How to pray for Christians - part 2

This is a continuation of last week's post about the apostle Paul's two prayers for Christians in his letter to the Ephesians. In the previous post. we considered his first prayer found in Ephesians 1:15-23 and we saw that it was mainly a prayer for Christians to be built up in their knowledge of God.

But Paul does not leave it there. In his second prayer, we now see that he also wants this knowledge of God to be worked out practically in their lives. Let us take a look at what he says in Ephesians 3:14-19:

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,

15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith- that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.


In this second prayer in Ephesians, Paul prays five things for Christians. We, too, can pray these things for other Christians (and also for ourselves!):

1. That God will strengthen them with power (3:16)
   Not just to know God's power as in his previous prayer (1:19) but to actually live in this power. Just as Jesus lived His life on earth and acted in the power of the Holy Spirit, so we as Christians also need to live in the power of the Spirit. We are too weak in our own strength, but God can strengthen us with His power so that we are strong in the faith.
2. That Christ may dwell in their hearts (3:17)
   As we know from other parts of Scripture, the Lord Jesus Christ already lives inside of Christians. But is He really "at home" there? Jesus said, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." (John 14:23)
3. That they may be rooted and grounded in love (3:17)
   Being rooted in love means receiving nourishment from love in order to grow. And the more we are rooted in love, the more we will be grounded in love, i.e. become more stable and secure and able to endure and withstand many storms and trials.
4. That they may know the love of Christ (3:18-19)
   For a proper understanding of what love is, we must look to Christ. We will never be able to understand the immense greatness of His love, but the more we know the love of Christ, the more we will know how to share this love with other people.
5. That they may be filled with all the fullness of God (3:19)
   Finally, Christians are to be as much like God as possible. In some ways, Christians will never be like God, because God is unique - there is nobody who is like Him. He alone is almighty, all-knowing and present everywhere. He is perfect and holy and worthy like nobody else. But as followers of Christ, all Christians are to be like the Son of God. All Christians are to reflect the character of God in their lives: holy, righteous, loving, merciful, gracious, compassionate, faithful and much more. Christians need prayer not only to better know these characteristics of God but also to live them out better in their own lives.

When we pray for other Christians, it is always good and helpful to return to these two prayers of Paul in Ephesians in order to pray for those things that Christians really need more than anything else.

Picture: sxc.hu

How to pray for Christians - part 1

If you are a Christian, then you are a person of prayer. There is no such thing as a prayerless Christian. A.W. Pink says in one of his sermons,

A prayerless Christian is a contradiction in terms. Just as a still-born child is a dead one, so a professing believer who does not pray is devoid of spiritual life. Prayer is the breath of the new nature in the saint, as the Word of God is its food.

As a Christian, you are called to pray for those who are saints, i.e. those who have been set apart with you by God as His people, His children.

In Paul's letter to the Ephesians, we are told to be "praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints." (Eph. 6:18)

But how are Christians supposed to pray for other Christians?

In this same letter to the Ephesian Christians, the apostle Paul includes two prayers. Both prayers are for the Ephesian church. Both prayers are for Christians. Both prayers serve as good examples how we can pray for other Christians.


In this first blog post, we will take a look at the first prayer, found in Ephesians 1:15-23:

15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,
16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might
20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,
23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

This prayer clearly is for Christians, those who have "faith in the Lord Jesus" (1:15). So what does Paul pray for them?

Paul prays that

1. God may give them a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him (1:17)
2. God may enlighten the eyes of their heart (1:18), so that they may know three things:
1. God has called them to hope (1:18)
2. God will have a glorious inheritance prepared for them (1:18)
3. God is working his immeasurably great power in them (1:19)

This first prayer is a prayer for knowledge. This is also how we can pray for other Christians, including ourselves. All Christians desperately need to know God more and more.

• Knowing that God has acted for us in the PAST by calling and drawing us to Himself will give us hope and assurance. We can have assurance that we are saved and belong to Him.
• Knowing that God has prepared something wonderful for us in the FUTURE, namely a glorious inheritance of everlasting life without sin, without suffering and with Christ, will give us the right perspective in life and its trouble and pain.
• Knowing that God is working with is immeasurably great power in us at PRESENT will help us do His will and withstand the attacks of the evil one, despite our fears and weaknesses.

So we can pray for ourselves and for other Christians to come to a greater knowledge of God and what He has done for us in the past, what He will have prepared for us in the future, and what He is doing for us in the present.

This knowledge of God is the basis for living the Christian life according to God's will.

Perhaps some of you have prayed or will pray along these lines for my wife and me. If that is the case, thank you very much for your prayers! We, too, certainly need a greater and deeper knowledge of God.

Picture: public domain

Strength in weakness

Are you weak? Do you feel weak? Do you know that you are weak? Are you wondering how you will ever cope with everything this year?




Here is a wonderful promise for the new year. It comes from none other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God:

Jesus says, "My strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)

What is your weakness? Is it a physical weakness? An illness? A fear? A burden? A besetting sin?

