Deep Unto Deep 1

14Jan08

One of the phrases I have been struck by in prayer recently is, “true authority comes from intimacy.” The greatest example we have of this in the bible, is Jesus Christ Himself. John 5:19-30 gives us great insight into this reality. This is a lengthy portion of scripture, so I’ll just give a small glimpse here.

V 19 “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner… v 30 I can do nothing of Myself, As I hear I judge; and my judgement is righteous, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the Father who sent me.”

It’s very clear in these passages, that the essence, power and authority of Jesus life and ministry, is derived from close relationship with the Father. Jesus functions as a Priest and King in the order of Melchizedek, given an eternal priesthood according to the power of an indestructible life(Hebrews 7), Jesus forever stands before the Father, to minister to His heart and make intercession for the saints. Out of this posture of intimacy and ministry unto the heart of God, Jesus has been granted authority and rules as King of all the earth. Not only did Jesus rule from a place of intimacy first, but so did John The Baptist and many other great men in the bible.

John summed up the essence of his ministry in John 3:29 like this, “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears Him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice.”(italics mine)

The Lord is longing for friends, who stand before Him to hear the thoughts and intents of His heart. He is longing for priests who minister unto Him with worship and prayer, who see and hear what He is doing, and then manifest His Kingdom into the earth in power, as messengers and ambassadors.

1 Samuel 2:35 “Then I will raise up for myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. I will build Him a sure house, and he shall walk before my anointed forever.” The only way to know and do what is in the heart and mind of God, is to know Him. (bold and italics mine) Not every believer has been given the office of a prophet or an apostle, but every believer has been called to be a Priest and King.( Exedous 19:6, Revelation 1:6, Revelation 5:10, Revelation 20:6, 1 Peter 2:9)

I’ll give a small example from real life. Anybody in America can talk about President Bush. They could give a presentation on him in class or to their family and friends. They could write an article about him on the internet or the newspaper. They could sing songs about him, They could criticize or praise his time in office. But none of these things means They have been given any authority or endorsement from the President himself. They couldn’t go and represent him in another country, They couldn’t pass a bill on his behalf. They wouldn’t have access to any of his resources. But if they were close to him, were in his inner circle of friends, if they were on his staff, or a friend of the family, they’d be in another position completely.

I want to stand, serve, minister and burn before the Lord, letting the oil of intimacy fill my life, and minister and rule with Him in the nations.

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