Introduction In the previous article, I mentioned the life of the early church and two necessary qualities that must characterize believers: humility and purity.
In this article, I look at three more needed qualities.
Love The third area of my five finger prayer is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13 states, "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love" NKJV.
Jesus gave us two important commandments - to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
A genuine love for God will lead to a love for others.
God is love and we are most like God when we practice love.
There are essentially three types of love that we typically refer to: agape - unconditional love; phileo - brotherly/friendship love and eros - romantic or erotic love.
With the exception of eros, we see the other two types of love demonstrated in the life of Jesus.
He loved the disciples to the extent that He died for them.
He had an intimate friendship with Peter, James and John and an even more special friendship with John.
However, we will not look at brotherly and romantic love; we are going to talk about agape.
Unconditional love involves a commitment to the well being of all people, particularly those who are in the household of faith.
There will be something in us that wants to see all believers succeed and enjoy the fullness of God's blessings.
Unconditional love involves generosity.
We are generous toward those whom we love.
We cannot and will not hold back when we see our brothers and sisters in need.
There is no selfishness in love, no preoccupation with self-preservation.
Unconditional love includes a willingness to die for others.
Jesus suffered the humiliation and pain of the cross because He loved the church.
He died as an expression of the love of God.
John 3:16 makes this clear: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
This truth is communicated in Romans 5:8 - But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
This tells us something powerful about love: love willingly sacrifices itself for its enemies.
A mother may graciously lay down her life for her child, but would she be willing to die for someone who abused her? This in no way justifies abuse, but Jesus willingly laid down His life for all people including those who abused Him.
Unconditional love involves forgiveness and living at peace with others.
When we forgive, we let go of our anger and ill feelings toward those who have hurt us or have hurt those that we love.
Embracing God's love for us enables us to do this.
Forgiveness has the power to bring about inner healing and deliverance.
To state it differently, forgiveness results in spiritual, emotional and physical freedom.
Harmonious relationships are important to God.
If persons are antagonistic in spite of our best efforts to reconcile with them then our responsibility is to forgive them anyway.
We never have power over others, only ourselves.
Some of the things that are killing the church are unforgiveness, anger, bitterness, unresolved conflict, division/separation, judgment and offense.
We need to eliminate these from the church if it is to be healthy and God-pleasing.
Unconditional love causes us to empathize and identify with others.
We rejoice when they are rejoicing; we weep when they are weeping.
Believers must never be callous, insensitive and indifferent; that is the spirit of the world.
We must not be dominated by a jealous spirit, envious of the success of others.
Realistically, we do not typically feel another's pain.
Even where we have gone through a similar experience, we have different ways of responding to pain, so we will not be fully able to understand what the other person is going through.
However, we can be there to support in tangible ways through our presence, a hug, financial help or through encouraging words.
The point is that we must care enough to be in the picture.
Rejoicing with others means that we will be genuinely happy for others' success joining with them in thanks and praise.
Unconditional love leads us to submit to others.
The Bible calls us to mutual submission.
We are never to lord it over the faith of others; we are not to function with a spirit of control and manipulation.
When we love others, we respect them and will be open to them and willing to learn from them.
Love then leads to genuine humility that causes us to respond positively to all people in the church whether they have a position of authority over us or not.
Unconditional love will result in our submitting to our leaders.
We are loyal and supportive of those people that we love.
Leaders have a God-ordained task to perform that is made difficult by people that are unsupportive and antagonistic.
When we love our leaders we will do all that we can to affirm and support them, following them as they follow Christ.
Unconditional love causes us to help others.
We will show them compassion and mercy.
Compassion is essentially love in action.
We must not only recognize the needs of others (this is the first step), nor must we only pray about those needs (although we know the power and indispensability of prayer), we must also assist people in very tangible ways.
James and John both speak about helping our brothers and sisters in real ways that meet their needs.
Mercy sees when people are in a miserable condition, when they are stuck in the miry clay of life unable to move or get out.
We come to them and gently pull them out and help them to set their feet on solid ground.
Authentic spirituality has a mouth, hands and feet.
Helping others will cost us something: time, effort and resources, but no sacrifice will be deemed too great when it is motivated by love.
