What kind of church do we see in the New
Testament that promotes edification?
v A
praying church.
The
need for prayer, like the need for Bible teaching, is a “no brainer.” Of course we cannot build up the body, do the
work of Christ, without this most powerful privilege He gave us in the Upper
Room: If you ask anything in My name, I will do it (John 14:14). Whatever you ask the Father in My name He
will give you (Jn. 16:23). In light
of this, we are not surprised to find Paul praying again and again for the
people to whom he wrote.
o Knowing
God. Paul prayed for the Ephesian
Church, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of
Him (Eph. 1:17).
o Being
holy. We pray for kings and all who
are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness
and reverence (1 Tm. 2:2).
o Doing
good works. In Rom. 1:9-12 Paul prays
that he could do a good work coming to Rome that he might minister there. The great benediction to Hebrews (13:20-21)
asks that God would make you complete in every good work to do His will,
working in you what is well pleasing in His sight.
o Love
and unity. Paul’s prayer at the end of
Romans is to the God of patience and comfort to grant you to be
like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may
with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
(Rom. 15:5-6). Paul’s prayer for the
Philippian Church was that your love may abound still more and
more in knowledge and discernment (Phil. 1:9-11).
o Sound
doctrine. The great prayer in Eph.
1:15-23, that is concerned about knowing God, also asks that the eyes of
your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope … what
are the riches … and what is the exceeding greatness of His power. The answer to this prayer would involve
learning sound doctrine so that we could then learn by experience the reality
of these things.
o Standing
firm. Several NT prayers are concerned
with the faithfulness of believers.
Epaphras was a pray-er, always laboring fervently for you in prayers,
that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God (Col.
4:12). In 2 Cor. 1:8-11 we see that it
was the prayers of the Corinthian believers that helped deliver Paul from so
great a death. Paul prayed for the
steadfastness of the Thessalonians until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
(1 Th. 5:23-24).
What we see in this is fulfillment of the command
in Phil. 4:6-7: in everything by prayer and supplication … let your requests
be made known to God!
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