Title: Intercession, A Calling from God!
A Matter of Faith is published once Monthly (Unless otherwise moved by the Lord) and is distributed only to those who have asked to receive it. If you ever need to unsubscribe, simply send a blank email from the address where you received this ezine to: Unsubscribe.
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. EDITORIAL: Behold the Children!
2. FEATURE ARTICLE: Intercession, A
Calling from God!
3. PRAYER REQUESTS
4. FEEDBACK
5. A FUNNY STORY / JOKE
6. CONTACT US
1.
EDITORIAL: Behold the Children!
Over the past few months, and at an increasing rate, I am hearing from brothers
and sisters around the globe, who are noticing an
interesting 'awakening' taking place in their children, grandchildren, nieces,
nephews and younger brothers and sisters. This awakening appears to
be unrivaled and wholly unique from anything witnessed before, and it appears to
be shaking the very
foundations of our comfort zone. Praise the Lord!
In Matthew 21:16 and Luke 10:21, Jesus quoted an Old Testament passage from
Psalms, and applied it to certain events that were taking place in His day.
I believe that we are supposed to return to that Old Testament passage once
again - in these latter days - and apply it to the events we are witnessing as
well, because God's Prophetic Word is going to find fulfillment in these
latter days.
In Psalms 8:2 God says, "From the mouth of infants and nursing babes Thou
hast established strength, because of Thine adversaries, to make the enemy and
the revengeful cease" (NASB).
Ah, the Spirit of Prophecy! Fresh! New! Untainted by the world
or the worldly!
Brethren, the Lord is about to reveal a great deal to us - through the children.
As His disciples, we must prepare our hearts to listen to these 'babes', because
as the passage so clearly states, He is going to establish strength through the
mouth's of these innocent ones...
As we approach the great harvest, the Lord knows better than any of us how muddy
the water is in regard to just who is and who is not serving Him fully.
There are so many false prophets, pastors and teachers in the world today, that
it takes an exceptional dose of discernment from God to identify the players
properly. God is going to give this discernment to the children - and in
complete innocence, they are going to strip away the facade of those who falsely
represent Him, and establish His strength in His faithful servants.
Why? "Because of Thine adversaries, To make the enemy and the revengeful
cease"...
The religious institutions (Babylon) are laden with revengeful, worldly
adversaries of God. Sadly, however, many of those called by God are still
enslaved within the confines of Babylon. If those enslaved within Babylon
will listen to their own children though, as these infants speak out against the
very institutions and leaders that are holding them hostage, the Body of Christ
will hear His call and 'come out' from that which stands against Him.
At the same time, we who have already come out from Babylon (currently standing
in the wilderness) must also listen to these children, because they will
positively identify those servants of God, who will faithfully and humbly follow
Jesus in leading the Church into the harvest of God.
Let there be no mistaking, brethren, the children are going to speak out -
without reservation, without inhibition, without 'political correctness' and in
most instances, without any tact whatsoever... And when they speak out, we must
listen and discern.
In all of my communiqué's with those who have written me, I have been moved to
suggest that they fervently teach these children about the humility and love of
God. While they will have words of cleansing and strengthening for the
Body of Christ, it is important that they serve that Body in Godly love and
humility. I know that the Holy Spirit will convey these things to His
anointed ones, but God still works through His faithful servants and we must be
prepared to mentor whenever the opportunity is presented. In all of these
things, I believe the Lord will truly be glorified and magnified.
Therefore, if your eyes and heart are being opened to what the Lord might be
doing in your child's life, or in the life of a child you know, I implore you to
encourage that child for the glory of God. Do not instill your inhibitions
or reservations upon them, but pray for them instead, as you guide them in the
humility of God.
2.
FEATURE ARTICLE: Intercession, A Calling
from God!
