#23 Ministries of Intercession

C. Peter Wagner shares this with us: "Intercessors in general engage in four specific kinds of ministries.

We will understand this better if we are able to make the biblical distinction between gifts, ministries and activities.

In 1 Cor. 12 we read that there are "diversities of gifts" (v. 4), "differences of ministries" (v. 5), and "diversities of activities" (v. 6), all under the working of the same God.

I take this to mean that different people with the same spiritual gift will have different ministries assigned to them by God.

For example, among those with the gift of evangelist some may have a ministry of personal evangelism and others may have a ministry of public evangelism

Other people with the same ministry will have different activities assigned to them by God.

Take those who have a ministry of public evangelism, for example.

Some may be called primarily to do citywide crusades, while others may be called to local church-based evangelism.

Of the latter, some may be itinerant, going from church to church and others may be evangelistically gifted pastors who use their gift primarily in one pulpit.

The principle will apply to any spiritual gift, including the gift of intercession.

The four ministries most frequently exercised by those with the gift of intercession are general intercession, crisis intercession, personal intercession and warfare intercession.

Some intercessors will do all four on a more or less regular basis, while others will specialize in fewer than four, frequently concentrating on only one of the ministries.

{The following is the first of four intercession ministries C. Peter Wagner mentions...the other 3 will come in two following posts.}

• General Intercession Those who have a ministry of general intercession will spend long hours praying over prayer lists, prayer guides and any number of miscellaneous prayer request given to them. Many churches collect slips of paper with prayer requests on Sunday mornings. General intercessors will pray for them during the week. Ask a general intercessor to pray for something and you can rest assured it will be well prayed for."
  
  Today’s post -#23 Ministries of Intercession, in the series taken from C. Peter Wagner’s book, PRAYER SHIELD, How to intercede for pastors, Christian leaders and others on the spiritual frontlines. (pgs. 53, 54) By Regal Books
  
  The next post on 10/3 from Wagner’s book, is #24 Crisis Intercession

Let’s pray: Father, as we learn more about how we can serve our church, pastor(s), and church goers, may we become more acutely aware of the needs, and support them with our prayers of intercession. In the Lovely Name of our Savior, Jesus, amen.

Today’s Bible verse: Ps. 73:28 KJV "But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works."

Today’s quote: Gwen Smith – “I would guess that, like me, you love the thought of God as your refuge. My heart completely resonates with the concept of His everlasting arms beneath me. Holding me. Protecting me. Guiding me. Do I fully understand it? Not at all… but it sure does help me to accept the concept of God’s eternal nature. More than that, it helps me to embrace His infinite nature.”

Some thoughts today: The yardstick we use to give, is the yardstick God uses to bless us. 2 Cor. 9:6, 7 gives us the key of being a victorious Christian.

- You'll have lots of opportunities to trust God!  The happiest people in church are givers. Don't choose to remain under the slavery of refusing to give, keeping everything for yourself.

- As obedient children of God, we'll find the abundance He plans for us. He wants to make your home a refuge.

Thursday’s post:  Crisis Intercession  C. Peter Wagner

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