Ekklesia and Prayer

Introduction

Good Morning Church and welcome back to our study on the early Church called Ekklesia: The Unstoppable Movement of God.

Last week we looked at Acts 16 where Paul is introduced to a young man named Timothy. We learned how Paul’s approach to disciple-making was much different than what we often see today. It was more of an “on-the-job” and personal “life on life” kind of experience than it was anything resembling a cold classroom setting with fill in the blank notes.

And we see this wonderfully displayed in how Paul discipled Timothy. First, Paul recognized how Timothy had this beautiful legacy faith, instilled in him by his mother and grandmother. But he wasn’t counting on a generational faith to save him, his faith had become his own. God has children, he does not have grandchildren. Our parent’s faith does not save us, we have to live out of our own faith in Jesus Christ.

And Timothy was doing this. In fact, he was doing this so well that the text says that he was “well spoken of by the brothers” not just in his own city but in the next town over as well. Seeing this, Paul chose to invest in this promising young man and so he invited him to join him in ministry.

And throughout the rest of the New Testament we read of Timothy’s involvement in ministry with Paul through the many letters that Paul wrote to the churches later in his life. Often times Paul sends Timothy’s greetings to the Churches along with his own because he is still with him in ministry and because Timothy knew these local Ekklesia’s because he was there with Paul when he visited or planted these Churches.

Of course there are at least two letters that were not written with Timothy, because they were written to Timothy. I am speaking of 1st and 2nd Timothy. Sometime after being released from his first stint in the Roman prison, Paul sent Timothy to the city of Ephesus to encourage and put in order the Church there. Paul tells us so in 1 Timothy 3:14-15

1 Timothy 3:14–15 (ESV)

14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.

This is why Paul wrote these books, they were instructions for the young pastor Timothy to know how the “Church” of the living God - the Ekklesia of the living God - should operate. This of course makes them very useful for us as we seek to know how the early Church operated in order to align ourselves in the same direction.

Tension

And just like much of what we have seen already in the early Church, the Ephesian Church that Timothy was pastoring had it’s battles against opposition from the outside and corruption from with in. In fact, after the initial greeting of Paul to Timothy his “true child in the faith” Paul says

1 Timothy 1:3–5 (ESV)

3 As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, 4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. 5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

And then for the rest of Chapter 1 Paul continues to talk about false teaching and how for the health and well being of the Church, Timothy needed to stand up against these false teaching. Not out of pride or an argumentative spirit but because he loved them and wanted them to walk in the truth. Anythign else would bring them misery and separation from a right relationship with God.

So chapter 1 is all about making sure something leaves the Church, falst teaching, then in Chapter two Paul goes into what needs to stay. That is essential and most important. After ridding the Ekklesia of those things that must not be there then you have to lead forward in what must be there.

That sounds like something worth exploring doesn’t it? If we ever wondered where we get out ideas about what a Church can or must be these letters to Timothy are a good place to start. This morning we are going to look at what Paul said is first and of utmost importance for the Ekklesia.

Do you think you know what he said was most important for a Church?

I’ll give you a clue through the process of elimination. We will be continuing in 1 and 2 Timothy over the next three weeks and in order we are going to talk about leadership, the role of the Bible and the role of Teaching and Preaching. So what does leave for the most important aspect of the Church?

To find out, open up your Bibles with me to 1 Timothy chapter 2, it’s on page 991 in the Bibles in the chairs and I want to encourage you to turn there with me. Let’s pray and then we discover this most important aspect of the Church together...

Truth

First and foremost Paul tells Timothy that...

1. The Ekklesia is called to minister together through prayer for all people. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

1 Timothy 2:1 (ESV)

1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,

When Paul says “first of all” he isn’t just beginning a long list of things of equal importance. This phrase means “Of first importance”. The most important thing Paul wants Timothy to know about what must be a part of Church when they gather is to make sure that we prioritize meeting with God in prayer.

Let me ask you something...If someone was to come up to you and ask you very genuinely what is it that you do when you go to Church, how would you answer? I would venture to guess that most of us would say that we sing songs and listen to teaching from Bible. And those are two things that are prominant aspects of our gatherings…but how many of us would include that we come together to pray?

