INTERCESSORS: WHO ARE THEY?: An in-depth look at the characteristics of Intercessors

By A. LLOYD HORTON B. A. M. Div

Intercessors: Who Are They? delves into what God "sees" in them and what they "see" within themselves. What did God "see" in Abraham to whom He promised ". . . of thee I will make a great nation?" Why did God call him, "My Friend?" Interesting. God "saw" in Moses a humble spirit that He could mold into an emancipator of the entire Hebrew slavery population of Egypt. God would begin "the birth of a nation" through him. To do that, God ". . . spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend." In a "rebel rabbi," God "saw" some human mettle in the Apostle Paul that He could fashion into an Intercessor and servant through whom He could build foundations for the Christian growth and the expansion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God said of Paul, "Behold, he prayeth." Intercessors: Who Are They? is an enlightening, adventurous, and encouraging venture for the avid reader.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 26, 2019
• ISBN: 9781644713105

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INTERCESSORS:

WHO ARE THEY?

An in-depth look at the characteristics of Intercessors

A. Lloyd Horton

B. A. M. Div

ISBN 978-1-64471-308-2 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64471-310-5 (Digital)

Copyright © 2019 A. Lloyd Horton B. A. M. Div

All rights reserved

First Edition

Bible quotes are from the King James Translation of 1611, unless noted otherwise.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books, Inc.

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

Contents

Preface 5

From the Author 7

Introduction 11

PART ONE

Intercessors: Who are They? 15

The Intercessor’s Self-Image 31

The Intercessor’s Obedient Life 36

The Intercessor’s Approach to God 41

The Intercessor’s Lifestyle 52

The Intercessor’s Attitude 57

PART TWO

Biblical Examples of Intercessors 65

Abraham: A Friend of God 66

Moses: My Servant 77

Paul: From Persecutor to Pray-Er 116

Conclusion 155

A Brief Bibliography 157

A Personal Note 159

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 160

Preface

Many books have been written concerning the Christian and his prayer life. I will not add to that number. Thus, what is contained herein is ABOUT prayer, but that is not the dominant theme. Instead, I am venturing to step into the skin of the pray-er, specifically, THE INTERCESSOR. In so doing, I invite us to remove our sandals as we enter the inner-sanctum of the Intercessor—his "holy of holies, so to speak.

The question Who Is An Intercessor? will be addressed. Just what are the human ingredients that go into the making of an Intercessor? All Christians pray intercessory prayers, which are very effective, and God answers in wonderful ways. However, we will discover some magnificent details of an Intercessor that are essential to the ministry and function of this special person.

There will be the arena of an Intercessor and how he sees himself, his self-image. Does the Intercessor have a devout obedient life as he serves God, or is it a hap-hazard pathway? Knowing the awesome position and sacredness of his ministry, how does an Intercessor carry on a conversation with God? It is refreshing and, at times, humorous, to read dialogues between God and the Intercessor. We will delve into that aspect.

Wrapping up the whole inquiry, "INTERCESSORS: WHO ARE THEY?" will take us into his lifestyle and how he looks at the world around him. Part 2 consists of biblical examples of Intercessors that will help us see the practical application of intercession; perhaps you will detect some admirable traits of these servants of God in yourself. If so, you will be in good company.

From the Author

What is written on the following pages was borne out of thirst. God called me into the ministry of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ when I was in my middle twenties. Through a chain of events, I knew He was directing me to pursue an academic education. My wife and family of six children stood by my side as the college and seminary years stretched before us.

Upon completion of the academics, a small Baptist church in Richmond, California, voted to call me as their pastor. It was a beautiful time in our lives, with a few rough spots, but God continued to bless us for the ten years of my pastoral ministry. Pulpit sermons and weekly Bible studies kept me submerged in the Word of God. Then God diverted or changed the direction of the ministry He had called me to fulfill; after ten years of pastoring that fellowship, He put me on the shelf, as some had quipped. While on the shelf for a few months, God arranged to have a pastor of a church (not a Baptist church) ask me if I would like to teach the sanctuary Bible class, actually the pastor’s class. After some preliminary issues of doctrinal and denominational differences, which the pastor assured me would be no problem to the church of his denomination, I accepted.

