But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:4-7
The most crucial phrase in the Bible is “in Christ.” We don’t inherit anything from God; Christ does. We become recipients of the inheritance only by being “in Christ.” That may sound odd because most church teaching is man-centered rather than Christ-centered. We think that we inherit God’s promise when in reality, it is Jesus who inherits God’s promises made to Abraham. Jesus is the seed of Abraham who inherits the promise of Abraham. We get in on the inheritance purely because we are in Him.
If I am in Him, the next sensible question is, where is he? Because where he is, I am, if I am in Him. We were made alive together with Him. When he was raised in that tomb by the power of God, I was raised with him. When God raised Him up and seated Him in the heavenlies, I was raised and seated in the heavenlies in Christ. So, where are you and I who have trusted in the finished work of Jesus and followed him? We are in the heavenlies in Christ far above all authority, power, and dominion, that is, above all of the demon powers in the universe.
Read Paul’s prayer.
For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Ephesians 1:15-22
Here Paul reveals that when God raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, he was far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named and put all things under his feet and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church. And, where are we? We are in Christ and are seated with him. We are, after all, His body.
Most of us haven’t apprehended this. We can answer a question about this accurately, but our knowledge is more academic than reality. That is why Paul was praying that the Father would give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of our hearts enlightened that we may know what the hope of our calling is, what are the riches of His inheritance in us, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe according to the power that works in us.
Our being in Christ must become a functional reality, not just a religious saying.
And Jesus answered them, “Have the faith of God.1 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Mark 11:22-24
This passage has gotten lots of use in certain quarters of the Christian community. I think those teaching it miss the essential point in many cases. First, what Jesus says to have isn’t just faith, but have the faith of God. He isn’t talking about my faith, but God’s faith. That is what I am to have in this context. If I am to have God’s faith, he must give it to me. It is a gift of faith for the extraordinary.
Many struggle to have enough faith to pray extreme prayers. They focus on the phrase, “does not doubt in his heart,” and they know that they are not free of all doubt, so this kind of prayer is out of reach. However, if one has the faith of God, that special gift of faith that God gives, one has no problem with doubt. We can then speak to the mountain of impossibilities and see them metaphorically thrown into the sea.
How does one come up with the faith of God? This kind of faith is a gift or manifestation of the Holy Spirit. “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good…All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11) This makes it clear that there is an element of sovereignty in God’s giving the faith of God. However, we are also instructed, “earnestly desire the higher gifts” and “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.” (1 Corinthians 12:31 & 14:1)
To experience this faith of God that enables extreme prayers, we acknowledge the sovereignty of the Spirit, and we also acknowledge the instructions to earnestly desire the spiritual gifts. It is fitting that we hunger after God’s gifts; he has so commanded us.
So, I see at least two components for prayers that work with extreme authority. 1. Experience the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so you can have the experiential knowledge of being in Christ in the heavenly places far above all demonic powers, and 2. Have the faith of God that comes as we earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, including the gift of extraordinary faith.
This kind of Spirit-empowered life comes from an obedient life given to the Word of God and the Spirit of God. It is a life of both word and Spirit.
As I write this article today, I am challenging myself. This is a life I have tasted of and hunger for more. I hope this article will spark a greater hunger in you to know God and walk with him in love and power, word and Spirit.
