who meet at specific times outside of the regular service. They should take time together to hear from the Lord, pray into His will, and inform the leadership of what God is speaking before the regular service takes place. For some events, such as crusades or revival services, having the intercessory team in place, praying quietly throughout the service is also quite effective and strategic.

Second You Need A Willing Intercessor

This process of sitting and hearing from the Lord takes diligence and patience. Intercession, while vital to the life of the body of Christ, is not a spiritual practice everyone will engage in. This is where the willingness comes into place.

Again, this is why I believe it is a mistake for a pastor to invite every church member onto an intercessory team. It takes maturity as a believer, specifically in the area of hearing the Lord speak. For people unwilling to take the time needed to hear and pray effectively, it will be a waste of time and energy with little benefit to the church. For this same reason, there may be people who go through seasons of life where they will step on and off your intercessory team. This is ok. Just make sure that those who are there are mature, able, and willing to stand in the gap for the body and ministry.

Third You Need To Release Them With Boldness

People willing to step into the intercessor role as part of their life in the body of Christ need to be released by their leadership to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading completely. While there will definitely be times church leadership will give guidance around a specific need to pray for (an upcoming event, a needy individual, or anything else), it will ultimately be up to the Spirit in how the need is covered.

They must have the freedom and the boldness to take what they hear from the Lord and go deeper into His presence (“in My face”) with the things He shares. While the leadership can guide how some ministers in the church do their work, the intercessor cannot be directed at all times. Instead, the leadership must be willing to flow with the intercessory team as the Lord guides them along.

If we do intercession well, the church will be fruitful in the mission of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18).

Let’s Connect

If you want to more than just a blog, join me on social media for more #ChristianLife and #Gospel Leadership insights throughout the week. I can be found on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and LinkedIn, and would love to see you there.

You can also make sure to never miss any future posts by subscribing to my newsletter below. I promise never to spam your inbox or share your info with others.

If you’re enjoying the content I produce, a little caffeine to keep me going would be appreciated!



© Anthony Scott Ingram 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Please note that I do get a small kickback from Amazon for any purchases made using the links on this post. Should you choose to purchase from them, I just want to say thank you for further supporting my work in ministry!

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Orthopraxy: Corporate Prayer

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I grew up in the American “bible belt;” an area where there is a church building on nearly every street corner and a social expectation that you are a member of one of these churches, even if you never attend. Growing up outside of the local church, therefore, caused various relational challenges for me when people would ask the question, “where do you go to church?” 

A few decades later, I now live in Uganda, where there is a similar cultural expectation of religious affiliation, though the divisions are different. Back in the U.S., the divide was denominational — baptist, methodist, pentecostal, church of Christ, etc. The religious lines here, however, are whether you are Catholic or “protestant,’ meaning Anglican (government recognized churches), a “mulokole” or “a born-again,” meaning evangelical/charismatic (not government recognized churches), or you are a Muslim.

Due to this different background, the question people ask here is also much different. Instead of being asked, “where do you go to church?” you are much more likely to hear, “where do you pray from?” While this also implies the question “which god do you pray to,” I still like this question much better. After all, as we discussed last week, the church is not a place you go; it is the community of believers with whom you gather. Prayer, however, is one of the biggest reasons why the church gathers, so the question “where do you pray from” is entirely appropriate.

As we continue our practical dive into what the church does and why, I want to dig deeper into the practice of prayer, or more specifically, “corporate prayer” as the body of Christ. Next week, we will go further into prayer by looking at the role of “intercession” as a ministry of the church.

What is Prayer?

According to the Lexham Bible Dictionary1, prayer is “communication with God, primarily offered in the second-person voice (addressing God directly). May include petition, entreaty, supplication, thanksgiving, praise, hymns, and lament.”

From the Jewish and Christian perspective, the concept of prayer is much different from that of many other cultures. It comes down to one critical theological difference between the personality of Yahweh versus the deities of other religions. Yahweh is an intimate God who wants fellowship with His creation. Since the first man was formed in Genesis, human history has been marked by people’s relationship (or lack of relationship) with God. Relationship is one of the primary biblical characterizations that define our faith. We are the people of God because we know Him and live in relationship with Him.

Our God is a Relational God

The Bible is full of intimate and relational language when it talks about human interaction with God. For example, Moses was called a friend by God (Is. 41:8; James 2:23). The book of Hosea demonstrates God’s unfailing love for His people as a husband’s pursuit of his unfaithful bride. Jesus is called “Immanuel,” meaning God with us, and when He had to leave the earth, He sent His own Spirit to dwell inside of us. These are only a few examples, but they make the point well.

This intimate view of deities was not common in most of the pagan cultures of the first century. Instead, the gods that people worshipped were silent and distant. Prayers and offerings were made to appease them but never to know them. This is why when Paul preached to the gentiles, his gospel often emphasized the closeness of our God (Acts 17:26-28).

God is personal! Although it’s been said thousands of times before, it bears repeating: “Christianity is not a religion. It is a relationship!” 

To summarize this point very candidly, to be a Christian is to know Christ. We do this first through His revelation of Himself in scripture, but we go deeper in intimacy with Him through prayer and fellowship with the Holy Spirit inside of us.

What is Corporate Prayer?

“Corporate prayer” is simply a way of saying that when we come together as a congregation (or in a small group), we are praying in unity with one another. There is cooperation in how we lift our voices to the Lord and agreement in our prayer focus.

This unified seeking of the Lord — especially for more of His presence and power in our lives — is one of the main reasons we gather as a local church. And there are several components that ought to be included when we come together in corporate prayer.

1. Worship

Though there is a strong misconception that “worship” means singing to the Lord, this is not the case. Instead, worship means recognizing and acknowledging the praiseworthiness of God, whether in song, prayer, proclamations, or deed.

Worship, therefore, should be one of the primary goals of our corporate prayer time. As we gather together, our purpose should be to behold Him and, together, publicly display our adoration of Him. That is worship.

We see worship as a vital part of prayer throughout history. Just read through the book of Psalms and see how often God’s character traits are celebrated. Also, notice how Jesus begins His model prayer by acknowledging that God’s name (character) is “hallowed” or wholly set apart, high above all other names (Matthew 6:9). (Remember, the revealed names of God represent His personal character and relational promises: Jehovah Jireh, “God who provides.” Jehovah Rapha, “God who heals.” Et al.)

If worship and adoration are not a priority in our church services, both in our singing AND in our corporate prayer, we are missing the point.

2. Thanksgiving

Whereas worship is closely related to celebrating who God is, thanksgiving celebrates all that God has done. It is gratitude for His faithfulness.

In a future post, we will see why sharing testimonies should be a regular part of our church practices to encourage others to trust the Lord more. However, as we seek to keep a record of what the Lord has done and is doing among us as the local body of Christ, we must make saying “thank You” to Him a regular practice as well.

Remember, prayer is vital for living in relationship with the Lord. It hurts His feelings when He blesses us so abundantly, but we refuse to acknowledge it through praise and thanksgiving. We must be like the Samaritan leper in Luke 17:11-19, who made the return journey to Jesus, just to say thank you. When we pray, we must take time as a body to thank Him for all that He does.

