Whilst involved in planting churches and training and mentoring church planters, we learnt to pray the pioneering or apostolic prayers of the Bible.
However, many of the churches that were started lasted only a relatively short while. I’ve asked God about this. One of the things He has led me to is how Jesus and the Apostle Paul progressed from start-up prayer for the disciples and churches to priestly developmental prayer for the churches. In other words…how do we pray for the churches once they have started?
Below are some of the prayers Jesus, our apostle and High Priest prayed for his disciples and some of the prayers the apostle Paul prayed for the churches he and his team had planted
The Prayer of Jesus
In John 17, Jesus prays for his disciples, and by implication, his Church.
He prays:
-Protect Them – keep them safe from the Evil One
-Make them holy by your truth – teach them your word, which is truth
-Send them into the world
-Pray for these disciples and all who will believe through their message
-Pray that they will be one, just as Jesus and the Father are one – may they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that God sent Jesus
-Pray the disciples would be one with Jesus and the Father
Paul Prays for the Philippians
After planting the church in Philippi, the apostle Paul prays for the church in this way;
‘Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God’ (Phil 1:3)
‘Whenever I pray, I make my requests for you with joy’ (Phil 1:4)
‘I pray that your love will overflow more and more and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding’
‘For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return’
‘May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation, the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ – for this will bring much glory and praise to God’ (Philippians 1:9-11)
He ends his prayer by praying;
‘May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, amen’ (Philippians 1:23)
Paul Prays for the Thessalonians
Paul begins his prayers for the Thessalonians in a similar way to the way he prays for the Philippians
‘We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly’ (1 Thess 1:2)
‘As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds and your enduring hope’ (1:3)
‘How we thank God for you! Because of you we have great joy as we enter God’s presence. Night and day we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill the gaps in your faith’ (1 Thess 3:9-10)
‘May God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ bring us to you soon. And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people’ (1 Thess 3:11-13)
‘Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again’ (1 Thess 5:23)
‘So we keep praying for you, asking God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do’ (2 Thess 1:11)
‘Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say’ (2 Thess 2:16-17)
‘May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ’ (2 Thess 3:5)
Paul Prays for the Ephesians
‘May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace’ (Ephesians 1:2)
‘I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God the glorious Father or our Lord Jesus Christ to give you spiritual wisdom and revelation so that you might grow in your knowledge of God’
‘I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called – his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance’
‘I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him’ (Ephesians 1:16-19)
‘I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources, he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God’
‘Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever, amen’ (Ephesians 3:14-21)
‘Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters, and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Ephesians 6:23-24)
Paul Prays for the Colossians
Paul prays similar prayers for the Colossians as he does for the Ephesians;
‘We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Colossians 1:3)
‘So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you.’
‘We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.’
‘We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power, so that you will have all the endurance and patience you need’
‘May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light’ (Colossians 1:9-12)
‘I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally’ (Colossians 2:1)
‘Epaphras, a member of your own fellowship and a servant of Christ Jesus […] always prays earnestly for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect, fully confident that you are following the whole will of God. I can assure you that he prays hard for you and also for the believers in Laodicea and Hierapolis’ (Colossians 4:12-13)
Paul’s Pattern of Prayer for the Churches
If we can discern a pattern of prayer based on how the apostle Paul prays for the churches he and his team have planted, it would be something along these lines:
-Thank God for them and make requests for them
-Thank God for their faithful work, loving deeds and enduring hope
-Pray your hearts will be flooded with light
-Pray that they will keep growing in spiritual wisdom, knowledge and understanding
-Pray they will understand the greatness of God’s power
-Pray that their love will overflow more and more and they will understand the greatness of God’s love
-Pray that He will make them strong, blameless, perfect and holy, fully confident that you are following the whole will of God
-Pray that you will live a life worthy of his call
-Pray God will give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do
-Pray God will comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say
-Pray you will be filled with joy, always thanking the Father
-Pray that God gives you grace and peace
Pray the Prayers of Jesus and Paul
I’m learning to pray the prayers of Jesus and Paul for our disciples and churches and their disciples and churches. Will you join me in praying the prayers of Jesus and Paul so that the churches will be strengthened in their faith!
‘Glory to him in the Church…’
