Pray For One Another

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God desires that His people are fully engaged in prayer for one another.

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The Enigma Machine

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The Enigma Machine was an encryption device used during WWII by Nazi Germany and the Allied powers

Since Germany, Japan, and Italy had a drastically lower number of people than the Allies (comprised of 8 major countries), they needed a way to covertly communicate in order to launch surprise attacks on the Allied forces

The Enigma Machine allowed them to communicate in a way that was virtually uncrackable to all who did not have the code

The theory was this – effective communication is key to carrying out the mission

Knowing this, the Allied forces began putting a great deal of time, resource, and energy into cracking the Enigma Code

Their theory was this – in the absence of effective communication, the mission will fail.

Spiritual Warfare

It’s a great encouragement to my heart to stand next to my brothers and sisters in Christ and recite truths that are foundational to our faith, all the while corporately ascribing worth to our great God and Savior

If you think about it, there is a lot of selflessly serving one another that needs to go on in order to even have our time together this morning:

The worship team need to plan and prepare for our time together

Someone had to set up and arrange everything from that chair you are sitting in to the bulletin you are holding to the coffee you are drinking, etc.

Leaders had to prepare lessons to teach your children in an understandable manner

With all that in mind please turn to

Our sound and tech team had to put a lot of time into making things go smoothly this morning, and frankly, they need to work with some pretty serious Prima Donna’s from time to time! (I’m talking about Joey, our worship leader this morning, of course…)

¨ Without a “One Another” perspective, a local gathering of believers would be quite sunk – we need to always be considering one another and serving one another

Ø But there is one crucial aspect that is necessary in order to serve one another effectively and even serves to bind us together and protect us

v But first, let’s talk about the Enigma Machine… [Picture?]

Spiritual Warfare

§ Since Germany, Japan, and Italy had a drastically lower number of people than the Allies (comprised of 8 major countries), they needed a way to covertly communicate in order to launch surprise attacks on the Allied forces

§ The Enigma Machine allowed them the communicate in a way that was virtually uncrackable to all who did not have the code

· The theory was this – effective communication is key to carrying out the mission

§ Knowing this, the Allied forces began putting a great deal of time, resource, and energy into cracking the Enigma Code

· Their theory was this – in the absence of effective communication, the mission will fail

Every day we continue to live and breathe is another day that we are engaged in spiritual warfare…our text this morning is part of the last half of Ephesians which falls under the topic sentence of ,

This section is part of the last half of Ephesians which falls under the topic sentence of ,

Ephesians 4:1 NASB95

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,

which says we are to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel...

In , Paul has charged the church in Ephesus to “stand firm” and wear truth like a belt, righteousness like armor, the gospel like footwear; he has instructed them to take up the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Word of God, and he closes it with this – PRAY

The point of Paul talking about spiritual warfare is found in verse 12, where he says:

Ephesians 6:12 NASB95

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Why Paul does this is to emphasize that if we are going to live in a manner worthy of the gospel, then we better be ready to engage in war.

§ “…our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

There are actual spiritual forces that we are up against, and we are to defend against them and actively be on the attack – and the way this is effectively done is through the power of prayer – specifically God’s people praying for one another

· There are actual spiritual forces that we are up against, and we are to defend against them and actively be on the attack – and the way this is effectively done is through the power of prayer – specifically praying for one another

And the point of finishing this section and the book of off with a discussion on spiritual warfare, is to emphasize that if we are going to live in a manner worthy of the gospel, then we better be ready to engage in war.

Just like modern warfare, you attack communications and you can severely hamper your enemies efforts...Our enemy, the devil and his forces, are more than pleased when we are not praying and communicating with God...

So it is with spiritual warfare

§ So it is with spiritual warfare

Our enemy, the devil and his force, are more than pleased when we are not praying and communicating with God...

Last week we painted with broad brush strokes regarding the need for us to be ministering to one another…and praying for one another is a way in which we minister to one another...

