The Flat-faced Prophet

To fall on your face before God is to cast yourself upon His mercy and beg forgiveness. To fall prostrate before Him is to sue for grace or everything is lost. This dramatic position was to recognize the danger of sin and to repent with great zeal.
Moses fell on his face many times, not for his own situation, but for the hazards into which the people of Israel had wandered. In at least four situations, God's people seem clueless about the danger of judgment. They are blind to the nearness of disaster:
*When they fall into golden calf idolatry (Deu. 9). Moses' face shines with the holiness of God as he watches with wonder as God carves His holy law into stone. Meanwhile, God's people celebrate a golden calf with great religious ferocity. Moses falls facedown and lies prostrate for 40 days.
*When they fear the obstacles to God's promised blessing. "Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt" (Numbers 14). The people rebel and Moses falls facedown.
*When they do not recognize the authority of God in their legitimate leader, Moses. They ask, "Why do you exalt yourself above the assembly?" Only Moses sees that Korah's rebellion (Numbers 16) against God and God's leader brings them to the brink of disaster.
*When the people of Israel murmur against God's direction (Numbers 20). "Why did you bring us to this evil place?" The clueless Israelites slander God and Moses falls facedown.
An important ministry of the pastor and leader is to know when God's people wander into impending judgment: to confront the sin and to intercede for the sinner. Without Moses, Israel would have, more than once, walked cluelessly into destruction.

Leadership and Seeing Around the Corner

One of my students in Personal Leadership Development once quoted Colin Powell as saying that Leadership is the ability to see around the next corner. What followed was an interesting discussion about planning for a future that is unknown.
I recently ran across a great quote from Patrick Henry. He said "I know of no other way of judging the future but by the past." Knowing history well helps us to see patterns in the affairs of men. Seeing the same patterns today can help us prepare for what is coming.
In the case of Joshua, we see the mistake at Ai and the deception of the Gibeonites and we ask how we could avoid similar mistakes. Both moves were made by using our own wisdom and not inquiring of God. Surely we can use our own wisdom in capturing a "dump" of a city or in making a treaty with a faraway people.
David leaves us another example. In his fight against the Philistines, God gives explicit instructions for victory. David follows them implicitly, and the battle is won. A short time after, the battle lines are arraigned in exactly the same way. For David, it is deja voux all over again (2 Samuel 5). Surely, God would have you use the same methods He outlined before to win another victory. But David is not taken in. He inquires of God and God outlines another battle strategy that brings about even greater victory. Lesson: Always inquire of God.

Even I Can Take Ai

The name of the city was "heap." The spies returned with great confidence. They had made a careful assessment of the city, considered the cost, and presented a plan. There were "few" men in the city. If they could conquer the power of Jericho, Ai was hardly a bump in the road.
Joshua rubber-stamped the plan and sent 36 men to their deaths. How could the spies have been so wrong? What did they miss? How do we, as leaders, avoid the same mistakes?
*Yesterday's victories are God's, not ours
*We are powerless in both big battles and small ones
*Prayer, even on the "easy" decisions, is important. The Lord of the universe is angry and his people are clueless. If they had sought God, they might have found repentance and restoration before lives were lost.

Father, teach us to walk with You so nearly that we know your heart before we find ourselves running from the enemy.

Epaphras Wrestling Club: Prayer and Hard Work

Epaphras is a good example of intercession in another regard. Paul assures the Colossians and others in Macedonia that Epaphras works hard on their behalf. His ministry includes working hard in prayer. It also includes serving them well as a minister of Christ.

Epaphras' prayers are not of the 'be ye warmed and well-filled" variety. James warns against the kind of prayer that blesses others in words but withholds the material gift when it was in the hands to give. Epaphras works for the benefit of those he serves. He gives what he can. Then he takes their case before God's throne for God's provision.

Intercession is a ministry that demands a full heart. Love for people. Love for God. Giving time. Giving resources. Praying. Working. Follow the example of Epaphras:

"I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hieropolis."

Epaphras Wrestling Club: What to Ask?

What does Epaphras pray for? Epaphras wrestles with skill and persistence on behalf of his people for the glory of God. He wrestles hard, but why?

He wants believers to stand firm in all of the will of God. No compartmentalism in his prayer. He wants God's will done in every area of life and for believers to take their stand. Believers are to hold the ground won for them at the cross and to spread the influence of Christ into every area of life. Paul adds two adjectives to Epaphras' request to help us understand:

• Mature- The worldview of the believer has become consistent so that Christ's influence is understood in marriage, politics, finances, and raising children. The believer's actions are also moving into line with his beliefs so that he is becoming a Christian with real integrity.
• Fully Assured- the believer has a strong grasp on his relationship with Christ. He knows Christ through experience and relishes his position in Christ won at the cross. When trials come, his first response is to run to Christ.

Epaphras knew the possibility of collapse. He knew the consequences of not standing firm. He loved those for whom he prayed and longed to see them secure in Christ, both in knowledge and experience.

Epaphras Wrestling Club: Why Wrestling?

The hardest part of worship and ministry is not preaching. It is not leading worship music or visiting hospitals. It is taking up the work of prayer.

• Wrestling indicates agony. It is a spiritual bloodsport. Intercession invites you into a life and death struggle for the souls of men. Its not a game on Sunday afternoon TV.
• Wrestling indicates an Adversary. Satan opposes prayer because he seeks our destruction. An unprayed-for man is helpless before destruction. A prayed-for man has had his name announced in the throne room of the Almighty where the Sovereign LORD has promised aid.
• Wrestling indicates process. The intercessor lays out his life energy on the battlefield for his friend. Stamina and persistence will win the day, but only in God's timing.
• Wrestling indicates severe training. The wrestler undergoes rigorous self-discipline because only that will give him freedom to win in the ring.

