"Pray for all the saints" Ephesians 6:18
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
While in a Roman prison, the Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church in Ephesus, and in it, he praised and thanked the Ephesian church members, saying, “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” (Ephesians 1:15-16) He expresses gratitude for two things concerning the Ephesian saints: first, their faith in the Lord, and second, the fact that they love all the saints. His gratitude being expressed not just once but continually shows how important faith in the Lord and love for all the saints are.
The Apostle Paul, while in a Roman prison, also wrote a letter to the church in Colossae, offering the same praise: “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints” (Colossians 1:3-4). Regarding the Colossian saints as well, Paul, having heard of their faith in Christ Jesus and their love for all the saints, confesses that he thanks God the Father whenever he prays.
However, it doesn't end here. According to today's scripture, he exhorts the Ephesian saints to pray for all the saints. He is saying not only to love one another but also to pray for and love other saints beyond the boundaries of your own church. I believe that this message to "pray for all the saints" and "love all the saints" is one of the most necessary messages for us today, both individually and as a church.
Then, why did the Apostle Paul, when there were countless reasons to give thanks, continually and persistently express gratitude especially for these two things—faith in Jesus Christ and love for all the saints—and why does he emphasize praying for all the saints in today's scripture?
Firstly, it is because praying for and loving all the saints is the wish and command of our Lord Jesus Christ. Right before He was crucified, Jesus gave a new commandment to “love one another as I have loved you.” And right before He was crucified, the content of His longest prayer during His life is recorded in John chapter 17, and the theme of that prayer was for His disciples to be one. I believe that this is the most important commandment and also prayer that Jesus gave as His last will and testament.
Nevertheless, it is not easy for us Christians to experience loving one another in the Lord and becoming one in the Lord. How is it with you all? As you headed to church today, did you come thinking about how you would encourage and love the members you would meet today? It is easy to preach about love, but if it is too hot or if it suddenly rains heavily, we are busy trying to find a convenient parking spot for ourselves rather than thinking about those who will arrive later. I like slightly firmer rice. But because I have trouble digesting, I have never considered those who like softer rice, that it would be nice if soft rice were served today. Like this, it is difficult for us to break away from self-centered thinking. We are insensitive to the needs of others. If this is our true nature, it is easy for us to reveal our selfish nature without even realizing it, and it is also very easy to disappoint others.
It is said that missionaries in India asked Gandhi, "What do you think is the biggest obstacle to spreading Christianity to the Indian people?" And Gandhi is said to have said in one word, "Christians." The biggest obstacle to us Christians spreading Christ is ourselves. Even within the church, disputes arise among members, and there are many cases where they even drag each other to secular courts. And both inside and outside the church, there is a lack of trust among ministers, and among churches, rather than cooperating with each other, there are not a few cases where they even become wary of and competitive with each other. Even evangelism and social service often end up being done for the sake of one's own church rather than in the name of Christ. The spiritual atmosphere was not much different in the Apostle Paul's time.
That is why the Apostle Paul lamented like this: “For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 2:21) Why did he make this lamentation? While the Apostle Paul was living in a Roman prison, he was extremely concerned about the Philippian saints and wanted to send someone to the Philippian church, but no one volunteered except Timothy. And he says the following about Timothy: “I have no one else like him, who genuinely cares for your welfare. For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 2:20-21)
There were many ministers around the Apostle Paul, but in fact, there was no one who genuinely cared about the Philippian saints. They were doing ministry, but everyone was only concerned about their own affairs and not about the affairs of Jesus Christ. Then, what are the affairs of Jesus? It is to genuinely care about the circumstances of the saints.
Please repeat after me. “The affairs of Jesus / are to genuinely care / about the circumstances of the saints.”
Then, how did the Apostle Paul come to think that the affairs of Jesus are to genuinely care about the circumstances of the saints? Before Paul knew Jesus, as he was going to Damascus to arrest those who believed in Jesus and bring them to Jerusalem, he met Jesus. At that time, Jesus did not ask, "Why are you persecuting those who follow me?" but asked, "Why are you persecuting me?" Persecuting the church is persecuting Jesus. Persecuting each and every person who believes in Jesus is persecuting Jesus, who valued that person so much that He gave up His own body. Even now, Jesus has the deepest concern for you, me, and every saint who belongs to Him, one by one. The concern and love for each of these people is concern and love for Jesus.