A second way we should incorporate thanksgiving into our church prayer times is to thank God for one another. We see this demonstrated in almost every pastoral letter from the Apostle Paul. He takes time, in each letter, to pray for the recipients and makes it a point to give thanks to God for individual people and their God-given gifts and roles in the church (1 Thessalonians 1:1-2; 2 Timothy 1:3; Romans 1:8; et al.). Remember, when we receive one another as a gift from God, with honor and gratitude, we will also receive the blessing from one another, as God intends (Matthew 10:41).

3. Community Petitions

Another vital element to our corporate prayers is that we should be lifting the needs of one another to the Lord. 

Of course, we do this privately. Paul tells us: 

“The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” 

Philippians 4:5b-6

He also tells us to “pray without ceasing,” which implies that this is not only when we are together with the church.

However, when we walk together in unity as the body of Christ, we share in one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), and through our prayer, we become instruments of grace to each other. As James writes:

“And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” 

James 5:15-16

Therefore, it is good to give members time to make their requests known to the congregation and for the church to take time to pray specifically for those needs.

4. Blessings and Impartations

Beyond just lifting the stated needs of church members, however, our times of corporate prayer should also be opportunities to bless one another in the Lord. We should make time, as the body, to lay hands on each other, to see an impartation of God’s grace and gifts onto others; to see God’s power come alive in their lives; and to see the Holy Spirit fill them in new, fresh ways.

In the Old Testament, God commanded the Jewish priests to bless the people by putting God’s name upon them (Numbers 6:22-27). (Again, referencing God’s name implies believing in His revealed character and claiming the related promises on behalf of the person.)2

In the New Testament, we see Jesus putting a blessing onto people by embracing them (Mark 10:16), laying His hands on them, and imparting the Holy Spirit to them (John 20:22). This example was followed by the 12 Apostles (Acts 8:17) and the Apostle Paul (Acts 19:1-6).

This shared time to seek the Lord for the benefit of one another, for more of God’s presence and power in their lives, ought to be a central goal of our times in corporate prayer. 

What Corporate Prayer Is Not

As you can see from the four elements we have listed above, a time of corporate prayer must be God-focused and purposeful. With that in mind, let’s take a quick look at a few things corporate prayer is not.

1. Corporate Prayer is Not Mindless

Worship, thanksgiving, petitions, and blessings all require us to pray with mindfulness. This means that when we enter into a time of corporate prayer, we must take time to explain the intended focus so that everyone is unified in seeking the Lord. It may even be necessary, at times, to give clear instructions on how to pray with or for one another.

What we never want is to say, “let’s begin to pray,” without an explicit reason. If you’re going to lead people deeper into worship through a time of prayer, or if you want to spend time praying for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in some way, you must explain this clearly. Otherwise, you will have confusion in the prayers and declarations being made by various members of the body.

When people are home, praying in their secret place with the Lord, they should pray as the Spirit leads them. However, in corporate prayer, we must be unified in the Spirit and in agreement with one another in our requests. This unity is what will make our prayers effective.

“Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Matthew 18:19-20

2. Corporate Prayer is Not Religious Ritual

Many more traditional forms of Christianity use liturgical prayers both in and out of their services. For most of us, the best example would be the praying of “The Lord’s Prayer” when we fellowship together. For others, there are standard prayers to be prayed over various aspects of a church service or at various times and seasons of the year.

Some Catholics and traditional protestants recite prayers like the “Jesus Prayer,” which says, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Some denominations use liturgical books, such as “The Book of Common Prayer,” used by the Anglicans, or other forms of prayer books. In fact, many of the hymnals used in many evangelical and charismatic churches contain a section of pre-written prayers to be recited, as well.

While it can be very useful to use some of these traditional prayers, which can keep us grounded in our church history and theological orthodoxy throughout the generations, we must be careful of turning corporate prayer into a weekly religious ritual we perform out of obligation.

We never want prayer to become a mindless routine or something we do simply because it is what we have always done. Even if we use some form of liturgical prayer in our services, we must do our diligence to keep the focus on Jesus and not just perform a religious exercise. 

We do not pray for the sake of prayer. We pray to connect with Jesus relationally.

3. Corporate Prayer is Not Focused on the Devil

Another negative trend I have noticed often in corporate prayer is that it becomes too easy for people to take our eyes off the Lord and instead begin to engage in warfare with the devil.

Let me be clear; I do believe there is a need for spiritual warfare in the life of the church. We will cover this topic in a future post. However, the point I want to make is that we should NEVER take the time dedicated to the Lord and use it to talk to the devil. When it is time to pray, we pray to God alone. We CANNOT get distracted from Him as the central pursuit of our services!

To turn our attention to the devil when we should be in prayer actually expresses a belief that God cannot hear or answer our prayers until we get the devil out of the way. What faithlessness! Our authority over the devil comes from our relationship with Jesus! Let us never cut our intimate time with Him short to engage with an already-defeated enemy.

The Church Must Pray

Now that we have a clear understanding of what prayer is and is not, all that is left is to put it into practice. The body of Christ must pray. It should be inherent in our meetings.

  • As a leader, have you taught your church what prayer is and how to do it?
  • Do you lead your church regularly in the four elements discussed in this article?
  • If not, what corrections do you need to make immediately, to fulfill the biblical call to corporate prayer in your meetings? 

Let’s Connect

If you want to more than just the blog, join me on social media for more #ChristianLife and #Gospel Leadership insights throughout the week. I can be found on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and LinkedIn, and would love to see you there.

You can also make sure to never miss any future posts by subscribing to my newsletter below. I promise never to spam your inbox or share your info with others.

Endnotes:

1 Leslie T. Hardin, “Prayer,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

2 Joshua G. Mathews, “Blessing,” ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook, Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).

If you’re enjoying the content I produce, a little caffeine to keep me going would be appreciated!



© Anthony Scott Ingram 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Please note that I do get a small kickback from Amazon for any purchases made using the links on this post. Should you choose to purchase from them, I just want to say thank you for further supporting my work in ministry!

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Orthopraxy: What is the Church?

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As we dig into this series discussing how the body of Christ – “the Church” – puts their faith into practice as they meet together, the inescapable first question is, “What is the church?” That question is immediately followed by “What is the church supposed to do?” These two questions are the target of this post. 

What is the Church?

The idea of “church” carries so much cultural and linguistic connotation that it has come to mean many things across the world. For hundreds of years before the Protestant Reformation, talking about “the church” always referred to the Roman Catholic church. In scholarly debate, there is always a discussion whether “the church” references the entire body of Christian believers around the world (as in Matthew 16:18) or only the local assembly of Christians in a regional area (as in John’s letters to the seven churches of Asia in Revelation 2-3). Then there is always the question of whether the word church refers to the people (i.e., “we are the church”) or the place where the people meet (i.e., “let’s go to church”).

To understand what “the church” is, we need to dive into the original language in the New Testament. We might find that the biblical understanding of “church” is quite different from what our modern vernacular would imply. 

The Greek word used for “church” in the New Testament is “ekklesia.” So let’s begin by taking a deeper look into what it means.

