In this study we will look into the nature of the

apostolic intercession which needs to characterise

As we study the church described in the book of Acts we find a group of believers coming to terms with their spiritual identity. Many of them are the same ones we have observed throughout the gospels, but we now see them growing in spiritual knowledge and understanding , maturing in unity and love, and becoming at ease with the supernatural nature of their call. The word "apostolic" does not simply refer to the role of apostles, but has a much wider connotation that involves a united church embracing and exhibiting the fullness of the nature of Christ.

 Ephesians 4:11-13 tells us that Jesus has bestowed gifts on His church in the form of specific ministries who are called to "prepare" (or equip) God's people for "works of service". The scripture is clear in this passage just what the outcome of this process is to be for the church: unity in the faith, knowledge of the Son, and a growing maturity which will express the "fullness" of the nature of Christ. Ephesians 4:15 promises us that as this maturing takes place, we (the church) will in all things "grow up" into Christ, the Head. It is "from Him", that the whole body grows and builds itself up, as each part does its work.

The apostolic church is therefore a church no longer "tossed about", but a living spiritual entity in which each member has value and purpose, and in which each member is committed to fulfilling their role in order that the whole Body might express Christ to the world.

Prophetic intercessory ministry will remain a vital and powerful force within the Body of Christ, and I believe there will always be those who are specifically called out and anointed for this purpose. The scriptures tell us, however, that the church is built upon the foundations of the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20). The Lord is building a church that is both apostolic and prophetic.

I believe, therefore, that as the church matures into the full expression of the nature of Christ, we will begin to see an "apostolic intercession" emerge which incorporates high praise, worship, prophetic proclamation and powerful intercessory prayer as described in Psalm 149.

A close study of this Psalm (especially in the NKJV) reveals a level of corporate intercession that includes worship through a "new song", instrumental music, dance, joy, loud prophetic singing, and skilful handling of the Word of God, resulting in powerful, victorious spiritual warfare which executes God's written judgment on the enemy. The scriptures contain many passages that can be taken as God's written judgment on Satan and his army, but the first recorded judgment on the enemy is in Genesis 3:14 & 15. God has decreed that, through Jesus, His people will have dominion over Satan and shall "bruise his head".

Apostolic intercession is authoritative, corporate intercession that releases promises such as Romans 16:20: and many of the other "written judgments" upon the enemy with power and decisiveness.

As this apostolic intercession begins to emerge and find expression in the church, there will be less emphasis upon "intercessors" as such, and more revelation of "intercession" across the whole Body. Intercession will no longer be confined to the faithful few who meet in the backroom of the church, but the church will begin to identify Holy Spirit anointed intercession as a responsibility of the entire Body, and to embrace it as a necessary component of all other ministry.

Additionally, I believe there will also be whole churches and bodies of believers graced by God with a particular mantle for intercession, just as we have already witnessed specific bodies of believers endowed with obvious mantles such as evangelism or prophecy.

 Intercession in the Early Church

It is important for us to understand at this point that intercessory prayer was never viewed in the early church as the domain of a specialised few. On the contrary, the scriptures reveal a pattern of corporate and powerful intercession across the whole Body.

For instance:

As the church waited for the Holy Spirit the believers all prayed in one accord (Acts 1:14);

When Peter and John were released from the custody of the Jews, again there was corporate intercession amongst the disciples - prayer so powerful "the place where they assembled together was shaken" and they were filled with a new anointing to speak the Word of God in the face of persecution (Acts 4:23-31);

Again, when Peter was arrested, imprisoned and obviously faced probable execution as James had, the church gathered together to intercede (Acts 12:11-13).

Furthermore, it should be noted that those who had leadership roles engaged in intercession along with the rest of the believers. The apostles did not appoint their "personal intercessors" and promptly abdicate their own responsibility for intercession. Prayer, along with teaching, fellowship, and communion was practised by the whole church community, from the least to the greatest (Acts 2:42).

I am not criticising those who appoint or who minister as personal intercessors. This has been a necessary and important part of our growth. However, in many cases this practice has been by mis-used by leaders and has become a source of pride and exclusivism for intercessors. We need to learn from such experiences and incorporate what we have learned into continued growth and maturity in the field of intercessory ministry.

KEYPOINT: Apostolic intercession is simply an appropriate expression to describe the "growing up" and maturing of intercessory ministry within the Body of Christ.

The release of apostolic intercession throughout the Body of Christ will flow alongside the establishment and releasing in the church of the governmental gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Intercession will no longer be a "mysterious" ministry separated from what is happening in the rest of the Body, but will merge into all aspects of church life in order to help build the Body up in love.

There must come a corporate mentality and revelation of intercessory ministry. We have already seen over recent years the growth and development of prophetic intercession as a valid ministry in the church, and prophetic intercessors will continue to lead the way as the rest of the Body of Christ discovers the power of true intercessory prayer.

I believe as the whole body begins to flow and become comfortable together as an army of intercessors, we will also begin to see evangelists emerge who are highly anointed as intercessors. These will not only be gifted and equipped to reach and proclaim the gospel to the lost, but they will exercise a ministry of intercession alongside their evangelistic gift that will weep, groan and literally travail converts into the Kingdom.

Similarly, intercession which releases Holy Spirit counsel and Godly wisdom to the Lord's sheep will become a vital part of pastoral ministry. Teachers will begin to cry out in intercession so that treasures and mysteries contained in the Word might be unlocked and released through them to the people.

The cry of each one's heart motivating this apostolic intercession will not be born of a need for personal recognition and satisfaction, but rather from a corporate longing that souls might be added to the Kingdom of Christ and that the whole Body might grow up to know Him in His fullness.