God kept me in that teaching ministry for twenty years; their church did not excommunicate or fire me for heresy! (Some humor here.) It was during those Bible teaching sessions over the years, that God deepened His Word to me. Preparing sermons, a preacher searches out texts, chapters, incidents, even whole books of the Bible, etc., for preparing his presentations, which is very fruitful and vitally necessary. Preparing for a series or topics for a Bible class was a more arduous undertaking if I may use that terminology. (Some pupils knew more stuff than I.)

Unknown to me, God was conditioning my spirit to become thirsty. Not that the biblical studies were dry, but because He saw something I personally needed. I experienced that to be thirsty does not necessarily mean to be bone dry. Thirst, at this level of my spiritual maturing, was more like desiring more of what I already had. It was not clear as to why I was stirring or seemingly hollow, until I prayed for God to shed some light on my need. How long before God furnished some light, I do not know. Maybe it was gradual, after all; He did not want my spirit to all of sudden die of thirst. (More humor.) What God shared with me is part of the contents of these pages of script. I was over-awed, refreshed, and…

As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the Living God. (Psalm 42:1–2a)

God knew my need and He began to unfold some plateaus of insights into His Word that I probably would not have received had He not moved me into a long-time teaching ministry.

I will never know.

In my thirsty condition, I asked God for something I am sure sprung out of that dry ground, and not out of my own limited desire. I realized that the great miracles, acts, and works of God captured the majority of my thoughts, but what about the persons involved as God manifested Himself and His might? The persons were over-shadowed as I zeroed in on what God did; but how and through whom did God work? What enabled or allowed God (again, if I may use such terms), to use such insignificant humans to show forth His mighty power? Did the persons have an inside track to God? Were they special or have a super-spiritual insight to God so they could look into the heavenly realm that ordinary people could not? All these questions, and more, cascaded down the crevices of my mind. Through the mist of those refreshing waters of my thirst, I humbly asked God, if He so chose; to allow or grant me, the privilege and honor to see inside these spiritual giants, as we call them; to get into their skin or into their shirts (as our football players say). To such a request, God unveiled some treasures that overwhelmed me!

These riches I will be sharing with you in this writing. It will not be exhaustive or all encompassing, but what you read will be what I know at this juncture of my ever-growing knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ as I walk and talk with Him. The thoughts and concepts herein are solely my own, except where I acknowledge my remembrance of some teachings or readings I have gleaned from all my studies, research, and from my many teachers.

For this endeavor, I entitled this work "INTERCESSORS: WHO ARE THEY?" My prayer is that you will gain some exploration guidelines to enrich your study and meditation on God’s Word, THE BIBLE.

Andrew Lloyd Horton

Introduction

When we tread into the inner sanctum of an Intercessor, let us do so with the mind-set of searching. Searching for some characteristics, some thought patterns, some traits, some human failings which produce spiritual strength; searching for insights into a person, or persons, through whom God openly manifested His mighty acts among men. Also, let us capture some applicable traits with which we may identify and which we may have within ourselves.

Is this going to be another series on prayer? Wow! So many teachings, books, tapes, seminars, conferences, preaching, and other materials are readily available. All the things mentioned are abundant for the public to enrich themselves in the knowledge of the Christian life. Do we need more such equipping? I would say, Yes, we do! However, this series, or writings, are not designed to major on prayer, rather they are designed to move us into the heart of the Pray-er, more particularly, the INTERCESSOR.

Just who is an Intercessor? How does he see himself? What sort of self-image does an Intercessor harbor? As the Intercessor moves among men, how does he live an obedient life as he serves God? Knowing he is serving God, in what framework does the Intercessor approach God? In the inner-chambers of God’s throne room of prayer and presence, how does the Intercessor know he is wholly submitted to God? Then, rising from the awesome presence of God to face the realities of the world around him, what is the Intercessor’s attitude toward that antagonistic world system?

