Being in Ascension as the Body of Christ to Pray and Exercise the Authority of Christ

As the Body of Christ, we are joined to our ascended Head who has authority over all things and who has the lordship and the headship; we share His authority, and we can pray the prayer of the age to exercise the authority of Christ for the fulfilling of God’s economy.

This week in our morning revival we come to a critical matter entitled, The Prayer of the Age Offered to God through the Church as the Body of Christ as a House of Prayer.

This is a weighty and meaningful matter, for it refers not just to prayer in general but to the prayer of the age uttered by the church as the Body of Christ as the house of prayer to exercise the authority of Christ for the fulfillment of God’s economy.

Our prayer at the end of this age is related to the consummation of the age, the Christian life and church life in the light of the Lord’s return, and how we both personally and corporately should pray in such a way that we end this age and bring in the kingdom of God.

We can never over-emphasize the matter of prayer, for it is crucial to our Christian life, and it is the main way we cooperate with God for the fulfillment of His economy.

In these extraordinary times that we live in, as we realize that what is happening today is not common but rather we live in very extraordinary times in human history and church life, we need to cooperate with God by praying in a particular way.

The pandemic that has hit the whole earth is not like any other pandemic that took place in history. It is not only a health pandemic, but it is also a global financial crisis; the last time there was a worldwide pandemic, the world economy was not global and intertwined, but today it is, so we have a financial crisis.

Along with the financial crisis, there is a social crisis; just look at what is happening today, the protests, the movements, the rebellion, the riots, etc.

What this should tell us is that the whole world situation is an indicator of God’s move; if something extraordinary is happening in the world situation, this means that the Lord wants to do something extraordinary in His economy.

The world has their view, seeing things in terms of politics, equality, business, racism, etc; what we see, however, is the world situation through the lens of God’s economy, and we want to pray the prayer of the age to exercise the authority of Christ for the fulfillment of God’s economy.

When we see something extraordinary happening in our lifetime in human history, we need to pray for God to do an extraordinary work in the divine history, in God’s economy.

Growing and Advancing in our Experience of Life until we Pray to Exercise the Authority of Christ for the Fulfillment of God’s Economy

There isn’t just one kind of prayer; prayer is not a single subject, a monolith, something easy to understand and practice.

Rather, there are many kinds of prayer, and there are many words in the Bible that describe the various kinds of prayer, such as prayers, petitions, intercessions, thanksgivings (see 1 Tim. 2:1).

These are not synonyms – they are distinct things. We could say that there are many kinds of prayer, many levels of prayer, and many stages of prayer.

We can see this in the picture of the tabernacle, where there are at least two kinds of prayer: one at the altar in the outer court (the bronze altar) and the other at the incense altar in the Holy of Holies (the golden altar).

The prayers offered at each of these altars is a different kind of prayer – they are both needed, but the one at the golden altar is a more advanced prayer.

At the altar of the burnt offering, the bronze altar, there is a real and vital prayer offered, but it is the most elementary level of prayer; we don’t belittle it, but it is where it all starts.

On the other hand, the prayer at the incense altar is at the entrance of the Holy of Holies, and this altar is made of pure gold; this prayer is not merely for man’s need (as the prayer at the offering altar was) but for God’s need.

We have to start with the prayer at the cross for man’s need, to solve all the problems; then, have to move on to pray for God’s need.

God’s need is met once man’s need and his problems are solved and taken care of. We need to advance in our personal and corporate experience of prayer from merely praying for our need to praying for God’s need.

Looking at the matter of prayer from the perspective of the experience of life, which is of four stages, shows us that at the very least there are four stages of prayer, four levels of prayer, each related to the stages of the experience of life.

In the first stage of the experience of life, we have prayers that correspond with the prayers offered at the bronze altar at the outer court; here we pray for the forgiveness of sin.

This is the first real prayer someone can pray, and if a sinner prays in this way, it is critical and vital – he is put on the journey of the experience of life, stage by stage!

By such a prayer we are brought into the experience of God’s forgiveness, cleansing, justification, and reconciliation.

Similarly, in every stage our prayer is on a higher level until we reach the fourth stage of the experience of life; here we are in the position of ascension, and we pray from heaven down to earth.

In the first stage of the experience of life, we had individual prayer, but in the fourth stage, we have corporate prayer, the prayer of the Body of Christ as a house of prayer.

In the fourth stage of the experience of life, we are those who have entered into the reality of the Body of Christ; we are the overcomers who reach God’s goal in their lifetime; we are the vital groups, those who pray by seeing the Body, knowing the Body, caring for the Body, and praying in and for the Body.

Furthermore, in this fourth stage, our prayer is a warfare, for it is the prayer of spiritual warfare to deal with God’s enemy.

On the positive side, the overcomer who reaches this level of growth in life and prayer become the bride in this age – they are the built-up Body of Christ which is the prepared bride of Christ, the warrior (see Eph. 4).

God’s purpose is twofold: the positive aspect is His expression (signified by the church as the bride of Christ, who is the expression and duplication of Christ, just as the Shulamite was to Solomon) and the warrior (signified by the church as the corporate warrior fighting the spiritual warfare).

The prayer offered by those in the fourth stage of the experience of life is a commanding prayer; such prayer is not even directed toward God like the prayer in Mark 11, but it is toward the mountain, the obstacle, for those in this stage are fully one with God to exercise the authority of Christ and deal with any obstacle.

In the first stage of the experience of life, man prays for his individual need; in the second and third stage, he prays to deal with obstacles, hindrances, and frustrations to the growth in life.

