A Prayer God Won't Ever Say "No" to?

Prayers of Paul--1 Thessalonians 3:13 & 5:23-24

What kind of prayer will God always be willing to answer?

Have you ever thought of that? 

Many people pray and ask for/about people or other things.  Sometimes our prayers are competitive in nature.

 Sometimes we ask with wrong motives, maybe God knows better than we do about what we need, not what we want.  Sometimes God answering "yes" to your prayer may be bad for someone else.

But can we pray about something that God would not refuse?

I think these two verses are examples of things He will never be unwilling to fulfill.

1 Thess. 3:13--“May He strengthen your heart so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all His holy ones.”

Personalize these and ask them for yourself and for others:

“God, strengthen my heart so I will be blameless and holy in Your presence.”

1 Thess. 5:23-24—“May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.  May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Personalized:     “My God of peace, sanctify me through and through.  Keep my whole spirit, soul and body blameless both now and at Your coming.”

Praying for sanctification and blamelessness are not easy things to pray about considering all the

temptations that we are dealing with. 

I asked the college students in our class what kinds of issues they or their classmates are facing

• ·         Alcohol
• ·         Drugs
• ·         Profanity
• ·         Sex
• ·         Pornography
• ·         Anger/Revenge
• ·         Smoking
• ·         Laziness/Hard Work
• ·         Partying

This is by no means an exhaustive list and those temptations do not stop with college students.  However, these temptations can affect our prayer and our usefulness to God.  They can interfere with and put a barrier up between us and God to where we don’t want to talk to Him anymore.

Think of it in these terms, growing up, when I did something I knew I shouldn’t do, the last people I wanted to talk to or run in to was my parents.  Why?  Because there was the chance I could slip up and give myself away or worse, they already knew about whatever it was I had done.  If they didn’t know, I would be in a state of fear and/or guilt—so it was best to just avoid them if possible and keep going as if nothing was wrong.  It created a barrier between us that my behavior put up.

We treat God the same way.  When we are living things like those listed above, the last person we really want to get close to is God.  Why? Because we suspect He already knows—and we know on some level that it will have to be dealt with before true closeness or fellowship is restored—before our prayer is truly “heard”.

To be “heard” means to be given an audience.  God is fully aware of everything, but He does not “hear” or give an audience to everything or everyone—not while sin needs to be dealt with.

In order to be in the presence of God, we must be blameless.

Blameless is the same concept that was said of Abraham back in Genesis—“walk before me and be blameless”.  It does not mean perfection that can be attained through effort but a status that exists when one’s sins have been atoned for or covered.   A life characterized by the influence of atonement creates a quality of character and integrity that will not give cause or evidence to accusation.  It is a life of faith—“Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

In the strength of our own heart, we cannot be blameless.  We need God to act upon our heart, to give us strength in order to be blameless.

When was the last time you asked God to strengthen your heart so you can be blameless?  If you’re like me, it’s either been a while or never.

Paul expresses a similar thing in 5:23—“may God Himself… sanctify you through and through.”   

When was the last time you asked God to sanctify you?

To sanctify means to make holy or set apart for a holy purpose.  Paul is asking for you and I to be made holy so we can be used for holy purposes. 

Have you asked God to use you for a holy purpose lately?  You might be missing out on some great opportunities.

You may think you are nothing special, that God could never use someone as ordinary as you, but In the ritual sacrifice of the Old Testament—normal items can be made from the same lump of clay (for example) as items to be used to worship God—something to use at home, and something to be used in the temple can have the same source.  See Romans 9:21 & 2 Timothy 2:20-21

What separates them is whether something has been sanctified, set apart to the service of God—this usually required a sprinkling of the blood of a sacrifice. 

By having the Blood of Christ placed over you, covering your sin, our sin is atoned for, God’s just wrath appeased, the righteousness of Christ (not our own righteousness) is credited to us just as righteousness was credited to Abraham. 

In doing all this for us, we are also set apart or sanctified or made holy for a greater, noble and holy purpose.

And not just part of us, but all of us.   We are to be sanctified completely, through and through.

