THE KING’S BUSINESS
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God and must have had a power to will and to do that never can be ours. No, it never can be ours by mere imitation, but here we come to the very root and essence of the Christian life itself. What is it to be a Chris tian ? It is nothing less than to have Christ Jesus formed in you until you can say from experience, “Christ is my life,” “I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me,” “For me to live is Christ.” But what Christ? The very same praying Christ who lived on earth who will continue to pray in the very same way in me. But not only did the Christ who was on earth pray, but the Christ who is now on the throne prays. If in tercession was the chief method of Christ’s work on earth, it is now His most exclusive work at the right hand of the Father. “Wherefore He is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near to God through Him, seeing He ever liveth to make inter cession fpr them.” But what con nection can a praying Lord far off on the throne of God have with my life on earth? What connection has your head with your arm? Jesus Christ is the head of the Church which is His body. We each are members of that body. Jesus Christ, the Head, though now at His Father’s right hand, is still carrying on His saving work on earth. How? Through un ceasing, direct, intercession to the Father on the throne. But again how ? Through the intercession of members of His body, the Church, really, vitally, united with Him, though on earth, whose highest duty and privilege is precisely the same as that of the Head. “As in heaven so on earth,” intercession is God’s chan nel of blessing. Have you and I entered into the fulness of this mar velous truth of an indwelling Christ ? Are we “complete in Him” ? Then we each one must be an intercessor
as He was and as He is (Rom. 8 :34). The Promises of God l The third stratum in this foundation for a life of intercession is the prom ises of God. I can think of nothing more solid or stable or sure upon which to build one’s life of interces sion than the immutable word of God. I can conceive of no greater incen tive to a life of intercession than the unchanging promises of Jesus Christ. Before we turn to the promises let us think of the Promiser. He is one who could not deny Himself and will not deceive us. He cannot lie and He will not mislead. What does such a one promise? Listen, “Whatsoever ye ask in my name that will I do.” “If ye ask anything in my name I will do 'it.” “Ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you.” “All things whatsoever ye ask and pray fpr believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them.” Jesus had given the commission to that little group of disciples, “Go ye,” “make disciples of all the nations”—an ap parently impossible task. How could they do i t ! On that last night it would seem as though He wanted to assure them over and over again that He had given them power to do what ever He had commanded to be done, so we find in His farewell discourse the wonderful six-fold repetition of the unlimited “anything” whatsoever. He Who had said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth,” through these promises now declared that this same power was at their disposal. In the work of saving souls Jesus Christ gave to them the right to draw upon that power to an unlimited degree through intercession. It were as though He had said to “I took your place upon the Cross, you will take my place in the world, but you must have power to do my
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