By Francis Frangipane
Slandered and rejected by men, Jesus appeared to be a failure. Suffering unspeakable pain, He remained true to redemption. He prayed the mercy prayer, the veil in the temple was torn in two, and the debt mankind owed to God was paid in full as mercy triumphed over judgment.
Let us now consider the reach of God's grace. Christ not only secured the pleasure of God for us but also God's power, which is strong enough to cleanse and turn nations to God. Isaiah 53 is preceded by a grand announcement that heralds the effects of Christ's victory. It reads:
"Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up, and greatly exalted. Just as many were astonished at you, My people, so His appearance was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men. Thus He will sprinkle many nations, kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; for what had not been told them they will see, and what they had not heard they will understand." (Isa. 52:13–15)
What does it mean that He will "sprinkle many nations"? Under the old covenant, priests would take the blood of a sacrificed animal and, with it, sprinkle the temple and its furnishings. By so doing, they cleansed and made holy what was otherwise common and unclean.
In the New Testament, every believer serves as a priest before the throne of God (Rev. 1:6). Our quest is not merely to cleanse the temple, but also to see this promise fulfilled: the Lamb will sprinkle many nations; kings will see and understand.
Wounded Intercessors Follow the Lamb
Our call is to follow the Lamb through our personal woundedness into the triumph of love and redemption. In the area of woundedness, we do not ask for wrath, but for mercy. Whatever injustice is hurled against us---slander, unfaithfulness, desertion, rejection, racism, or abuse---we render ourselves to God as the guilt offering. The greater the pain in releasing and forgiving the sins against you, the purer your love becomes. Remember, the prayer of the wounded intercessor holds great sway upon God's heart.
What we become in our individual conformity to Christ may be, in its own way, even more important to God than the revival for which we are praying. Listen, my friends. Just as mankind will look upon Him whom they pierced, and Christ's wounds will be with Him forever (Zech. 12:10), so our wounds will be recognized for what they are: entry points through which Christ's "eternal weight of glory" (2 Cor. 4:17) flows through us.
In speaking both of the sprinkling of the nations and the manifestation of the Redeemer's life, Isaiah presented a question. He asked, "Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?" (Isa. 53:1). I write as one who has believed the report. Christ is "the Lamb…who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). I am committed to seeing His blood sprinkle and cleanse many nations; I am willing to follow the Lamb wherever He goes.
Let Mercy Triumph
The Scriptures tell us that love "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails" (1 Cor. 13:7–8). If you will, in truth, hope and believe all things, you will also be called to bear and endure all things. Yet our hope is that love never fails. Yes, when Christ is revealed through the church, the power of redemption will prevail for our land, and mercy will certainly triumph over judgment.
Lord Jesus, for You I live; to be like You, may I be willing to die. Let redemption exult through me! Let mercy triumph through me! Do not allow me to withdraw from the fire of conformity to You. Create me in Your holy image; let love prevail through me!
He Will Sprinkle Many Nations
Door of Hope
By Francis Frangipane
We tend to boast in the power of faith while minimizing the value of hope. Yet "faith is the substance of the things hoped for" (Heb. 11:1 KJV). Without first having a living hope in God, our faith is meaningless. Indeed, the first stage of transformation is the awakening of hope.
Yet, even after we come to Christ, we still fail. Often a downward spiral occurs when sin opens the door to condemnation, and condemnation smothers the voice of hope. Consider the story of Israel’s conquest of Canaan. The Lord was about to prosper Israel with the wealth of the Canaanites, but only if the spoils of their first battle at Jericho were completely dedicated to God. However, one man, Achan, defied the Lord's edict. He took silver, gold, and a garment from Shinar, and then he hid the spoils in his tent. As a result of his sin, thirty-six Israelites died in their next battle -- defeated and humiliated by the tiny city of Ai.
We tend to boast in the power of faith while minimizing the value of hope. Yet "faith is the substance of the things hoped for" (Heb. 11:1 KJV). Without first having a living hope in God, our faith is meaningless. Indeed, the first stage of transformation is the awakening of hope.
Yet, even after we come to Christ, we still fail. Often a downward spiral occurs when sin opens the door to condemnation, and condemnation smothers the voice of hope. Consider the story of Israel’s conquest of Canaan. The Lord was about to prosper Israel with the wealth of the Canaanites, but only if the spoils of their first battle at Jericho were completely dedicated to God. However, one man, Achan, defied the Lord's edict. He took silver, gold, and a garment from Shinar, and then he hid the spoils in his tent. As a result of his sin, thirty-six Israelites died in their next battle -- defeated and humiliated by the tiny city of Ai.
A Sword Will Pierce Your Heart
By Francis Frangipane
The plans of God are full of surprises.
No matter how true a vision from God may be, it will never be fulfilled in the manner in which we have imagined. All our expectations are incomplete. In fact, our very ideas often become the most subtle obstacles standing between us and our appointed future in God. Thus, we must keep our minds open and submitted to God, for when God fulfills His Word, it is always "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Eph. 3:20, KJV).