Unconditional love causes us to reach the lost - those persons that do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
God motivated by love sent His Son into this world to save the lost.
Jesus indicated that His purpose was to seek and to save those that are lost.
He gave the church the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18 - 20, which is linked to the Great Commandment of loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves.
It is love for our neighbor that causes us to be concerned about their eternal destiny.
Further, Jesus spoke about the baptism of the Holy Spirit that would empower the church to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the rest of the world.
Our love therefore must extend not only to our immediate neighbors but to our neighbors around the world.
Such love will cause us to pray and to reach out to others to share our faith.
It will also cause us to make the sacrifices financial or otherwise that are required to reach the lost.
Many of us practice phileo love - we love those who love us.
Jesus says that doesn't make us any better than sinners.
In other words, we are no different from the world when we just operate at friendship love.
The love that God calls us to supersedes the natural.
It is a supernatural love that is given to us through the operation of the Holy Spirit.
We must pray that God gives us agape love that we are able to love all people, even our enemies.
This type of love has the ability to transform the world.
Anointing The fourth area of my five finger prayer is the anointing.
Luke 4:18 states, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed" NKJV.
Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit and ministered powerfully.
He healed the sick, preached the gospel, discipled the apostles and performed miracles.
It really is not by might, nor by power but by the Spirit of God.
Acts 1:8 tells us that we shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon us.
Believers are told to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
Authentic ministry is about the manifestation of the presence, glory and power of God.
Natural abilities cannot save a soul, cannot deliver a person from bondage, cannot heal the sick and cannot reveal the prophetic mind of God.
Academics may be useful but lack the power to effect the purpose of God.
Charisma may draw others to our personality but cannot set people free from the issues that afflict them.
The ability to sing and to talk is useless if not yielded to the power of the Holy Spirit.
We need to be hungry for the kingdom of God.
The church needs people who are committed to seeking God day and night until He manifests His presence and power.
Jesus spent whole nights in prayer; the place of prayer is the place of power.
That is one of the critical keys to revival: persons who wait on God, demonstrating their active dependence on Him.
We have to be disciplined.
Discipline is one of the important components of discipleship.
Jesus modeled discipline in His life and ministry.
The apostles learned from their Master and emulated His spirit.
The church must rid itself of laziness, complacency and perfunctory religious practices and earnestly seek the face of God.
Special services and conferences are great, but after the event then what? To see the continued move of God we have to continue to seek God.
God isn't interested in an event only; He is interested in process.
The anointing must be connected with purpose.
Jesus told the disciples that they would be his witnesses: evangelism and discipleship are two reasons why we need the anointing.
The anointing is not just for having a good time in church.
Too much ministry today is to keep the church entertained, feeling good and comfortable.
It is not enough of the ministry that makes you feel uncomfortable, that breaks your heart and calls you to repentance, that challenges you to respond to the call of God and that moves the church to radical action.
We must determine the real reason for which God gives us the anointing.
Why should God release His anointing to people that are clueless of what it is for? Wisdom The fifth area of my five finger prayer is wisdom.
Wisdom has to do with the ability to make godly choices.
It can also be defined as "the soundness of an action or decision with regard to the application of experience, knowledge, and good judgment.
" Ultimately, wisdom comes from God and is needed to live a life that truly brings glory to God.
In the epistle of James, the author encourages us to seek wisdom if it is lacking and adds that God will give it liberally to those who ask.
Wisdom affects all aspects of our lives.
The person who lacks wisdom is foolish, dominated by the influence of the devil and the flesh.
Such a person inevitably makes poor decisions that may not only negatively impact them but others.
Proverbs 4:5 commands us to get wisdom! This is applicable to all believers and is especially applicable to leaders.
Leaders must have wisdom to know how to relate to and lead effectively those who follow them.
They must have wisdom to develop and execute strategic plans that result in growth and increase in the organization.
Some people have academic/book knowledge, but it takes wisdom to determine how that knowledge is to be applied in various contexts.
Degrees may give us knowledge, but only wisdom can enable us to be effective.
Too many of our churches and Christian organizations are struggling because they are led by leaders who do not have the level and quality of wisdom to facilitate their development.
Wisdom is ultimately intended to lead us to godly living, not simply to good living.