Our enemy, the devil and his force, are more than pleased when we are not praying and communicating with God

Last week we painted with broad brush strokes regarding the need for us to be ministering to one another…and praying for one another is a way in which we minister to one another...

Here we learn more specifically of the importance of praying for one another...

Spiritual Warfare Necessitates Soldiers Praying For One Another

And like WWII, effective communication is crucial to waging successful spiritual warfare.

Paul has charged the church in Ephesus to “stand firm” and wear truth like a belt, righteousness like armor, the gospel like footwear; he has instructed them to take up the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Word of God, and he closes it with this – PRAY

The text we are going to be studying together today is found at the end of the “Spiritual Warfare” section in .

Spiritual Warfare Necessitates Soldiers Praying For One Another

Ephesians 6:12 NASB95

In war, both sides go to great lengths to both 1) optimize their own communication and 2) frustrate communication for the opposing force

So it is with spiritual warfare

Our enemy, the devil and his force, are more than pleased when we are not praying and communicating with God

Spiritual Warfare Necessitates Soldiers Praying For One Another

Prayer – specifically praying for one another – is a part of doing spiritual battle alongside one another

So with the time we have remaining, let’s focus on 3 truths about ministering to one another through prayer.

So with the time we have remaining, we’re going to focusing on 3 truths about ministering to one another through prayer.

The first truth is that...

Praying for one another should be continuous.

Paul emphasizes the frequency and continual nature of prayer by repeating the word “all” 4 times in verse 18, and he explicitly says that we are to be praying “at all times” in the Spirit.

We are to be praying at all times.

To pray at all times does not mean that you must quit your job and do nothing but pray. But it does mean that prayer should be so normal to a believer that formally spending time in prayer and spontaneous prayer throughout the day is a normal part of life.

When we read the gospels, we see Jesus doing more than just praying, and we see Jesus teaching his disciples to do more also...

However, Jesus is continual communion with his Father throughout the day. The point is prayer and communication with the Lord, is to be frequent and continuous.

we do see that Jesus is continual communion with his Father throughout the day. The point is prayer and communication with the Lord, is to be frequent and continuous.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 NASB95

pray without ceasing;

makes the same point by saying that we are to, pray without ceasing;

Now, that kind of continual prayer where we are essentially in constant communication with God, seeing his hand sovereignly working in all the circumstances of my life, whether pleasant or challenging, doesn’t come naturally...

makes the same point by saying that we are to, pray without ceasing;

John MacArthur similarly says, “to pray at all times is to live in continual God consciousness, where everything we see and experience becomes a kind of prayer, lived in deep awareness of and surrender to our heavenly Father.”[2]

And that’s why I want to emphasize that prayer is hard—so work hard!

Prayer is hard work—so work hard

- ...be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

This can prove to be very challenging…we are told here to...

It takes alertness.

Be alert.

Some of us may naturally be very aware of safety...others may not be so alert when it comes to safety…some of us may be naturally alert when it comes to what we say...others may say the first thing that comes out of their mouth…some of us may be very aware of our surroundings...while others may be totally oblivious.

- Some of us may be naturally alert when it comes to what we say...others may say the first thing that comes out of their mouth.

- Some of us may be very aware of our surroundings...while others may be totally obviously.

We all have things that we may be naturally alert to...what we’re commanded to be alert to here are things that all of us struggle to be alert to...

We have to be alert to opposition and attacks in the realm of spiritual warfare.

Again look at — Satan’s attacks can come from both inside and outside the church…and you may not be experiencing an attack right now, sooner or later you will, but you need to know that some are and you need to be alert to Satan’s scheming to divide us and it takes the full army of God’s soldiers praying for one another to fight with strength...

- All of those things that Paul mentions, are things that we cannot see with our physical eyes...the flaming arrows of the evil one that Paul mentions in v.16 would be a whole lot easier to be alert to, if we could see them with our physical eyes...

