{"id":5688,"date":"2019-09-15T12:11:37","date_gmt":"2019-09-15T17:11:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/?p=5688"},"modified":"2019-09-17T13:29:59","modified_gmt":"2019-09-17T18:29:59","slug":"altars-and-prayer-legs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/2019\/09\/15\/altars-and-prayer-legs\/","title":{"rendered":"Altars and Prayer Legs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail...\" \u2014 Luke 22:31-32 NASB<\/em><\/p>\n

We often talk about prayer as the means God uses to transmit grace to His people or our means of communication with God, and it is good that we speak that way because they\u2019re both true; but today, I want to explore the intercessory and saving power of our prayer.<\/p>\n

In a recent sermon, I discussed the modern purpose of the altar and made the point that we are no longer seeking to atone for our sins at the altar like those under the Old Covenant often did. Yes, we still ask for forgiveness of sins, and we ought to whenever sin occurs in us, but we know that God will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness because Jesus is our faithful High Priest. According to Hebrews, Jesus is our advocate, not our accuser. He died \u201conce and for all,\u201d so we can now approach God as the One whose delight it is to give us the Kingdom!<\/p>\n

According to the original lyrics of the hymn, \u201cRock of Ages,\u201d the blood of Jesus is a double cure to sin because it both \u201c[saves us] from wrath, and [makes us] pure.\u201d It doesn\u2019t simply keep us from receiving what we do deserve, but also gives us the good that we don\u2019t deserve. Since God has given us everything in Christ, the altar has necessarily transformed from a place of primarily paying off debts to God, to a place of conducting spiritual business that is toward the benefit of both others and ourselves. To be clear, once again, we ought always to repent of sin as it manifests in our hearts, but the new altar should primarily be a place where growth, transformation, and progress should occur.<\/p>\n

Among many other things it does, prayer informs our actions\u2014it tells us what we ought to do, and where we ought to go. The unfortunate fact is that our legs aren\u2019t long enough to do everything God has planned for us; this is the function of prayer I want to emphasize. You might argue that God has given everything we need to do everything He wants, and I would agree. What I am saying is that God has ordained prayer to be our legs sometimes! Through prayer, we can reach people that we would never otherwise be able to reach.<\/p>\n

Intercessory Prayer<\/h4>\n

In the Garden of Gethsemane, on the night before Jesus\u2019 crucifixion, He asked the Apostles to pray with Him, but they couldn\u2019t do it. He told them to pray so they would not fall into temptation, but we find them absent in this assignment, and altogether asleep! Jesus had previously told Peter He prayed for him that he would not be sifted like wheat, and it was His prayer that kept Peter from falling away never to return (apostasy). Some people fall away never to return; the power of prayer is this\u2014your prayer can prevent that! So, intercessory prayer can keep others inside of God\u2019s Kingdom, as it did with Peter.<\/p>\n

Saving Prayer<\/h4>\n

Fervent and faithful prayer can also lead to the salvation of others. Sometimes, the physical and spiritual distance between ourselves and another will necessarily hinder the flow of the Gospel message, but in such cases, prayer becomes a bridge of Gospel power that no man can deny! Sometimes, you will share the Gospel with a person once, and they will seek ways to avoid you after that one encounter. In those times, you can be calm and confident in your faithful prayers for them, knowing that they cannot run from what God will do through your prayer. So, pray! Even if you never find out what happened to them on this side of eternity, you might get a thank you card from them once we all get to Heaven.<\/p>\n

My best friend from High School was won to the Lord through prayer, almost a year to the day after my own conversion experience, and he continues to serve the Lord and be an incredible husband, father, and leader in his church. One of my sisters came to the Lord through prayer about three years after my conversion experience, and she continues to serve the Lord faithfully in her church and community.\u00a0 My mother was won to the Lord relatively recently through both word and prayer, and she went to be with the Lord in July of this year. Though it may not be you alone praying for a person, it ought always to be at least you praying for someone!<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h4>\n