Let’s look at Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her role as Keeper of the Vision. Here, we will discuss how the Lord must shift our identity from control to complete surrender. Interestingly, during the first stage of Mary's transition, Mary finds Jesus resisting her. Before the Lord can bring any of us into a new phase of His will, He must dismantle the sense of attainment that often accompanies our old relationship with Him. It is a fact that many church movements, both in and out of denominations, began simply. Hungry souls longed for, and found, more of God. Over time as their numbers grew, success replaced hunger; people grew more satisfied with God's blessings than with His presence. There is a profound difference.
The plans of God are full of surprises.
No matter how true a vision from God may be, it will never be fulfilled in the manner in which we have imagined. All our expectations are incomplete. In fact, our very ideas often become the most subtle obstacles standing between us and our appointed future in God. Thus, we must keep our minds open and submitted to God, for when God fulfills His Word, it is always "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Eph. 3:20, KJV).
Let’s look at Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her role as Keeper of the Vision. Here, we will discuss how the Lord must shift our identity from control to complete surrender. Interestingly, during the first stage of Mary's transition, Mary finds Jesus resisting her. Before the Lord can bring any of us into a new phase of His will, He must dismantle the sense of attainment that often accompanies our old relationship with Him. It is a fact that many church movements, both in and out of denominations, began simply. Hungry souls longed for, and found, more of God. Over time as their numbers grew, success replaced hunger; people grew more satisfied with God's blessings than with His presence. There is a profound difference.
Your Children Will Return
By Joy Frangipane Marion
[This message was written by Francis' daughter Joy in 1995. We felt that this would be a special encouragement to those who are standing in prayer for (their) children. Currently, Joy and her husband, Steve, have two children. She is a successful businesswoman who continues to be an immense blessing to her parents.]
No one can tell me that fathers and daughters can't have close relationships, or even become best friends. People are almost envious of the love my dad and I share. The only time we argue is about who loves who the most. But our relationship was not always this warm. There was a time when I felt I had lost my ability to love my father. I was a teenage Christian in a public high school. My Christian background made me different. I was new, craving acceptance. My father's rules seemed to be the source of my rejections.
[This message was written by Francis' daughter Joy in 1995. We felt that this would be a special encouragement to those who are standing in prayer for (their) children. Currently, Joy and her husband, Steve, have two children. She is a successful businesswoman who continues to be an immense blessing to her parents.]
No one can tell me that fathers and daughters can't have close relationships, or even become best friends. People are almost envious of the love my dad and I share. The only time we argue is about who loves who the most. But our relationship was not always this warm. There was a time when I felt I had lost my ability to love my father. I was a teenage Christian in a public high school. My Christian background made me different. I was new, craving acceptance. My father's rules seemed to be the source of my rejections.
The Son's Answered Prayer
By Francis Frangipane
Jesus never experienced an unanswered prayer. Indeed, the very things Jesus prayed were those things He knew to be precisely the Father's will. The Son could heal or raise the dead or supernaturally feed multitudes because in prayer He understood what the Father intended. Jesus knew absolutely that nothing was impossible for God.
Thus, on the night before He died, the most somber night in Jesus' life, the Lord brought His most lofty request to God: He prayed for oneness in His church. Christ's prayer was both visionary and practical considering that on this same evening an argument arose among His disciples as to which of them was the greatest (Luke 22:24). In spite of their immaturity, selfish ambitions and envy, Jesus harbored no second thoughts or unbelief when He prayed that they may all be one.
Jesus never experienced an unanswered prayer. Indeed, the very things Jesus prayed were those things He knew to be precisely the Father's will. The Son could heal or raise the dead or supernaturally feed multitudes because in prayer He understood what the Father intended. Jesus knew absolutely that nothing was impossible for God.
Thus, on the night before He died, the most somber night in Jesus' life, the Lord brought His most lofty request to God: He prayed for oneness in His church. Christ's prayer was both visionary and practical considering that on this same evening an argument arose among His disciples as to which of them was the greatest (Luke 22:24). In spite of their immaturity, selfish ambitions and envy, Jesus harbored no second thoughts or unbelief when He prayed that they may all be one.
The Mission Statement of Heaven
By Francis Frangipane
All major companies have a vision or mission statement. A mission statement defines the primary purpose and direction of a corporation, what services or products it provides and who would likely be interested in their organization. Likewise, when Jesus began His ministry, He issued a sort of "mission statement" that explained the nature of His Father's business. He said,
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18-19).
Liberating the human heart from oppression and spiritual incarceration is the mission statement of the Son of God. When Jesus declared He "must be about [His] Father's business," that specific business is to provide redemption of the lost and freedom to the imprisoned.
All major companies have a vision or mission statement. A mission statement defines the primary purpose and direction of a corporation, what services or products it provides and who would likely be interested in their organization. Likewise, when Jesus began His ministry, He issued a sort of "mission statement" that explained the nature of His Father's business. He said,
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18-19).
Liberating the human heart from oppression and spiritual incarceration is the mission statement of the Son of God. When Jesus declared He "must be about [His] Father's business," that specific business is to provide redemption of the lost and freedom to the imprisoned.
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