In the previous message we emphasized three important matters related to the incense altar. First, when we pray, we need to be in the tabernacle, which signifies the incarnated God. Second, in order to pray at the incense altar, we must first be filled and satisfied by eating the holy food, our portion of the offerings. Third, when we pray, we should offer incense to God. If we have a clear view of these matters, our prayer life will be revolutionized. Instead of being occupied in prayer with material needs or personal concerns, we shall pray for the executing of God’s purpose, for the carrying out of the divine administration, and for the dispensing of God’s supplying grace.
Matthew 6:33 is a verse often quoted by today’s Christians: “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” This indicates that if we seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness, whatever we need—food, clothing, housing—will be added to us. This shows that there is no need for us to be occupied in our prayer with things such as food and clothing. Instead, we should pray for God’s kingdom.
What is the kingdom of God today? God’s kingdom is the church. But what is the church? The church is Christ. Therefore, to seek God’s kingdom is to seek Christ with the church.
According to Matthew 6:33 we should also seek God’s righteousness. What is God’s righteousness? God’s righteousness is Christ expressed through the church. Thus, to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness is to seek Christ and the church. Our prayer should be related to God’s kingdom and His righteousness, that is, to Christ and the church.
What is sad is that many Christians know how to pray for a better job, a larger house, or their safety on a journey, but they do not know how to pray for Christ or the church. When some pray for the church, they do not pray directly for the church, but instead pray for business matters related to the church. We should forget about praying in such a way and pray instead for Christ and the church. When some Christians hear this word regarding their prayer life, they may say, “This word is troublesome. It seems that you are robbing me of all my prayers. After hearing this word, I don’t know how to pray. It seems that any way I try to pray is wrong.”
I encourage you to read again this portion of the Word. We should burn incense upon the golden altar. However, there is a serious prohibition: we must not burn strange incense. Only the resurrected and ascended Christ is acceptable; everything else is prohibited. We should not burn strange incense, and we should not even burn at the incense altar what is acceptable to God at the offering altar. This means that we should not present the crucified and judged Christ at the incense altar. Rather, we must burn as incense the resurrected and ascended Christ. We must present such a living Christ to God as incense at the incense altar.
If some saints were to ask me to tell them how to pray, I would not do it. If I told you how to pray and you prayed accordingly, that kind of prayer would still not be Christ. You may use the right terminology, but you may still be praying outside of God. You would not be praying in God, in the center of God’s dwelling place. Furthermore, while you are praying, you may not have the inner satisfaction or the inner energizing. This means that you do not have God praying in you as you are praying. When we pray, we need to pray in God, and we need to pray with God energizing us inwardly. Then we need to offer Christ to God and pray Him to God.