It is time that we quit denying the power of prayer and embrace it. Maybe you would never admit to denying the power of prayer, but have you perhaps forgotten the importance of embracing its power somewhere along the way? I cannot afford to deny the power of fervent and faithful prayer that leads to restoration and salvation, and neither can you! So, when you look at your prayer list that has a name on it so old it is starting to fade, please remember hope, and believe afresh for the person you\u2019ve been praying for, knowing that Jesus is still able to save today!<\/p>\n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: <\/strong>Ronnie Barnes is one of two millennial members on the General Men\u2019s Ministries Board. A graduate of Holmes Bible College and Advantage College, Ronnie serves as the senior pastor of the Laurens Pentecostal Holiness Church in Spirit Life Ministries, the Upper SC Conference of the IPHC. He teaches Spanish at Laurens Academy. He and his wife, Estrella make their home in Laurens, SC with their two children, Claire and Josiah.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"excerpt","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":5689,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,15],"tags":[940,1192,18,1124,955,1122],"class_list":{"0":"post-5688","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-discipleship-ministries","8":"category-mens-ministries","9":"tag-940","10":"tag-altars-and-prayer-legs","11":"tag-mens-ministries-2","12":"tag-quarter-3","13":"tag-ronnie-barnes","14":"tag-steadfast-in-prayer","15":"entry"},"title_es":"Altares y piernas de oraci\u00f3n","content_es":"

"Sim\u00f3n, Sim\u00f3n, mira, Satan\u00e1s ha pedido permiso para tamizarte como el trigo; pero he orado por ti para que tu fe no falle ..." - Lucas 22: 31-32 NASB<\/em> <\/p>

A menudo hablamos de la oraci\u00f3n como el medio que Dios usa para transmitir la gracia a Su pueblo o nuestro medio de comunicaci\u00f3n con Dios, y es bueno que hablemos de esa manera porque ambos son verdaderos; Pero hoy, quiero explorar el poder intercesor y salvador de nuestra oraci\u00f3n. <\/p>

En un serm\u00f3n reciente, discut\u00ed el prop\u00f3sito moderno del altar y destaqu\u00e9 que ya no estamos buscando expiar nuestros pecados en el altar como lo hac\u00edan a menudo los que est\u00e1n bajo el Antiguo Pacto. S\u00ed, todav\u00eda pedimos perd\u00f3n de los pecados, y debemos hacerlo cada vez que el pecado ocurra en nosotros, pero sabemos que Dios nos perdonar\u00e1 y nos limpiar\u00e1 de toda injusticia porque Jes\u00fas es nuestro fiel Sumo Sacerdote. Seg\u00fan Hebreos, Jes\u00fas es nuestro abogado, no nuestro acusador. \u00c9l muri\u00f3 "de una vez por todas", \u00a1as\u00ed que ahora podemos acercarnos a Dios como Aquel cuyo deleite es darnos el Reino! <\/p>

De acuerdo con la letra original del himno, "Rock of Ages", la sangre de Jes\u00fas es una doble cura para el pecado porque "[nos salva] de la ira y [nos hace] puros". nosotros recibimos lo que merecemos, pero tambi\u00e9n nos da el bien que no merecemos. Como Dios nos ha dado todo en Cristo, el altar se ha transformado necesariamente de un lugar de pagar principalmente las deudas con Dios, a un lugar donde se llevan a cabo negocios espirituales que benefician tanto a los dem\u00e1s como a nosotros mismos. Para ser claros, una vez m\u00e1s, siempre debemos arrepentirnos del pecado tal como se manifiesta en nuestros corazones, pero el nuevo altar debe ser principalmente un lugar donde el crecimiento, la transformaci\u00f3n y el progreso deben ocurrir. <\/p>

Entre muchas otras cosas que hace, la oraci\u00f3n informa nuestras acciones: nos dice lo que debemos hacer y ad\u00f3nde debemos ir. El hecho desafortunado es que nuestras piernas no son lo suficientemente largas para hacer todo lo que Dios ha planeado para nosotros; Esta es la funci\u00f3n de la oraci\u00f3n que quiero enfatizar. Podr\u00eda argumentar que Dios ha dado todo lo que necesitamos para hacer todo lo que quiere, y yo estar\u00eda de acuerdo. \u00a1Lo que estoy diciendo es que Dios ha ordenado la oraci\u00f3n para que sean nuestras piernas a veces! A trav\u00e9s de la oraci\u00f3n, podemos llegar a personas que de otra manera nunca podr\u00edamos alcanzar. <\/p>