Anyone can pray for another. Young, old, rich, poor, new believer or old, anyone can participate. What really matters in prayer is this: Persistence and experience with God. May God raise up a tribe of believers with the strong heart of Epaphras.

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Epaphras Wrestling Club: Meet Our Founder

The apostle Paul introduces us to Epaphras (Colossians 4:12-13) with two phrases that are vital to effective intercession. Epaphras is "one of you" and a "servant of Christ Jesus." Epaphras was a bridge between the community he loved and the Redeemer who loved both him and them.

"One of You"

• He identified with them. He knew the spiritual struggles, the physical circumstances, and emotional needs of the people he ministered to.
• He understood community. He held no illusions about himself or others. Raised among them, they knew his strengths and weaknesses. His training and his association with Paul had not drawn him away from a burden for his own people.

"A Servant of Jesus Christ"

• He was allied with Christ. His first loyalty was to Him. Epaphras identified with those he ministered to, but he never forgot who owned his heart.

• Because of his unswerving allegiance to Christ, those he prayed for could take great confidence in his intercession. Knowing Christ was his first love gave his ministry both stability and security.
• The Great commandments, loving God and loving men, were his heartbeat. He served others out of the overflow of his love for God. Christ provided what the people needed through his servant, and the people were drawn to God as a result.
• The Great Commission was his marching orders. His prayer was aligned with his task. He wrestled for the believers in Laodicea and Hieropolis because he longed to see them mature in Christ. His requests on their behalf were always in line with God's will for them because he was Christ's servant first.

If we would take up the mantle of Epaphras, we too must love Christ first, then love our people for His sake.

"Push Back" Power

The new political strategy for winning debate has been described this way: "We will push back twice as hard." This is what political speech has come down to. No longer a discussion of differences concerning issues (maybe we can't debate the issues any more because we don't have a common ground concerning morality, truth, logic or worldview), political speech is now a contest to see who can display the most verbal muscle. And as we are seeing, verbal muscle is becoming intimidation and soon, if we are not careful, violence.
There is a better way to push back: Prayer. O. Hallesby writes that it only works in the hands of God's friends. It also comes with a safety lock (thank you, Lord)- that prayer will never be answered in a mechanical way that will cross God's purposes. Still if we pray for righteousness in our nation, change of heart for our citizens, and the ascension of godly leaders, we unleash the unstoppable power of God in individual, family, church and government spheres.
Righteous change is easily accomplished at God's hand, impossible on our own.

What the Imprecatory Pray-er Doesn't Know

I have written of the authority of the believer, trusting on the promises of God, and the weapon given to Him in imprecatory prayer. It is also important to speak of humility. While we ask for deliverance from oppressors, cry for justice, and plead for the expansion of the gospel cause, there are several things we are not privy to:

• We do not know how God will work. We do not know, in specific cases, whether He will show grace or execute judgment. We do not know His timing. We do not know His purposes in specific situations. His patience meant our salvation. In the end, what we seek is the advancement of God's Kingdom, relief of our distress, and justice (attribute of God) to be shown.


• We do not know how God will use our circumstances to expand His kingdom. Jesus promised that some of His disciples would be killed, but not a hair of their head will perish. Seems to me that means trusting Christ no matter how things turn out. Eventually, perfect justice will be shown and all wrongs will be righted.

Imprecatory prayer is designed to remove the people who have made themselves obstacles to the Kingdom of God and to God's work in our sphere of responsibility. How God works, whether he changes the heart of our opposition, changes us, or executes judgment, we leave these things with Him. Then we know that all things will work together for good.

Calling and Imprecatory Prayer

The same culture that is embarrassed by the execution of justice over tolerance is also embarrassed by authority. We have become so independent and democratic that we fear exercising our authority as believers. Who do we think we are?


The Westminster divines said we were created "to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever." Jesus commanded us to go into all the world, preach the gospel, and make disciples of all nations. To accomplish our tasks, Jesus promised we could ask anything because God's answers would bring Him glory and show ourselves to be His disicples.


The church has some awesome tasks to accomplish. We have work to do on our character and we have work to do in the world. This work is real and the accomplishment of our responsibility is eternal. Real work, not the usual chores in the church, will raise unholy opposition. Satan will rise against you and men will do his bidding. Roaring lions and snarling dogs will encircle us.


Think about it. We have one life to invest with eternal consequences. Adoption has brought us forward as adult sons in God's family and we must use that authority to accomplish our tasks. Those who oppose us, if we are working to fulfill our calling, are opposing God.


There are those who will regard our calling as hubris. How do we know for certain what the will of God is? The answer of course is listed in our tasks above. Granted my way to accomplish those tasks may not be the best way, but the goals are clear. The Christian uses his gifts, abilities, wisdom, insight, counsel, and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit to promote the gospel cause. He is responding in obedience to the Word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit in His life. The community will come alongside, hone his skills and his abilities and provide encouragement and support. The Christian who chooses to oppose the method had better be careful here. He may wreck the work God is trying to accomplish.


The Christian leader will persevere in his task. He will listen for ways to better accomplish the goals of the church and he will refuse to be drawn aside to other goals. If opposition rises to the extent that the goals are being compromised or faithful people, including hmself and his family, are being attacked, he should use every legitimate means at his disposal, including imprecatory prayer, to see God's purposes through.