BANNERS
- for freedom Christ has set us free –
by
Ros Lee, Gary and Marie Anne Essam
During the last 5 years we have enjoyed an unexpected
adventure of discovery, finding a window in on God's Truth through the use of
banners in worship. Our journey
began with a desire for freedom of expression in praise, but as we have followed
simply, Jesus has opened our eyes in many ways to the riches in the Word of God,
and we feel very privileged to be "flies on the wall" as God, true to
His promise, uses His Truth to set His people really free.
The first mention of a banner in Scripture is in Exodus 17
when the Amalekites were defeated as Moses' arms were held up on the hilltop
overlooking the battle. "The
Lord is my banner!", declared Moses.
The Israelite camp was marked out according to its standards, each one
providing identity and cover for every family, tribe and clan. The rally point
in battle, the enemies fled as they saw the ribboned banners advancing ahead of
the victorious troops. Psalm 20.5
says "We will shout for joy when you are victorious, and will lift up
our banners in the name of the Lord." Isaiah 31.9 declares: "Their
stronghold will fall because of terror; at the sight of the battle standard
their commanders will panic."
Emblem and hue have conveyed significant aspects of God's
Truth throughout history; Jewish tradition suggests the colours of the High
Priest's breastplate stones were symbolic, and as the Church took up the baton
of God's mission to reconcile the world to Himself, colour has been meaningfully
used down the ages to express what Christ has done for us. We believe the colour vocabulary we use in banner
worship, though by no means exclusive, is helpful in communicating and
expressing the Word, in worship, in warfare and in prayer, and as we have met
others involved in Banner Ministries we have found a remarkable degree of
cohesion regarding symbolism.
In brief, then, we take up the Red banner to represent
Jesus, and His blood shed for us; the Orange speaks of the Fire; Yellow of God's
Promises; Green of His mercy, compassion and healing; Blue of the Word, the
River and Heaven; Indigo of Kingship and Worship, Violet of the Passion.
Gold symbolises the Glory of the Father, Silver, the Holy Spirit, and
White speaks both of purity and the Bride.
There is no power inherent in a flag on a pole – the
whole essence of the banner is Jesus Himself, as Moses said originally.
By faith we lay hold of God's multi-coloured Truth, and find Him ever
steadfast in bringing wholeness in our lives, individually as we worship, and
corporately as we allow ourselves to be prompted by Him to pray, to prophesy or
proclaim His victory using these simple "visual aids".
Our observation is that raising a banner catalyses faith in the heart of
a believer, and so it is not surprising that there comes a liberating revelation
of the Truth, and effective, simple prayer.
All that we are experiencing is Jesus, at work as He promised through His
Word.
Banners have the advantage of crossing many barriers –
age, ability or disability, language, culture and denomination. Jesus' Truth is for us all.
Raising a banner does not require agility or strength, though many enjoy
more movement with a banner than they have previously experienced in worship.
We have seen so many different people surprised by joy and liberty with a
banner in their hand, and witnessed the power of God bringing healing and
deliverance with a gentle dignity and grace again and again.
We have never sought to advertise or promote the "ministry" God
has given us, but have happily run in His wake as He has opened door after door
for the banners – knowing that all He is doing is making way for His Son,
removing the obstacles, establishing His Kingdom.