1. An “Ekklesia” is Always the People; Never the Place

The Greek word “ekklesia” was used widely in the first century to mean an assembly of people brought together by a specific purpose. There is not a single case where the word ekklesia was used to refer to the location or building where this group met. It always meant the group itself.1

However, confusion around this word may still remain as the word “ekklesia” is used throughout the New Testament to point to different groups of people. Thus, depending on which use is assumed, it can affect our theology. 

Ekklesia is used to describe all believers everywhere in some cases (like Ephesians 1:22). At other times it is used to point to all Christians in a particular city or region (like 1 Corinthians 1:2). However, we are going to use an even narrower meaning. As we discuss “church,” we will be referring to a localized group of believers who regularly meet together for worship and service to one another (such as in Romans 16:5 or 1 Corinthians 16:19). These small, individual congregations of Christians are usually referred to as “a local church” as opposed to “the universal church” or “the American church,” etc.2

The “local church” will be our primary focus in this series because the idea of a “gathered assembly” is at the core of the word ekklesia. For us to be the church, we must meet together (Hebrews 10:24-25). It is in the gathering that our orthopraxy will be proven or not.

2. An Ekklesia Had Legislative Authority

In the New Testament times, the word ekklesia most often described a select governmental or legislative body,3 such as the Roman senate or the Jewish Sanhedrin. These assemblies would meet together to make formal decisions regarding various legal matters, whether secular or religious. These assemblies carried designated authority to rule over some domain of community life.

This governmental use of this word makes sense, then, when Jesus shares His plan to build His “ekklesia“:

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” 

Matthew 16:18

An Embassy of Heaven

Jesus’ first stated purpose for His ekklesia was that it would move into territory ruled by sin, death, and the devil and take authority over the domain of hell (tear down their gates; their defenses). Thus, the church would have the authority to bind and loose spiritual realities in the earth. I view this in much the same way that one nation will set up an embassy in another nation to bring governmental influence over the laws and culture of the host country.

We see this legislative function further when Jesus began delegating His divine authority to His disciples. 

“And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.” 

Mark 3:14-15

He gave them the title “apostles,” which, as we have discussed before, is another governmental word for a certain class of military leaders, similar to modern-day ambassadors. Their authority was to replace all of hell’s influence on earth with God’s Kingdom reality.

It is clear from these and other passages that Jesus’ “church” is an earthly delegation representing Him and carrying His legislative authority as Lord over all things. 

3. An Ekklesia is a Body Formed From Shared Beliefs

The other regular use of “ekklesia” in the first century described a group of people who gathered around a shared set of beliefs or a common purpose. We read of groups such as the “ekklesia of Pythagoras” or the “ekklesia” of animals who gathered to hear Orpheus speak in the works of Himerius.4 This use of “ekklesia” can also be seen in the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) when referring to gatherings of “the congregation of Israel.”5

Regarding the church, we can see the expectation that we, too, would be a community built around our shared faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We see this repeatedly as the early church leaders are commanded to teach and protect sound doctrine in the church. 

“[An overseer of the church] must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” 

Titus 1:9

“But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.” 

Titus 2:1

“Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” 

Jude 3

“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites…” 

Romans 16:17-18a

A Community of Faith

We must see that the purpose of the church is to be a community of believers in Jesus Christ. This is foundational. He is the reason we are together, and together we strive to live out our shared faith in Him as the Messiah and Son of God.

Although many great civic organizations and social clubs exist that people can participate in, the church is not one. Unless you are a follower of Jesus, you cannot be a member of His ekklesia. 

This fact has led to confusing and controversial situations where some groups call themselves part of Jesus’ church (universal) yet do not firmly hold to a firm faith in Christ, as revealed in the Bible. For example, the Unitarian church allows people of any religion or belief system to claim membership and does not have a common biblical doctrine as their foundation. They cannot, therefore, be considered a Christian “church” in biblical terms. 

The same is true for the “Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints” (Mormons). Though they use Christian terminology, their doctrine has rejected the truth of the New Testament, and their shared faith is based on another contradictory book. Thus, though they would be considered an “ekklesia” in general terms, they are not the biblical “ekklesia of Jesus Christ.”

For a group of people to be considered “the church of Jesus Christ,” they must hold to and proclaim a biblical doctrine grounded in the Bible.

What Is the Church Supposed to Do?

Having laid the foundation for what the church is, I think we can also form a pretty clear picture of what the church is supposed to do. As we look at why believers are called together as an ekklesia – a local church assembly – we can conclude from this discussion that the following purposes should apply when a local church meets together.

1. To serve as an embassy of heaven on the earth, empowering God’s ambassadors (all believers) to bring the reality and power of God’s Kingdom to the world. 

This will necessarily affect how we come together to worship, pray, and serve one another, as well as how we practice spiritual gifts, engage in spiritual warfare, and reach out to the lost around us.

2. To proclaim Christian doctrine as found in the Biblical scriptures and form a community centered around these shared beliefs.

This will lay the foundation of our life together in fellowship and will place a high demand on how we study the scriptures, preach the Word, engage in discipleship, and much more.

As we move forward in this series, we will discuss how these various practices ought to be done in order to fulfill these broader biblical mandates.

Beyond the Greek Understanding

One final note I want to make is that while it is helpful to get our foundational understanding of what “the church” is supposed to be from the language Jesus used when He established it, we must also take into consideration that the Bible is full of other commands which make Jesus’ ekklesia quite different from all other local bodies in the world. As we move forward, we will highlight many of these things, but I believe two of them are essential to note now.

The first is that Jesus repeatedly said that He is the head of the church, both universal and local. The elders and other leaders are servants under His leadership. When a human leader puts himself or herself as the highest authority in the church, it ceases to be a true church of Jesus Christ. Instead, it becomes a personality cult or a system of hierarchical domination.

Secondly, Jesus said He was sending His Holy Spirit to guide the church in all things, both doctrinally and practically. This means that we will find things particular to Jesus’ ekklesia, which may be far different from secular counterparts. We cannot and should not depend on the traditions and “best practices” of men for the direction of the church. Instead, we must always be listening to the Holy Spirit for how we “do ministry.”

This also means that as all believers have access to the same Holy Spirit, we all have a purpose and place within the life of the church and ought to have the willingness and freedom to fulfill our roles in their service to the Lord. Thus, while there will be those that God calls to places of leadership in the body, there is not a single believer who is “just a member” or is excluded from taking part in the works He has planned. If you are a believer in Jesus, you have a place. (see 1 Corinthians 12:12-26)

Let’s Connect

If you want to more than just the blog, join me on social media for more #ChristianLife and #Gospel Leadership insights throughout the week. I can be found on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and LinkedIn, and would love to see you there.

You can also make sure to never miss any future posts by subscribing to my newsletter below. I promise never to spam your inbox or share your info with others.

Endnotes:

1 D. W. B. Robinson, “Church,” ed. D. R. W. Wood et al., New Bible Dictionary (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 199.

2 Ernest Best, “Church,” ed. Mark Allan Powell, The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (Revised and Updated) (New York: HarperCollins, 2011), 134.

