How to Pray for Other Believers — Part 10

Prayer — Such a mysterious habit for the believer in Jesus. Maybe you don’t struggle with the discipline of prayer, but I do. I often treat prayer as a last resort, when I’ve run out of humanly-produced options, when I’m helpless and can’t solve my own problems. It’s like I have God on speed dial and His only number is 9-1-1. What a poor view of prayer!

And how often — when I do pray — are my prayers for me and mine? What about others? I’m slowly learning that God expects and invites me to intercede for others, to put their needs ahead of my own, to bring them before the throne of God and to earnestly pray for them.

I’ve recently been challenged by Colossians 1 and Paul’s prayer for those believers. Here’s what we read:

How to Pray for Other Believers (Col. 1:9-14)

We’ve noticed two parts of my outline of this challenging text:

I. The Commitment to Pray for Others (v. 9)

We’ve seen that Paul’s praying for these Colossians is not described as something he started to do, but as something he would not stop doing. And we asked, for whom are you continually praying?

We’ve also seen —

II. The Primary Purpose in Praying for Others (vv. 9-10)

Paul writes: “We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives . . .”

Our prayers are to be for the critical issue of others knowing God’s will and growing in the wisdom and understanding the Spirit gives.

Let’s continue our study and notice —

III. The Specifics of What We Should Pray for Others (vv. 10-14).

How easy it is for us to pray for each other’s health, job, family, choice of college, etc. So what makes Paul’s list as he intercedes for these believers? He prays —

A. That They Would Live a Life Worthy of the Lord (v. 10)

B. To please Him in every way (v. 10).

C. Bearing fruit in every good work (v. 10).

D. Growing in the knowledge of God (v. 10)

E. Being Strengthened with All Power to Endure! (v. 11)

F. Giving joyful thanks to the Father who has qualified us as holy people (v. 12)

G. He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness (v. 13)

Let’s notice an eighth and final request Paul makes for these believers —

H. He brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves (vv. 13-14)

I’ve never been part of a monarchy! Have you? What better monarchy than the Lord’s? We’re children of the King! And we have already been brought into His kingdom. And what’s the first thing Paul gives as a benefit to being in His kingdom? “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins”!

Challenge: What would it look like today if you and I acted as children of the King, already in the Kingdom? Redeemed and forgiven?

 

 

 

Some Thoughts on the Book “What’s the Least I Can Believe and Still Be a Christian?” (Post #21): Chapter 20- “Jesus’ Vision”

Two chapters remain of Martin Thielen’s book What’s the Least I Can Believe and Still Be a Christian? Chapter 20 is entitled JESUS’ VISION and subtitled “What Is God’s Dream for the World?”

“The kingdom of God is what the world would look like if God ruled the world,” Thielen says. Jesus’ primary concern, His passion, was the kingdom of God. We should pray for God’s kingdom to come — but we should also seek to usher in the effects of that kingdom now.

MY RESPONSE: I agree with Thielen’s view of the kingdom. He is right that many Christians see the kingdom as only future. But we should long for aspects of God’s rule now — in this world.

The examples he gives of unselfish Christians helping their neighbors in this world are encouraging. Too often we live for ourselves. There are needs all around — and if Jesus is our King, we ought to step up and tackle those needs!

Should we talk more about God’s kingdom?

Thielen talks about “God’s dream” for His world as recorded in Isaiah 65. This passage makes it clear that social issues are concerns of God and ought to be our concerns as well.

The question is: What am I doing today that shows that Jesus is reigning in my heart and in my family that will draw others to King Jesus?