Genuine wisdom will result in the fear and worship of God.
People who are wise are committed to God's kingdom and purpose and to the righteous lifestyle they require.
The biblical contrast between the fool and the wise person shows that the fool lives for himself and is dominated by worldly pleasures.
Such self-centeredness leads to a sinful lifestyle.
In fact, fools despise wisdom because it calls them to humility and repentance.
Authentic wisdom calls us to be like God, to demonstrate His character in our daily living.
The goal of Christianity is to be like Jesus, a goal that cannot be realized without wisdom.
Wisdom has a protective quality.
In the book of Proverbs, wisdom protects from the adulterous woman.
Today, too many people are falling into the trap of fornication and adultery with devastating consequences: separation, divorce, unwanted pregnancy, sexual transmitted diseases, loss of reputation, demise of their ministry, shame and other negative outcomes.
Wisdom protects from associating with the wrong company.
Your intimate friends determine the kind of person you really are.
Godly wisdom will always guide you to persons who love God and who are going in the right direction with their life.
Wisdom has many tangible benefits.
It leads to promotion and honor.
Consider Joseph who was promoted from prison to Pharaoh's court of leadership.
Consider Daniel who became a significant leader in both the Babylonian and Persian empires.
Wisdom can affect us in our body, leading us to make good decisions that result in better health.
Wisdom certainly affects our soul as we better manage our emotions, use our intelligence for good and exercise our will to please God and benefit others.
Wisdom strengthens our spirit as we consciously make those decisions that will bring us closer to God.
Wisdom can lead to prosperity as we better exercise stewardship of our finances and take advantage of opportunities that come our way.
Successful people know that wisdom is what gives them strategic advantage and allows them to achieve godly balance in all areas of their life.
Conclusion God wants to move the church beyond revival, which is usually temporary and event oriented, to the place of presence, where His glory continually saturates the church.
God wants to release the potential in you and the potential in the church.
Prayer according to the will of God is indispensable to getting to the place where God wants us to be.
The Five Finger Prayer mentions five of the qualities that God wants us to have in our lives.
As these qualities become reality in our lives, God will work in us in supernatural ways.
In this article, I look at three more needed qualities.
Love The third area of my five finger prayer is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13 states, "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love" NKJV.
Jesus gave us two important commandments - to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
A genuine love for God will lead to a love for others.
God is love and we are most like God when we practice love.
There are essentially three types of love that we typically refer to: agape - unconditional love; phileo - brotherly/friendship love and eros - romantic or erotic love.
With the exception of eros, we see the other two types of love demonstrated in the life of Jesus.
He loved the disciples to the extent that He died for them.
He had an intimate friendship with Peter, James and John and an even more special friendship with John.
However, we will not look at brotherly and romantic love; we are going to talk about agape.
Unconditional love involves a commitment to the well being of all people, particularly those who are in the household of faith.
There will be something in us that wants to see all believers succeed and enjoy the fullness of God's blessings.
Unconditional love involves generosity.
We are generous toward those whom we love.
We cannot and will not hold back when we see our brothers and sisters in need.
There is no selfishness in love, no preoccupation with self-preservation.
Unconditional love includes a willingness to die for others.
Jesus suffered the humiliation and pain of the cross because He loved the church.
He died as an expression of the love of God.
John 3:16 makes this clear: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
This truth is communicated in Romans 5:8 - But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
This tells us something powerful about love: love willingly sacrifices itself for its enemies.
A mother may graciously lay down her life for her child, but would she be willing to die for someone who abused her? This in no way justifies abuse, but Jesus willingly laid down His life for all people including those who abused Him.
Unconditional love involves forgiveness and living at peace with others.
When we forgive, we let go of our anger and ill feelings toward those who have hurt us or have hurt those that we love.
Embracing God's love for us enables us to do this.
Forgiveness has the power to bring about inner healing and deliverance.
To state it differently, forgiveness results in spiritual, emotional and physical freedom.
Harmonious relationships are important to God.
If persons are antagonistic in spite of our best efforts to reconcile with them then our responsibility is to forgive them anyway.
We never have power over others, only ourselves.
