Church growth is very complex. There is no one key to the growth of the church. Rather there are several keys that beings growth to a church. We will have to be doing many things in the right way that will eventually culminate in the growth of the church. Intercession is one of the keys that lead to the growth of the church. All over the world there is revival of intercession today. People are coming to realize that until we begin to intercede for one another, the great things we expect might be a mirage after all.
a. What is Intercession?
We often confuse intercession with prayer. While a prayer is talking to God, intercession means coming to God on behalf of another. All intercession is prayer, though not all prayer is intercession. Intercession then means “going between” or “standing in the gap” (Ezek. 22:30; Job 9:32-33). “Intercession is the act of pleading by one who in God’s sight has a right to do so in order to obtain mercy for one in need”.
B. Biblical Basis for Intercession Isa. 59:16; 62:6-7; Gal. 4: 19; Eph. 3:14-20; Col. 1:9-12.
Intercession is of high priority in the Scripture. It is the duty of leaders to intercede for their people (1 Sam. 12:23); and praying on behalf of one another is both a precept and practice in the Scripture (Gen. 18:23-33; Exo. 17:8-15; 7-14). The power of intercession as revealed in the Scripture for blessings cannot be over emphasized. The neglect of intercession is the bane of good and great workings of God in the church. Power of intercession will do the following:
- Averting danger and destruction
- Restoration and renewal
- Mercy, favour and compassion Healing and health
- Victory out of defeat
- Salvation and deliverance
- Growth and increase
- Stability and increase
- Fulfillment of promise
- Removal of obstacles and hindrances
- Breaking down demonic strongholds
These and many more will be our daily and church experience when we give and accord intercession its rightful position in the church and individual lives. Every Christians should Possess the intercessory Spirit in the church. Then, God’s power will be displayed over every opposing force of advancement. Knowing the power for good that intercession possesses small wonder that God is alarmed when there is no intercessor! Isa. 59:16.
C. Kinds of Intercession
As powerful and effective as intercession is, yet, it must be focused and directed, if maximum damage is to be done to the kingdom of darkness. Vague and unfocused intercession ill achieve little and are of least concern to the host of darkness. For maximum effectiveness, our intercession must be focused on these specific areas.
1. Intercession for one another – Jam. 5:16; Acts. 12:5
This is a long neglected practice in the church today. No on remembers other fellow Christian in prayer to any appreciable degree. Until we begin to pray and intercede for one another, we might not really enjoy God’s blessing. The problems attacks, backsliding, discouraging calamities befalling our fellow Christians today will be greatly reduced when we constantly, sincerely and fervently pray and intercede for one another.
Many dangers will be averted. Rather than o this we spent out time complaining, murmuring, backbiting and generally condemning one another. Remember, Peter was saved when brethren intercede for him. Intercession will bring light, joy, breakthrough, understanding, peace, deliverance, healing, rest, growth, progress, maturity and change to individuals.
2. Intercession for our Homes b- Gen. 25:21
Much of the calamities in the home today could be averted if the power if intercession is adequately tapped. Mothers in the home should especially posses this intercessory spirit. The troubles, chaos, accidents, demonic influence, fighting, misunderstandings and wayward children could be brought under control through the power of intercession. Interceding for one another and for the children will bring God’s favour, promotion, peace, joy, tranquility and protection to the home. God’s provision will be abundant in such home. The devilish fury against the home will be thwarted, if serious and fervent intercession is made on continuous basis.
3. Intercession for the Church – Isa. 62:6-7; Col. 4:12
Genuine, consistent and importunate must be our intercession if the church must record tremendous growth and increase. The least intercessory church is the least growing church.
In churches where members from the least to the great all category of member do not take up the ministry of interceding for the growth of the church on regular, dynamic and constant basis, growth will be a miracle. Intercession for the church must rank high in the agenda of members, else God’s outstretched hand cannot be seen.