Another thing that has been happening lately, is that I am hearing from a
great number of brothers and sisters who are "burdened" with a moving
to pray for somebody or something, and they do not fully comprehend this
"burden" that they are carrying. In a recent exchange with a sister, I
was drawn back to Letter 16 - The Service Gifts, where under the gift of faith,
I found the groundwork for a more in-depth discussion on the topic of
intercession. I am convinced that the two are connected. Here is
what is said in Letter 16:
"The children of God given the gift of faith, are charged with uplifting
and fortifying those brethren who may be lagging in the application of their
basic faith. The exercise of the gift of faith will occasionally resolve
otherwise impossible situations, because the gift of faith is a supercharger in
the Church. While faith increases for every disciple in the passage of
time, simply by God strengthening us through His discipline and teaching, the
gift of faith is an ability that surpasses the learning process.
In denying the gifts and their use, the Nicolaitans have turned the brethren
away from seeking what the Word of God tells them is available. But in
James 1:5 the Church is told to ask for more, not abide with less, and those
children of God empowered with the gift of faith must get this bandwagon
rolling.
In many instances, the lives of those who possess the gift of faith will be
placed in burdensome situations. Many will be sequestered in jail cells,
be confined to beds or their homes, or be persecuted for their faith. And
frequently, these brethren will be unable to fellowship regularly with the body.
The entire body is responsible for maintaining the lines of communication and
support with these shut-in and disabled souls, however, because being shut-in
may very well be a function of their gift. They live daily in faith,
expectantly seeking God, and they spend much time in prayer - alone.
For those brethren with the gift of faith who are mobile, their responsibility
includes being attentive to the pain and grief being suffered as they fellowship
within the body. The exercise of this gift, whether shut-in or mobile, is to
assist in the reduction of needless suffering, as well as to energize the war
weary soldiers.
The exercise of this gift also glorifies God immensely, just as abuse debases
Him. But, you might ask, how can this gift be abused? Perhaps the most damaging
abuse comes when someone proclaims monumental promises from God, "in
faith", and those promises are never fulfilled. In a word, they are lying.
It is not very uplifting to have expectations repeatedly raised and then dashed
- by false messengers. The true gift of faith always comes in love and power,
and our duty, as always, is to test the spirits."
Intercession, it appears to me, is a burden placed in our heart by God, to
exercise our gift of faith on behalf of somebody or some thing - for the glory
of God!
I frequently find myself thinking about an individual that I do not personally
know (government official, 'luminary' or somebody in the news, for instance) and
the Lord moves me to pray for that individual. Sometimes the burden of prayer
remains for a considerable length of time. For a number of years I had
been moved to pray for the salvation of a particular well known lady - actress /
activist. Within the last two years we have learned that this lady has been led
into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. She is now a Born-again
Christian - a Sister in the Lord. I pray for her today for completely
different reasons!
God impacted my personal life by her salvation, brethren, because I often
thought I was wasting my time, or at the very least, I was being silly...
Not any more. Praise the Lord!
Intercession is needed for the growth, strength and vitality of the Body of
Christ... Intercession is essential in the battle to overcome our enemy...
Visit Numbers 21:7 and 1 Samuel 2:25 for a couple of Old Testament examples of
intercessory prayer. And I strongly suggest that you read Jeremiah 7:16,
because therein you will see that God imposes restrictions on intercession as
well. (Isaiah 53:12 is a great Prophetic message about the Intercession to
be done by the Messiah).
In the New Testament, two Greek words are used to describe intercession.
First is (1793) ENTUGCHANO, which means, "To chance upon, confer with,
entrust". The second is derived from (1793) and is, (5241)
HUPERENTUGCHANO, which means, "To make petition on behalf of"...
Interestingly, ENTUGCHANO is derived from another word that we studied some time
ago in Letter 2, and that word is ENTEUXIS, which refers to intercessory prayer,
and involves praying for or about another person (1 Timothy 2:1).
In James 5:13-16, the Holy Spirit moved James to say, "Is anyone among you
suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises.
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let
them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the
prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will
raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that
you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish
much" (NASB).
The command that we, "Pray for one another" is one for intercession,
and in this passage we are clearly told that much healing can come from our
intercessory efforts. If the Lord places a name (or thing) in your heart,
I implore you to not dismiss the thought. God may very well be enlisting
you in an intense spiritual battle for the eternal well-being of that person.