Some of the things that are killing the church are unforgiveness, anger, bitterness, unresolved conflict, division/separation, judgment and offense.
We need to eliminate these from the church if it is to be healthy and God-pleasing.
Unconditional love causes us to empathize and identify with others.
We rejoice when they are rejoicing; we weep when they are weeping.
Believers must never be callous, insensitive and indifferent; that is the spirit of the world.
We must not be dominated by a jealous spirit, envious of the success of others.
Realistically, we do not typically feel another's pain.
Even where we have gone through a similar experience, we have different ways of responding to pain, so we will not be fully able to understand what the other person is going through.
However, we can be there to support in tangible ways through our presence, a hug, financial help or through encouraging words.
The point is that we must care enough to be in the picture.
Rejoicing with others means that we will be genuinely happy for others' success joining with them in thanks and praise.
Unconditional love leads us to submit to others.
The Bible calls us to mutual submission.
We are never to lord it over the faith of others; we are not to function with a spirit of control and manipulation.
When we love others, we respect them and will be open to them and willing to learn from them.
Love then leads to genuine humility that causes us to respond positively to all people in the church whether they have a position of authority over us or not.
Unconditional love will result in our submitting to our leaders.
We are loyal and supportive of those people that we love.
Leaders have a God-ordained task to perform that is made difficult by people that are unsupportive and antagonistic.
When we love our leaders we will do all that we can to affirm and support them, following them as they follow Christ.
Unconditional love causes us to help others.
We will show them compassion and mercy.
Compassion is essentially love in action.
We must not only recognize the needs of others (this is the first step), nor must we only pray about those needs (although we know the power and indispensability of prayer), we must also assist people in very tangible ways.
James and John both speak about helping our brothers and sisters in real ways that meet their needs.
Mercy sees when people are in a miserable condition, when they are stuck in the miry clay of life unable to move or get out.
We come to them and gently pull them out and help them to set their feet on solid ground.
Authentic spirituality has a mouth, hands and feet.
Helping others will cost us something: time, effort and resources, but no sacrifice will be deemed too great when it is motivated by love.
Unconditional love causes us to reach the lost - those persons that do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
God motivated by love sent His Son into this world to save the lost.
Jesus indicated that His purpose was to seek and to save those that are lost.
He gave the church the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18 - 20, which is linked to the Great Commandment of loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves.
It is love for our neighbor that causes us to be concerned about their eternal destiny.
Further, Jesus spoke about the baptism of the Holy Spirit that would empower the church to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the rest of the world.
Our love therefore must extend not only to our immediate neighbors but to our neighbors around the world.
Such love will cause us to pray and to reach out to others to share our faith.
It will also cause us to make the sacrifices financial or otherwise that are required to reach the lost.
Many of us practice phileo love - we love those who love us.
Jesus says that doesn't make us any better than sinners.
In other words, we are no different from the world when we just operate at friendship love.
The love that God calls us to supersedes the natural.
It is a supernatural love that is given to us through the operation of the Holy Spirit.
We must pray that God gives us agape love that we are able to love all people, even our enemies.
This type of love has the ability to transform the world.
Anointing The fourth area of my five finger prayer is the anointing.
Luke 4:18 states, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed" NKJV.
Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit and ministered powerfully.
He healed the sick, preached the gospel, discipled the apostles and performed miracles.
It really is not by might, nor by power but by the Spirit of God.
Acts 1:8 tells us that we shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon us.
Believers are told to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
Authentic ministry is about the manifestation of the presence, glory and power of God.
Natural abilities cannot save a soul, cannot deliver a person from bondage, cannot heal the sick and cannot reveal the prophetic mind of God.
Academics may be useful but lack the power to effect the purpose of God.
Charisma may draw others to our personality but cannot set people free from the issues that afflict them.
The ability to sing and to talk is useless if not yielded to the power of the Holy Spirit.
We need to be hungry for the kingdom of God.
The church needs people who are committed to seeking God day and night until He manifests His presence and power.
Jesus spent whole nights in prayer; the place of prayer is the place of power.
That is one of the critical keys to revival: persons who wait on God, demonstrating their active dependence on Him.
We have to be disciplined.
Discipline is one of the important components of discipleship.
Jesus modeled discipline in His life and ministry.