The apostle Paul also had a particular weakness. We do not know what exactly this was. He called it a "thorn in the flesh". Maybe this was the same thing you have. But even if not, it does not matter. Jesus has the answer to all our weaknesses, whatever they may be.




Paul says he prayed three times to the Lord that this thorn in his flesh would depart from him. His prayer was answered, but not in the way he was hoping for. God did not take away whatever it was that Paul was struggling with. But his prayer was still answered...




Jesus answered Paul's prayer by telling him two wonderful truths:



1) "My grace is sufficient for thee."
2) "My strength is made perfect in weakness."

Jesus' grace is sufficient for everybody. No matter what your weakness is, how difficult your struggle, how hard your trial, how great your sin - Jesus' grace is enough. Look to Jesus. Come to Jesus. Cry out to Jesus for help. He is merciful and gracious. If you have fallen down and feel like you have lost it all, there is hope. Jesus's grace is sufficient.




Someone has defined grace as "God's Riches At Christ's Expense". I think this is a great definition. Grace is God's unmerited favour towards us, which came to us through Christ and His death on the cross. As sinners, all that we deserve from God is His just punishment. But because Jesus suffered this punishment for all those who believe on Him, there remains no more punishment for God's children - only grace. The grace that comes through Christ is all-sufficient and more than enough for every situation. Songwriter Chris Tomlin states it as follows in one of his songs:

All of You is more than enough for all of me

For every thirst and every need

You satisfy me with Your love

And all I have in You is more than enough

You're my sacrifice

Of greatest price

And still more awesome than I know

You're the coming King

You are everything

And still more awesome than I know

More than all I want

More than all I need

You are more than enough for me

More than all I know

More than all I can say

You are more than enough for me

This first truth that Christ's grace is sufficient is wonderful and you will find it to be true if you know Jesus as your personal Saviour. Remember:

Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace.
And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace.
(Jerry Bridges)

But the second truth is also very important...




Christ's strength is made perfect in weakness. The truth is that you will never know and experience Christ's strength until you recognise your own weakness and sinfulness. If you think you have it all together and do not need any help, if you think you are not such a bad sinner, then you will not know the grace or the strength of Christ. Jesus Himself said in Mark 2:17,

They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Will you admit your weakness and sinfulness to God? He already knows everything about you. There is nothing you can hide from Him. Jesus Christ did not come to condemn sinners, but to call them to repentance and save them. If you will turn away from your sins and place your faith in Christ as your Saviour, He will not turn you away. His all-sufficient grace is available for you today.




As I look forward to this year and the years ahead, I realise that I am attempting great things. My path to serve God in a foreign country so far has not been easy and it will not get any easier. I have not yet even properly left my home to live and work in another culture. I have not yet given serious effort to learning the language of the Indians, let alone given serious thought to the great responsibility of translating God's word for them. And, to be honest, I don't think I am the best person for the job. I know my own weaknesses and struggles. I know I am just a sinner, saved by grace. But I do believe God is calling me to serve Him in Mexico. And if God accomplishes anything good through my life, then it will be all His work through me - His strength in my weakness. All the glory goes to Him.



Jesus says, "My strength is made perfect in weakness."




What was Paul's conclusion about his "thorn in the flesh" after receiving this promise from the Lord? This is what he says in 2 Corinthians 12:9b-10:

Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Paul recognised that his weaknesses ("infirmities") were actually something to glory in, to take pleasure in and to be most glad about. Not for the weaknesses as such, but because it was though his weaknesses and struggles that He saw his need for Christ and Christ showed His all-sufficient power and grace to meet his every circumstance.




May God also use our weaknesses in 2012 to remind us of our need for the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that we will run to Him and find Him to be our all-sufficient Saviour.

How much is Jesus worth?

$15 for a Bible, $10 for a necklace with a cross, $2 to put in the offering plate in church on Sunday and maybe $20 for the Salvation Army once a year… Christianity really seems to be quite affordable. But is that all it takes to be Christian? Somebody might say you must give 10% of your income to God. But even that is quite affordable. Is Jesus worth only that much? Just our loose change and maybe a little extra every now and then?

Think about it: What is most the most valuable thing or person in the universe, which we should give everything for in order to get? The answer is simple: Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ surpasses riches, family, health, religion, houses, holidays, fame, cars, fun, music, sex, drugs and football by far. This life on earth will soon be over and all you have accumulated and achieved will be gone forever. Here today and gone tomorrow. But one thing will not be gone - your soul. Your soul will live on forever in one of two places: heaven or hell. Then everything you have lived for on earth will account for nothing and will be worthless – unless you lived for Christ.

Jesus once said,

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36-37)

Your soul is far more valuable than everything this world offers. Therefore, you should make it your top priority in this life to guard and protect your soul and make sure that it is not lost in the everlasting torments in hell when this life is over. Seriously, who cares about movies or football? Don’t get me wrong. These things are not necessarily bad in themselves. I love football. But they are completely worthless and absurd in light of eternity! What difference will it make to your life 100 years from now? Hopefully, these kind of things will not make the decisive difference in that they kept you away from the most important thing - the salvation of your soul.