Disregarding, mistreating, and hating even one of those people is disregarding, mistreating, and hating Jesus.
Knowing this heart of Jesus, the Apostle Paul's life and ministry were filled with constant prayer and devoted prayer for other saints. “God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times” (Romans 1:9) “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9) “Ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers” (Ephesians 1:15) His love for other saints made him pray. It can be seen that the Holy Spirit caused him to love other saints through his prayers.
How did Timothy become someone who genuinely cared about the circumstances of other saints and had concern for the work of Christ? It is because Timothy learned the love of Christ and love for Christ while being with Paul. And it is because he learned genuine love and prayer for other saints. So Paul writes to the Thessalonian saints like this: “Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.” (1 Thessalonians 3:10) Here, he is referring to Paul himself, Timothy, and Silas. Like this, Timothy prayed most earnestly night and day for the saints with Paul.
If we are to become those who do the work of Christ by genuinely caring about other saints rather than being concerned only with our own affairs, we must first believe how much the Lord loves each and every one of His people. And our prayers must change. We must pray for other saints. And as a church, we must also pray for other churches.
Right now, the Apostle Paul, by commanding you and me to pray for all the saints, wants us to become those who genuinely care about the circumstances of the saints. He is challenging us to become friends who genuinely care and genuinely encourage others. This is the work of Christ. And this is a life that resembles Christ. I bless you all in the name of Jesus that you will become you and me who pray for all the Christians whom He has allowed us to meet.
Why should we, as Christians, pray for all the saints? The first reason is that it is so that we can become those who genuinely care for and love other saints with the heart of Christ, but another important reason is for our own sake. It is so that we ourselves can be victorious in the spiritual war and live a life of tasting heaven/the kingdom of God. As included on the side of today's bulletin, Ephesians 6:10-18 talks about spiritual armor for victory in spiritual warfare: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, etc. The commonality is that they all relate to faith that correctly uses God's Word.
And in verse 18, the message concludes with prayer, saying, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” No matter how well we are armed spiritually, this means that if we are not alert in prayer in the Spirit and do not pray for all the saints, we will lose in the spiritual war.
Then what is spiritual warfare? Ephesians 6:12 clearly says that spiritual warfare “is not against flesh and blood.” Why did Paul have to mention this fact so clearly? It is because we easily mistake other people of flesh and blood as the targets of our spiritual battle and end up fighting against our own side, mistaking allies for enemies. If we regard our own brothers or sisters, our husband or wife, or our friends or relatives as targets of our battle, this message is telling us to wake up from that delusion.
So, Paul says this: “If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” (2 Corinthians 2:10-11) He is saying that we forgive in order not to fall into Satan's schemes. That is, Satan's strategy is to make the saints not forgive one another and regard each other as enemies. He is clearly saying that the true target of the battle is not other saints but Satan.
Let's read one more passage. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” (Ephesians 4:26-27) Doesn't it say that harboring anger against another saint gives the devil a foothold? If we do not forgive a brother or harbor anger against a brother, it means that we are already defeated in the war against the devil, not even properly identifying who is on our side and who is the enemy. Of course, it does not mean that we lose our salvation if we cannot forgive a brother or harbor anger against a brother. We Christians, as those who are saved and born again as children of God, and as those who possess eternal life, the spiritual war is never a battle of whether or not we receive salvation. This is because, as seen in Ephesians 1:13-14, we Christians, when we heard the gospel and believed in Christ, were sealed with the Holy Spirit, and this very Holy Spirit is given to us as a guarantee of receiving our inheritance.
Then what is spiritual warfare? Spiritual warfare is a war of who will occupy our hearts. It is a battle of whether we will enthrone Jesus Christ in our hearts and live a life of experiencing the kingdom of God or whether we ourselves will become king and live a life under Satan's dominion. Even at this moment, as we worship God and listen to God's Word, that war is taking place.
