THE GREAT INTERCESSION

All of creation & the Spirit-born saints

“For we know that the whole creation groans and labours with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body” Rom.8:22-23. Jesus, the Son of God, is the great intercessor and He “is risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us” v.34. When Jesus died on the cross He was “put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison” 1 Pet.3:18-19.

 

Jesus interceded in the bowels of the earth

Peter preaching on the day of Pentecost gave a marvellous biographical picture of Jesus the man in Acts 2:22-24. In v22 He refers to the supernatural ministry of Jesus, “a Man attested by God to you by miracles and signs”; in v23, he refers to His death by crucifixion and in v24 he speaks of His resurrection. The New King James says “having loosed the pains of death”; NASB says “agony of death”. However the Greek word literally means ‘birth pangs’. When Jesus the Son of God was in the grave for three days and three nights, He was not resting, nor was He being tortured by the demons of hell. He was in the Spirit and He was further accomplishing the awesome work that only God incarnate [in the flesh] could do. Peter says he was going through birth pangs, that is, a great intercession, to bring forth life out of death, for “this corruptible to put on incorruption, and this mortal, immortality” 1Cor.15:53. Jesus is the firstfruits of them who will rise from the dead (1Cor.15:20). Jesus was birthing a whole new creation! Jesus was overcoming death in the flesh – doing away with the penalty of man’s sin.

 

The glorious liberty yet to be revealed

According to Rom.8:20-21, “creation was subjected to futility, but … in hope.” The creation will be “delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” What is this ‘glorious liberty’? How can the creation be delivered into something that is not yet experienced by the children of God? Verse 19 has told us that “the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing [manifestation, disclosure] of the sons of God.” Earlier the Scripture tells us that through Christ we have received the spirit of adoption [sonship] (v15) and that “we are the children of God” (v16). If we are children of God, then we are “heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ”v17. However “the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father” Gal.4:1-2.

 

Paul the apostle understood this great intercession

So what is the ‘great intercession’? Jesus has already risen from the dead and that fact and reality is the lynchpin of our faith. It was through His intercession in the Spirit: the ‘birth pangs of death’. What is more: Jesus “always lives to make intercession for them [those who are saved] Heb.7:25. But something more has to happen: that is, “the revealing of the sons of God” Rom.8:19. Paul says to the Galatians “My little children, for whom I labour in birth again until Christ is formed in you” 4:19. Paul is speaking to Christians but Christians who are still children in their understanding. Paul is imitating Jesus in this great intercession, labouring in birth pangs until ‘Christ is formed’ – sons are manifest! The children have grown up into maturity!

 

Bringing many sons to glory

What is the great intercession? It is the forming of “Christ in you, the hope of glory” Col.1:27. While that is done through preaching Christ “warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” v28, the preaching will be effectual because of the deep intercession that the saints and of course the ministers are entering into to see the full adoption realised. The goal is “bringing many sons to glory” and this is possible because Jesus Christ has already become “the captain of our salvation”, having been made “perfect through sufferings” Heb.2:10. [I have already shared the deeper meaning of Acts 2:24] Even as Jesus was perfected through the things which He suffered so also we must embrace and endure the sufferings that are in fact the doorway and pathway to perfection. The inheritance is the glory! But as joint heirs with Jesus we must also “suffer with Him” Rom.8:17.

The whole of creation “groans and labours with birth pangs”. The creation was cursed because of man’s fall, but “in hope”. We do not understand it but there is an intercession going on all around us in creation and creation is crying for deliverance. This intercession is to be shared in by the children of God, “those who have the firstfruits of the Spirit”. The goal is many sons walking in the glory of God. God has intended from the beginning that the earth be filled with His glory, Gen.1:26-28, Num.14:21, Isa.40:5, Hab.2:14 & Col.1:27, Eph.5:27 and many other Scriptures.

 

It is time for inheritance

It is time for the glory! For the last 100 years the church has been coming to know the power and anointing of the Lord. Prior to that even from the days of Luther and through the great awakening of the Wesleyan revival, the church came to know the saving presence of the Lord. But now it is time for the glory of the Lord to be revealed in the earth, and it is the sons who are to be brought to glory. God’s goal for his children who are already heirs via the new birth is for them to come to the time of maturity, “the time appointed by the Father”. This time is now! It is the Father’s time for His church to receive the promised inheritance “incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” 1Pet.1:4-5.

 

The whole body is to come to perfection

The great intercession is this calling upon those who already understand the mystery, the hidden wisdom of God which is for the mature and which “God ordained before the ages for our glory” (1Cor.2:6-7) to enter into the groaning and travailing that will bring to birth the maturity of the body of saints. While sonship is entered into individually it is the corporate calling upon the church now. As the five-fold ministries of Eph.4:11 do the work of the ministry, which is the perfecting of the saints [being properly set in order to function in the body] and building up the body of Christ until we all come “to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man [a corporate man, the whole body], to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” Eph.4:12-13, the result will be a mature body of Christ in the earth functioning powerfully in agape love, demonstrating to all that Jesus is the Christ [Messiah] the Son of the living God.