3 William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 303.

4 ibid.

5 Paul J. Achtemeier, Harper & Row and Society of Biblical Literature, Harper’s Bible Dictionary (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985), 168.

If you’re enjoying the content I produce, a little caffeine to keep me going would be appreciated!



© Anthony Scott Ingram 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Please note that I do get a small kickback from Amazon for any purchases made using the links on this post. Should you choose to purchase from them, I just want to say thank you for further supporting my work in ministry!

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A Deeper Look at Holiness

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“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” 

1 Peter 1:13-16

Repeatedly in scripture, the Lord commands His people to “be holy.” What does this mean though?

Does it mean being “perfect?”

Does is mean being someone who never struggles with temptations to sin?

Does it mean cutting ourselves off from the world, and living a solitary life of prayer and Bible study?

What does the Greek say?

Well, to begin with, the word “holy,” used by Peter in the verse above, is the Greek word “agios,” and at the time of Peter’s writing would have been closely associated with both the Temple and the offerings which were sacrificed at the Temple according to the law of Moses. Culturally, this word specifically implies that the subject had been carefully set apart for worship of and service to God. Tools and items would have been ritually cleansed, animals were required without blemish, and the priests would follow strict protocols to remain clean according to the legal standards of the law.

This seems to be a pretty straightforward definition. Something that is agios is clean according to the law of God and is religiously set apart for Him alone, just as God Himself is righteous and separate from His creation.

A Shift in Meaning

While the general definition is pretty simple, there is another use of “agios” in the New Testament, applied in various places to describe Jesus (Mark 1:24, John 6:69, Acts 3:14, 1 John 2:20, and others). This usage is quite different than the standard cultural use of the word relating to the Temple in Jerusalem. 

In reference to Jesus, the word is used in conjunction with His supernatural birth (Luke 1:35) and identity as the incarnate Son of God (Luke 4:34). In Luke’s gospel, particularly, the descriptions of Jesus as “agios” points toward Jesus as both divine and as the One who carries the Holy Spirit of God.

In this sense, the word “agios” is not being used to identify Jesus with the Temple in Jerusalem, but as a Temple of God, Himself!

This should sound familiar, as Jesus spoke of Himself in the same way.

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body.

John 2:19-21 (Emphasis mine)

Jesus understood that, as Colossians 2:9 declares, “in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily…” His human form was the incarnation of God on earth. He was God, and the Holy Spirit dwelt in and with Him.

This was a greater revelation of God’s presence than the Temple in Israel.

Accessing God’s Temple

The problem the people of God had in the Old Testament was that to enter God’s presence, they had to travel to Jerusalem and enter the Temple. Even then, only a select few would be allowed access.

In the gospels, God’s presence breaks out of the Temple and is manifested through Jesus — God’s new Temple in bodily form. Still, though, access to the presence of God was limited to individuals in the vicinity of Christ. However, Jesus had an even greater plan that would give everyone access to God’s presence, and at the same time, transform them into His holy image.

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

John 16:7

Becoming God’s Temple

To fulfill God’s command to “be holy as I am holy,” we must move beyond human attempts to fulfill legalistic requirements and religious to-do lists. We do not even become holy through confession and repentance from sin. We must be holistically transformed by His holiness. We become holy when we are filled with and changed by the presence of God!

In fact, this reality is demonstrated in both Jesus’ instructions in the gospels and the apostolic commands on the church that believers should be filled with the Holy Spirit, since He is the One who will change us into Christ-likeness.

The good news is that when we trust Christ as Savior, He gives us the right to live in the Spirit, and follow His directions in every area of life (Galatians 5:16). When we do this, the Holy Spirit will teach and guide us (John 16:13), point us to Jesus (John 15:26), empower us to serve the Lord (Acts 1:8), and ultimately, to sanctify us and make us like Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:11 and 1 Thessalonians 5:23). We will become “agios” because He makes us “agios.”

The point is that we must stop depending on our own self-discipline to make us holy. Instead, we should see ourselves as the true temple of God in the earth, just as Jesus was, and then live our lives each day as those set apart, made clean by Christ, hosting the presence of God, and ready to be used in worship and service to Him. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Let’s Connect

If you want to keep in touch, join me on social media for more #ChristianLife and #GospelLeadership insights throughout the week. I can be found on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and LinkedIn, and would love to see you there.

You can also make sure to never miss any future posts by subscribing to my newsletter below. I promise never to spam your inbox or share your info with others.

Also, one quick announcement — My new book, “Christian Healing: Stepping into Your Authority and God’s Anointing to Heal the Sick” is now available for Pre-Order on Amazon. The book releases August 1st. Check it out!

If you’re enjoying the content I produce, a little caffeine to keep me going would be appreciated!



© Anthony Scott Ingram 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Photo by Carolyn V on Unsplash

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Please note that I do get a small kickback from Amazon for any purchases made using the links on this post. Should you choose to purchase from them, I just want to say thank you for further supporting my work in ministry!

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Exposing The Heart of Idolatry

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For the last couple of weeks, I have been looking at idolatry (here and here) and how many times our hearts are captured by things that are not God, nor are they worthy of our worship. I have received a lot of great feedback from some of you, sharing your own struggles with idolizing ministry and other things. Some have shared how the Lord has been speaking to them some of these same things for this season of life. And some of you have written emails to discuss some of the nuances of idolatry. I am grateful for all of it!

I want to take some of this feedback (questions, comments, and advice) I have received and go a little deeper into what idolatry is and how we guard our hearts and minds against getting to that place.

Old Testament Idols

Throughout the Old Testament, discussions about idolatry were centered on actual carved idols, made of wood or stone. These were human-created images representing the various gods of the nations. In some cultures, idol-making was a huge business.

Concerning one question I was asked, my personal belief is that the pagan gods whom the idols represented were not just figments of human imagination. I believe they were actually heavenly beings, given authority to rule in the earth, but were acting in rebellion against God. (For examples, see Luke 4:5-6, Deuteronomy 32:8, and Psalm 82. I also recommend the book “The Unseen Realm” by Michael S. Heiser for deeper study on this topic.)

Whether these were real demonic beings or simply human creations, we must understand that people really did worship these idols. They really prayed to them and trusted them for their own security and blessing. They really sacrificed to them, sometimes even their children (2 Kings 17:31, Isaiah 57:5).

These idols had so captured the people’s hearts that they would give or do anything in worship of them.

What Makes Something An Idol?

This kind of veneration and service to these false gods goes beyond a surface level of sinfulness. This was not that people would occasionally give lip service to a false god or would just go to enjoy a party that might have been thrown in some false god’s name.

No. What raises this to the level of idolatry rather than simply sin is that the people came to love their idols. Their whole lives were wrapped around that thing. This is why over and over again when speaking to the issue of idolatry, the Lord condemns His people as prostitutes and whores! (You can find examples in Psalm 106:39, Jeremiah 3:1, Ezekiel 16:16, Hosea 4:12, et al.)

Though the form our idols take has changed over the millennia, the fact that we love things in the place of God has not!

Idolatry is a Love Issue.

