PART 7 A LONGING OF THE SOUL

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We Can Learn Much about Prayer from the Leadership of the New Testament Church

Now that we’ve just learned about what, when, how often, and how long Jesus prayed for, let’s take a look at the same aspects of prayer regarding the leadership of the early church. Hopefully, what we find out will give us a clearer picture of our approach to such. Let’s start by turning our Bible to the Book of Acts.

              

Suggested Reading: Acts 6:1-6

1 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.                                                       

There were those in the early church to whom God had given an office leadership gift (e.g., of apostle, prophet, evangelist, or pastor-teacher). Due to unforeseen circumstances, there was a need to appoint some, i.e., deacons, to provide food and money for the Grecian widows (Jewish immigrants to Palestine - those who spoke Greek), who were being overlooked in the daily ministration, unlike their Hebrew widows’ counterparts (the native Jews) that were already being cared for.

2-3 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

So, the apostles recommended that the brethren choose out from among them seven men of honest report (of a good reputation; of integrity), who were full of the Holy Ghost (spiritually minded; partakers of the Holy Spirit by which the soul was sanctified; controlled by the Holy Spirit) and wisdom (discretion), whom they may appoint over this matter.

4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

Acts 10:7 And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually;

This was done not only to provide for the Christian widows who needed assistance but also so that this distribution wasn’t another responsibility for the apostles to implement as they attended continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word. The words in Koine Greek we will give ourselves continually (proskartereésomen from proskartereo), are similar in meaning to the words of them that waited on continually (proskarterountoon from proskartereo), which are found in the Book of Acts, which talks about a soldier, who waited on a gentile named Cornelius continually. The idea being expressed was that prayer was something that the apostles frequently engaged in.

It’s also possible that they were still going to the courtyard in the temple three times a day to engage in this spiritual endeavor. However, as time passed, this ongoing activity was becoming increasingly dangerous. One example of this is found in Acts chapters 3 and 4.

 

Acts 3:1-2

Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;

Peter and John decided to go into the temple courtyard at the ninth hour or 3:00 pm for prayer and noticed on the way a man who was begging for financial assistance at one of its gates, as he had been born disabled from birth. Through the Apostle Peter’s intermediary and the Holy Spirit’s agency, a miraculous healing took place strengthening his feet and ankle bones.

He could stand up and walk into the temple with the two apostles by his side for all to see. This not only stirred up wonder among the people but also caused an angry response from the Jewish hierarchy. Consequently, both apostles were apprehended and put into prison.

Acts 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

There were several times for prayer at the Jerusalem temple �" [9:00 am, 12 noon, and 3:00 pm.]⁴²

Commentators suggest that Christian leaders attended these sessions until persecution set in. Besides such, they were engaged in teaching the Word of God and participating in daily common meals.

What we’ll look at next is another aspect of prayer that should be exemplified not only by those in leadership but also by every believer. The following question will unveil to us what this is all about.

 

Can prayer be continuous?

Please turn your Bible to the Book of 1 Thessalonians.                                  

1 Thessalonians 5:17

                            

Pray without ceasing.

The Apostle Paul unveiled to the Thessalonians believers what their Christian walk should be evidencing and what it should not. One of the things they should be involved with was to pray without ceasing. What does this mean? Does it mean Christians should be on their knees praying all day in some location?

Its meaning can be expressed in a few different ways: to live in a devotional frame of [mind,] maintaining continuous fellowship with God as much as possible in the midst of daily living in which concentration is frequently broken.⁴³ Another way to say this is that prayer made without ceasing in the heart is full of the presence of [God] and evermore communing with him.⁴⁴

As we prepare our hearts before we pray, prayer can be entered into at any time throughout our day.

Were you aware that the Apostle Paul prayed for someone day and night? Do you have any idea who this could be and what Paul prayed for? Please turn to the Book of 2 Timothy, and we’ll find out.

                     

Suggested Reading: 2 Timothy 1:1-14

2-3 To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;

Paul was writing this letter while being chained in a Roman prison to a fellow leader of the early church named Timothy. He told him that during the day and night, he prayed for him by giving thanks for his salvation and ministry. What could we glean from these verses on prayer? We can surmise that prayer could consist of recalling to our mind some information about someone else on more than one occasion throughout the day and night.