 

We need to be sealed by the Holy Spirit

It is the glory of God that is known through the revelation of the mystery that enables the saints walking in maturity [having experienced the adoption, that is, being placed by the Holy Spirit into a mature reality and relationship with God as Father, walking in the inheritance] to demonstrate the nature and government of the kingdom of God in the earth. The spirit of sonship [adoption] has already been put in our hearts but most have not yet acknowledged this fullness, thus not receiving the sealing in and by the Spirit to receive and walk in the promised inheritance.

 

[A note on the word adoption: SC#5206 huiothesia the placing of a son; Christian sonship in respect to God; not referring to the new birth which is genuine spiritual birth but referring to the placement of, or the bringing of, the ‘growing-up’ child of God to a place/time of maturity to receive the Father’s inheritance]

We the saints are eagerly waiting for the adoption “the redemption of the body” Rom.8:23. [Redemption SC#629 apolutrosis meaning a releasing, deliverance, the act of ransom in full. This word comes from the word ‘to loose’. Jesus has paid the full ransom through His blood so that we can attain to full adoption, the redemption of the body.] What is the redemption of the body that we are eagerly waiting for? In the context of the verse the redemption of the body is part of the adoption. Therefore it refers to our full redemption which is to be “sanctified entirely: your whole spirit, soul and body being preserved blameless” 1Thess.5:23. The spirit of sonship [adoption] is an enablement by grace to walk in a mature relationship with God based on receiving the deeper wisdom (1Cor.2:7). As we walk in sonship the “Spirit of wisdom and revelation” Eph.1:17, leads us into an unfolding revelation of the mystery. Eph.3:9 says there is “a fellowship of the mystery”; in Col.1:25-27, Paul says that the revelation of the mystery is to bring forth the fulfilment of the word of God in the saints which is finally “Christ in you the hope of glory”. As we give ourselves to this great intercession we will be calling the whole body of Christ into the revelation that the full ‘ransom’ for our deliverance has been paid by Christ through His redemptive sacrifice. Now through His resurrection we join with Him in the great intercession so that redemption will be experienced in the body. The body refers to this earthly tent that Paul says is needing to be more fully clothed (2Cor.5:4). This is a deep revelation that the Lord is beginning to open up. This revelation will be accessed more fully as we enter into the intercession with Christ.

 

Christ in us, the Intercessor

The Scripture promises us that the Spirit Himself will help us “making intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” Rom.8:26, and “He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” v27. Remember that Rom.8:34 identifies Christ being at the right hand of God making intercession for us – God is one: Christ in us [the Spirit] and Christ seated at the right hand! How can this great intercession fail! It is a God thing!

 

Creation is waiting

It is time to enter into this great intercession, understanding the goal, receiving the inheritance, being exercised to embrace and pray with and allow the Spirit to pray through us to bring many sons to glory. This is “the manifestation of the sons of God” that all of creation is waiting for, because it is through the manifest sons that the creation will be delivered. God has already given us some foretaste of this reality in various places in the world. For example, in the small island nation of Fiji [western Pacific Ocean] a few years ago a village whose water stream was poisoned came to repentance over the sins of their forebears. In the 19^th century a white missionary from Australia was murdered in this village area by their forebears. The village turned to Christ in recent years and then communicated with the descendants of the white missionary asking them to come to the village from Australia for a reconciliation ceremony in which the villagers led by their elders and their Christian ministers asked for forgiveness for the past sins. Forgiveness was given; reconciliation was achieved and miraculously on that day the stream became sweet again. Hallelujah! There are other stories similar to this.

 

A mature church is the key

Our expectation is that God who created the earth to be a fruitful and hospitable environment for mankind and all of the creatures that He created, will, through His manifest sons who are walking in the revelation of His glory, begin to deliver creation and release creation into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Our expectation is that, as the church begins to walk in maturity by fully acknowledging and receiving the spirit of adoption [sonship], the church will begin to be the glorious church that Jesus is preparing to present to Himself.

 

It is time for the great intercession

Paul Galligan

CALENDAR

February

2^nd & 3^rd visit to Kurri Kurri – Ps. Peter and Lezette, visit to Tamworth on 4^th

3^rd   Apostolic Seminar in Killarney – Paul & team

3^rd  ‘Today Youth’ meets at Withcott, ph. Ian Sproule 46303909

4^th   Community Sunday at SHILOH, all house church groups welcome, fellowship lunch

10^th ‘Today Youth’ at Withcott

11^th Wondai house church 4pm, Marion Relf, ph. 41690444

17^th Biggenden outreach, contact Allan & Heather Fuller, ph. 41271009

23^rd Ps. Jean & team to Inglewood

24^th TRAINING DAY at SHILOH - team home from Myanmar

 