Jesus Christ is the One who will make the difference when it comes to the eternal destiny of your soul. Therefore, He is infinitely valuable. All the money in the world cannot buy your way into heaven. Jesus has already paid the price for you by shedding his own blood on the cross and dying for the sins of the world. God gave everything so that you could be forgiven. And this shows you how great your sins are in the sight of God – the perfect, holy Son of God had to suffer a cruel death on the cross and suffer God’s wrath. It was the only way your sins could be forgiven.

What will you give in order to know this God and have Jesus Christ as your Saviour? In one of His parables, Jesus made the following point:

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. (Matthew 13:44)

This is what Jesus is worth – everything. All your possessions, all your time, all your money, all your health, all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, all your strength, all your dreams, all your relationships, all your past, all your present, all your future. Every penny, every word, every thought, every deed, every breath, every second, every minute, every hour, every day, every week, every month, every year. All your life.

Not only is Jesus worth giving up everything in order to know Him, He is also worth giving up everything in order to make Him known to others, even if this means being ridiculed, despised, hated, persecuted, abused and tormented by others for His sake. The apostle Paul regarded these things merely as a “light affliction” compared with the “far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:13). This kind of attitude has also been demonstrated by countless Christians who have died for their faith throughout history – from the earliest days of Christianity right until today.

The great Protestant reformer Martin Luther, whose life was under threat when chose to remain true to his faith in Christ, penned these words in the last stanza of his famous hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”:

Let goods and kindred go, This mortal life also;

The body they may kill: God's truth abideth still,

His kingdom is forever.

Somebody once said, “Until you find something worth dying for, you’re not really living.”

Are you clinging on to worthless, deadly pleasures, or are you giving everything for the greatest treasure?

Jesus’ worth is immeasurable. Treasure Him above everything.

(The 5-minute video below probably does a much better job of communicating what I am trying to put down in my own words.)

Here today, gone tomorrow

It has come to my attention that I have not blogged for quite a while... I've been keeping very busy with work and other things, but I'll try to find a few minutes now for posting something in relation to the global financial crisis.

A while back, I saw an advert from Fortis, a major banking and insurance provider from Belgium and the Netherlands. The advert included the following statements:




-Life is a curve full of ups and downs.

-Most people just follow this curve as if it were fate.

-But it's not fate.

-The decisions you make affect the rest of your life.



Unfortunately for Fortis, however, its past decisions brought about a sharp downward curve in the middle of the financial turmoil and it had to be rescued by national governments (see BBC news article).

But the advert also provides some good advice so that we don't make similar mistakes in life:

-So where are you on this curve? Take a moment to stop, to think, to evaluate.

-What could you do to start a new upward curve?

-Maybe now is the time to ask yourself, "Where are you today, and where do you want to be tomorrow?"

The whole advert but especially final slogan "Here today. Where tomorrow?" reminded me of the title of my blog (see also my very first blog post). In these days of financial turbulences, we are reminded that it is perilous to place one's trust in money and wealth. God warned us against this a long time ago in His Word:

Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and so this, or that. (James 4:14-16)

The apostle Paul told Timothy:

Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19)

These two passages from the Bible show how futile it is to trust in riches. Why? Because riches are uncertain and because they are only temporal. Instead of building up our financial wealth, we should be concerned with building a good foundation for our life by placing our trust in God who never fails and promises us eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ.

So next time you hear about another bank going bust, think about the following: What am I building my life on?

A new year - a new life?

It's 2008! Happy new year!

In thinking about what I could write about at the start of this new year, my thoughts were directed to this year's Bible verse from the Moravian Church. Way back in 1731, Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf started the tradition of choosing a Bible verse by lot for every day of the year and printing them in a book called "Losungen" in German ("Daily Watchwords" in English). This tradition has continued until the present day and now published in some 50 languages with a circulation of over 1.5 million, thus making them the oldest and most widely read devotional work in the world (see Wikipedia article).

The Bible verse for the year 2008 is from John 14:19, where Jesus says:

Because I live, ye shall live also.

What a wonderful message for the new year! Jesus lives and He is the reason that we, too, can live. And Jesus wants to give us life. Not only the physical life He has already given us, but true life: life with meaning, life with purpose.

A few chapters earlier, in John 10:10, Jesus says:

I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

And not only that, but also eternal life:

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:28)

How can this be? Simply because Jesus Christ Himself is "the life" (John 11:25 & 14:6). If we live with Him, we can have a completely new life. This was also the experience of the apostle Paul, who said:

I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Jesus is life! Will you take Him at His word and trust Him? If you do, I guarantee you that this will be your happiest year ever! Live life! And have a very happy 2008!

And this is life eternal,
that they might know thee the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
(John 17:3)

And we know that the Son of God is come,
and hath given us an understanding,
that we may know him that is true,
and we are in him that is true,
even in his Son Jesus Christ.
This is the true God, and eternal life.
(1 John 5:20)