For some of us, we might think that prayer should only occur at a certain time or at different set times throughout the day. Is there any scriptural support for the assumption that prayer could occur at any time or at any place? We’ll find out by turning our Bible to the Book of Acts.

                                                                

Suggested Reading: Acts 21:4-6

5 And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city: and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed.

The Apostle Paul, while on his journey to Jerusalem, had arrived at a place called Tyre, where he met up with several disciples and their families. He decided to stay with them for seven days. However, upon hearing that a ship on the coastline was ready to depart after unloading its cargo, he went to the shoreline with the brethren, who prayed with him before sending him off. This was an instance of corporate prayer that was entered into because of the need at hand; safe travel.

Are you aware that the Apostle Paul prayed for the Philippians church that something would abound in their lives? Any idea what he was referring to? Please turn to the Book of Philippians, and let’s discover this.

 

Philippians 1:9

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;

The Apostle Paul prayed for the Philippians’ believers that the love of God, which is produced in the heart of the yielded believer using the Holy Spirit, would abound (overflow more and more) within the guiding limitations of knowledge [a better understanding of God’s Word as translated into their experience⁴⁵) and judgment (spiritual perceptiveness; depth of insight into God’s ways; sensitive moral perception (discernment)]. Paul was aware that for the fruit of God’s love to develop in these believers’ lives, they needed to learn about its truths about themselves and how to apply them in the circumstances they’d encounter.

There’s another prayer that Paul prayed for a different church, i.e., the church at Ephesus. Please turn in the Bible to the book that bears its name.

 

Ephesians 1:16-18

16-17 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

The Apostle Paul prayed that God the Father would provide the Ephesians’ believers’ human spirit [the complex idea of the spirit of man dwelt in and moved by the Spirit of God (Alford)]⁴⁶ with wisdom (a general understanding of spiritual realities, God’s truth;⁴⁷ of revealed truths) and revelation (the meaning of what God makes known⁴⁸) in the knowledge (so that we may know him better;⁴⁹ to know Him personally and intimately) of him (Christ).

18a The eyes of your understanding being enlightened;

He also prayed that the eyes of their understanding (heart - the emotions, reason, and intelligence) would be enlightened (have discernment; spiritual insight) so that they might know three things.

18b that ye may know what is the hope of his calling,

First, they’d have the assurance of a future, of an assured expectation by accepting the destiny that God has [planned,] which included salvation, reconciliation with Him, sonship,⁵⁰ and of what to expect in the world to come, the world of glory.

18c and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Second, they might understand what are the riches of the glorious abundance of the spiritual things to which they are entitled⁵¹ along with knowing how precious they are in God’s eyes as His inheritance.⁵²

19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,                                 

Finally, they might know God’s power (a spiritually dynamic and living force⁵³) available to them regarding their sanctification (spiritual growth; a source of spiritual vitality, power, and strength for living the Christian life!).⁵⁴

In summary, the Apostle Paul hoped that these believers would understand the revealed truth and that, at some point, the meaning of it would resonate with them. They’d also accept their God-given destiny, become aware of the spiritual blessings received at salvation, and learn how to walk in the Spirit. 

Paul’s prayers for the different churches didn’t stop there. Here’s another prayer he prayed for the believers at the church of Colossae.

 

Colossians 1:9-11

9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

The Apostle Paul was praying for the Colossian believers that they might be filled (fully equipped or controlled) with the knowledge (knowledge which grasps and penetrates an object; not merely intellectual perception, but a living relationship⁵⁵) of his will (of God the Father’s design, purpose, plan, intention⁵⁶) in general wisdom (intellectual perception) and spiritual understanding (things taught by the Holy Spirit; spiritual insight; of clear analysis and decision-making in applying this knowledge to various problems⁵⁷; the special faculty of intelligence or insight which discriminates between the false and the true and grasps the relations in which things stand to each other⁵⁸).

10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

So that they would walk worthy (Christlikeness may be made manifest in their lives) of the Lord, being fruitful (bearing fruit) in every good work (deed), and increasing in individual internal growth using the full knowledge of God;

11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

Being strengthened (empowered) with all might (power) according to God’s glorious (Shekinah) power (perfect strength) that’s revealed in patience (endurance when circumstances are challenging) and longsuffering (patience exhibited under ill-treatment by people) with joyfulness (thanksgiving). Wow!