Too often, we try to hold back part of our life for ourselves.  We say, “God, you can have this part of my life, but this is mine and I’ll do with it what I want.”

Paul points out that we really can hold nothing back.  He sets apart, He sanctifies all of you—“spirit, soul and body.”

You are a whole person and each part either feeds and nourishes the other, or tears down and diminishes the effectiveness of the other.

For example, your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.  When you or I sin sexually in our physical body our spiritual life is greatly impacted and diminished.  That’s why there is such a struggle for sexual purity in the life of believers and our culture. 

Sexual sin, outside of God’s design of marriage between a man and a woman is both a symptom of and a cause of spiritual decline.  And in most cases, the sin does not start with a physical sin.  It starts in the soul or mind.  That’s why Jesus can say that men who look at a woman with lust in his heart has already committed adultery—and this has affected the man’s spiritual walk.

That’s why we need God’s strength to work on our heart.  He is the active agent of our purity and blamelessness.  He acts upon us, He strengthens us, He makes us holy: spirit, soul and body.

When we ask Him to sanctify us—there’s nothing we can hold back—God wants to purify and set apart all of us—our whole being for His great purpose.

When was the last time you wanted God to have all of you?  When was the last time you asked Him to keep you blameless, to sanctify you, to strengthen your heart?

Do you really think God would ever say “No” to this kind of prayer?

I don’t.

Maybe we should be praying like this more often.  Our homes, our churches, our nation wouldn’t be the same because… “He who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.”—1 Thessalonians 5:24

Three Lessons on Prayer from Colossians 4

In the college Sunday school class at Westside Baptist Church, we’ve been going through the prayers of Paul.  It’s been a good class.  As always, I don’t always know where it’s going to end up.  And several of the students made good contributions.

Today we were going over Paul’s prayer in Colossians 4:2—“Devote (diligent or steadfast) yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving.”

We learn three things about prayer in the passage.

1.    Prayer requires devotion/diligence/steadfastness

2.   Prayer requires Watchfulness/Alertness

3.   Prayer requires Thankfulness

1.    Prayer needs deliberate attention and a part of our daily existence. 

Not to be neglected, taken for granted or ignored.  We have the opportunity to approach the throne of grace by God’s invitation.

Prayer can be easy—there are times when it comes naturally and flows from the heart just like breathing.  Sometimes waking up in the morning is like that.  In many instances, difficulty or trouble causes prayer to roll off the tongue because we are asking for help.

But prayer can also be hard.  There are times when I don’t want to go to God in prayer.  It’s usually after I have messed up in some way.  Praying when I know I need to repent is difficult.  It’s sometimes hard when He is not doing what I think He should—when I’m angry, confused or upset.  It’s hard when 

I’ve been asking or praying about the same thing for a long time, but not seen any movement or activity from Him (that I can tell).

We must be devoted to Prayer, steadfast and diligent in it—showing commitment and perseverance.  We should not quit or give up because to do so is a sign that you really don’t believe God is going to hear or act—or you do not trust His answer.  For example, sometimes I pray like a child asks a parent for permission—I try to figure out which one will give me the answer I want and I’ll ask them first.  Well, if I think I know God is not going to answer, or think He’s not going to give the answer I want, I won’t want to pray.

Prayer doesn’t always come easily or naturally, so we must be diligent in it.  It should be a part of your nature and who you are, like in the movie

Shadowlands where Anthony Hopkins as C.S. Lewis says of prayer:

"I pray because I can't help myself.  I pray because I'm helpless.  I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping.  It doesn't change God.  It changes me."

2.  But why do we need to be Watchful or Alert in prayer? 

How is that possible since we typically close our eyes during prayer (at least in our culture)?  Maybe it means something more than physical sight.

One of my college students brilliantly pointed out that maybe our prayer time is a moment to be practicing and honing our “ninja senses”.  We all laughed at the comment, but maybe it’s not as far off as you might first think.  There are two ways I think he is on to something.

