Editor’s Note
As 2017 draws to a close, we begin this issue of The Intercessor exploring the summit of God’s purpose for us as “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17). Our lead article, “The Royal Priesthood,” describes our part in manifesting on earth the resurrection of Jesus Christ and in completing His priestly intercession for the human race by His operation in us/as us (2 Cor. 4:11). Typical of all Norman Grubb’s outpourings, this article knits together sound biblical doctrine with practical application and examples of how the Total Truth of our spirit union with Christ is lived out in everyday life.
In response to the common question,”Why does God permit suffering?,” our Q & A feature delves into the hidden purpose and the absolute necessity of suffering in this life. To begin with, it takes personal suffering “to start the faith process, by which I leap to an unseen Savior which is the real me.” But then joined to Christ, our focus turns to others—“We are partakers of Christ’s sufferings” (I Pet. 4:13) in our continual sufferings and dyings as co-priests and co-intercessors for the lost.
On a similar theme, Bible Bedrock discusses what is meant by “Death is at work in us, but life is at work in you” (2 Cor. 4:12). By accepting painful circumstances that come into my life as intended by God, we “die to our hurt selves,” become newly aware that Christ is living out His life in us, and are “freed to bring life to others by our word of faith that God will do what He plans to do in the specifics He shows us in the situation.”
This issue also focuses on a key aspect of the Total Truth—Satan’s lie (and the root of all sin) that we humans are independently self-operated. In the final excerpt of Page Prewitt’s “Life: The What, The Who, The Why,” we are reminded that all Satan needs to do to get me to commit a sinful deed, is to get me to believe the lie that I am an “alone I” or “just me.” With this key, the final five segments in Page’s booklet unlock the crucial issues that daily face Christians seeking to live a consistent, godly life: “What about sin?,” “How temptation really works,” “Avoiding the sin trap,” “What to do about the turmoil of feelings,” and the working out of Galatians 2:20 in my daily life as “not I, but Christ.” Also, be sure to enjoy Crossword, our puzzle that helps you to review God’s truth about how to stand in victory over sin/Satan.
“My Liberating Secret” is Kathy Gilsenan’s compelling testimony of how her life was radically changed by the Total Truth with the help of Norman Grubb’s book “The Liberating Secret.” Kathy’s honest, insightful article describes key passages that God used to expose the depths of her sin and her slavery to it, and to light the way—through repentance, restoration, and walking moment-by-moment by faith—to a life of “true joy like I’ve never experienced before.”
Finally as Christmas approaches, we feature some unique reminders of the entrance of our Savior into time and space. Dacia Trethewey’s “Faith Illustrations” lead us through the familiar, yet ever new Bible passages surrounding the birth of “Immanuel—God with us.”
Please accept this issue as our Christmas card to you—and Steven Prewitt’s touching nativity drawing as its “cover.” Wishing you God’s richest blessings at Christmas and in the coming year!