One of the pushbacks I received from the first post on ministry idolatry was that as Christians, our hearts have been fully restored by the Lord in salvation. Therefore, our hearts are not where the problem lies, but it is a problem of mindsets. We must “be transformed by the renewing of our minds” and “set our minds on things that are above” (Romans 12:2 and Colossians 3:2).

The problem is that other places in the New Testament continually remind us to establish, purify, and guard our hearts! Just look at Romans 1:21-25; 6:17, 10:10; Ephesians 1:18, 3:17; Philippians 4:7; Colossians 3:15; 1 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 3:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:17, 3:5; 1 Timothy 1:5; Hebrews 10:22; James 5:8; 1 Peter 3:15; 1 John 3:19-21.

Jesus Himself said that the fruit of a person’s life comes not out of the mind, but from deeper inside them; inside their hearts — the core of their being.

“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

Luke 6:45

Sin is a Mind Issue

I am not at all discounting that the mind has a major part to play in our sanctification. Most of our daily battles with sin come from mental temptations. Even Peter’s denial of Jesus was because his mind was in the wrong place (Matthew 16:23). This is why, when I discuss repentance, I am quick to point out that the Greek word, metanoia, carries the idea of first changing one’s mind, and their actions will follow.

In fact, just a few months ago, I wrote a whole series on spiritual warfare, beginning with an article called “the battle of the mind.”

My point here, however, is that when something goes to the level of “idolatry,” it has moved from a temptation issue to a love issue. When a person “loves” something at the level only God deserves, it becomes an idol, and begins to take control of aspects of their lives where only Christ should be ruling!

If sex becomes my idol, I move from God’s design to worshipping sex with my whole being. I will look for any willing partner. I will get addicted to pornography. I will start frequenting sexually promiscuous stores and businesses. When sex becomes god, our lives will fall in line to worship it.

When money becomes my idol, I will become greedy rather than charitable. I will exploit others to gain access to this god I worship, including shady business tactics, Ponzi schemes, and worse!

The same can be said of any idol!

Demonization Follows Idolatry

One other major issue to be aware of is that behind every false idol we prop up in our lives, there are still demonic forces attached that will seek control of our lives. For example, behind the god of sex is a spirit of lust and perversion. Likewise, behind a god of money is the spirit of mammon.

The same can be true of most things. As we give our hearts to worship and love something other than God, we open ourselves up to the spirit world and often give control of those areas of our lives to demons! (Though I intend to write more about demonization and deliverance in the future, for now, I would highly recommend the book “Healing Through Deliverance” by Peter Horrobin. It is the best resource on the subject, including the question, “Can a Christian have a demon,” that I know of.)

Core Idols

Moving back to a broad view of idolatry, then, we must be aware that even as believers, there will be temptations in our hearts to love, worship, and live for certain things as replacements for God. Though we may not worship wooden figurines, statues, or in a Parthenon of gods, our culture still has idols we give in to all the time. I won’t even dig into sports teams, celebrity culture, or political activism. I want to go broader than that.

A few years ago, when I was still on staff at a church in Texas, much of our time in personal counseling with people was spent digging below the surface level of sin to root out if there was a “core idol” operating at the heart level, which was affecting the mental level of the person toward sin. The four core idols we looked for, more than any other, were power, comfort, security, and control. These are things that people don’t just stumble into as sin. These are things people hid in their hearts as the things they live for.

Power

The idol of power encompasses a love of success, money, and social status. It is a heart that desires to be elevated above other people in pride and arrogance. This is the core idol Naaman struggled with in last week’s post.

In the church, the idol of power is very often connected with a religious spirit. There is no freedom, only rules and regulations which must be followed, or else you are “out of alignment.”

Comfort

The idol of comfort is a heart that values my own ease over anything else. Greed may be involved, but not always. It may simply be a love for “me time” over a heart to serve the Lord and others.

As a missionary, I can tell you for sure that many in the Western world struggle with the idol of comfort when it comes to getting involved in cross-cultural missions. To give financially to global missions is a “sacrifice” rather than a “privilege.” To actually go visit a “third-world” country on a mission trip is unthinkable because it directly challenges this idol.

The idol of comfort comes out in many ways. Some people live with a general sense of entitlement about their comforts. Others “work hard to build the life” they want. Both of those may still be an idol.

Security

The security idol is another major player in most of our lives. Just look at how the world has transformed in the last few decades. Warning labels have popped up on everything from heavy machinery to disposable coffee cups. Children are not allowed to do many of the things I did as a child in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.

In the realm of faith, where the early church boldly went into the world, facing persecution and martyrdom, our fear of creating enemies keeps us quiet about the gospel in the least-confrontational environments.

Security isn’t just about not getting physically hurt, either. Emotional wounding, traumatic experiences, or just the risk of getting offended has shut down people’s lives and love for God. Instead of resting in the shadow of His wings, we create safe spaces where we can hide so nothing can hurt us.

Control

Probably the biggest core idol of the four, the need to be in control is the one worshipped universally by people, at one time or another, in life. I will go anywhere or do anything so long as I remain in control. As soon as I am no longer in charge of myself and my faculties, then this idol begins to fight back.

I cannot think of any other false idol worshipped in the American church as that of “control.” After all, it is the American spirit — independence and self-reliance. It is the promise of having “my rights,” and no one else can tell me what to do. Just look at any “Karen” video on social media, and you will see this idol at work.

Guarding Our Minds and Hearts

For the Christian, then, whose heart is supposed to be captivated by Jesus and whose mind is being transformed by His Holy Spirit, we must come to understand that we must guard both!

We must fill our minds with righteous and holy things, just as the Word of God instructs (Philippians 4:8). So much of our battle with sin, temptation, and the devil has to do with letting our minds wander and, at least in the moment, forgetting who we are in Christ. Where we allow our minds to go, our lives will follow.

Still, though, at a deeper level, we must do a heart check from time-to-time, to make sure that it is still Jesus sitting on the throne.

Returning to First Love

My mind goes to Christ’s rebuke of the church of Ephesus in the book of Revelation. The Lord says:

“I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.”

Revelation 2:2-4

The Lord recognized that the church had a hatred of sin and evil and had gone out of their way to protect themselves from being infected from false teachings and lies from the enemy at the mental level. However, His condemnation comes at the heart level. “You are losing your love for Me!”

In the midst of their toil to live faithfully to the gospel, Jesus was losing His place at the center. That is idolatry.

For us, today, we must check our hearts and make sure Jesus is really the one we love. Jesus, who is our King, must be given the power over our lives rather than holding it for ourselves. The Holy Spirit of God must be our comfort, just as Jesus promised He would be. The covering of God’s love must be our security. And when we call Him our Lord, we must lay down our control and let Him be the one who guides our every step.

The Bible says, “love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). Jesus loved us so perfectly that all of our sin has been covered and dealt with. Now it is time for us to find complete freedom from idolatry, as we love Him back completely.

Let’s Connect

If you want to keep in touch, join me on social media for more #ChristianLife and #Gospel Leadership insights throughout the week. I can be found on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and LinkedIn, and would love to see you there.