First, we need to be watchful or alert in prayer for the opportunity to pray and bring something before God.  People are hurting all around us, people are in need.  Moments of ministry and encouragement are there right before us, but if we are not paying attention, the door of opportunity will slip by. 

We have not because we ask not, Jesus said.  Paraphrasing… we see not (no answer to prayer) because we do not see the opportunity to pray and ask.

There are many more things that we should be praying for and bringing before God but we don’t see them as a need or something that merits praying about.   

Maybe we see them as trivial and insignificant, maybe we’re so caught up in our own life and what’s happening in that moment, that we don’t allow our mind to move toward prayer.

Nothing is too trivial.  But we are way too distracted.  We don’t like uncomfortable silences, so we are not comfortable with our own thoughts.   

We’ve always got to have noise, the TV on, music playing… while those things are not wrong, they do often prevent our mind from thinking and considering its own thoughts and concerns.

And because of that, we need to be Watchful and Alert for the Opportunity for Prayer.

Second, we need to be watchful and alert because Prayer truly is the front lines of the Battle.  We do have an enemy that is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  We do have armor that we are supposed to put on in fighting the battle that is not against flesh and blood.

In that context of the Armor of God from Ephesians 6, Paul brings up the subject of prayer.  Ephesians 6:18—“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”

Paul urges us to pray in the Spirit because it doesn’t happen automatically and doesn’t come naturally.  Our mind does wander, our worries do overwhelm us.  We don’t necessarily take the situation or our enemy seriously so we just go through the motions.

That last point is worth hitting a little harder.  Think of the experience of our military personnel.  When the enemy is openly firing, everybody is tense and paying close attention to the battle.  When you know the enemy is there and you just haven’t found him yet, you’re listening for any stray sound, watching for any stray movement, careful for traps and ambush points. 

But the longer the enemy has been inactive or not a threat, the more relaxed our guard becomes.  We don’t listen as carefully.  In essence, we are not taking the enemy seriously and so we are less watchful and alert.

That is the state of many believers today.  We do not directly feel threatened by the enemy.  Too many of us dismiss the spiritual battle and old superstition from people who didn’t know how to explain what’s going on the world.  In some cases, that’s true. 

But the enemy is very real and demands our full attention.  In the moments that we lose that sense of battle, when we think everything is fine, we lose the urgency of prayer.

And so we are not devoted to it and we are more likely to be going through the motions if we go through them at all.

3.  Lastly, we must be Thankful

Thankfulness requires recognition: recognition that what you have or where you are is not merely a product of your own accomplishments and ingenuity.   

Thankfulness requires that we acknowledge that Active involvement of someone greater than ourselves for our existence and circumstances. 

The old expression of 2 Certain Truths, comes to mind.   

1.  There is a God.   

2.  I’m not/You’re not Him

If you really believe that, then you will acknowledge that with Thankfulness.  Thankfulness is giving Him credit, honoring Him, acknowledging that He is the greater, the Sovereign Power before whom you have been granted an audience.

Realize that God is not obligated in any way to hear our prayer.  He is not obligated to respond in any way to our prayer. 

He could consider them a nuisance much like Jim Carrey’s character did in Bruce Almighty.  In the movie, Jim Carrey thinks he can do a better job than God at running the universe.   So God gives him a shot at it. 

In one brilliant scene, Jim is supposed to answer people’s prayer.  When he listens, all the voices overwhelm him, so he sets up a computer system, like e-mail to respond.   He works as fast as he can but the number of prayers and requests keeps on climbing to which he responds, “What a bunch of whiners!”

That could be God’s opinion of us.  Most other religions, especially ancient Babylonian depicted their gods being annoyed by the noisy humans.  But our God does not want us at a distance.  He wants us close and invites us into His presence (Hebrews 4:16, 10:19-22, 1 John 3:21-22).  He considers the prayer of His people a pleasing aroma rising to Him like the burning of incense (Revelation 5:8).  Even when we don’t know what to pray for, we have the Holy Spirit interceding on our behalf with more than we can express (Romans 8:26-27).