All of those things that Paul mentions, are things that we cannot see with our physical eyes...the flaming arrows of the evil one that Paul mentions in v.16 would be a whole lot easier to be alert to, if we could see them with our physical eyes...

In WWII, submarines played a major role in limiting the Allied forces and specifically weakening England. Their success was due to the fact that they couldn’t be seen. And Winston Churchill later wrote, “The only thing that really frightened me during the war was the U-boat peril.”

Similarly, we need to see that what we’re called to be on alert for, is something that we cannot see with our physical eyes. Rather, they are enemies and dangers that must be discerned with spiritual eyes, which highlights the importance of continual prayer for help and strength.

We must also not only just be alert, we must persevere at it!

It takes perseverance.

Persevering is hard…especially when it comes to facing the times of suffering in a world that rejects God…or when the pressure is put on you to just throw your hands up and quit!

- Have you ever considered that perseverance is only something you need when things are challenging and when you want to stop?

Outside the church we need to recognize this world doesn’t want God and by extension doesn’t want us…Satan wants us to get frustrated in ministry and force us to quit…what’s the use he says to us....the more you want to stand and fight for God the more intense the battle becomes....that is why God’s people need to persevere in prayer...

Inside the church can even be a battlefield…sometimes when you are trying to minister to God’s people, God’s people don’t always act like God’s people should…and the temptation Satan often throws at us is to just quit...

Sometimes when you are trying to minister to God’s people, God’s people don’t always act like God’s people should…and the temptation Satan often throws at us is to just quit...

This is why we need to pray for each other and never stop!

Well, if we need all perseverance, that gives us yet another reason that prayer is so important...we need help to persevere!

It takes Spiritual discipline.

Have any of you been around someone who is just a prayer warrior? They are the example of prayer to you...and so you get convicted and fired up all at the same time, to grow in prayer and follow in their example.

You might start by buying a new journal and start recording all the prayer requests you can think of…or in today’s day and age you get an app to help you organize and keep track of all your prayer requests...And after you spent the hours to get everything in there, it lasts like 3 days...Have any of you had that experience? Yeah, I think many of us have.

- Or in today’s day and age you get a app to help you organize and keep track of all your prayer requests...

- And after you spent the hours to get everything in there, it lasts like 3 days...

Have any of you had that experience? Yeah, I think many of us have.

Here’s my encouragement to you. Don’t be discouraged that it didn’t last. Know that it’s hard work that God is calling us to.

Perhaps a prayer request you could share with this whole body is to ask people to pray for you in this area that you’d grow to become a person who prays continuously.

And here are a couple action steps for you to help you grow depending on where you are in the spectrum of praying continuously.

If you are struggling with consistent prayer, then block off in your schedule a focused time to pray in the morning and in the evening.

You don’t have time to do everything...your time is limited. So you better make the time for the things that are most important in life and put them in your schedule.

One other action step to help you grow in prayer is to get into Scripture more.

- “Work, work, from early until late. In fact, I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”

That is a helpful perspective.

- The obvious answer being of course not. God doesn’t bless you with more so that you’d seek his help and power less!

One other action step to help you grow in prayer is to get into Scripture more.

We are called to be “praying in the Spirit” at all times.

What it means to pray in the Spirit is to pray in accordance with what the Spirit desires...And what the Spirit desires is that Jesus Christ and the Father be glorified.

And what the Spirit desires is that Jesus Christ and the Father be glorified. Well, Scripture is where the desires of our Lord and the glory of Christ come alive.

So for us to know how to pray in the Spirit, we must be disciplined to know the mind of the Spirit and the only way we can know that to discipline ourselves to be learning how to use His Word…the Sword.

Ask yourself, how important is Scripture in your life?

If prayer is communion with God, how disciplined are you to be thinking and acting like Jesus…how often do you allow God to speak to you through his word?

One of the reasons it is hard for you to commune with the Lord in prayer continuously is because you’ve not disciplined yourself to listen to the Lord from his Word.