The apostles learned from their Master and emulated His spirit.
The church must rid itself of laziness, complacency and perfunctory religious practices and earnestly seek the face of God.
Special services and conferences are great, but after the event then what? To see the continued move of God we have to continue to seek God.
God isn't interested in an event only; He is interested in process.
The anointing must be connected with purpose.
Jesus told the disciples that they would be his witnesses: evangelism and discipleship are two reasons why we need the anointing.
The anointing is not just for having a good time in church.
Too much ministry today is to keep the church entertained, feeling good and comfortable.
It is not enough of the ministry that makes you feel uncomfortable, that breaks your heart and calls you to repentance, that challenges you to respond to the call of God and that moves the church to radical action.
We must determine the real reason for which God gives us the anointing.
Why should God release His anointing to people that are clueless of what it is for? Wisdom The fifth area of my five finger prayer is wisdom.
Wisdom has to do with the ability to make godly choices.
It can also be defined as "the soundness of an action or decision with regard to the application of experience, knowledge, and good judgment.
" Ultimately, wisdom comes from God and is needed to live a life that truly brings glory to God.
In the epistle of James, the author encourages us to seek wisdom if it is lacking and adds that God will give it liberally to those who ask.
Wisdom affects all aspects of our lives.
The person who lacks wisdom is foolish, dominated by the influence of the devil and the flesh.
Such a person inevitably makes poor decisions that may not only negatively impact them but others.
Proverbs 4:5 commands us to get wisdom! This is applicable to all believers and is especially applicable to leaders.
Leaders must have wisdom to know how to relate to and lead effectively those who follow them.
They must have wisdom to develop and execute strategic plans that result in growth and increase in the organization.
Some people have academic/book knowledge, but it takes wisdom to determine how that knowledge is to be applied in various contexts.
Degrees may give us knowledge, but only wisdom can enable us to be effective.
Too many of our churches and Christian organizations are struggling because they are led by leaders who do not have the level and quality of wisdom to facilitate their development.
Wisdom is ultimately intended to lead us to godly living, not simply to good living.
Genuine wisdom will result in the fear and worship of God.
People who are wise are committed to God's kingdom and purpose and to the righteous lifestyle they require.
The biblical contrast between the fool and the wise person shows that the fool lives for himself and is dominated by worldly pleasures.
Such self-centeredness leads to a sinful lifestyle.
In fact, fools despise wisdom because it calls them to humility and repentance.
Authentic wisdom calls us to be like God, to demonstrate His character in our daily living.
The goal of Christianity is to be like Jesus, a goal that cannot be realized without wisdom.
Wisdom has a protective quality.
In the book of Proverbs, wisdom protects from the adulterous woman.
Today, too many people are falling into the trap of fornication and adultery with devastating consequences: separation, divorce, unwanted pregnancy, sexual transmitted diseases, loss of reputation, demise of their ministry, shame and other negative outcomes.
Wisdom protects from associating with the wrong company.
Your intimate friends determine the kind of person you really are.
Godly wisdom will always guide you to persons who love God and who are going in the right direction with their life.
Wisdom has many tangible benefits.
It leads to promotion and honor.
Consider Joseph who was promoted from prison to Pharaoh's court of leadership.
Consider Daniel who became a significant leader in both the Babylonian and Persian empires.
Wisdom can affect us in our body, leading us to make good decisions that result in better health.
Wisdom certainly affects our soul as we better manage our emotions, use our intelligence for good and exercise our will to please God and benefit others.
Wisdom strengthens our spirit as we consciously make those decisions that will bring us closer to God.
Wisdom can lead to prosperity as we better exercise stewardship of our finances and take advantage of opportunities that come our way.
Successful people know that wisdom is what gives them strategic advantage and allows them to achieve godly balance in all areas of their life.
Conclusion God wants to move the church beyond revival, which is usually temporary and event oriented, to the place of presence, where His glory continually saturates the church.
God wants to release the potential in you and the potential in the church.
Prayer according to the will of God is indispensable to getting to the place where God wants us to be.
The Five Finger Prayer mentions five of the qualities that God wants us to have in our lives.
As these qualities become reality in our lives, God will work in us in supernatural ways.
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