Praying for the Church, Week 3

We studied Paul’s prayer in Philippians 1:3-11 this week and the following is the result of both adult and youth Sunday School discussions. The main point of Paul’s thankfulness to God for this church was their gospel partnership with him (1:3-5). They believed in what Paul was doing and they were sacrificially generous (4:10-20; cf. 2 Cor. 8:1-5). It was very personal for them as they sent one of their own to help Paul (2:25-30). And they were engaged in gospel ministry in their own hometown area under threat of persecution (implied from 1:27-30). They shared the grace of gospel ministry with Paul (1:7). Paul prays for an ever-increasing love to grow among them, constrained by knowledge of the gospel and a comprehensive insight into moral matters based on experience and biblical truth. The purpose for their growth in such a love would be so that they could approve the excellent – to be able to take on difficult situations in life and make decisions that are for the best and pleasing to God, resulting in their own “transparent purity” (Carson’s words) and blamelessness. There is a forward-looking aspect to this maturing in love and discernment as the promise of Christ’s return is never out of view. The ultimate purpose for an increasing, discerning love is that it would bring glory and praise to God – this holds everything in check. Here, then, is our prayer …  

“Precious Father, full of kindness and ready to include us in Your great redemptive will and plans, we are glad to recognize that we are a people who are gospel-centered and ready to invest in the lives and souls of people you put in our lives. We thank You for moving our teachers and leaders to accurately interpret and express Your word. We are thankful that you have borne in us a sense of partnership in the gospel work in our communities and around the world. We are so glad to support the Drinkalls in their Bible translation work – not just as a family to whom we write a check, but as our fellow-participants in gospel ministry halfway around the world.

Lord, we submit to you in humility that you might make us grow up in a love that knows Your truth and knows what is at stake in the world around us. We pray for a greater attachment to studying Your word and that this would happen not just in our church building, but in our homes. Help us parents in the congregation to give our children a great reverence for Your truth and to teach them how to handle it well so they can discern what is excellent, as they grow in love for You and others. We especially pray for our men to be on the same page in our desire to be excellent decision-makers and prepared disciple-makers in our own families, able to encourage one another in all these things and filled with the fruit of righteousness. Thank you for making us an accepting church – help us to encourage each other in the use of the gifts you have given each of us. In the development of our gifts we know that we will both grow in love and be tested in discernment that we can become a church that works with each other well and stands as one person in the defense of the gospel. We pray all this knowing that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ – who started a good work in us and continues that work by His Spirit – will one day return and all our insight and love will be made perfect. We long for this with joyful obedience, eager to see you praised and glorified. In Christ’s great name we pray, Amen.”