For God’s people to win the battles against the evil schemes of our enemy, it takes the discipline of God’s people to know His Word and to be in constant communication with the Commander.

Now, the next two truths highlight just how important continual prayer for one another is.

The 2nd truth is that...

Prayer protects one another

As we’ve already seen, the command to pray in the Spirit at all times is in the context of spiritual warfare.

The verb in this section can actually be traced back to verse 14. The verb is “Stand firm.”

But in v.18 there is no independent verb. Rather, there is a participle that modifies an earlier verb. And that earlier verb is at the beginning of v.14. The verb is “Stand firm.”

“stand firm” is the controlling verb all the way through v.18.

So the main point is, Stand firm, and vv.14–18, explain how.

Stand firm by putting on the whole armor of God…not just one piece of the armor, the whole armor…take up the sword of the Spirit — offensive weapon, the Word of God and then stand firm by praying at all times in the Spirit...

Stand firm by putting on the breastplate of righteousness

Stand firm by taking up the shield of faith

Stand firm by taking the helmet of salvation

Stand firm by the sword of the Spirit

And Stand firm by praying at all times in the Spirit...

The armor of God is meant to protect you from the all the things forces Paul mentions in verse 12...so prayer is to be viewed as protection as well.

But even more than viewing prayer as “in addition” to the armor of God, or viewing it as a separate piece of the armor of God, by Paul drops the “armor” metaphor when he gets to prayer, he emphasizes how the ENTIRE armor of God is empowered by prayer.

v.10 – commands us to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” How do we do that? V.11 says by, “putting on the full armor of God...”

In WWII, one of the major crisis that Germany ran into later in the war was not having enough fuel to supply their tanks and transports, especially as their war front was expanding. They had quite the arsenal, but apart from the power of fuel it was going to be absolutely useless to them.

But in WWII, one of the major crisis that Germany ran into later in the war was not having enough fuel to supply their tanks and transports, especially as their war front was expanding.

The same is in view here. We cannot pick up the armor of God and then believe we can make it on our own. We can’t have the belt of truth, and the breastplate of righteousness and the sword of the Spirit and so forth, and then march off into battle without prayer empowering us every step of the way.

- They had quite the arsenal, but apart from the power of fuel it was going to be absolutely useless to them.

The same is in view here. We cannot pick up the armor of God and then believe we can make it on our own.

- We can’t have the belt of truth, and the breastplate of righteousness and the sword of the Spirit and so forth, and then march off into battle without prayer empowering us every step of the way.

v.10 – commands us to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” How do we do that? V.11 says by, “putting on the full armor of God...”

Well, how do we put on the full armor of God?

The answer is through dependent prayer and petition and praying at all times in the Spirit for all the saints...

Now, we are commanded here to pray for all the saints, and because the main verb is to stand firm, and this is a context of spiritual warfare, part of our view in praying for one another has to be seen as praying for the protection of others.

And the implication of this text is that our prayers play a genuine difference in the lives of others, whether they know I prayed for them or not. And in a very real way...

Our prayers allow us to minister to others far beyond our monetary limitations, our geographical limitations, and beyond our time limitations.

You don’t have to go oversees to minister to the saints, you can minister to saints far away through your continually praying for them...

You don’t have to know the person or the exact details of their struggle in order to minister to them, you can pray for them and God hears your prayers and works through them...

Prayer in Paul’s view, and in the view of this text is not a secondary way of ministering to others. It is a primary and crucial way to minister effectively to others.

- And I am convinced that there is a lot of trouble that I avoided and was rescued from, simply because of the faithful prayers of my parents.

Prayer in Paul’s view, and in the view of this text is not a secondary way of ministering to others. It is a primary and crucial way to minister effectively to others.

Remember that this discussion of spiritual warfare falls at the conclusion to the section of Ephesians that is all about “walking in a manner that is worthy of the gospel.”