We have an audience with the King, the Creator of the Universe.  We owe Him our very existence and every day is a gift.  The relationships we have with family and friends are gifts.  Our possessions, our opportunities, are all for His Glory. 

If we really understood that, believed that, and lived that… Thankfulness would pour out of our mouths and prayer wouldn’t really be all that hard.  We would be compelled to pray because we know we have the audience of the king—

Such moments cannot be squandered or wasted.  We must take seriously that time before Him.  We must be watchful and alert or risk disrespecting the awesome power and authority and dignity He possesses.  And we must be thankful for those precious moments, when the Authority lowers His guard and invites us up into His lap as a Father who truly loves us.

May we be evermore Devoted to Prayer

May we be evermore Alert & Watchful through Prayer

May we be evermore Thankful in Prayer

Our lives, our churches and this world would truly be changed.

Pursuing Answers to Questions of Faith & Life

What is Lacking in Our Prayer

I believe one of the greatest weaknesses in the church today is our prayer. Many of us lack power in prayer as individuals and as corporate bodies.

That's because too often, our prayer consists of a list of who is sick that week. And that's it--we don't ask God for anything else. We don't go any deeper.

But when we read through Paul's letters--that's not how we see him praying. If we do believe in the Inspiration of Scripture, then the Holy Spirit would have been the One motivating Paul to write them down. That's because there is something even in those prayers that was for more than just his immediate readers. There is something in those prayers for us. Meaning, if Paul was living and writing today, you would see him praying for us in much the same way addressing many of the same issues and needs in our life and the life of the church.

Below are most of the instances where Paul is writing down his prayers, his needs or talking about prayer. I recommend reading through all of them and take notice of the kinds of things he prays for and asks for prayer for himself. Couple what you see in those prayers with the Lord's Model Prayer from Matthew 6:9-13

Romans--8:26-27
Philippians--1:3-11, 4:6-7
1 Thessalonians 1:2-4, 3:11-13, 5:23-25
2 Thessalonians 1:3, 11-12, 3:1-5
Ephesians 1:17-19, 3:14-21, 6:18:20
Colossians 1:9-14, 4:2-6, 12
1 Timothy 2:1-3
Philemon 4-6
Jude 24-25

1. God’s Name to be Exalted & His Kingdom Expanded—Matthew 6:9-13
a. Hallowed Be Your Name
b. On Earth as it is In Heaven
c. In the Church
d. In our hearts
e. Around the World
f. 2 Thessalonians 1:12

2. To Know & Experience God & His Will
a. Eph. 1:17
b. Philippians 1:9-10
c. Colossians 1:9
d. For God's will to be done on earth--His people need to know what His will is since we are often times the agent He uses to accomplish His will. This is also more than just knowing or facts, but also experience and being an active part of. "Not my will but Yours be done."

3. Oneness with God & Love for Each Other
a. Unity with Christ
b. Unity of the Body
c. Oneness in Mind/Purpose
d. Beliefs & Actions out of Belief

4. Full & Mature Awareness of the Grace & the Greatness of Salvation
a. Eph. 1:18, 3:16-19
b. The only way we can half-heartedly live the Christian life is when we don't really understand just how much God has done to redeem us.

5. Raise Up Mature & Empowered Leaders & Workers for the Harvest
a. Luke 10:2
b. Realize that when you are asking God to send workers--He may fill you with the knowledge of His will which may include "You're just who I had in mind" and we are then given the choice of Isaiah to say, "Here am I, send me."

6. Empowerment, Opportunity & Boldness to Fulfill the Mission
a. Eph. 1:19, 3:20-21
b. Colossians 4:2-5
c. 2 Thess. 1:11
d. Ephesians 6:19
e. Remember that when Paul wrote Colossians & Ephesians, he is in prison. In Col. 4 he doesn't ask for doors to open for his release, but doors of opportunity for the Gospel and boldness and wisdom in those opportunities. He would be speaking before judges & officials--who could free him, kill him or even come to faith.