You can also make sure to never miss any future posts by subscribing to my newsletter below. I promise never to spam your inbox or share your info with others.

If you’re enjoying the content I produce, a little caffeine to keep me going would be appreciated!



© Anthony Scott Ingram 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Photo by DESIGNECOLOGIST on Unsplash

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Please note that I do get a small kickback from Amazon for any purchases made using the links on this post. Should you choose to purchase from them, I just want to say thank you for further supporting my work in ministry!

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Overcoming Spiritual Anxiety and Depression

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In the recent series on God’s Kingdom, we talked about the many evidences that Jesus was, in fact, the promised Messiah who was to come. In Luke 4, He stands in the synagogue in Nazareth, and reads a well known passage from Isaiah 61, before announcing that He was the fulfillment of this promise:

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor…

Isaiah 61:1-2a

For the Jewish hearers in Nazareth, there would be no doubt that Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah, as this was one of the most famous passages concerning the work Messiah would do. They were so shocked by His proclamation, in fact, that they drove Him out and attempted to kill him for blasphemy!

Much to their surprise (and disdain), the gospels and history record that Jesus did all these works, and more. It is this “more” that I’d like to focus on today.

As you continue reading in Isaiah, the prophet goes on to give another very big promise, which I believe many of us need, today, more than ever. This promise was to give

…the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit…

Isaiah 61:3

Or as the old KJV says,

…the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…

Mental Health is in Focus

I am truly glad that we live in a day where the mental health of an individual is a priority in western culture. While I don’t agree with the over use of medications for every problem a person may have, I do fully support counseling and therapy for our issues. Still, I want us to understand that these emotional “diseases” are not new, and that the Bible does address them.

For those of us who follow Jesus completely, we would do well to understand that He promised to heal us mentally, as well as physically. With that in mind, I want us to understand what a “spirit of heaviness” is — a problem many of us face — and then look at the solution we have in Christ to overcome.

A Spirit of Heaviness

When the Bible uses this word “faint” or “heaviness,” it is actually the Hebrew “keheh,” which best translates to English as “colorless,” “dull,” or “dark.” This “spirit” has been associated, throughout Christian history in many scholarly works, with a number of mental disorders including depression, anxiety, and a constant feeling of overwhelm.

I agree with this connection, but I think it will be most helpful to understand why this understanding has come about. To do that, we must dig a little deeper.

The word “keheh” is taken from a root word (“kahah”) which means to “grow dim, faint, or go blind.” We must understand this root, so we are not just thinking of “fainting” feeling heaviness.

In other passages, we see the Bible using “keheh” in situational contexts1. It is first used to describe the “dimming” of the High Priest, Eli’s eyes.

At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to [keheh] so that he could not see…

1 Samuel 3:2

In another passage, the word is used to refer to a candle whose flame was going out.

a bruised reed he will not break, and a [keheh] wick he will not quench…

Isaiah 42:3

It is with these examples in mind, that I believe we get to the core effects of “a spirit of heaviness.” Namely, when a spirit of heaviness comes, it takes away your ability to see clearly in regards to what the Lord is doing in your life.

Spiritual Depression and Anxiety

When we talk about depression and anxiety in a spiritual context, I cannot think of a more clear picture of the fruit of these things than to say they make it impossible to see God’s hand at work.

Anxiety is blinding to what God is doing in our life. Whether its caused by work, relationships, finances, or any other number of issues, anxiety pulls us into the place of worrying about and working to overcome these issues. Rather than trusting God in these moments, when anxiety takes root, we begin looking to and trusting ourselves. Our view of God is diminished, and we are blinded to His hand at work.

For me, seasons of anxiety are often followed by depression. It is connected to a feeling of sadness, when the reality sets in that I am unable to control all the things going wrong.

I believe this is true for most people who deal with depression. It is situational. (I am not ignoring the cases of chemical imbalance, but that is not the majority of depression in the world.) For most people, depression usually stems from the feelings of overwhelm and being out of control of your life, until hopelessness sets in. Depression, at its core, robs us of the security and joy of knowing and trusting that the Lord has our best intentions in mind, and is working for us!

When we get lost in depression and anxiety, the effects are the same. We are blinded to the Lord’s work and leading in our lives. We “go dim” in our spiritual vision.

God’s Answer is Praise

When Isaiah talks about overcoming the spirit of heaviness, He doesn’t talk about it in terms of a process or learning acceptance. Instead, he writes that in the Messiah, we will have a complete replacement take place. He will remove the spirit of heaviness by giving us a “garment of praise.”

Literally, this Hebrew phrase means that we will be wrapped in “the mantle of songs of praise.” That means to overcome the spirit of anxiety, we cover our lives with out-loud, active praise for all that God has done and is doing in our life.

Praise takes the dullness in our spiritual eyes, and does replacement surgery by fixing our focus back on the hand of the Lord at work. Praise is the defense for the blindness that allows anxiety and depression to take hold!

When we cease to cover ourselves with praise — focusing on what God is doing — we lose our correct sense of vision. What we should see spiritually (God working on our behalf) is replaced by a hopelessness and overwhelm as we feel the need to work for ourselves in God’s place. However, when we reestablish ourselves in the garment of praise, that heaviness leaves!

This Is Not a Process; It Is a Habit

Since we are used to thinking about mental health issues in terms of disease and treatments, most of us default to looking for incremental change. That is not how things work when dealing with the spirit of heaviness. Remember, when we draw close to God, resisting the enemy, he flees (see James 4:7). It is an immediate release from bondage! Praise will bring an immediate breakthrough to our “dimness.”

Freedom from the spirit of heaviness is not a process of overcoming. Rather, it is a process of remaining free by building a habit of praise into our lives!

So what does that look like?

It could mean many things!

For some people, this means surrounding themselves with praise-reminders. It could be keeping worship music on in the background throughout your day, so those songs will remain on your lips. It might mean posting scriptures or other items around your office or home, that draw your heart toward the Lord, and bring you into a posture of thanksgiving.

For other people, writing their praises down is the most effective way to build the habit. We see this habit in David, as he wrote so many of the Psalms in scripture. Song writing or writing poetry are great ways to write out our praises to the Lord. If you aren’t that artistic, it may simply mean keeping a journal, recounting every blessing God has given you throughout the day. Beware, though, the list will be loooong, once you get started!

I think the simplest way to wrap yourself in the garment of praise, is to make it an ongoing part of your daily prayer times. Tell Jesus “thank you,” out loud, for every single thing that comes to mind to be grateful for. This is especially true if you are in a season of anxiety and depression right now.

When God really began to teach me this lesson a few weeks ago, I was dealing with the spirit of heaviness, and after studying and praying and doing everything else, I realized the necessary step was to just get started. I stood up, lifted my hands to the Lord, and just began to say “thank you.” My breakthrough came quickly.

Praise Him for the Anxiety-Inducing Items

When I find myself in anxiety, it is usually wrapped up in a lack of finances for our missionary works in East Africa. There is always so much to do that our bank accounts usually remain near $0. So to do away with the spirit of heaviness, I must praise Him for the fact that He has always provided for us when we have a need. I thank Him for the opportunities we have to minister to people, churches, and communities. I thank Him for our donors and financial partners. Not in a vague way, but by name! I go through the list, and say “thank You” for as many people as He has allowed us to serve or to partner with us.