Such prayer is very necessary, but we need to advance in our growth in life, our experience of life, and our experience of prayer, so that we may become the bride of Christ and the corporate warrior, dealing with God’s enemy through our prayer.

Our prayer is a very good indicator of where we are with respect to the growth and experience of life, in being built up with other believers, and in the preparation of the bride.

Lord Jesus, cause us to grow and advance in our experience of life so that we may offer up the prayer that You require for You to carry out Your economy. Bring us on with You stage by stage, level by level, and experience by experience, until we pray the prayer of the age to exercise the authority of Christ for the fulfillment of God’s economy. Amen, Lord, may You gain the prayer that You need to advance in Your move in Your economy in this age. We don’t want to stay the same, dear Lord; we can’t stay the same, praying the same prayers and remaining in the same stage of our growth in life. Cause us to grow and advance with You, Lord, until we are in ascension, pray the prayers of the Body, fight the spiritual warfare, and command the obstacles to move so that God may fulfill His economy and end this age!

Being one with Christ in His Ascension and Praying by Exercising the Authority of Christ given to the Body

We need to consider what is the kind of prayer that the Lord needs in a most particular way today, the prevailing prayer of the church to match the current world situation and advance the Lord’s move on the earth.

Such a prayer is the prayer of the age, a prayer far beyond our human concept; to see and pray such a prayer, we need a heavenly vision.

We need to realize four main things: Christ has been ascended and He has the lordship and the headship; He is the Head over all things to the church; the Body shares in the authority of Christ and exercises this authority; and the prayer of the church as the Body of Christ.

The fact that Christ was ascended indicates that His redemptive work is fully complete; He ascended to the heavens and sat down at the right hand of God, for all He had to do was accomplished and realized (Heb. 1:3; 10:12).

Hallelujah, Christ has accomplished everything related to the work of redemption in a full way, and He has been given the lordship and the headship over all things!

When He was ascended, Christ was given to be the Lord over all and even the Head over all things to the church (Eph. 1:22).

Right now the Lord in the heavens is a man, Jesus Christ, God who became man, died on the cross, was buried, was raised, and was ascended – there’s a man in the heavens who has been exalted and established to be the Lord of the universe! Hallelujah!

Even more, Christ was given by God to be Head over all things to the church; everything that He has accomplished and realized is not just for Himself but to us, the church as His Body.

This is a heavenly fact, a heavenly vision which we must see and enter into.

Just as Christ has authority over all things, so the Body joined to the Head and being headed up in Christ shares in this authority; today there’s the authority of the Body of Christ by being joined to Christ.

The Body has authority not merely in an objective way but in a very subjective way, and the authority of the Head is assumed by the Body and exercised by the Body.

The Lord Jesus told us that all authority has been given to Him in heaven and on earth, and He has sent us to disciple all the nations (Matt. 28:18-19).

Yes, the enemy has power, and he causes all kinds of troubles, but we as the Body of Christ have authority, even the authority of Christ, the Head of the Body!

The Lord gave us the authority to overcome the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19).

By being joined to the Head and by being headed up in Christ, we as the Body share in this authority, and in prayer, we can exercise the authority of Christ for the fulfillment of God’s economy.

How can we exercise the authority of Christ to both deal with the enemy and fulfill God’s economy?

It is by uttering the prayer of the church as the Body of Christ. Such a prayer is not the prayer of individual believers but the prayer of the church; it is based on the fact that we have the position and authority of Christ, and in such a prayer we exercise this authority.

In ascension, the prayer of the church is not a begging prayer but rather, it is claiming what the Lord has obtained and attained, standing in His victory, and dealing with His enemy.

Christ is the Lord, the Head over all things, and He has the lordship and the headship; we as His Body are joined to Him, standing in the position of ascension, and we utter the prayers that He needs for His economy to advance, for His enemy to be dealt with, and for the end to be terminated for the kingdom age to come in.

May we see this spiritual vision and enter into this experience as the church, the Body of Christ, so that we may exercise the authority of Christ for the fulfillment of God’s economy and the ending of this age!

Lord Jesus, grant us to have a heavenly vision of the prevailing prayer of the church, the prayer of the age. May we realize that Christ was ascended and has been given the lordship and the headship over all things. Hallelujah, God gave Christ to be Head over all things to the church, and the church as the Body of Christ shares in Christ’s authority over all things. Thank You, Lord for giving us the authority to overcome the power of the enemy. May we utter the prayer of the church as the Body of Christ by standing on the position of ascension and exercising the authority of Christ to fulfill God’s economy, deal with His enemy, and end this age! Amen, hallelujah, Christ has the Lordship and Headship, we as the Body share in the authority of the Head, and we pray in ascension one with Christ for His economy to be accomplished, His enemy to be dealt with, and this age to end for the kingdom age to come in!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by Mark Raabe for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1963, vol. 1, “The Prayer of the Age“, pp. 153-162, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Christian Life, the Church Life, the Consummation of the Age, and the Coming of the Lord (2020 fall ITERO), week 5, The Prayer of the Age Offered to God through the Church as the Body of Christ as a House of Prayer.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – Pray to touch the throne of God, / Touch the throne of power too; / In the name of Jesus Christ / Deal with what you have to do. / Pray to touch the throne of God / By the hand of living faith; / Exercise authority / Over all the pow’r of death. (Hymns #783)
  – By prayer and faith, O may we learn / To labor, Lord, with Thee, / To know the victory is ours / And Thine authority. (Hymns #767)
  – To Satan it does not give ground, / Nor to the world, or self, or sin, / But seeks beneath the heaven’s rule / God’s full authority to win. (Hymns #944)