Chapters 4–6 all have to do with that main topic, of walking worthy of the gospel.

So the reason that Paul would finish with a discussion on spiritual warfare, is to help his readers understand that there is real opposition and danger that can keep and wants to keep you from walking in a manner that is worthy of the gospel.

And so when we think through prayer as protection one of the main attacks we need to be protected from is “lies.”

One of the main attacks we need to be protected from is “lies.”

Prayer protects us from deception!

Ephesians 4:22 NASB95

that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,

Unbelievers are not the only ones who believe lies! One of the ways Satan can get believers to walk in a manner that is contrary to the gospel is to fill their head and heart with lies that feed into the corrupted nature of our old self.

- If we’re going to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel, we have to put off our old life. We can no longer live the same way we did before we received salvation in Christ Jesus.

If we’re going to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel, we have to put off our old life... we have to stop listening to the lies of the “Schemer” who will do everything he can to feed those selfish desires that stand in opposition to your new life in Christ....So we have to be fully engaged in the process of putting off unrighteousness, changing our thinking to line up more and more with the revealed Word of God, and put on the righteousness of Christ...

If our thinking and behavior does not line up with what is true about our Savior, then we have listened to the lies and are not walking worthy of Christ.

But notice that our old self is corrupted in accordance with the lust of deceit...Our old self—the actions, words, motivations, and thoughts were all driven by deceitful desires!

Our old self—the actions, words, motivations, and thoughts were all driven by deceitful desires!

We need to pray for all the saints that they would see the deceitful desires and lusts of their old self and put them away from good…see if Satan can keep us from living in our new nature then others will see our lives and conclude there is no point in giving my life to Christ....

One of the ways Satan attempts to deceive us is into thinking that holiness and righteousness is a waste of time!

“You’ve got too much going on in your life right now that you don’t have the time or the resources to dedicate yourself to God”…you’re saved so your safe…God will understand…if I tithe I won’t be able to pay my bills…No one there notices when I am not there...By the time Sunday rolls around I…these and many more excuses are part of Satan’s scheming to deceive you...

Ephesians 5:6 NASB95

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

- Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

Being deceived is a real danger and it takes the prayer of God’s people for one another along with the conviction of the Holy Spirit for us to recognize that deception.

There again, we see that being deceived is a real danger. And deception is danger because it’s often times not obvious...a good lie (if that’s even a phrase that I’m allowed to use in church...) is a lie that is believable.

Deception is danger because it’s so often hard to detect...a good lie (if that’s even a phrase that I’m allowed to use in church...) is a lie that is believable.

Pray that all of God’s people are able to discern truth from error in their own lives and how to recognize it from others!

Martin Luther, the famous reformer, is known for his bold stand at the Diet of Worms and his strong faith in God that led him to stand up to the infamously large enemy of the papacy and the Catholic church.

But what is maybe not as well known, is the struggles that he had with doubts at times. And in his writings he indicated

...that even when we don’t have faith, the faith of our friends and family can be enough. [His point] is that his friends’ prayers sustained him when he could not sustain himself.[5]

That I believe is an implication of this text. Prayer for others is sometimes enough for God to protect them, even though they are not choosing to put on the armor of God through praying in the Spirit themselves.

Another danger that we see in Ephesians that we need protection from is division.

Prayer protects us from division!

In the beginning of , unity is a huge theme.

Paul wants us to walk worthy of the gospel which means walking in humility and gentleness, having patience and bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

If unity is involved in walking worthy of the gospel...then it makes sense that our adversary would want to destroy unity. He would want to create hostility. He want us to live in where there is bitterness, wrath, anger clamor, slander and malice.

And because we all our sinners, it is pretty easy to find things to be bitter towards someone else about...Or it’s pretty easy to find something about someone to slander them about...

- Or it’s pretty easy to find something about someone to slander them about...

We encounter things every day, that if we’re not continuously in prayer, and alert with all perseverance, we could easily fall.

