| JESUS CHRIST, THE ATTORNEY OF RECORD Eddie & Alice Smith I AM REVEALED B. Childress Jan 08 2012 The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in our land. The only place one can appeal a Supreme Court decision is in the court of heaven through prayer. Eddie Smith Dewey, Cheatham & Hoe, or "Do we cheat them, and how?" is an old vaudeville comedic name for an imaginary law office. The persons whose names appear on a law office's masthead are usually the owners of the company. Typically, they are the more experienced attorneys who have already made a name for themselves in the courtroom and now spend their time as advisors, consultants, and promoters for the firm. They often become figurehead partners for their law firms. One such figurehead attorney laughingly told us that he mostly plays golf! In many law firms, however, the names on the masthead are not the only lawyers in the office. Often a firm has other lawyers who faithfully labor in court every day. When a lawsuit goes to trial, there is always an attorney of record who is personally in charge. Each case must be handled properly if it is to achieve the hoped-for conclusion. The attorney of record, or lead attorney, is ultimately responsible for the strategy (how the case will be presented) and is blamed or rewarded, depending on the outcome of the trial. No matter how many paralegals and associate attorneys work on the case, it is the attorney of record whose license and reputation are on the line. He or she is the one who will ultimately win or lose the case. "IF THE GLOVE DOESN'T FIT, YOU MUST ACQUIT!" The attorney of record will often have a team of attorneys to assist him or her. We saw this in the infamous O.J. Simpson case, where the late Johnnie Cochran was the lead attorney. A "dream team" of renowned legal specialists assisted him in the fields of genetics, law enforcement, and evidence gathering. Each lawyer on Mr. Cochran's defense team, regardless of age, reputation, or experience, was subject to him. It was Johnnie Cochran who set the goals, developed the strategies, and determined each attorney's participation. Jesus Christ knows the way. He is our lead attorney, and we are His associates. He has set the strategy for each of us to gain a victory in Christian living. THE LEAD ATTORNEY When we intercede in prayer for something or someone, we petition heaven's court. Depending on the case, we may function as a prosecutor against the forces of darkness, or we may serve on a defense team, pleading mercy for the defendant. In every case, Jesus Christ is our lead attorney. He is the attorney of record.
OUR POWER OF ATTORNEY Jesus said, "And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (John 14:13-15). In this verse, we see that every believer has been given power of attorney. What is power of attorney? Power of attorney is simply the legal right to act on someone else's behalf. In our case, we have been granted permission to act in Jesus' name, or on His behalf. The Encyclopedia Britannica describes power of attorney as "a written authority, empowering the person named therein to do some act or acts on behalf of the principal, which otherwise could only be done by the principal himself...A power of attorney expires with the death of the principal." Our principal (Christ) is not dead. He's alive! Therefore our power of attorney remains intact forever. When I (Alice) was a real-estate agent in northwest Houston, I would frequently direct husbands who traveled overseas in business to sign a power of attorney to enable their wives to sign the legal papers for the purchase of a home. A signed power of attorney was proof to all parties involved of the wife's authority to act on behalf of her husband. In the same way, Jesus, before He ascended into heaven, gave His bride, the church, power of attorney to act on His behalf! However, this is a serious responsibility, and we should always exercise a prayerful, submissive heart attitude. David Bryant said, "Here is where praying 'in Jesus' name' finds its true meaning. This is not a phrase to be tacked on to a prayer to indicate that our prayer is finished. Jesus meant for us to pray with authority that comes from our linking our desires with His desires. In essence, we're saying, 'Father, Your Son's life perspective, life direction and life mission are mine too. They shape everything I am asking You to do.'" As intercessors, we are to pray on Christ's behalf. A wife with power of attorney would misuse that legal right should she decide to purchase a home other than the one she and her husband agreed to purchase. As attorneys in heaven's court, our power of attorney authorizes us to:
You say, "Great! My mother always hoped I'd become a doctor or a lawyer!" Isn't it amazing that God has called us to partner with Him like this in prayer? When we pray for others, we are actually Jesus' ambassadors using His superior name, under His license (bought with His own blood), with His reputation behind us! Best yet, along with the authority of His name, we are given His credentials of righteousness (II Corinthians 5:21), divine sonship (I John 1:12), and joint- heirship (Romans 8:17) to further guarantee our success! GOD'S ASSIGNMENTS Jesus gives us power of attorney and the right to act as associate attorneys only in the cases He authorizes! When God assigns us a case to defend, we must learn to hear His voice and follow His lead. The assignments that are given to us can be difficult. The courtroom is an adversarial place, a place of confrontation. If you are the one who shrinks from confrontation, you should pray that God would grace you with the faith to stand. As the apostle Paul taught in Ephesians 6:13, "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." And remember that we are not praying for Christ, but with Him. We serve on His legal team as associate attorneys when we plead our cases in prayer. "In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart." (John Bunyan) Source: SPIRITUAL ADVOCATES, by Eddie & Alice Smith, Copyright 2008, Charisma House. |
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