The Intercessory Power of Worship

I have a theory, and that theory is that many local churches are free of all the stuff that Warfare Intercessors think they need to bind and cast even though these congregations do not bind and cast. I believe that this is because our worship is powerful and effective in sending the demons packing.

James wrote that the fervent prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective. But what about the fervent praise (and worship) of the righteous?

My local church is, in context, a powerful and effective local Church.
• In March 2007 it has somewhere in the region of 8000 participants across five service times in three locations and two countries, as well as its weekly social (connective) events.
• In the calendar year of 2006 it saw over 6000 decisions for Christ, both first time and recommitment.
• It has raised the identity of Christ and His Church across both the Christian and secular communities of Europe, impacting leaders in many spheres of business, finance, education, health and service industries.
• It directly supports social and community work among some of the poorest people of Mumbai (India) and Kasisi (Uganda), along with work in the United Kingdom and special projects across the world.
• It prays weekly for the needs of its people, and has heard reports of the effectiveness of those prayers in healings from cancers and many other physical and mental illnesses, release from financial distress and debt, and provision of employment/housing/visa/friendship for its contingent of young visitors from the Commonwealth.
• It continues to expand, and has a vision for new endeavours: empowering individual Christians to influence their own spheres and championing the cause of the local church across Britain and Europe.

We proclaim a gospel of grace, of a righteousness accredited to individual Christians because of their acceptance of Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. We are saved by grace, and out of that grace we do works; but our righteousness is that of Christ by virtue of divine exchange.

So, how does a local church which does not wave banners and march around its streets, does not have all-night prayer vigils, does not have “prayer warfare” or “prayer counselling” or “deliverance ministry” teams, manage to be so effective in the face of demonic opposition? Christ tells us we are righteous, our world sees us as powerful and effective (in context): yet this takes place without what some would describe as “fervent” prayer.

Repentance is the first place of revival. Revival planning is not about casting and loosing powers over Norwich, but about humility and contrition in the Church. God commands a blessing when the church is united. Hillsong is a place of humility, contrition towards grace (and confidence beyond it), servant-heartedness, and unity behind the cause of Christ.

Bridal forms of Intercession.

In late 2002 and early 2003 I had the privilege of joining with a small group of strategic-level prayer warriors in East Anglia, living on site with them and travelling with them to various parts of the East of England to take part in local, strategic warfare. During this time we became aware of a move in prayer circles that God was revealing a new form of intercession, which was to be known as “Bridal Intercession”. The word came from God that it was time for the intercessors to come down off the ramparts and to come into the throne-room of God: the time for battle was at an end, the time for intimacy with the victorious Lord was beginning. (In no way was this a suggestion that “the War” was over because only the return of Christ as King of Glory will ultimately bring destruction to the reign of satan on Earth.) Prayer was to move away from “pulling down strongholds” and shift instead to “calling down Heaven”. The Bride was to take off her boots and put on her slippers.

The idea was circulated that when a stronghold is pulled down, the demons are sent to the pit and the Church stands victorious in the rubble. When Heaven is called down, the demons flee from the presence of the Living God under their own conviction, and the Church stands victorious in the Shekinah. In both cases the work of satan is utterly destroyed, but only Brides get to spend time with the King in His glory, the warriors just get to step across the rubble and go home. God was bringing refreshing to His armies, stepping in as He did in the days of Israel and Judah to glorify His own Name and accept the praises of His people, (or His People.)

It is my view that my local church is such a People, a company of worshipping Brides who celebrate their love by the Husband in their songs of worship and their lives of utter submission to the Cause of Christ: to love God and to love people. We don’t require a company to march around our house on a Sunday, any power or authority that will not submit to God is blown away by the power of the worship of the house: not the music, the worship. The heart-attitude of the believers in Christ in the House brings glory to God and He delights in this praise: not for the sake of “doing Bridal Intercession”, but simply because that is who we are, as the Church of Jesus Christ we are the Bride of our beloved Lord and Saviour and we delight to have him come to visit. When he does, the adversarial forces run away.