A PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH
II Thessalonians 1:11-12
Leonard Ravenhill once said "The pastor who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying." He also said "As poverty-stricken as the Church is today in many things, she is most stricken here, in the place of prayer. We have many organizers, but few agonizers; many players and payers, few pray-ers; many singers, few clingers; lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many interferers, few intercessors; many writers, but few fighters. Failing here (in prayer), we fail everywhere.
Prayer is vital to the life of a church. From the pulpit to the pew prayer must be a priority. I want you to know that this church is constantly in my prayers. I pray for our church collectively, and I pray for each of you individually. I know that many of you do the same. I also know that you pray for me. It is always special when someone tells me that they have been praying for me. But it is even more special when they tell me what it is that they are praying for. To hear the specific burden that they have for their pastor, and to know that they care enough to take the time to go to God on my behalf is a very special and encouraging thing.
For the next little while I would like to share with you what my personal prayer is for each member of this church. I want you to know exactly what I ask God to do for our assembly as a whole; and I want you to know my personal prayer for you as an individual. In the first few verses of this chapter Paul has sought to comfort and encourage the Thessalonians in the midst of the great persecution that they were facing. He has also commended them for their steadfastness in the midst of their troubles. In verses 11&12 he tells them that he is praying for them. Furthermore he tells them exactly what his prayer is.
- I want us to look to these verses and examine "A Prayer For The Church".
In these two verses Paul sums up his hearts desire for his brothers and sisters at Thessalonica. I trust that you will believe me when I say that this is my prayer for you as well.
- Notice that:
i. THIS PRAYER IS A PERSONAL PRAYER - v11a Wherefore also we pray always for you...
Paul was associated with many different churches. In each of his letters to the churches, he mentions the fact that he is praying for them. But it is never a generic prayer... he doesn't say "Lord, bless all of the brethren in all of the churches".
- He gets specific with each church:
In Colossians he says "We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you" (Colossians 1:3)
In Ephesians he says "Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers" (Ephesians 1:15-16)
In Philippians he says "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy" (Philippians 1:3-4)
In each of these Epistles, following each of these statements Paul goes on to explain what his specific request is concerning that church. That is the case in his letter to the Thessalonians as well. This shows us that each church was special to Paul, so special in fact, that he took time out of his day to go before God on their behalf. I want you to know that each of you are special to me. Obviously there are times when I pray for our church as a whole, but many times I go to God and pray for each of you specifically. I know that you do the same for me and that is a very encouraging fact!
- Verse 11 also shows us that:
ii. THIS PRAYER IS A PERSISTENT PRAYER - v11a Wherefore also we pray always for you...
I like this, Paul says "we pray for you always". This shows us that his prayers for the Thessalonian believers were not few and far between. The Church at Thessalonica was facing constant battles, and they needed constant prayer. The same is true for us! We may not be facing what the Thessalonians were facing but our church is always in need of prayer. Therefore I should always be praying for you, and I would certainly appreciate it if you would regularly pray for me as well!
Now that we have established the fact that we should pray for each other, let's look at what we should pray for each other. Some people tell me that they pray for me regularly, but I am not exactly sure what that means. They may be praying for me like David prayed for his enemies.
During his prayer in Psalms 55:15 (he said) "Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them."
I may not be able to control what you pray for me, but I would like to share with you what I pray for you. First of all I want you to know that:
I. I PRAY THAT YOU ARE FAITHFUL
I genuinely pray that each of you would be steadfast and faithful to the Lord. This was Paul's prayer for the Thessalonians as well. Notice - v11b that our God would count you worthy of this calling... The "calling" that Paul refers to is for God to be glorified in us. In verse 10 he declares that when Christ returns He will be "glorified in his saints". Paul's prayer was that the Thessalonian Believers would be "worthy of this calling". Likewise, it is my prayer that you would be worthy of this calling. I pray that you would be faithful to the Lord until He returns!
The Thessalonians had many reasons to give up and quit. They were facing intense persecution and great opposition for their faith in Christ. Yet, in spite of their troubles they remained faithful to the Lord.