In review, Paul prayed that these believers would live out what they were learning. They’d apply what the Holy Spirit revealed to them to real-life issues. Their good works would be divinely motivated and evidence of the spiritual qualities of the Holy Spirit. And that during difficult times, they’d be filled with the Spirit and reveal divine patience, whether in adverse circumstances or harm by people, while operating in the joy of the Lord.

What we’ll take a look at next is the responsibility of leadership concerning believers in the church who request prayer for personal sickness. This is found in the Book of James.

    

James 5:14-16

14-15 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

If someone is physically sick, they should send for the elders (pastors) of the church to come and pray (with hands extended) over them, anointing (for the inward anointing of the soul with the Holy Spirit) with virgin oil on the forehead in the sign of the cross with the hope that they’ll be restored to bodily health and strength.⁵⁹ If the cause of the sickness was unconfessed sin, one of the elders would ask this person beforehand if they were aware of any personal sin. If they were to say yes, they’d be asked to confess it to God the Father.

16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

If the sin was committed against a fellow believer, they’d be asked to go personally and confess this to them. Hopefully, the victim would provide forgiveness (to let go of a debt), and the resultant prayer one for another would take place so that the offender may be healed (suggests healing of the soul and restoration of bodily health and strength; perhaps there may be a particular allusion here to sins which may have brought on the sickness as a punishment; the removal of the disease in answer to prayer would [be evidence] that the sin was pardoned).⁶⁰

It seems that Paul offered a prayer for most of the churches that he wrote about. His next prayer has to do with the believers at the church of Thessalonica. Please turn to the Book of 1 Thessalonians.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:23

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  

The Apostle Paul prayed for the Thessalonians believers that as to their entire self, i.e., their spirit and soul and body, there’d be nothing blameless (no legitimate ground for accusation) in their personal life and social contact with other people. The word spirit (pneuma) refers to the faculty of intelligence, understanding, thinking, and reasoning.⁶¹ It’s also referred to as the part which is receptive to the quickening of the Holy Spirit.⁶² The word soul (psuchee) means the will and the seat of the different affections and passions. And the word body has to do with the material part of man.

Another prayer that Paul prayed for the believers in Thessalonica is found in the Book of 2 Thessalonians. Please turn there.

 

2 Thessalonians 1:11

Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:

He prayed that since they were brought into the kingdom of God, they’d be counted worthy (for them to lead lives in keeping with their destiny⁶³) by Him, which would consist of His goodness being perfected in them and the work which faith is adapted to produce on the soul⁶⁴ in His power.

The final prayer of leadership will be the Apostle Paul’s for the believers at Ephesus. Please turn in your Bibles to the Book of Ephesians.

 

Ephesians 3:14, 16-19

14, 16 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

Paul prayed that God the Father would permit them to be strong to overcome using the imparted power of the Holy Spirit in the inner man (human spirit) where He lives.

17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

And they’d enter into an ever-deepening fellowship with Christ by their faith in His promises so that they’d become firmly established and deeply founded in love, which the Holy Spirit produces.

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

Of being able to grasp the gospel storehouse with the mind all the blessings received at salvation.

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

The aim is to know the love of Christ experientially through the teachings of the Holy Spirit so that they might be filled completely with the fulness (presence) of God.

After all that we’ve learned, here’s the question to consider.

 

When we go to church, what should be the content of the prayers that are brought forth by those in leadership?

Do they pray that more believers would attend church? Do they pray for an increase in financial assistance? Do they pray for more believers to volunteer to do this or that?

Or do they pray for what those in leadership of the early church emphasized?

Such as:

�-�Persistent prayer, which was of primary importance. Acts 6:1-6

�-�Attending prayer voluntarily, whether at the temple in Jerusalem or wherever it was held. Acts 3:1-2

�-�Praying anywhere at any time and of any duration during daily living. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

�-�Giving thanks for the faithfulness of others. 2 Timothy 1:1-14

�-�Corporate prayer for safe passage. Acts 21:4-6

�-�That the saints would learn God’s Word and apply it in their everyday lives to increase discerning love. Philippians 1:9

�-�For the congregation’s understanding about the blessings received at salvation and their meaning to further know Christ’s character. Ephesians 1:16-18