7. Fruitfulness in the Mission
a. Phil 1:11
b. Col. 1:10-11
c. 1 Thessalonians 3:12
d. Philemon 1:6
e. Fruitfulness expands the kingdom--but too often we are doing things in our own strength and power, thus lacking results. We need to ask for God's power to do the hard work of growing the fruit. And if we know His will, we'll be doing what He wants and serving how we should serve.


8. Power & Discernment to Resist Satan & Temptation
a. 1 Thess. 3:13
b. James 4:10
c. Personal Holiness
d. Holiness in the Church
e. Protection
f. Resist Temptation—1 Corinthians 10:13
g. Recognize False Teachers & Teachings—Matthew 24:4-5, 1 Peter 5:6-7, 2 Peter 2
h. This is a big topic. Realize that Ephesians 6 is greatly directed toward the spiritual conflict. And when we are tempted, God will provide a way of escape. But we also need to realize that when we "submit to God" we have the true ability to "resist the devil" and as a result of the power that comes from submitting to God, the devil "flees"--the devil runs from the power of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

9. Confession of Sin & Repentance
a. 1 John 1:9

10. Thanksgiving
a. Phillippians 4:6

11. Specific People for Salvation or Restoration
a. Ephesians 6:18
b. God does not want anyone to perish but all to come to repentance. And this is a major part of the mission we are here for--we are a part of His rescue mission. Even when we as His children wander away--God will discipline (Hebrews 12) but that discipline is always with the hope and intention of restoring relationship and bringing someone home.

12. Specific People for Health & Comfort
a. 2 Corinthians 1:3-6
b. 1 Timothy 2:1
c. This is where our own experience of God's comfort can overflow to serve and minister to someone else.

13. Prayer for Government & Officials
a. 1 Timothy 2:2
b. 1 Peter 2:13
c. Romans 13
d. Whether you like those in the position of power or not. Remember, the gov't these men were dealing with was far worse than any political party we know today. After all, it executed Peter & Paul and blamed the Christians for burning Rome (oh wait, maybe we're getting closer...)

14. Christ’s Return, the Peace of Jerusalem and the Future of this Congregation
a. Revelation 22:20
b. Our future is in His hands and our hope is and should be always looking forward to His return. In all the lessons of the 2nd coming, we need to keep in mind three basic things:

Be Watchful--anticipating and looking for His return

Be Hopeful--not afraid of what may be coming or how "bad" things may get first. "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."--Hebrews 11:1 that goes along with 2 Peter 3:3-4-"be aware of this: scoffers will come in the last days... saying, "where is the promise of His coming?"

Be Faithful--be doing what we should be doing in the meantime--seeking His power, doing His will, fulfilling His mission--

This is by no means an exhaustive list--but please add these elements to your prayer--we have not, because we ask not.

Prayer - Why is it Necessary? Ephesians 6:18

Why is Prayer even necessary?

There are many possible directions to go in answering this question but one implied reason that I would like to look at can be found in Ephesians 6:18-20.

10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength.Ac 4:33 11 Put on uPr 31:25 the full armor vEph 6:11-17 of God so that you can stand against the tactics w Or schemes, or tricks of the Devil. 12 For our battle is not against flesh xPhp 3:3 and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,y1Pt 3:22 against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil zMt 6:13; Jn 17:15 in the heavens.aEph 1:3,20; 2:6; 3:10; Php 2:10
 

13 This is why you must take up the full armor b1Th 5:8 of God, so that you may be able to resist c2Tm 4:15; 1Pt 5:9 in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. 14 Stand,dPr 24:16; Php 1:27 therefore,

with truth eJn 14:6; 1Jn 5:20 like a belt around your waist, righteousness fMt 6:33; Rm 1:17; 2Pt 1:1 like armor on your chest,1Th

15 and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. Ready to go tell others about the gospel

16 In every situation take the shield iGen 15:1 of faith,jMt 8:10; Ac 3:16; Rm 1:8; 1Co 2:5; Gl 2:16; 1Tm 1:2; Heb 4:2 and with it you will be able to extinguish all the

flaming arrows of the evil one.2Th 3:3

17 Take the helmet l1Th 5:8 of salvation, and the sword mMk 14:47 of the Spirit,nPs 51:11; Jn 1:33; Ac 2:4; Rm 8:9; Gl 5:25; Tit 3:5; Rev 3:22 which is God’s word.

