Post by nicfos on May 9, 2005 18:42:14 GMT -5
The Power of Corporate Intercession
“There are certain challenges in the spirit realm that can only be accomplished through corporate intercession. Corporate intercession, as seen in Scripture and throughout history, should be a normal, powerful functioning part of our church service… If prayer intercession has the power to ruin Satan’s worst strategies - to destroy his principalities and powers regionally, bring national revival, heal the land and release the supernatural - surely it must be an integral and important part of our corporate gatherings.”
There is tremendous power in corporate intercession that most of the Church has not yet grasped. We believe in our minds that corporate intercession is important, but we do not yet fully comprehend the vast amount of spiritual power that is released in a corporate gathering of united intercession. It is beyond our wildest imagination. Prayer, and especially corporate prayer, is the greatest force in the universe. It releases the anointing and power of God in the affairs of man on earth in a tremendous way. The demonic forces tremble at the thought of the Church worldwide arising in corporate intercession. If we study the early church, we can see that they knew the power of corporate intercession. They saw God’s power manifested on earth, they were filled with His spirit, and they spoke God’s word boldly. What was the result? They saw many saved even in a single day.
“After they had prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly” (Acts 4:31).
The reason I believe that we as the Church have not grabbed hold of the potential of a corporate prayer event is because we are not doing it. We are not laying aside our differences or our busy plans and activities in order to participate in such an empowering event. We are often caught by the enemy and entrapped in everyday life, and can be missing the greatness of our destiny, the enormity of our task and the high calling of God at the end of the ages. Prayer, corporate prayer, is on God’s agenda for the church at this hour. I mention this because on Sunday, May 15th, there will be a World Day of Prayer.
“On May 15, millions of people will gather around the world for the Global Day of Prayer - a time to humble themselves, repent and pray for transformation of the world.”<br>
Do you realize the importance of this day for the Church worldwide? Have you planned it in your schedule to somehow lay aside time next Sunday to be involved in some form of corporate prayer whether it be in a small group prayer meeting in your church or a citywide prayer gathering? If the Church worldwide stands up on this day and together says, “Yes, I am including myself with my brothers and sisters worldwide to stand in prayer together for God’s glory and the furtherance of the Gospel worldwide”, imagine what the results could be. What could God do in answer to corporate worldwide prayer and unity in the body of Christ? If one can chase a thousand and two can put ten thousand to flight, what would a worldwide stand in righteousness, repentance and prayer do? Can you figure out the mathematics in the spiritual realm? Every person counts in a great way. Even the weakest Christian on his knees sends the enemy trembling. I encourage you to get together with those in your church or city to pray on May 15th.
“The first church was a church militant, a church living on her knees! Her witness was dynamic, and her prevailing prayer conquered even the proud legions of Rome.”
The Example of the Korean Church
"One of the most important ministries of the Full Gospel Central Church is the prayer in unison we have during every service. We always open our services with everyone praying together at the same time. We pray for the salvation of our nation… We also pray for our leaders… We pray in unison for the thousands of request that come to us… We especially pray for the worldwide revival. When I hear my people praising, it sounds like a forceful roar of a mighty waterfall. We know God must hear the sincerity of our prayer because we are praying in unison and unity. As we pray together the power of God is manifested in our midst. Many have been healed, delivered and filled with the Holy Spirit as we have united in prayer.”<br>
Paul Yonggi Cho from Korea has one of the largest churches in the world. He describes corporate intercession as the key ministry of the church. I had the wonderful privilege of spending several months in Korea where I was able to visit six cities. I was personally blessed and impressed by the strong emphasis on prayer and intercession in the Korean church nationally. Everywhere I went, I saw the strong prayer lives of the Koreans. They are a national church that truly understands the power of corporate intercession. They are seeing the fruit of their corporate prayer, not only in their own nation but throughout the entire world. Below are some reasons why God is enlarging the Korean church.
Early morning prayer - Thousands of believers throughout Korea pray 365 days a year from 4:00-5:00 AM and 5:00-6:00 PM.
Friday all night prayer meetings - In most Korean churches there are Friday all night prayer meetings from 10:00 Friday evening until Saturday morning.
Prayer mountains - More than 200 churches in Korea have prayer mountains where 1000’s are involved in prayer and fasting.
The Global Day of Prayer on May 15, 2005
This will be a unique opportunity for Christians worldwide to be part of a day of prayer uniting Christians around the world. Please log on to www.globaldayofprayer.com for more information. Check out the Global Day of Prayer Teleconference from www.GreaterCalling.org.
”A national prayer movement that began in South Africa in 2001, involving 45,000 people, and spread to every country on the continent of Africa in 2004, involving 22 million people, will culminate on Pentecost Sunday, May 15, 2005 in the Global Day of Prayer, involving a projected 200 million people around the world. The plan is to start praying as the sun rises in the East (New Zealand) across the different time zones until the sun sets in the West (USA). With the book of Acts as the model, the vision is to reveal God s glory on earth by mobilizing millions of Christians in every nation to pray with one voice culminating on one day, to ask God to bless the nations of the earth. Then, collaborating as one Body, proceed to be the instruments through which God answers these prayers.”<br>
“The failure of the church today is the failure to engage in prayer intercession. The motor of this great ship called ‘the Church’ is corporate prayer. When the Church gathers, she should pray together in one accord, with one voice. When we, as God’s people, elevate and return prayer intercession to its rightful place, the Church will function as it is built to, with grace and power. Prayer is the power that unlocks the door of God’s treasure house… The Church’s ultimate effectiveness will be determined by its corporate prayer life.” Quotes by Frank Damazio
“There are certain challenges in the spirit realm that can only be accomplished through corporate intercession. Corporate intercession, as seen in Scripture and throughout history, should be a normal, powerful functioning part of our church service… If prayer intercession has the power to ruin Satan’s worst strategies - to destroy his principalities and powers regionally, bring national revival, heal the land and release the supernatural - surely it must be an integral and important part of our corporate gatherings.”