So my encouragement to us as a church is that we view praying for one another as absolutely essential to helping everyone be ready to stand against the schemes of the devil, to recognize the deceitful desires and words, and fight against division.

Just imagine for a moment that you’re in the army and you’re on the front lines. You’ve just camped over night knowing that in the morning you’ll be marching into a battle. Do you, view getting ready for battle as simply an individual endeavor? Meaning, do you get ready for battle and as soon as you’re ready, even if no one else is, think, “Well, I can’t worry about them I have a battle to get to!” Of course not! If you are part of the army and want to fight the battle by yourself, that’s going to be a serious problem.

- Meaning, do you get ready for battle and as soon as you’re ready, even if no one else is, think, “Well, I can’t worry about them I have a battle to get to!”

- Of course not! If you a bunch of your army is armed and ready to go, then that’s going to be a serious problem.

So my encouragement to us as a church is that we view praying for one another as absolutely essential to helping everyone be ready to stand against the schemes of the devil, deceitful desires and words, and against division.

Truth #1 — Prayer should be continuous

Truth #2 — Prayer is crucial for protection

Truth #3 —

Our third truth is this...

Prayer energizes one another (v.19)

Most of the armor of God is defensive and protective in nature. But the sword of the Spirit is a weapon for attacking and advancing the Kingdom.

So just as prayer is essential for the armor of God which is to help us stand against the attacks of the enemy, so prayer is essential for us to defeat our enemy and be found standing in victory over him.

Prayer is the power that energies the armor…it is the power that energizes the use of the sword…it is the power that energizes us

Prayer energizes us for evangelism

Paul, knows that he is an “ambassador” for Christ. He views his imprisonment as a ministry assignment. An assignment, which God sent him on.

That’s what an ambassador is. It’s a person that goes on behalf of another person or nation to do the business of the person sending them.

So Paul is viewing his imprisonment as an opportunity to do the work of the Lord. And the work of the Lord is advancing the Kingdom of Christ through the bold proclamation of the gospel.

The greatest evangelist of all time recognizes that he needs to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might to do something he was already doing with a high level of success.

The greatest evangelist of all time recognizes that he needs to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might to do something he was already doing with a high level of success

And yet, Paul recognizes that he needs to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might...

Paul never viewed evangelism as something that could ever be accomplished apart from the empowering of the Spirit...he requests that they pray for him, that he would be energized in order to boldly proclaim the gospel.

Paul never viewed evangelism as something that could ever be accomplished apart from the empowering of the Spirit.

In , he makes it clear that the message of the gospel is foolishness to those that are perishing.

- And as a result, he didn’t go to the Corinthians hoping to win people to Christ because of his power of persuasion or “lofty speech and wisdom.”

- Rather, he said he came in “weakness” and that his proclamation wasn’t in great words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

The point, is that Paul never viewed evangelism as something that could ever be accomplished apart from the empowering of the Spirit.

So as a result, he requests that they pray for him, that he would be energized in order to boldly proclaim the gospel.

Paul recognizes the importance of togetherness…He was not a lone ranger…He knew he needed God’s help and he knew he needed the prayers of God’s people to accomplish the tasks set before him...

All throughout this letter he has emphasized the important role that the entire body plays in strengthening one another, and helping one another grow and become more like Christ.

So here, while he is alone in prison, away from the body of believers, he still recognizes the importance of the prayers of the saints for him in energizing him for what God has called him to do.

Do you value the prayers of other people on your behalf?

Do you value them enough to actually let others know how to pray for you?

Do we humbly see that we are in need of help, or do we view ourselves as the strong ones that don’t need the help of others?

But do we humbly see that we are in need of help, or do we view ourselves as the strong ones that don’t need the help of others?

This is an area that I ask you to pray for me…I struggle to make myself vulnerable to people thinking I can’t let them see my weaknesses, I can’t open that can of worms that communicates I don’t have it all together all the time…as I was preparing this message, this was a very convicting point to me.

