Spiritual Equipping for Mission by Shaw Ryan;Lin Tom;

Author:Shaw, Ryan;Lin, Tom;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Published: 2014-08-21T00:00:00+00:00

Being with Us

We find Jesus’ desire to live in intimate fellowship with his children in Mark 3:14-15: “He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons.” Before sending his disciples out to preach, heal and deliver people from demons, he wanted simply to be with them. Such being together was the foundation of the subsequent release of spiritual power to go about “doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil” (Acts 10:38), just as Jesus had done by his own example.

Jesus loves being with us. Do you believe that? He desires to be with you more than anything or anyone else. If you have received Jesus’ work through the cross and resurrection, you are his treas­­ured possession, the apple of his eye, his favorite one. Because he is God, he can have billions of favorite ones. I once heard someone say this, and I dismissed it. Then I began praying it over my life, and it changed my outlook. I truly am God’s favorite, not in comparison with anyone else, but because I possess intrinsic value as one who chooses and obeys his Son.

We exist to enjoy deep relationship with Jesus. This is his primary will for us. Communion prayer releases confidence (spiritual strength), which is the basis of intercessory prayer. Because they had “been with Jesus,” Peter and John could walk in boldness before the Jews (Acts 4:13). We can’t confidently intercede according to God’s will, rightly discerning and praying his heart, without abiding in intimate fellowship with Jesus. We pursue this life in secret, in the “secret place” (Matthew 6:6). We do not enjoy communion with Jesus primarily through public meetings, though we do not neglect those. We hide away in secret, gazing at the whole spectrum of God revealed in Jesus.

Some assume time isn’t important in relationship with God. They cite God’s unchanging love and acceptance when arguing that the amount of time spent in prayer doesn’t matter. It’s true that God’s love and acceptance aren’t affected by how much time we spend with him. However, our ability to fellowship and abide with him is. Sensitivity to his voice and the ability to be moved by his heart and to discern his leading take place as we know him more and more.

Communion prayer takes deliberate effort and sacrifice to maintain. There is a cost. We need a measure of abandonment to walk in it. We choose to dispel distractions to set ourselves toward this end. Many things arise to keep message bearers from growing in intimate fellowship with God. Pressures, needs, deadlines, friends and so on will come to the forefront when we commit to going deep with God.

A few generations ago, E. M. Bounds, a great teacher on prayer, declared,

We need a generation of preachers [message bearers] who seek God and seek him early. Who give the freshness and dew of effort

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