Other times, my anxiety comes with family issues — my wife and I arguing or my kids being disobedient and not listening to us. I can either let the frustrations take hold and the heaviness build, or I can turn my gaze back on the Lord, and begin to thank Him for my wife, my kids, our home, our friends, the fact that we have electricity, running water, hot water! (Remember, I live in East Africa). I thank Him that we are healthy, that my kids are growing, are smart, are learning to love Him, and more!

My point is that when a spirit of heaviness attacks, the quickest way to overcome is to praise God, immediately and out loud, and specifically for the areas of our lives where the heaviness is attacking!

Rebuke the Enemy

As one final reminder, after you have put on the garment of praise, don’t forget to take authority in the name of Jesus, and rebuke the spirit of heaviness (spirit of depression, anxiety, etc.) and command it to leave you alone. It has no place in your life, and you have the right, in Christ, to command it to go.

The Lord does not want you to live under the oppression and heaviness of the enemy. He doe not want you to live blindly, oblivious to the ways He is moving and working on your behalf. You simply must become more aware of it, moment-by-moment, day-by-day, and you do that by clothing yourself in praise.

Don’t wait. Do it now…

Let’s Connect

If you are enjoying what you are reading, you can make sure never to miss a post by signing up to receive my weekly newsletter below. I promise never to SPAM your inbox or share your information with others.

You can also join me on various social media platforms for more #ChristianLife and #GospelLeadership insights throughout the week. I can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Parler, and LinkedIn, and would love to see you there.

1 Note: although some people try to bring a connection between the “spirit of heaviness” and the “harmful spirit from the Lord” placed on Saul (1 Sam 16:14), there is no connection in the Hebrew language.

If you’re enjoying the content I produce, a little caffeine to keep me going would be appreciated!



© Anthony Scott Ingram 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Photo by Stormseeker on Unsplash

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Please note that I do get a small kickback from Amazon for any purchases made using the links on this post. Should you choose to purchase from them, I just want to say thank you for further supporting my work in ministry!

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Episode 4: Impartation — The Christian Life Podcast

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Episode 4: Impartation

Impartation might be described as the “transferring of an anointing from one person to another.” In this episode Pastor Scott discuss the biblical basis for impartation through the laying on of hands, and shares the impact it has had on his own life and ministry. We will look at questions like:

  • “What is Impartation?”
  • “Why is laying on of hands necessary?”
  • “Why do some people fall or faint in prayer?”
  • “How can I receive and impartation?”

If you want to leave feedback, you can send me a voice message at Anchor.fm/thechristianlife.

Scriptures used in this episode include: Acts 19:2-6, Acts 9:17, 1 Timothy 4:14, 2 Timothy 1:6, Romans 1:11, Hebrews 6:1-2, Revelations 1:17-18, 1 Kings 8:10-11, 2 Chronicles 5:14, Daniel 10:7-9, John 18:4-6, 1 Corinthians 14:1, and Matthew 10:41.

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The Anatomy of an Encounter with God (Part 2)

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What happens when we have an encounter with the Lord? In part 1, we discussed that God alone chooses ‘when’ and ‘how’ your encounter will happen. In this post, however, I want to explore what actually happens when God shows up. There seems to be some elements of an encounter with the Lord, that appear over and over again in scripture. Today, we will look at three of them.

We will continue with Saul’s encounter with the Lord in Acts 9, as we explore these things.

Element 1: God takes CONTROL

The first thing that happened when the great light surrounded Saul and his men, was that Saul lost control of himself. Acts 9:4 tells us that Saul fell to the ground, and verse 8 tells us that he was no longer able to see.

This is a common theme when the Lord shows up. We see the same thing with every time a prophet of the Lord is called into His presence. In Revelation 1:17, John tells us that upon viewing Jesus, “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.” The same thing happens to the priests in the Old Testament, when the Ark of the Covenant is brought into the temple:

“And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.”

1 Kings 8:10–11

One other example, and possibly my favorite, actually happened with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, when the soldiers came to arrest Him. 

“Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.”

John 18:4–6

In many cases, the presence of God overtakes our own ability to control our bodies. When we lose control, there is no other option, except to submit to Him.

Element 2: We are overcome with CONVICTION

The second thing that happens in an encounter with the Lord is that our sin is brought into clear focus, and a strong conviction from the Lord leads us to repent.

In Saul’s case, we see this as Jesus speaks to him: “And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ And he said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting’” (Acts 9:4–5).

Saul had been a self-righteous Pharisee his whole life. He thought that his persecution against the church was an action in defense of God and true religion. However, when this encounter takes place, the error of his ways becomes very clear. God doesn’t beat around the bush. Saul’s actions were a direct sin against the Lord Himself.

Other Examples

This element of an encounter, too, is repeated over and over in scripture. When God shows up, it is to restore righteousness in the people He is touching. Take Isaiah’s encounter for instance. He is taken into the heavens, and he sees the Lord sitting on the throne. All the angels are there, worshipping. And what is Isaiah’s response?

“And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

Isaiah 6:5–7

When we have an encounter with the Lord, it is because He wants to draw us closer to Himself, and take us further in our lives with Him. In order to do that, He has to bring us to a full “heart check,” wherein we realize our sin, make confession, and come out purified.

We see this same thing in Zechariah’s dream of the high priest, Joshua:

“Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, ‘Remove the filthy garments from him.’ And to him he said, ‘Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.’”

Zechariah 3:3–4

In an encounter with the Lord, either He convicts us and makes us clean, or there is judgement leading to death. There is no other option. His goal is to have deeper intimacy with us, but His presence demands our holiness.

Element 3: We discover our CALLING

The final element that happens in an encounter is that the Lord will reveal more of His plan for our lives. Again, He is taking us further on our life’s journey with Him, and He wants to use us.

For Saul, this element came in through his instructions of what to do next. Jesus said, “but rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do” (Acts 9:6). God then commissions Ananias to pray for Saul, saying, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts 9:15–16).

It was through this encounter that Saul is changed from a persecutor of the church, to an Apostle to the gentiles. His destiny was revealed.

In the grand scheme of things, those three days being blinded and out of control were but a tiny speck of time, compared to the lasting impact Saul (now Paul) had on the Kingdom of God. God had to grab control, and convict him of sin, so that Paul could be sent out to fulfill the calling on his life.

For some people, the calling that comes in an encounter with the Lord is simply the calling to be saved, and follow Jesus with their lives. For others, it is a calling to be better husbands or wives, and serve Him through their family. Some are called into careers and professions that will impact the world. Many are called into the ministry, with a promise of reaching nations.

While some of these things may sound “bigger” than others, the truth is that an encounter with God will change your life, personally, for the better. His calling will be the greatest adventure of your life, if you accept what He is asking of you.

Seeking Your Encounter

Once again, these three elements on an encounter are always evident when the Lord shows up. God wants to take control of your life, convict you of your sin, and call you into your destiny. And we should desire Him to do all of those things.

