Jesus, Your Church Needs Help!

 Jesus, Your Church Needs Help! 

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One of my kids asked what I thought of the statement “we pray from a place of authority.” Apparently this statement was part of the message at their church tonight. Let’s talk about this statement. 

Do we pray from a place of authority? Many scriptures are probably running through your mind as you read this. Scriptures that mention that we are seated with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6) and that we have authority because Jesus gave it to us (Luke 10:19). Hebrews 4 says to come before the Throne of grace boldly. But is this really where the initial statement is taking us? 

Nope. 

Think about it again in the context of prayer “we pray from a place of authority.” Prayer is to Someone—God. We pray to God. Do we have a place of authority before God? Is it right doctrine to believe we do? When we pray we are petitioning God, hopefully according to His will, but even if we are just presenting our requests, we are not in a position of authority before God—He is God. Sounds kind of mixed up, doesn’t it? 

Jesus didn’t presume to have authority when He prayed. He painfully said, “Not My will but Yours be done.”(Luke 22:42) Furthermore, probably the greatest display of prayer is Jesus praying to the Father in John 17. There is not a hint of an authoritative position from Jesus. He simply was talking to and asking the Father. 

Even now as I was scrolling through posts on facebook I saw this from a prominent prophetic voice—someone who is a regular at conferences (at least was before Covid-19): “God wants to use you to transform the world back into its original purpose.  Which means you're really powerful.” My reply: Kind of looks like it is God Who transforms the world back to its original purpose and is really powerful:

Isaiah 65:17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.”

Isaiah 66:22 “For as the new heavens and the new earth Which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the LORD, “So shall your descendants and your name remain.”

2Pe 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 

Note the difference? Even when God uses us in His purposes, the power is of Him working through us, as 2 Corinthians 4:7 says: But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 

We—the Charismatic Church—really have a problem. The understanding of the Church, maybe not the whole church, but the Charismatic Church is way off plumb. It’s very sad. She needs teachers to teach the foundations of the Word of God. Psalm 11:3 If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do? 

No wonder our nation is such a mess. 

The Church is a mess.  

I have heard all about You, LORD.

I am filled with awe by Your amazing works.

In this time of our deep need,

help us again as You did in years gone by.

And in Your anger, remember Your mercy.

Habakkuk 3