I mean, Paul is asking for prayer to do what he knows he needs to do, and what he knows how to do! So I ask you to pray over me!

That I would be bold in my proclamation of the truth…and that I would continue to grow in this position of being your pastor...

As I was putting this message together, I received multiple texts from some of you that you were praying for me and my family!

I know, as I was preparing this message, this was a very convicting point to me. I mean, Paul is asking for prayer to do what he knows he needs to do, and what he knows how to do!

If this church is going to grow the way God intends it to grow, then all of us have to be committed to praying for one another.

Because as says, “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”

Psalm 127:1 NASB95

Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain.

o It’s true that Faith has been doing this conference for decades...

o It’s true that the BCTC has been the largest Biblical Counseling conference in the world...

Friends, if we don’t bathe what the Lord has commanded us to do in prayer, then we could be running into battle without the blessing and strength of the Lord.

o It’s true that much of the conference is like a well-oiled machine...

- But, even though in some sense “we know what we’re doing, and we’ve done it before,” Pastor Viars has continued to lead us to humbly pray and ask for the Lord to strengthen what we are doing.

Because as says, “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”

- Friends, if we don’t bathe what we’re the Lord has commanded us to do in prayer, then we could be running into battle without the blessing and strength of the Lord.

If our approach to ministry, regardless of what we bring to the table, is simply “we’ve always done it this way” and we get comfortable thinking we’ve got this, and we don’t continually and humbly ask the Lord to strengthen and empower us, then we could do a lot of hard work and labor for nothing.

Prayer energizes us to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel

Everything that Paul says in the last 3 chapters of Ephesians can be viewed through the lens of walking worthy of the gospel...

- Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,

Everything that Paul says in the last 3 chapters of Ephesians can be viewed through the lens of walking worthy of the gospel...

And so the armor of God needs to be seen as essential for walking in a manner worthy of the gospel, and therefore, prayer must be seen as absolutely essential to energizing us for walking in a worthy manner of the gospel.

Walking worthy of the gospel means we are progressively learning how to putt of unrighteousness, change our thinking to be more biblical and to put on the righteousness of Christ…living in your new nature versus feeding into your old nature…we cannot do that without God’s help...

Continual prayer is essential for progressive sanctification.

We are putting on gentleness and putting off abrasiveness...

We are putting on patience and putting off irritability...

We are putting on unity and putting off division and discord...

In other words, it means prayer energizes us to put off sin and to put on righteousness. Continual prayer is essential for progressive sanctification.

Evaluate how you pray for others.

So I’d encourage you, evaluate how you pray for others. Do you pray in such a way that they would be protected and just not fall into sin? Or do you also pray that they would progress and become more and more like Christ.

Do you pray in such a way that they would be protected and just not fall into sin? Or do you also pray that they would progress and become more and more like Christ.

If we are to pray in the Spirit at all times, and the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit, then that means that we are going to need to know God’s Word in order to use it.…get into the habit of praying the Scriptures for yourself and others...

So I’d encourage you to couple your prayer with your daily study of Scripture…get into the habit of praying the Scriptures for yourself and others...

— confession…pray that God’s people would open their eyes to sin and be quick to confess instead of cover them.

— remember the benefits of the Lord…pray that God’s people would easily see the many benefits they have in God and be moved to praise Him.

— specific examples of righteous thinking and behavior…pray that God’s people would be putting on righteousness and putting off unrighteousness

In closing...

Praying for one another becomes that powerful connection to God and each other because it connects us to the protection of God and the brotherhood of His people as soldiers fighting the same spiritual war.

- Or if you’re in a psalm like , that encourages us not to forget all the benefits of the Lord...then I’d encourage you to pray for all the saints that they would have their eyes opened to the many, many benefits of God and that they’d be moved to praise him and thank him.