The sister I mentioned above is an intercessor. We both know this to be
true. In my latest exchange with her, I requested that, "As an
intercessor, I would like to request that you approach the Lord on our behalf
(Mine and Charlie - my wife, Charlene)... If He approves, and if He places a
burden on your heart for this, I am requesting intercession on our behalf in
regard to the restraints that have been placed upon us for the past eleven plus
years. Basically, I have been praying that the Lord would release us,
spiritually, physically, financially and in every other way, to minister fully -
to the praise of His glory. For nearly twelve years now, we have been
sequestered in His wilderness, and I believe that the time is nearing for our
release. The prayers of our brothers and sisters may just be what is needed to
finally tip the scales..."
I am making this same request of every brother and sister related to this
ministry in any way - that if the Lord approves, and if He places a burden on
your heart for this matter, please pray for our spiritual, physical and
financial release - to minister unto the Lord's Body, for the praise of His
glory. These prayers may just be what is needed to finally tip the scales
for the glory of our God.
3.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
We are praying for Ellen who has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, for
Judy who has found a lump, and for Patricia who is recovering from breast cancer
surgery. Surely, something is amiss here, brethren, and we must unite in
prayer for our wives and sisters in this battle.
Please pray for Kendra - a very young girl, who is severely near-sighted, and
will require surgery to correct 'moving eye' and any
number of other optical maladies - unless the Lord intervenes on her behalf.
We continue to pray for Nicky and Marcos' unborn baby who was diagnosed with a
chromosome disorder.
In line with today's editorial, many are praying for their children - or for a
child they know - who appear to be awakening to God's Prophetic Word.
Please join me in praying for these parents and relatives as well, whom the Lord
is most certainly moving to intercede on behalf of these children.
Pray for the suffering and persecuted Church.
4.
FEEDBACK:
Last month's featured article - and in particular my commentary on the Trinity
of the Godhead, has evoked quite an outpouring. So much so, that Letter
#22 is in the making!
It appears that most of you do not have a problem with God the Father, God the
Son and God the Holy Spirit being Three totally separate and unique
Personalities. Others, however, simply cannot abide by this teaching
without considerable Biblical persuasion. Through the letters that have been
exchanged in the past two months, the Lord has moved me into an intense study
mode once again, so that I can attempt to utilize the full Word of God in
setting forth a teaching on the Trinity that is Biblically comprehensive and
convincing. Lord willing, I will begin writing in earnest in a week or so.
I have learned a couple of very interesting things so far though, that I think
might be of interest to you:
In Deuteronomy 6:4, where we find the "Shema", God's Word says,
"Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!" (NASB).
Two things have come to light about this passage and the Hebrew words used here:
First, the Hebrew word ECHAD that is interpreted as 'one', is a very interesting
word. Although we interpret it as one, or single, it is normally used
throughout the Old Testament to infer, "One amongst a group" or,
"A single portion of a larger part". In context, the word ECHAD
always places whatever the topic being discussed as something "OF AN EXACT
TYPE"... In Numbers 13:23, ECHAD is used to describe a "Single
cluster of grapes...carried on a pole between two men"... One cluster of
grapes - all exactly the same! In the concordance that will accompany
Letter 22, I will provide, literally, dozens of Old Testament passages that will
support this conclusion. I think you will find it all to be an interesting
and informative study.
God is One, in that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit all possess the
exact same "Essence of God". Everything that makes the Father -
God, can be found in the Son and the Holy Spirit. And, everything that is
not Godly, will not be found in Any of Them.
The second thing I have learned through the study of Deuteronomy 6:4, is that
the Word for "GOD", ELOHIM, is a PLURAL word. I will divulge
more on this in the Letter, but what I have discovered thus far is best
summarized by Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, in his New Testament Word Study Dictionary,
where he says, "The Septuagint constantly translated the Hebrew plural name
ELOHIM, when used for the true God, by the singular Theos, God, never by the
plural Theoi, Gods. The reason for this was that at the time the
Septuagint translation was made, Greek idolatry was the prevailing superstition,
especially in Egypt under Ptolemies. Their gods were regarded as demons,
i.e., intelligent beings totally separate and distinct from each other. If
the translators rendered the name of the true God by the plural, Theoi, they
would have given the heathen under Greek culture an idea of God inconsistent
with the unity of the divine essence and conformable to their own polytheistic
notions. However, by translating the Hebrew Elohim as "God," they
inculcated the unity of God and at the same time did not deny a plurality of
persons in the divine nature."