Hopefully, we will explore all these avenues, keeping in mind that I am sharing with you what I have come to know. It may not be scholarly, of which I will not speak frivolously or put down, but I will try to make things understandable. In addition, some part may not be documented textbook material but the material we will share together will help us with the practical applications. I have included a bibliography that has helped me gain valuable information and understanding for what I am offering you.

Also, during the passing years, I have lost track of reference books from which I recall thoughts and comments, plus I do not remember many personages from whom came seeds of knowledge that I have formulated in my own thinking and mind-set. I do acknowledge all the powerful influences of godly Christian leaders and friends. I am eternally indebted to all of them for plowing up the fertile ground of my mind from which sprouted multitudes of choice products. Some of that produce is embodied in this writing. I give sincere praise to God for sowing my life with His Word and its benefits.

To my wonderful wife, Louise, goes total gratitude and love for her standing beside me all these years. To all my kids, who have added so many riches to my life, it would exhaust me to enumerate even a small portion of them; Lord bless them, Terry, my firstborn, a beautiful daughter; Dane, my eldest son; Rory, the second son; Ricky (he prefers Rick), the third son; Kevin, the fourth son; and Eric, the fifth son; all handsome men! That is a quiver full! I love them all.

I thank our Lord for my entire family.

—L. H.

PART ONE

CHAPTER I

Intercessors: Who are They?

I do not know if it has occurred to you, but we have spiritual intercessors as well as human ones. The question of this chapter heading beckons us to check out the two levels. We will define the terms mediator and intercessor as the dictionary explains them and as the Bible reveals them.

As you read your Bible, does it seem to you there is or is not a difference between a mediator and an intercessor? Have you thought of it that way? Let us go to the dictionary for help.

DICTIONARY: Mediator: (middle): to be an intermediary between persons or sides; intercessor for settling differences between persons; a medium for bringing about a result.

BIBLICALLY: () literally: a go-between (Gk. (mesos) middle; and (eimi)—to go); one who acts as a guarantee so as to secure something which otherwise would not be obtained. (Vine’s.)

What is all this academic wording saying for practical purposes? The Bible tells us in

1 Timothy 2:5, For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

Again this, For through Him [Jesus] we both [Jews and Gentiles] have access by one Spirit unto the Father (Ephesians 2:18).

Again, 1 John 2:1 helps more: My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

One mediator! Jesus. Jesus is the ONE MEDIATOR; the ONE Person Who is qualified to settle the differences between God and us. The ONE medium (not in the occultic sense) for bringing a result which is our total cleansing from sin; our salvation and full reconciliation to God.

Referring back to the dictionary definition of mediator, notice it indicates a human-to-human action and the results do not always bring reconciliation of the sides. The biblical definition gives us another picture altogether, but similar. Applied to Jesus, our One Mediator, He personally acts as a guarantee to secure something that, by no other way, could be obtained. To me, this indicates a God-to-human action, resulting in a definite settlement, or real reconciliation between God and us. As our Advocate, Jesus has never lost a case. (Some humor here again.)

Now that we have explained what a mediator is (maybe not to everyone’s satisfaction), what about intercessor? Let us go to the book, dictionary, that is, and check it out.

DICTIONARY: one who pleads or prays in behalf of another or others.

BIBLICALLY: (Gk. intercession):

To cause to come or fall upon, meet; to fall in with, meet with, in order to converse; to make petition; plead with a person. (Vine’s.)

Did you detect a difference between a mediator and Intercessor? It is a slight difference, but a powerful one! Let us see if it becomes clear as we read some Scriptures and make comments.

To get us going, how many mediators do we, as Christians, have? ONE! Jesus. Remember? How many intercessors do you and I have? The Apostle Paul informs us in Romans 8:26–27,

"So, too, the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to