Scripture is the weapon that we are given that is empowered by prayer in the Spirit. So prayer the Scriptures for yourself and for your brothers and sisters in Christ, so that they may be armed to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel.

George Mueller, who lived in England and lived in the 1800’s, is well known for his remarkable dependence on God through prayer. His work in founding orphanages is what many people know him for. And in some of his autobiographical writings he described, “that he was particularly concerned to meditate on Scripture as a means of warming his heart and leading it into prayer.”[1]

You see, Scripture is the weapon that we are given that is empowered by prayer in the Spirit. So prayer the Scriptures for yourself and for your brothers and sisters in Christ, so that they may be armed to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel.

To close, I want to think about the power of prayer...

What we’ve already seen and discussed up to this point, should make it clear to us that prayer really is powerful.

Prayer connects us to the power of God to protect us and our brothers and sisters in Christ from the fierce attacks of the evil one and our flesh.

Prayer also connects us to the power of God to help us advance the kingdom of God through evangelism and through the progressive sanctification of God’s people.

But I want to leave you with a couple examples in Scripture to highlight the power of prayer, just so that you leave here with a clear conviction that prayer isn’t just a good thing...it is foundational to everything we do as believers.

Luke 22:31 NASB95

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;

Luke 22:31–32 NASB95

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

Now if Jesus said he specifically prayed for you by name, and that Satan as specifically asked for you to sift you like wheat, a really good response would be to pray yourself that God would strengthen you...

In , we see a place where Jesus tells Peter that he prayed for him specifically.

In v.31 it says, “Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again strengthen your brothers.”

- Now if Jesus said he specifically prayed for you by name, and that Satan as specifically asked for you to sift you like wheat, a really good response would be to pray yourself that God would strengthen you...

But instead of that, “Peter said to him ‘Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.’” But “Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny me three times.”

And that is exactly what happened. Peter denied Christ three times before the rooster crowed. But Jesus’ prayer that his faith would not fail was answered, because Peter’s significant failure of denying Christ, didn’t result in him never recovering. Instead, the prayer of Jesus himself turned out to protect Peter spiraling downward after denying Jesus.

We know from the gospel of Mark, that Jesus predicted Peter’s denial and all the disciples fleeing Christ while they were all together.

What if, instead of asserting their commitment and strength to follow Jesus even to death, they had instead turned in prayer asking to be strengthened, and protected for what was going to come?

If you think about later that night, when Jesus is praying in the Garden of Gethsemene, before Judas betrays him...

He asked his disciples to watch with him...to be alert with him in prayer. That sounds a lot like what Paul says in v.18 of – “be alert!”

But rather than watching and being alert they were asleep.

How might the story have been different if instead they were watchful in prayer for one another?

Prayer really is powerful. And this gives a powerful picture of the dangers that can befall us, when we are not alert and persevering continually in prayer. Our enemy is persistent, and continual in his attacks? So we must be persistent and continual in our prayer for help.

So my encouragement to one another, is to not be like the disciples in the garden...don’t be SLEEPING on your brothers and sisters in Christ who need your continual prayers for protection and arming.

Likewise, let’s make sure we aren’t continually in the news, or in the newest and latest technology, let’s make sure that we are continually in prayer.

Here’s a quote from George Mueller that I’d like to leave you with: It says,

“This I most firmly believe, that no one ought to expect to see much good from his labors in word and doctrine if he is not given to much prayer and meditation.”

- Friends, he’s right. God’s power is available to us! But don’t expect to see it if we’re not going to be faithful to give ourselves to much prayer and meditation.

So in our ministry to one another, let’s make sure that prayer is applied lavishly to all of it.

Let’s pray.

[1] Keller, Prayer, 243.

[2] John MacArthur, Ephesians MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 8th Printing edition. (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1986), 380.

[3] Clinton E. Arnold, Ephesians (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 463.

[4] Arnold, Ephesians, 474.

[5] Eric Metaxas, Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World (New York: Viking, 2017), 383.

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