Sadly, I don't think those who translated the Septuagint were looking 'down the
road' very well, if you will, because if they would have translated this
properly, the confusion we see today would not exist.
Nevertheless, when we understand that Elohim, God, is a plurality, then the
passage of Deuteronomy 6:4 takes on a greater significance to us, because we
must know that, "The Lord is our God, the Lord is one" without
wavering. They are one in essence, just as we, the Body of Christ, is one
in Him. Praise the Lord!
Please pray that the Lord would help me to present this teaching in His love and
understanding, so that the body of Christ can unite as one under the fullness of
our God.
5.
A FUNNY STORY or JOKE:
Every once in awhile, something really cute comes across my desk that I simply
must pass along - if for no other reason than to bring a smile! Recently,
I received this story/joke, and my funny-bone has been laughing for weeks.
I hope you can envision the scene depicted here, and find this as amusing as we
did:
-------
Two guys are walking through the woods and come across this big hole.
"Wow . . . that looks deep."
"Sure does . . . Toss a few pebbles in there and see how
deep it is." They pick up a few pebbles and throw them in and wait .
. . . .No noise!
"Man, that is REALLY deep . . . here . . .
throw a couple of these great big rocks down there. Those should make a
noise."
They pick up a couple football- sized rocks and toss them into the hole and wait
. . . and wait. Nothing! They look at each other in
amazement.
One gets a determined look on his face and says, "Hey . . .
over here in the weeds, there's a railroad tie. Help me carry it over
here. When we toss that sucker in, it's GOTTA make some noise."
The two drag the heavy tie over to the hole and heave it in. Not a sound
comes from the hole. Suddenly, out of the nearby woods, a goat appears,
running like the wind. It rushes toward the two men, then right past them,
running as fast as it's legs will carry it. Suddenly it leaps in the air and
into the hole. The two men are astonished with what they've just seen .
. .
Then, out of the woods comes a farmer who spots the men and ambles over.
"Hey . . . you two guys seen my goat out here?"
"You bet we did! Craziest thing I've ever seen! It came running
like crazy and just jumped into this hole!"
"Nah", says the farmer, "That couldn't have been MY goat.
My goat was chained to a railroad tie."
6.
CONTACT: larry vosen
If you have any questions about the Bible, God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit,
the Gospel, Faith or any pressing spiritual matter, please feel free to contact
me. While I may not possess the answers personally, I know Who Does!
Every effort will be made to answer your questions in a timely and Scripturally
supported manner.
Do you have a prayer request? Please share your needs with us... We will
post your needs in our "Prayer Request" sections, so that we can
approach the Throne of God in a united front on your behalf.
We can be reached through our email address at: Contact
larry
Or, please feel free to mail your thoughts and requests to:
Larry Vosen
2600 E. Seltice Way, #203
Post Falls, ID 83854
Your FREE subscription to the A
Matter of Faith ezine is brought to you through the Letters of Faith website.
If you enjoy this ezine, chances are that your friends will enjoy it too...
The next time you write to those friends, you can give them easy subscription
access to A Matter of Faith, by simply copying and pasting the following URL
onto your email message (With your personal endorsement, naturally): http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AMatterofFaith
Back Issues: If you are new to the list, our back issues archive can be found at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AMatterofFaith
To subscribe to this newsletter,
just send a blank email to: Subscribe
To unsubscribe, send a blank email from the address where you received this
ezine to: Unsubscribe
Copyright © 2001 Larry Vosen.
All rights reserved.
If you wish to reproduce or reprint any portion of this publication, please
acknowledge the author by name (larry vosen) and provide a reference to our
Email address: larryv1@lettersoffaith.com as a courtesy. And, if it is not
too much of a bother, we would also appreciate a reference to our Web Site, The
Letters of Faith, at: http://www.lettersoffaith.com/
Thank You, and may God bless you and your ministry - for the praise of His
glory and your eternal joy!
Return to the "A Matter of Faith" Past Issue page
Copyright © 2000-2001, Post Falls, ID.