Over the years we have had hundreds of people come in and out of this church. Some who have left this church over the years had legitimate reasons. Some moved away, some were called to ministry positions in others places, some are not here due to health reasons. Sadly, a good number of those who no longer worship with us are not worshipping anywhere. They have given up, walked away from church and even worse they have walked away from the Lord. These people are still important to us, and they are in my prayers as well. But I am so thankful for those of you who have faced tough times and remained faithful.
Some of you have even faced devastating situations but you continued to press on. You have remained faithful to the church and to the Lord. It is my prayer that each of you would continue to remain faithful!
- Not only do I pray that you are faithful:
II. I PRAY THAT YOU ARE FRUITFUL
Paul prayed that God would enable the Thessalonians to accomplish God's will in their lives.
v11 we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power,
Consider what Jesus said in - John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain:
Jesus tells His disciples that He chose them. He chose them for a purpose, that purpose was for them to "bear fruit". This is speaking of reaching sinners with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Bearing fruit is not something that is temporal. The fruit of our spiritual labors will remain throughout eternity. In John 15 Jesus tells us that He is the Vine and we are the branches. As "branches" we are expected to "bear fruit". In fact, we are to bear much fruit.
Jesus said - "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit" (John 15:8)
He went on to say to His Disciples in - John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain
Those who have truly been born again will bear fruit... This means that there will be indisputable evidence that we belong to Christ. The fruit that a tree bears gives unmistakable evidence of what kind it is. We are identified with our Heavenly Father when we produce the fruit of holiness. Each and every day our lives should bear fruit for the glory of God.
Paul described the way that we can bear fruit in - Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Paul realized that the only way he could live a successful Christian life was through Christ Himself. His faith in Jesus enables Him to produce fruit for Jesus. In the same way, our faith in Jesus enables us to produce fruit for Jesus. Everything Paul did, he did to bring honor to his father in Heaven. He prayed that the Thessalonian believers would do the same. And I pray the same for you today... I pray that you are fruitful!
- I pray that you are faithful, I pray that you are fruitful and:
III. I PRAY THAT YOU ARE FOCUSED
In v12 (Paul said I pray) That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We should live in a way that Christ Jesus would be honored in all that we do. Every day that we are blessed to live on this earth should be a day that we live for Jesus Christ. We should seek to honor Him with our lives. We should worship and praise Him. We should love and serve Him. We should live for Him and walk with Him. We should tell a lost and dying world about Him. Not only should we tell them about Him, they should see Him in us!
There is a multitude of reasons that we should live this way. Perhaps the most important is the fact that He laid down His life for us. He loved us and He made a way for us to be forgiven of our sins. He is the reason that we have eternal life and a home in Heaven. Without Him, we would have no hope. But because of His love and His sacrifice we have been set free.
Romans 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
May we never forget the price that Jesus paid for our salvation!
There is a story about Cyrus, the founder of the Persian Empire, who once captured a prince and his entire family. When they came before the monarch, Cyrus asked the prisoner, "What will you give me if I release you?" The prince replied, "The half of my wealth." "And if I release your children?" The prince replied, "Everything I possess." Finally Cyrus said, "And what will you give me if I will release your wife?" The prince replied, "Your Majesty, I will give myself." Cyrus was so moved by the devotion of this young prince that he freed him and his entire family. As the prince, his wife and children returned to their home, the prince said to his wife, "Wasn't Cyrus a handsome man!" With a tender look of love in her eyes, the wife said to her husband, "I did not notice. I could only keep my eyes on you the one who was willing to give himself for me."
Jesus Christ willingly gave His life for us. He said in John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Since He died for us, we should live for Him. And the only way that we can live for Him is through Him. May our focus as an assembly of Believers always be Jesus Christ. Let Him be the reason that we do all that we do.
The Apostle Paul prayed for the Church at Thessalonica. He prayed that they would be faithful, He prayed that they would be fruitful, and he prayed that they would be focused. This is my prayer for you as well!