Health, growth, divine presence, conversions, healings and spectacular miracles, blessings and open heaven cannot be regularly experienced in the church when intercession is not accorded the right priority by members. Demonic machinations, occultic powers and gates of hell will have a field day hindering the growth of the church when the ministry of intercession is neglected. When the fire of intercession dies out members heart and lives, revival, breakthrough and divine visitation will die out in the church. Intercession is what will lift up the church, purify it and purge it for the rapture.
4. Intercession for Sinner – 2 Cor. 4:304; Gal. 4:19
God is incapacitated by our lack of intercession. God’s hand will remain folded and listless when the saints have left their intercessory chamber. Do we love sinners enough to intercede for them with favour and passion? Until we do, they will not be saved and comes in droves to our churches. In churches that are not growing, one trait is that they don’t pray, let alone intercede for sinners. (Acts 7:59-60) Stephens’s prayer was what saved Paul the apostle.
Until we give a sizeable portion of our private, public and corporate prayer time to intercession for sinners, our church will not see the desired growth. Interceding for sinners demands that we take their names, bind the demons blindfolding them, bind every resistant spirits and claiming them for the Lord. We should also take authority over every tormenting, oppressive, and depressive spirits that brings poverty, sickness and diseases into their lives. Using intercession before witnessing to them will result in many yielding and becoming members of our church.
5. Intercession Communities/Nations Neh. 1:1-4 for our Dan. 9:3-23;
Our communities and nation ill remain as they are until we take up the ministry of interceding for them. Much of these evils pervading our communities and nation today are demonic in origin and until we engage them and resist them through the power of intercession, we cannot really experience any appreciable change. Our intercessory prayer for our communities must include the following: repenting of past sins, breaking demonic covenants, renouncing of all curses and proclaiming God’s blessing over the communities and nation. We may need to do Jericho walk in the streets, junctions, centers, road intersections and gates of authority in such communities and nation.
Proper planning and adequate preparation should precede these prayer walks through our areas. And as we do them repeatedly, opposition will break down and our communities will be changed and the banner of Christ will fly high. The violence, sin, evils, demonic activities will be greatly reduced.
Every church should be community conscious. Our impact must be felt in the area we are located. Intercession inside our church for the community and outside, right in the street, centers and open in the community is the key. Our open intercession for the community communicates love, care, concern, relevance and goodwill for our church.
Recommended Reading
PRAYER & SPIRITUAL WARFARE: MUST FOR PRAYER PARTNERS
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D. Intercession for our Pastors and Leaders – I Thess. 5:25; Rom. 15:30; Phil. 1:19; Col. 4:3; Eph. 6:18-20.
Pastors and leaders need to be interceded for. Though everyone needs intercession, yet the Prayer And Spiritual Warfare
need for it by pastors and Christian leaders transcend that of everyone for obvious reasons.
There are many areas of help for the leaders today but that of prayer of intercession transcends them all. What are the challenges of intercession for pastors and leaders?
- Avoiding mistakes and falling
- Communicate love
- Assurance of being wanted
- Assuages doubt and fear
- Gives boldness and courage
- Motivates and inspire
- Enables one to go to the extra mile
- Assurance of protection and coverage
- Effectiveness and impact.
Though many pastors views the idea of being prayed for differently. Some believe that it means they are prayerless and it diminished from their super-human status. Yet the Scripture supports it.
Pastors are Joshua in the battle field; they need Aaron and Hur to lift their hands-Exo. 17:6-15.
Such intercession for pastors and leaders must be regular, consistent and persistent. Here is the clincher “No matter how well you pay your pastor, praise him or work for him, it is only through earnest, strategic prayer that you can ever really help him be an effective in the hand of the Almighty God.
E. Characteristics of Intercessors
- Born again
- Broken and tender
- Zealous and devoted
- Committed and yielded
- Self-denial and self-sacrificial
- Spirit-filled
- Love and perseverance.