The book of Esther provides us with much insight into the role of apostolic intercession. Esther was a young Jewish girl who lived at a time in Israel's history when the Jews were in exile, ruled by King Xerxes of Persia.

The scriptures tell us in Esther Chapter 1 that King Xerxes held a great banquet to display the wealth of his kingdom, at which he required the presence of his Queen, Vashti. Queen Vashti, however, refused to come from her own quarters, where she was holding her own a banquet. King Xerxes became so angry at this refusal that he decided to give her much honoured position to another by choosing a new bride and making her queen.

There is a warning here for intercessors to guard against the trap of "exclusivism", which leads into spiritual pride and self-sufficiency. This can happen when intercessors forget who they serve and begin to place themselves "above" the rest of the Body.

Esther, who had been orphaned and was being raised by her cousin Mordecai, was chosen along with many other beautiful young women, as a possible candidate for Queen. Esther undergoes strict training and preparation by the King's servant, Hegai, a type of the Holy Spirit. We are told in Esther 2:13-17 that Esther could request anything at all to take with her on her first visit to the King, but that she chose to take nothing except the "essentials" indicated by Hegai.

There is much more to the story, but for our purpose here we simply need to see that the King found Esther, without lavish adornments, so attractive that he chose her as his queen.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians church :"When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." (1 Cor. 2:1)

The apostolic church will be comprised of people who do not rely on programs, gimmicks or worldly philosophy to proclaim the gospel. They are content with the "essentials". They have a simple and pure message - Jesus Christ and Him crucified; and they will be equipped with resurrection power to demonstrate and confirm their message. They need nothing more than the Word of God and the power of the Spirit to accomplish their mission.

As Esther takes up her new position as Queen, her cousin Mordecai becomes aware of a high As Esther takes up her new position as Queen, her cousin Mordecai becomes aware of a high level plot to annihilate the Jewish people. In great distress, Mordecai reports to Esther what he has learned. At first Esther is apprehensive about becoming involved, but Mordecai urges her that she has been placed in her high position in the palace "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14). It is at this point that we see Esther transformed from a simple, uneducated Jewish country girl into a royal Queen exercising power and authority over the enemies of her people. (The story is too long to go into in detail in this space, but I would encourage you to read the book of Esther in its entirety with the apostolic church in mind.)

Esther's transformation is not unlike the transformation we are witnessing in the church. Esther represents the Body of Christ as we mature into the full reflection of our King, Jesus. The apostolic church is being called forth to take up a strategic position to carry out His purpose on the earth. Many of the characteristics we can observe in Esther will also be manifested in the apostolic church as we mature into the fullness of Christ.

Esther's early life and upbringing was totally different to her new surroundings in the King's palace. The culture was strange, the ways were different, even the language was new. Flexibility and the ability to adjust were intrinsic to her survival. If she had clung only to what was known and familiar, she would not have succeeded.

Esther would have been a young girl in her teenage years when she was chosen for service in the King's palace. The apostolic church will be a church that releases and blesses youth and children to serve and impart alongside adults. Many Mordecais will need to arise to nurture and counsel these younger ones who will carry great anointing and authority, but who will also need fathers and mothers in the faith to counsel, guide and encourage them.

Esther had no other desire but to please the King, and in this she succeeded. Her devotion to making herself ready for him became her only "agenda". Jesus is returning for a church who has made herself ready, dressed in the beauty of holiness, free from the spots and blemishes of hidden sin, and whose greatest desire is to please Him and not herself.

We have already noted that Esther submitted to and obeyed Hegai, who is representative of the Holy Spirit in the story. Radical obedience carried out by "bondservants" who have chosen to live their lives entirely for Christ will be a hallmark of the apostolic church. Their attitude will be "if I perish, I perish" (Esther 4:16) and they will be prepared to lay down their lives for His purposes.

Esther could have chosen to distance herself from her people, denying her Jewish identity and seeking to save her own life. Instead she chose to risk standing with them that they all might live. Corporate identity and unity will replace individualism in the emerging apostolic church.

Esther did not choose certain "servants" to represent her to the King when crisis came. The issue at stake was far too important to her; she made intercession to the king herself. Corporate intercession will flow powerfully from the apostolic church as we move into a realm of spiritual authority we have previously not been equipped to exercise. It will be an intercession born of servanthood and "owned" by all sections of the church including leadership and children.

If the church is to grow up in all things we must allow the Holy Spirit to teach us new ways in intercessory ministry, just as in many other ministry areas. There is much we have learned, but still much to learn. God is seeking a worldwide army of intercessors who respond as one when He sounds the alarm.

Luke chapter 1 tells the story of Zacharias, a priest who was also the father of John the Baptist. It was as Zacharias carried out his priestly duty of burning incense in the Temple that the angel Gabriel appeared at the Alter of Incense to announce the impending birth of John the Baptist. The angel proclaimed that John would "go forth before Him (Jesus) in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17). We are told that as the incense ascended heavenward, a

"multitude of people was praying" because it was the "hour of incense" (Luke 1:10).

The book of James tells us that Elijah was righteous and a man of earnest prayer whose prayers had mighty authority in the heavens (James 5:16-18). As the time draws near for the coming of the Lord once again to His people, God is calling forth a generation who will go forth before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah. This is the hour of incense across the earth; each one of us has been called forth for such a time as this. As the apostolic church once again awakens across the face of the earth, may it be that each member, from the least to the greatest, will also awaken to the call to Spirit-led intercession.