18 Pray oMt 5:44; Ac 12:12 at all times in the Spirit pJd 20 with every prayer and request, and stay alert qPr 6:4 in this with all perseverance and intercession for all the saintsrThe work of the Holy Spirit that separates believers in Jesus from the world. At the time of saving faith in Jesus, the believer is made a saint; therefore, all believers are saints. The believer participates with the Spirit in a process of transformation that continues until glorification. The goal of sanctification is progressive conformity to the image of Jesus Christ. .
19 Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness s2Co 3:12 the mysterytTransliteration of the Greek word mysterion; a secret hidden in the past but now revealed of the gospel.  20 For this I am an ambassador u2Co 5:20 in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough in Him to speak as I should.

Many of the translations include this passage as part of the larger section starting in vs. 10 reminding  us that we need empowering by the limitless strength of God.  But why is this necessary?

Because we are at war.

We have an enemy that is against us who uses many methods and tactics to accomplish his goals and victories.  It is coordinated and comes against us on many fronts at various levels.  The primary enemy is not the physical that we can see but the spiritual and the entities of control, influence and corruption that Satan has set up.

And Believers are called to stand against these tactics—to resist them, to oppose them.  And through the strength that God provides, to overcome them.

Prayer then becomes a vital part of this effort.

Ask any military commander what is are the most important elements of victory in battle and they will likely say, intelligence and communication.  The army that can get an accurate picture of the battlefield conditions and then direct and adjust their troops or tactics the fastest gives itself the best opportunity to achieve victory.

The troops are supposed to relay the conditions on the ground up the chain to their commanding officers.  These officers are typically given a higher vantage point of the battle so they can see the bigger picture—this is especially true in modern life with aerial and satellite imagery/video.  Those commanding officers in turn send orders and tactics back down to the troops and they are expected to act on those orders.

An effective strategy in warfare, especially modern, is to disrupt these lines of communication.  If the troops cannot relay their situation and/or the commanding officers cannot get their orders through, then the opposing army cannot act in a coordinated and effective way against your strategy and tactics.

Satan cannot prevent God from hearing our prayer.  But he can interfere with the orders coming to us—he can distract us, tempt us to the point that we do not listen. 

But really, he doesn’t have to try all that hard.  We disrupt our own lines of communication all too willingly.  Believers are great at relaying battleground updates—we call it prayer requests.  We list out those who have ailments, health concerns, job issues—in most cases we are praying for other people—especially when we are in a public or corporate setting.  We don’t pray for ourselves very well and we’re uncomfortable asking for prayer for ourselves.

But what’s more, we do all the talking—we give the battleground updates then hang up—turning off the lines of communication.  It’s like we’re not really interested in listening for the orders from our Commanding Officer. 

It’s no wonder that the Church is so often so powerless and ineffective.  The enemy is coordinated, they have a strategy.   

So does God, but His troops are often not listening.  Many times He works in spite of us. 

No force can work effectively if they are not getting orders from their commanding officer.

To fight these battles, we need Truth that holds us together—the truth of Jesus and the Word.  We need not our own righteousness but His protecting our heart, we need to have our shoes on ready to respond to the orders to Go with the message of the Gospel in much the same way the Israelites were supposed to have their shoes on when observing the Passover.  We need the shield of faith because our enemy is constantly shooting deadly arrows and testing our defenses.  We need the helmet of salvation that changes even the way we think with the transforming of our mind so we know the truth and are not deceived by fine sounding arguments. 

The weapons at our disposal in fighting these battles are the Sword of the Spirit (God’s Word) and Prayer.  In prayer we engage in the battle and can receive our orders.

Because prayer is part of the front lines of the spiritual battle is why it is so important to “pray at all times in the Spirit”.  This implies that it is possible to not “pray in the Spirit”.  This works in the same way as worship from John 4.   