March

4^th    Wondai house church 4pm, Marion Relf, ph. 41690444

11^th   Community Sunday at SHILOH, all house church groups welcome, fellowship lunch

24^th   TRAINING DAY at SHILOH

 

OVERSEAS TRIPS

MYANMAR: Feb.5^th to 21^st – Paul Galligan, Janet Barton, Norma Siebenhausen, Joshua Sproule, ministering in Reaching the World Bible College 7^th – 10^th, 11^th -13^th with Rev Lian Thang. [Lian is an emerging  apostle – he has 40 church plants and a Bible College as well as an orphanage]

 

THAILAND: 1^st to 7^th March Ps. Jean & Bruce Manning in Bangkok with Burmese Fellowship & Ps. La Htoi [who is presently at SHILOH in Australia for training]

INDIA: 8^th – 16^th Mar. Jean & Bruce in Delhi – various ministries including Chandigargh

             22^nd Mar – 3^rd April – North East India

 

AFRICA: March 29^th to May 7^th - Paul and team will be in East and Central Africa                   

INDIA/PAKISTAN: proposed trip in May, Pastor Peter De-Bressac and team

WEST AFRICA: proposed trip late Aug./Sept. Paul and team

 

 

ORPHANAGES & CHILDREN’S SUPPORT IN AFRICA & ASIA

Revival Ministries Australia channels ongoing support to a number of orphanages and supports children [over 200] in secondary school education in a Congolese Refugee Camp in West Tanzania. Any funds forwarded to us for any of the specific needs or missions we are involved with are fully sent. RMA through our supporters covers any transfer costs for the finance to be sent. In some countries the aid is actually delivered by team members when they go to minister as there is no reliable banking system in some nations.

Miriam and Rhoda Truss are travelling with the ministry team that is visiting East and Central Africa for the month of April and then these two sisters are remaining in Kenya for another six months to serve in orphanages.

 

IN AFRICA

Kasper Richards Children’s home is situated in Western Kenya. It is the only orphanage in the Butere Mumias district and has up to 100 orphans being cared for. Revival Ministries has been sending some support to this orphanage since we met a worker from that orphanage in November 2004. They regularly send photos of happenings in the home and often the children send letters of thanks for the support sent. Representatives from RMA have visited the orphanage.

 

Andrew & Kathleen Wafula’s Childrens Home is situated in West Kenya, in Webuye area. We have been associated with Andrew and Kathleen since early 2005. Andrew and Kathleen have been church leaders for many years and have raised many churches around Kenya. For a long time they took orphan children into their family home and then purposefully moved from the town into a country area to have a better environment in which to raise children. Then the opportunity came to purchase a property and they are developing very good facilities. Up to 90 orphans are housed and another 15 are looked after in the local community, still living with a single parent.

 

Sudan Mission – Elijah Wafula of Moisbridge, Western Kenya has had a mission into Sudan for a number of years. Team members from RMA have met Elijah several times as he has attended seminars on our visits to Kenya. The area of Sudan he goes into is a very poor area. When he first went there he established a school and the following year reported that there were even school children who were naked. The Lord enabled us to raise funds to send to him and uniforms were able to be purchased for the children. Photos of these children are on our website: www.revivalministries.org.au

 

Nyarugusu Congolese Refugee Camp, Kigoma region, West Tanzania

We are refugees from the democratic Republic of Congo living here in Nyarugusu camp Tanzania located in Kasulu District Kigoma Region and have initiated a Christian Ministry for evangelisation and assistance for vulnerable people.

In this camp primary education is free but secondary education costs the equivalent of $1.40 AUD but this seemingly small amount is impossible for many parents as there is no economy in the camp. Since we heard about the children being excluded from High School [initially there were 150 and more recently 230 children] we have been able to supply the school fees. So in fact the children were not excluded because when the school authorities heard that our brethren had foreign support they received the children back into the school in trust that the money would come. Apostle Peter Akeck from West Kenya, has visited the camp every four months and is currently there teaching as at the 24^th January 2007, and he has taken school fees for three months for 230 children plus financial aid for orphan children who live on the streets of the camp. Some of these street children were actually naked including teenage girls but they are now clothed.

 

MYANMAR

RMA has been sending teams into Myanmar since 1998 and in all that time we have been raising orphan support. Currently we are helping support four specific orphanages and as well are helping pastors who often have more than five orphan children growing up in their family.

 

Special project in Myanmar: Pastor Jean Manning has brought to our attention a particular project in Myanmar that we are keen to support. It involves the purchase of a block of land for about $2700 AUD and the construction of a basic living unit for about $1350 AUD to house one of the orphanages. One of our families are already supporting this particular orphanage by paying a monthly rental but Jean has told us that it is possible to relocate the orphanage into a semi-rural area where they can be growing some of their own food. So far $850 has been received for this project.

Some years ago we were able to supply money to a pastor to buy a block of land specifically for the building of an orphanage. Let’s do it again!

 

  Ph. 46130633     email: rma@revivalministries.org.au