In the next post, we will explore the effects of an encounter, but for today, I want to encourage you, to begin to pray and ask God for your own supernatural encounter with Him. It doesn’t matter if you have had other encounters in the past. There is always more for those who ask Him (see Matthew 7:11).

Pray for more. Pray for visions or visitations. Ask God to show up and meet with you. He promises that we will find Him when we seek Him (see Jeremiah 29:13).

Each time I have had encounters with the Lord’s presence, I have been left hungering for more. I’m sure you will, too. I would love to hear about your experience in the comments! Make sure and tell us how these elements of an encounter appeared in yours.

Find out More

If you want to read more about personal encounters with the Lord, and how they can shape your life, I would like to recommend the book, “Defining Moments: God-Encounters With Ordinary People Who Changed the World.”

As always, if you are enjoying what you are reading on my blog, I would also be honored if you would subscribe to my weekly email below. You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for regular blog updates, and other ongoing #ChristianLife and #GospelLeadership advice!

Please note that I do get a small kickback from Amazon for any purchases made using the links on this post. Should you choose to purchase from them, I just want to say thank you for further supporting my work in ministry!

Photo by Christopher Campbell on Unsplash

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The Anatomy of an Encounter with God (Part 1)

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Since the days when Adam walked face-to-face with God in the Garden of Eden, people of faith have been moved and led by encounters with the Lord. Over and over again in the Old Testament, “the Angel of the Lord” appeared to men and women, and spoke prophecies and destiny to them. The New Testament carries on this expectation that encounters would be normal for believers. We see angelic visitations, open visions, trances or “ecstasies”, and even personal encounters with Christ, after his ascension. The Christian life is not supposed to be simple, religious activity. It is supposed to be a personal relationship with the Lord. In view of this reality, I want us to look at the anatomy of an encounter with God.

Saul’s Encounter

As an example of an encounter with God, I want us to look at Saul’s travel on the Damascus road, when God showed up. 

If you know Saul’s background, you know that we first meet him at the stoning of Stephen. As the men were trying to get their best shots in to kill Stephen, there was a young man named Saul standing by, holding their coats, and encouraging them (see Acts 7:58; 8:1). After Stephen was dead, Saul took it upon himself to lead a great persecution of anyone in Jerusalem who were followers of Jesus.

Apparently, it was effective. Most of the disciples had fled from Jerusalem, or went well enough into hiding to escape. Saul, then, decides to take the persecution on the road. The Bible tells us:

“But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice…”

Acts 9:1-4; English Standard Version

The Timing of the Encounter

Saul was on his way to Damascus to destroy believers, just as he had been doing in Jerusalem, when suddenly God shows up. “Suddenly.” This is the first point I want to look at as we discuss how an encounter with God happens. You do not get to determine when it comes.

From my limited human wisdom, it seems that if God had come to Saul much sooner, it would have saved the church a lot of heartache and struggle. He didn’t. Instead, He waited until Saul was out on the road. He was separated from the comforts and connections of home, and had nowhere to turn for help. That is when God decided to step in and meet him.

This seems to be God’s standard mode of operation. He alone will determine when our encounter happens. We can pray for an encounter, and seek to meet Him. We can (and should) ask Him to break into our lives, but He will be the one who ultimately decides when it happens.

The Sovereignty of Suddenly

We cannot miss, however, that when God breaks in, it is always a holy moment. As we will see in part 2, we are always left changed by these encounters. One reason we cannot dictate when these moments come, is because God has to prepare everything at that moment, to contain the weight of the glory He will bring.

I have had a handful of encounters with God over the years. Still, I want more. I wish they would happen regularly and on demand, but they don’t. However, when they do happen, it is always a holy moment (or hour, or day…). I think God has to determine when the encounter comes, because He alone knows what the encounter is going to bring into your life.

So don’t give up. You should be pursuing God for an encounter. Yet you must also be patient in the anticipation of Him showing up.

The Method of the Encounter

The other thing about an encounter with God, which we cannot control, is how God shows up in our life. For Paul, it was a bright light and a voice from heaven. It was the burning bush for Moses. Isaiah took a vision-trip into Heaven. For Mary, it was an angel coming to meet her with good news.

As we desire encounters from the Lord, it is easy to see the experience of others, and decide that we want our experience to be the same. Once again, however, it is the Lord who knows what He wants to bring to you in the encounter, and He will show up in the exact way He sees fit to deliver.

The Glory and the Fire

Some encounters are beautiful and glory-filled. Think about John’s vision in Revelation, and all the amazing things he was shown. Other encounters are fearful and even painful, just like Saul being knocked from his horse. Todd White recounts his own “baptism of fire,” where he was in excruciating pain, convinced God wanted to kill him. Many other personal encounters in history have been the same

I, myself, have received both of these versions. In an encounter in 2012, when Dr. Randy Clark of Global Awakening prayed for me, I slid down to the floor, and peacefully rested in the presence of the Holy Spirit, as His glory washed over me. What followed immediately was clear evidence of an impartation for healing. It was an amazing, holy encounter with God. 

Just a few months later, however, in March of 2013, I was prayed for by Dr. Tom Jones, of Global Awakening. This time I was violently thrown to the floor, where for the next 3 hours my shoulder was continually slammed into the cement that was covered by only a thin veneer of carpet. I was bruised and sore for days. And the truth is, I am not sure what exactly was imparted to me in that event. Nevertheless, I know that God was meeting me.

God’s Perfect Plan

We know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). As we seek for an encounter with God, we must learn to wait for him to determine the perfect time and method to meet us. Again, these are holy moments. We don’t want to settle for a cheap imitation. And we certainly don’t want to get shortchanged in our rush for an experience with Him.

What I would encourage you to do is to look back over the encounters you have had in the past. It doesn’t have to be anything big. It may simply be the moment He called you to Himself in salvation. As you reflect on that encounter, I want you to take note of how only He could have put that moment together for you, and how He worked it out exactly as it needed to happen for you to receive.

As you pray for another encounter with God for your life today, hold on to the promise of His faithfulness to you, and trust that He has more He wants to give you when the time is right.

What About You?

In part two of this post, we will continue to look at Saul’s encounter with God, as we look at what happens during those holy moments. Although every encounter will be different, there are certain elements that we can expect from them all.

In the meantime, I would love to hear from you, with any stories you have of your own encounters with the Lord. It may be dreams, visions, angelic visitations, or even a face-to-face encounter with Christ. If the Lord allows you to share, I invite you to do so in the comments section below.

If you want to read more about personal encounters with the Lord, and how they can shape your life, I would like to recommend the book, “Defining Moments: God-Encounters With Ordinary People Who Changed the World.“

As always, if you are enjoying what you are reading on my blog, I would also be honored if you would subscribe to my weekly email below. You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for regular blog updates, and other ongoing #ChristianLife and #GospelLeadership advice!

Please note that I do get a small kickback from Amazon for any purchases made using the links on this post. Should you choose to purchase from them, I just want to say thank you for further supporting my work in ministry!

Photo by Christopher Campbell on Unsplash

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