The Kingdom life that the Bible speaks of does not begin after death but already begins on this earth. However, only those who win can live experiencing the Kingdom life even on this earth.
There was a problem among the saints in the Roman church where they criticized and hurt each other over the issue of whether or not they could eat food offered to idols. So, the Apostle Paul sent a letter and said this: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17) He is saying that experiencing righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit in the present on this earth is the kingdom of God. He is saying that you and I, we Christians, our church, can live experiencing the Kingdom of God while living in this world.
However, if we complain and argue with each other and hurt each other over trivial issues such as what we can or cannot eat or what we can or cannot drink, we cannot experience this The Kingdom of God. So, in the same vein, he says, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. All that matters is faith expressing itself through love.” (Galatians 5:6) Why is faith expressing itself through love the most important? It is because only then can we experience the kingdom of God.
If there is any strife, hatred, resentment, or animosity in your heart, we are already losing the spiritual battle. We are living in the kingdom of darkness ruled by Satan. The responsibility for that is not because of other people. It is not because of any brother. It is not because of any sister. It is not because of a neighboring church. It is because of myself, who regards trivial things as big problems and does not consider faith expressing itself through love as the most important thing.
The biggest obstacle to living a heavenly life on this earth is myself. Rather than considering others better than myself with the heart of Christ, a life of self-centeredness—always putting my own righteousness first, putting my own judgment, my own will, my own name first, and trying to build my own kingdom—is a life that leads to hell, not a heavenly life. The Kingdom of God is where our Lord Jesus Christ reigns as king. If we enthrone Jesus as king in our hearts and live, we live a life that establishes The Kingdom of God. However, without denying ourselves and dying to our own righteousness and self-centeredness, we cannot follow Jesus and cannot enjoy this The Kingdom of God.
Jesus' disciples followed Jesus for three years, but even then, they could not change from a life of pursuing their own name, their own glory, and their own kingdom. To those disciples, right before He was crucified, the Lord commanded them to love one another as Jesus had loved them. And He earnestly prayed that they would become one. However, the Lord knew that the disciples could not love one another or become one with their own ability, so He promised to send the Holy Spirit. Only through the Holy Spirit can we realize God's love, and only in the Holy Spirit can we deny ourselves, truly love other brothers and sisters, and become one.
When we are led by the Holy Spirit, deny ourselves, regard and love others as better than ourselves, and accept them, we practice righteousness and can experience peace with one another. And in that, we can experience joy that we have never tasted in the world. This is a life that bears the fruit of the Holy Spirit and a life that experiences the kingdom of God. We can see that the command to be filled with the Holy Spirit is ultimately a command for us to live a life of experiencing The Kingdom of God on this earth. We can see that it is a command for our blessed life.
How can I know if I am living under the guidance of the Holy Spirit? I can know if I have forgiveness, love, tolerance for my brothers and sisters, and prayer for them. Because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of love, those who pray under the guidance of the Holy Spirit cannot help but pray for other brothers and sisters. Why did the Apostle Paul, when there were countless reasons to give thanks, give thanks so incessantly for these two things—faith in Jesus Christ and love for all the saints—and why does he emphasize praying for all the saints? It is because he wants the saints to become those who practice the love of Christ. And it is because he wants all the saints to fight victoriously against Satan, the common enemy, together, and live experiencing The Kingdom of God.
However, if we pray only for ourselves, we will not be able to escape from selfish faith. If we pray only for the members of our own church, we also cannot escape from collectively selfish faith. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit who unites us Christians. Whether Jew or Gentile, slave or free, regardless of what country they are from or what tribe they belong to, He makes us look at each other with the heart of Christ and makes us one in Christ, and the place where we have righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit and experience The Kingdom of God is the church. On the other hand, Satan is the one who, through our self-centeredness, divides the relationship between saint and saint. He is the one who tempts us to live a miserable life that has nothing to do with the Kingdom of God.
I bless you all in the name of Jesus that we may live a life of experiencing the Kingdom of God by having the heart of Christ, praying at all times in the Spirit, and praying for one another and for all the saints, and being victorious in the spiritual war.