�-�That the assembly of the saints would be equipped to apply God’s Word to various issues, evidence Christlikeness, the elements of the character of the Holy Spirit in every good work, and be empowered to bear trials without complaining.⁶⁵

�-�For the healing of sickness by laying of hands and applying olive oil. James 5:14-16

�-�For the body of believers that they’d be faultless in their inner personal [lives and social] contacts with other people.⁶⁶

�-�That God’s goodness, a grace of the Holy Spirit, would be produced in their soul through His power. 2 Thessalonians 1:11

�-�That they’d become overcomers operating in the power of the Spirit and entering into a deeper fellowship with Christ in their personalities being firmly established and deeply founded in the love which the Holy Spirit produces, becoming experientially acquainted with the love of Christ and being filled with God’s presence. Ephesians 3:14, 16-19

We’ve come to the place in this study where we’re ready to learn all about what our prayer lives should be like as guided by those who attended the different churches in the early days of Christianity. But before we do, I’d like to leave you with an exciting article on prayer about the spiritual walk of those in leadership.

 

5 THINGS EVERY CHRISTIAN LEADER SHOULD PRAY FOR THEMSELVES EVERYDAY

Christian leaders need to be people of prayer.

Perhaps no verse more powerfully communicates this to me than John 15:5:

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ([Emphasis] added)

This verse first pierced my heart as a twenty-year-old when I reflected on a campus leadership position I had at the Christian college I attended.

I desperately wanted to honor Christ and influence others toward Him, but [I] learned the hard way how to damage relationships by trying to force-feed them what I thought was best�"I tried to do the work of the Holy Spirit. Reading Jesus’ [words, “You can do nothing,”] at the close of the year seemed to be a fitting description of the recent fruit of my labors for the Lord. I quickly [learned I] couldn’t bear fruit apart from abiding in Christ.

We abide in Christ in many ways: meditating on Scripture, obedience, enjoying Christian fellowship, and prayer. In [prayer, we not only abide in Christ] but cast our utter dependence on Him. This is why Christian leaders need to be people of prayer. If we want our work and ministry to stand the test of time and bear eternal fruit, we can’t do it on our own.

While Christians can lift up thousands of different prayers for their leadership, I have found it helpful to daily focus my prayers on the following things:

 

1. To be humble.

Humility should be a chief mark of every Christian. For leaders to act in a genuinely Christian way, they need to exemplify humility in their leadership and personal lives.

Humility in leadership means:

�-�Being teachable.

 

Not to think of yourself more highly than you ought (Romans 12:3).

�-�To be dependent on the Lord, knowing that you can do nothing of lasting worth without Him.

�-�To lead with those you are serving in mind.

�-�To listen to the input of others and not [strong-arm] people with your opinion.

 

2. To be Word-fed.

Abiding in Christ means letting His Word abide in you and guide you. It is a contradiction for a Christian leader [to] not submit his or her life to what the Word of Christ says. Leaders need to have their hearts, minds, and wills nourished by God’s [Word] and seek to create an organizational/ministerial culture shaped by God’s revealed truth.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105

 

3. To be Spirit-led.

Leaders can be knowledgeable in the Word but have a major disconnect with how it influences their daily actions and outlook. Leader: do you seek to discern the Spirit’s leading in your life/ministry? Do you obey promptings to talk to certain people or change your plans when the situation seems to call for something different? We were never meant to lead alone. God has given us His Spirit to always be with us (Matthew 28:20) and wants us to lead beyond our abilities in the Spirit’s wisdom.

 

4. To be a servant leader.

Leaders serve others. Whether you are a Sunday school leader serving middle schoolers, a leader in an organization serving your target audience, or a pastor serving a [congregation,] you are a servant. This should be at the core of our identities as leaders and followers of Christ, the Suffering Servant who gave His life in service to God and for our benefit.

 

5. To be a servant.

No, this is not a repeat. I want to make the distinction between a servant leader (who leads in front of others) and a servant (who will take on the heart of a servant even when others do not see their service). This is where true servant leadership starts: a heart dedicated to the Lord enough to give himself to the King’s service no matter what rewards may come. (This is also a mark of kingdom greatness�"see Mark 10:43-45.

A short prayer for godly [leadership.]

Lord, feed me in your Word and lead me by your Spirit to be a humble servant in front of you and in front of others for your glory.⁶⁷