Do
We Have A Do
We Have A
Warrant To Pray For
Societal Transformation?
This is such an audacious undertaking maybe we should consider the full implications and the possible pitfalls of our endeavor before proceeding further..
We all have seen many television programs concerning law enforcement. One that seems to be everywhere is Law and Order. In our home we sometimes catch this early in the evening through reruns and Nancy and I have come to the place that we watch to see what they do and how they do it. If searches are not done legally by the police then later on in the program the DA will be served with "blue papers" by the defense attorney and it is most likely that the case will be thrown out of court for lack of evidence. This usually happens when the police make an illegal search–without a warrant. Before they can cross the threshold of someone’s apartment they must have a search warrant issued by a judge or they will risk having their case thrown out of court when it comes to trial. The warrant provides for the legality of the search and the validity of any evidence discovered as a result.
What is a warrant? According to Webster’s it is: 1. authorization, sanction, or justification. 2. something that serves to give formal assurance of something; a guarantee.
We must ask ourselves, do have a warrant to pray for societal transformation? Has such an authorization been issued by the courts of the heavens? Has a precedent been set or are we acting presumptuously with the risk of having our case thrown out of court. Worse yet may we ourselves end up being sued for unlawful entry or false arrest. Our enemy is called the "Accuser of the Brethren." This tells us that he is no fool, he is an expert in legal affairs.
Assuming that we have this authoritative assurance that we can pray for societal transformation and then expect it to occur–then what and where is it?
I believe that the precedent for our prayers for societal transformation can be found in some of the most basic and preeminent words of our Lord Jesus Christ in response to the question of His disciples, "Lord, teach us to pray (Luke 11:2)." Matthew 6:9-10 "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.’" (NASB)
From this passage we can see that if such a mandate does exist it must first be issued by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Heaven. If we do not have His supreme and final authorization we have no hope that our prayers will have any effect. Once having assumed this posture of humility and submission we then wait for the issuance of the decree! Having received the decree we then have the sanction of the Courts of Heaven to proceed.
Our warrant for societal transformation is to pray that His will would be done on earth as it is already being done in Heaven. This is the authority–the key–that will assure us of ultimate victory. 1 John 5:14-15 "And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him." (NASB)
Before we can cross the threshold into the enemy’s camp we must have this requisite authorization or we may be served with "blue papers" (accusation) that will cause us to retreat within the safety of our own lines–possibly never again to venture into the enemy’s territory. Thus we leave him free to do with his captives as he wills.
Our classic example of trying to minister without prerequisite authorization or warrant is found in the account of the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19. They tried to overpower a demonic entity through the use of secondhand information ("In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.") and not only was the subject of their ministrations not delivered, but they also suffered insult ("Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?") and injury (...so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded).
With this in mind, how then do we obtain this sanction? Jesus pressed a test on His disciples to see what they might have learned as they followed Him about the Judean countryside and saw Him do the works that brought glory to His Father in Heaven. He demonstrated a very basic, yet vital principle: (John 5:19) Jesus therefore answered and was saying to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner." (NASB)
He began the exam by asking them, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they responded with a myriad of answers none of which was the correct answer to the test. He then puts the burden of proof directly on them, "See they are only guessing, they do not have a personal relationship with me, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ You that have been with Me these many months, who am I?" This was not a multiple choice answer–not even a true or false one. "You have been eyewitnesses of all that I have done, what then is your first-person testimony?" He had already proved that outside of this relationship there was no way anyone could get the correct answer.
Peter is the first to respond with his characteristic enthusiasm, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." In a succinct manner of saying Jesus goes on to commend Peter telling him that he is blessed because he did not receive this information second-hand but directly from the Father’s heart by way of revelation. (The incarnate Christ is the Divine Initiative of God for the redemption of mankind.) The Father is waiting to reveal His divine initiative to those who will enter into relationship with Him through the Son of His love. This is the rock on which He will build His overcoming Church–relational revelation.
The Message: "This is the rock (foundation) on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out."
The seat of authority of hell will be no match for the authority exhibited through a church that will bind that which has been bound (warranted) by the initiative of the Courts of Heaven and loose that which has been loosed in like manner. This is the keys or the warrant of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Prayer then is positing ourselves before a holy, sovereign and omniscient God in an attitude of humility, supplication and expectancy waiting for Him to reveal His will to us. Once we receive that, we speak it back to Him in faith and look for His divine initiative. Having become aware of His beckoning we then join Him in the adventure of Kingdom advancement. (By faith we see into the windows of His storehouse. It could be said that that is where we see what He is doing.) This is our guarantee.
In a general way of speaking what Jesus saw the Father doing fell within the scope of the following prophecy from Isaiah: Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are downtrodden, :19 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord." (NASB)
If we will function within the mandate of the written word of God under the warrant of revelation from the Living Word of God we can expect to see societal transformation. But it must become a lifestyle of relationship with Him through our Lord Jesus Christ, not just something we do in select places and at select times.