In this chapter we will continue to consider the prevailing prayer of the church. This prayer is the prayer of the age. In these days we need to learn something concerning prevailing prayer. As Christians we may know something concerning prayer, but in the Scriptures, especially in the New Testament, there is one kind of prayer that is far beyond our human concept. To enter into this kind of prayer, we need a heavenly vision. We need to see something that is far beyond our natural concept.
The first aspect of this heavenly vision is the ascension of Christ. Nearly all believers know something about the ascension of Christ, but I wish to point out two very important matters concerning its meaning.
First, the ascension of Christ indicates that the Lord’s redemptive work is fully complete. After the Lord ascended to the heavens, He sat down at the right hand of God (Heb. 1:3; 10:12). Here, to sit down means to rest. When someone sits down, it means that everything that he had to do has been finished and accomplished. When someone has nothing more to do, he sits down to rest. The fact that the Lord is in the heavens sitting down at the right hand of God means that He has done everything that He had to do. The Lord has accomplished everything related to the work of redemption in a full way. Nothing has been left undone; everything has been accomplished. Thus, the Lord is sitting in the heavens and resting. The ascension of Christ is an indication of the complete accomplishment of the work of redemption.
Second, the ascension of Christ indicates that the lordship of Christ has been established. The lordship of Christ was established by the ascension of Christ. Generally speaking, all believers recognize that Christ is the Lord. Nearly all of us have some thought or natural concept concerning this matter. Very few, however, have the proper realization of what this means. We think that because Christ is God or because He is the Creator, He is automatically the Lord of the universe. Nevertheless, we need to realize that the matter of Christ being the Lord is something very different from our natural concept. We need to realize that today the Lord Christ is not merely the Lord who created the universe. The Lord Christ today is also God who was incarnated to be a man. Today there is a man in the heavens who has been exalted and established to be the Lord of the universe.
It is quite easy for us to believe that God the Creator is the Lord of the universe. However, we need a heavenly vision to believe that there was a man in the history of mankind whose name was Jesus and who has been exalted to the heavens and made the Lord of the whole universe. On the day of Pentecost Peter declared, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you have crucified” (Acts 2:36). The apostle Paul also tells us that God “subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things” (Eph. 1:22). This is very different from our natural concept.
Moreover, Ephesians 1:22 tells us that Christ was given to be Head over all things “to the church.” Everything that the Lord has obtained and attained is not only for Himself but is also to the church. This means that everything that He has obtained and attained is being transmitted to the church. We need to see a heavenly vision of this heavenly fact. The enemy—the devil and his evil spirits—knows this much better than we do. The evil forces know what it means for Christ to be made Lord. Therefore, we need to realize this fact and to genuinely see it. We need to see the heavenly fact that Christ has been exalted by God, established as Lord of the universe, and made Head over all things to the church. All things are under His feet, and everything that He has obtained and attained is being transmitted to the church, which is His Body (v. 23).
We all need a vision of these two facts related to Christ’s ascension. The first fact is that Christ’s ascension indicated the complete accomplishment of the redemptive work of Christ. The second fact is that His ascension indicated the establishment of the lordship of Christ. Everything that needed to be done for the accomplishing of redemption has already been done, and Christ’s lordship has been fully established. There is only one thing left for us to do—to realize these heavenly facts.
The second main point of this chapter will help us to realize these facts. The first main point is the ascension of Christ; the second main point is the position of the church as the Body of Christ. Because the church is the Body of Christ, the position of the church is exactly the same as that of Christ. Wherever the Head is, the Body also must be. Whatever the Head has, the Body also must have. In addition, we need to realize that we are members of the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 5:30). Since the Body is identified with the Head, the position of the Body is exactly the same as that of the Head.
The third main point in this chapter concerns the authority of the Body. I specifically use the word authority rather than the word power or even the word right. What is the authority of the Body? The authority of the Body is the authority of the Head exercised by the Body. Thus, the authority of the Body is the authority of the Head.
Although the Body has this authority, this authority is not merely objective but is very subjective. This means that this authority must be assumed and exercised by the Body. To assume something means to take something upon oneself. As the church, the Body of Christ, we need to assume the authority of Christ.
After His resurrection the Lord told the disciples that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to Him. Then He commanded them to preach the glad tidings to all the nations. The Lord said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and disciple all the nations” (Matt. 28:18b-19a). Having received all authority, the Lord commanded us to go with this authority and preach the gospel. He commanded us to go not just with His word or with His power but with His authority. Do we realize the authority committed to the Body by the Head? The Lord also told us clearly that He has given us the authority to overcome the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). The enemy has power, but the Body has authority. Authority is much stronger than power. Christ as the Head has the authority, and as His Body, we automatically have this authority also. This is not a small matter, but unfortunately, we do not realize this fact enough. We do not realize that we have been committed with the holy, heavenly authority. We have this authority, but whether or not we exercise it is up to us.