Oraci\u00f3n de intercesi\u00f3n <\/h4>

En el Jard\u00edn de Getseman\u00ed, la noche antes de la crucifixi\u00f3n de Jes\u00fas, les pidi\u00f3 a los Ap\u00f3stoles que rezaran con \u00c9l, pero no pudieron hacerlo. Les dijo que rezaran para que no cayeran en la tentaci\u00f3n, pero los encontramos ausentes en esta tarea, \u00a1y completamente dormidos! Jes\u00fas le hab\u00eda dicho previamente a Pedro que oraba por \u00e9l para que no fuera cribado como el trigo, y fue su oraci\u00f3n la que evit\u00f3 que Pedro se cayera para nunca volver (apostas\u00eda). Algunas personas se alejan para nunca volver; el poder de la oraci\u00f3n es esto: \u00a1tu oraci\u00f3n puede evitar eso! Entonces, la oraci\u00f3n intercesora puede mantener a otros dentro del Reino de Dios, como lo hizo con Pedro. <\/p>

Oraci\u00f3n salvadora <\/h4>

La oraci\u00f3n ferviente y fiel tambi\u00e9n puede conducir a la salvaci\u00f3n de los dem\u00e1s. A veces, la distancia f\u00edsica y espiritual entre nosotros y otra persona necesariamente obstaculizar\u00e1 el flujo del mensaje del Evangelio, pero en tales casos, la oraci\u00f3n se convierte en un puente del poder del Evangelio que ning\u00fan hombre puede negar. A veces, compartir\u00e1s el Evangelio con una persona una vez, y buscar\u00e1n formas de evitarlo despu\u00e9s de ese encuentro. En esos momentos, puedes estar tranquilo y confiado en tus oraciones fieles por ellos, sabiendo que no pueden huir de lo que Dios har\u00e1 a trav\u00e9s de tu oraci\u00f3n. Entonces, \u00a1reza! Incluso si nunca descubre lo que les sucedi\u00f3 en este lado de la eternidad, es posible que reciba una tarjeta de agradecimiento una vez que todos lleguemos al Cielo. <\/p>

Mi mejor amigo de la escuela secundaria fue ganado para el Se\u00f1or a trav\u00e9s de la oraci\u00f3n, casi un a\u00f1o despu\u00e9s de mi propia experiencia de conversi\u00f3n, y \u00e9l contin\u00faa sirviendo al Se\u00f1or y es un esposo, padre y l\u00edder incre\u00edble en su iglesia. Una de mis hermanas vino al Se\u00f1or a trav\u00e9s de la oraci\u00f3n unos tres a\u00f1os despu\u00e9s de mi experiencia de conversi\u00f3n, y ella contin\u00faa sirviendo al Se\u00f1or fielmente en su iglesia y comunidad. Mi madre fue ganada para el Se\u00f1or hace relativamente poco tiempo a trav\u00e9s de la palabra y la oraci\u00f3n, y fue a estar con el Se\u00f1or en julio de este a\u00f1o. Aunque puede que no seas solo t\u00fa orando por una persona, \u00a1siempre debe ser al menos t\u00fa quien ora por alguien! <\/p>

Conclusi\u00f3n <\/h4>

Es hora de que dejemos de negar el poder de la oraci\u00f3n y lo abracemos. Quiz\u00e1s nunca admitir\u00edas negar el poder de la oraci\u00f3n, pero \u00bfquiz\u00e1s has olvidado la importancia de abrazar su poder en alg\u00fan momento? \u00a1No puedo permitirme negar el poder de la oraci\u00f3n ferviente y fiel que conduce a la restauraci\u00f3n y la salvaci\u00f3n, y t\u00fa tampoco puedes! Entonces, cuando miras tu lista de oraci\u00f3n que tiene un nombre tan antiguo que comienza a desvanecerse, \u00a1recuerda la esperanza y cree de nuevo por la persona por la que has estado orando, sabiendo que Jes\u00fas todav\u00eda puede salvar hoy! <\/p>

**SOBRE EL AUTOR<\/strong> <\/p>

Ronnie Barnes es uno de los dos miembros del milenio en la Junta General de Ministerios de Hombres. Graduado de Holmes Bible College y Advantage College, Ronnie sirve como pastor principal de la Iglesia de Santidad Pentecostal de Santidad en Spirit Life Ministries, la Conferencia Upper SC de IPHC. Ense\u00f1a espa\u00f1ol en la Academia Laurens. \u00c9l y su esposa, Estrella, viven en Laurens, SC con sus dos hijos, Claire y Josiah. <\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","author_name":"Ronnie Barnes","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/09\/MM-Q3.3-Article-Graphic-Barnes-Mills-e1568394659783.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4T9u2-1tK","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5688","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5688"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5688\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5689"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5688"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5688"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5688"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}