There is tremendous power in corporate intercession that most of the Church has not yet grasped. We believe in our minds that corporate intercession is important, but we do not yet fully comprehend the vast amount of spiritual power that is released in a corporate gathering of united intercession. It is beyond our wildest imagination. Prayer, and especially corporate prayer, is the greatest force in the universe. It releases the anointing and power of God in the affairs of man on earth in a tremendous way. The demonic forces tremble at the thought of the Church worldwide arising in corporate intercession. If we study the early church, we can see that they knew the power of corporate intercession. They saw God’s power manifested on earth, they were filled with His spirit, and they spoke God’s word boldly. What was the result? They saw many saved even in a single day.
“After they had prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly” (Acts 4:31).
The reason I believe that we as the Church have not grabbed hold of the potential of a corporate prayer event is because we are not doing it. We are not laying aside our differences or our busy plans and activities in order to participate in such an empowering event. We are often caught by the enemy and entrapped in everyday life, and can be missing the greatness of our destiny, the enormity of our task and the high calling of God at the end of the ages. Prayer, corporate prayer, is on God’s agenda for the church at this hour. I mention this because on Sunday, May 15th, there will be a World Day of Prayer.
“On May 15, millions of people will gather around the world for the Global Day of Prayer - a time to humble themselves, repent and pray for transformation of the world.”<br>
Do you realize the importance of this day for the Church worldwide? Have you planned it in your schedule to somehow lay aside time next Sunday to be involved in some form of corporate prayer whether it be in a small group prayer meeting in your church or a citywide prayer gathering? If the Church worldwide stands up on this day and together says, “Yes, I am including myself with my brothers and sisters worldwide to stand in prayer together for God’s glory and the furtherance of the Gospel worldwide”, imagine what the results could be. What could God do in answer to corporate worldwide prayer and unity in the body of Christ? If one can chase a thousand and two can put ten thousand to flight, what would a worldwide stand in righteousness, repentance and prayer do? Can you figure out the mathematics in the spiritual realm? Every person counts in a great way. Even the weakest Christian on his knees sends the enemy trembling. I encourage you to get together with those in your church or city to pray on May 15th.
“The first church was a church militant, a church living on her knees! Her witness was dynamic, and her prevailing prayer conquered even the proud legions of Rome.”
The Example of the Korean Church
"One of the most important ministries of the Full Gospel Central Church is the prayer in unison we have during every service. We always open our services with everyone praying together at the same time. We pray for the salvation of our nation… We also pray for our leaders… We pray in unison for the thousands of request that come to us… We especially pray for the worldwide revival. When I hear my people praising, it sounds like a forceful roar of a mighty waterfall. We know God must hear the sincerity of our prayer because we are praying in unison and unity. As we pray together the power of God is manifested in our midst. Many have been healed, delivered and filled with the Holy Spirit as we have united in prayer.”<br>
Paul Yonggi Cho from Korea has one of the largest churches in the world. He describes corporate intercession as the key ministry of the church. I had the wonderful privilege of spending several months in Korea where I was able to visit six cities. I was personally blessed and impressed by the strong emphasis on prayer and intercession in the Korean church nationally. Everywhere I went, I saw the strong prayer lives of the Koreans. They are a national church that truly understands the power of corporate intercession. They are seeing the fruit of their corporate prayer, not only in their own nation but throughout the entire world. Below are some reasons why God is enlarging the Korean church.
Early morning prayer - Thousands of believers throughout Korea pray 365 days a year from 4:00-5:00 AM and 5:00-6:00 PM.
Friday all night prayer meetings - In most Korean churches there are Friday all night prayer meetings from 10:00 Friday evening until Saturday morning.
Prayer mountains - More than 200 churches in Korea have prayer mountains where 1000’s are involved in prayer and fasting.
The Global Day of Prayer on May 15, 2005
This will be a unique opportunity for Christians worldwide to be part of a day of prayer uniting Christians around the world. Please log on to www.globaldayofprayer.com for more information. Check out the Global Day of Prayer Teleconference from www.GreaterCalling.org.
”A national prayer movement that began in South Africa in 2001, involving 45,000 people, and spread to every country on the continent of Africa in 2004, involving 22 million people, will culminate on Pentecost Sunday, May 15, 2005 in the Global Day of Prayer, involving a projected 200 million people around the world. The plan is to start praying as the sun rises in the East (New Zealand) across the different time zones until the sun sets in the West (USA). With the book of Acts as the model, the vision is to reveal God s glory on earth by mobilizing millions of Christians in every nation to pray with one voice culminating on one day, to ask God to bless the nations of the earth. Then, collaborating as one Body, proceed to be the instruments through which God answers these prayers.”<br>
“The failure of the church today is the failure to engage in prayer intercession. The motor of this great ship called ‘the Church’ is corporate prayer. When the Church gathers, she should pray together in one accord, with one voice. When we, as God’s people, elevate and return prayer intercession to its rightful place, the Church will function as it is built to, with grace and power. Prayer is the power that unlocks the door of God’s treasure house… The Church’s ultimate effectiveness will be determined by its corporate prayer life.” Quotes by Frank Damazio