Jesus clearly states that the Father is seeking those who will worship Him in Spirit and in Truth—meaning there are many people engaged in worship of something but are lacking those important elements—Spirit & Truth.

We can pray things not in accord with the Spirit.  We can pray with the wrong motives, we can pray for things not in God’s will, we can pray our wants, we can pray with sin in our lives.  Men, even how you treat your wife can hinder your prayer (1 Peter 3:7).  This requires staying “alert” and “persevering” in this type of prayer—meaning that Prayer in the Spirit is not easy nor automatic.  It can be hard to focus during prayer, we can fall asleep (“Alert” more literally is not asleep), our mind can drift on to other things and issues.  It takes effort and perseverance to continue praying at all times in the Spirit.

When we are in the Spirit, we have the best opportunity to hear clearly from God.  We can receive our marching orders of what is the best course of action, what God wants to do next, His love for us, how we can serve Him and others.

God provides the Armor, the orders and the weapons in order for His Church to stand against the tactics of the Devil—to resist him and be prepared for the battle.   

Prayer is part of that preparation—it is where we get our orders.  It is a way in which we draw from His strength.

Romans 15 and Paul's Prayer for Unity

Tonight’s Wednesday night lesson was something I needed to hear. We’ve been looking at the prayers of Paul found in the New Testament, those moments that the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write down what he thanks God for, or what his concerns or prayers for his readers are. Because the Spirit inspired him to write them down in those contexts, I believe we are able to see an idea of what God wants to be thankful for in our lives, or what His concerns are for our situations even though our exact circumstances may be different.

Tonight, we were looking at the prayers found in Romans 15. I am proud to say that over the course of a 35 minute discussion, we managed to answer question 1 on my study guide. I forced us to answer # 2 quickly, only partially because it was an important question, but also b/c I wanted to say we at least got through more than one!!!!

The verse we looked at tonight was Romans 15:5-6—“ May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Actually, we only got through the first part of vs. 5. My opening question was, “Why does Paul pray for them to have a spirit of unity?” That lead us back to ch. 14 and all the various ways they had been divided—over whether to eat certain foods, over recognizing certain days, over drinking, etc. That lead into several discussions about doctrinal distinctives (like baptism, alcohol), how do we maintain them without being divisive. Paul in 14 charged his readers with both permissive snobbery and legalistic judgment in their dealings with each other over “disputable matters”, i.e. matters in which believing Christians can come to differing convictions, i.e. disagreeing without being disagreeable or breaking fellowship. Matters of Conviction should not become Matters of Mandate by which we judge other believers and their “rightness” before God. They are His servant, and they will answer to Him, not to you or me.

It was a good and fruitful conversation as well as a helpful one considering some things that had come up during the course of the day. It ministered to my spirit and confronted my attitudes.

Before we closed for the evening, I forced us to answer at least one more question—“ Why do we need a reminder of our source of Endurance and Encouragement when speaking of unity and division?”

The basic answer is that unity and true fellowship is HARD!!! Every single one of us is weird in some way—we have differing backgrounds, histories, struggles, experiences, ethnicities, languages, you name it—and we are still called to come under the “roof” of the Church—unite under One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism. With that and our sin nature, we still hurt and injure one another, we still irritate and frustrate one another. We need endurance to maintain a “spirit of unity among [ourselves] as [we] follow Christ Jesus.”

And the purpose of this unity is so that we can with one heart, and with one loud and unified voice, all of us weird people can glorify God with boldness and clarity in the hope that more will become a part of the Bride of Christ.

Unity is hard—it requires the work of the Spirit in us—it requires a movement of forgiveness, of laying aside hurts, of seeking reconciliation, and toleration of those whose faith may be weaker and more needy. That requires endurance and hard work. We must be encouraged to continue doing it even when we feel like not trying.

Lord Jesus, Spirit of the Living God, may you give me the Spirit of unity with my fellow believers. Grant me the endurance to continue even when it is hard, encourage me to go the extra mile. Amen.