Of course we do pray together every week so that if they had asked, “Do you ever pray” we would say “of course” but I just don’t know that prayer would be one of the first things that comes to our minds when describing what it is that we do here each week.

Sometimes I feel like our prayer time together is seen like more of a transition or preparation time then being one of the ministries of our morning…and yet Paul tells Timothy that this ministry is “of first importance”.

And there are several words mentioned here all having to do with prayer, so lets take a look at them together.

The easiest one to understand is the general word for Prayer. This is the general sense of communicating with God. This is the Greek Word προσευχή (proseuche…pro-seck-hey) and the word that Jesus used when he said that “My house shall be called a house of prayer.” (Matt 21:13)

Each of the other words also hold a sense of “prayer”, they just seem to be prayers aimed in specific directions.

Supplication, Greek Word: δέησις (deesis) which is a prayer where you ask God to meet one or more of your needs, asking him to “supply” one of our needs.

Intercession - Greek Word: ἔντευξις (entek-sees) which is a prayer asking God to meet the needs of others, to interceen on their behalf.

Thanksgiving - Greek Word: εὐχαριστία (eucharistia) which is thanksgiving and it is where the word “Eucharist” comes from, in that sense it is specifically about giving thanks for the gift of salvation that we have been given through the body and blood of Jesus Christ. While we don’t call it the “eucharist” here, later in the service, we will giving thanks in this way through communion.

So there is a variety of ways to minister through prayer when the Ekklesia gathers together. It is of first importance, and it is expressed in many different ways and it needs to be for “all” people.

“All” is a pretty broad category and Paul gives us an extreme example of just how far this category of “all” reaches.

1 Timothy 2:1–2 (ESV)

1 First of all, then, I urge that [these many different kinds of prayers] be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

In line with our Biblical Citizenship series on Wednesday Night, this verse urges us to pray for the many different governing authorities in our lives. From the local school board all way up to the Oval Office we should be praying for our governing authorities. Even if we don’t agree with them, I could argue - especially if we don’t agree with them.

And I don’t think Paul meant something like, “Oh I’ll pray for them alright, pray that a rock falls from the sky and...” No I don’t think that is where Paul is going, but that could have been a sentiment that TImothy and the Church in Ephesus shared with us.

You see Ephesus was the 4th most significant city in the Roman Empire. It went Rome, of course, then Alexandria, Antioch in Syria - Paul’s home base, and then here in the Roman city of Ephesus. So Timothy was in an influential Roman city that would have been a focal point for “kings and all who are in high positions” and the highest King of the Roman Empire was the Emperor and the Emperor at this point was none other than Nero.

Do you remember when we talked about Nero? Nero hated Christians because behind closed doors he would engage unspeakable practices of immorality and when these things we made known to the public, Christians were some of the only people brave enough to speak up and condemn His atrocities as unacceptable. This was costly for the Christians, but it is what we do. It is what we still need to be doing. Praying for them does not mean that we don’t stand up against their wrong doing.

And Nero was a special kind of nasty. He was so deplorable that he kept trying over and over again to kill his own mother because he was jealous of her influence in the Empire. She was the only reason that he became emperor at 16 years old and then he wanted her dead. After several failed attempts at having her killed in a way that looked like an accident, he finally he just declared his mom an enemy of the state and had her officially executed. That is a special kind of messed up.

And one of the other highlights of his low life, was when the Senate wouldn’t allow him to confiscate their families lands and homes so that he could “remake Rome in his own image” he had his men start uncontrollable fires all around the city and burned half the city to the ground. It has become something of a legend how he was reported to have gleefully played his fiddle as he watched Rome burn.

Then when the Senators complained, guess who he blamed for it? The Christians that he hated so much. So he subsequently chased them down and publically abused and executed them in some of most inhumane ways imaginable.

Now…with that bit of disturbing historical context in mind, let’s look at Paul’s command again. Pray for “all people, for kings and all who are in high positions” Certainly he can’t mean…He does. He swings the net that far.

Now I don’t know who that person might be for you? The one that you would say, “Certainly God would not ask me to pray for....” (Government, family, colleaque, teacher) but if Paul can tell Timothy that the ministry of the Church needs to include praying for “all people” even for the likes of Nero - then that gives a whole new spectrum to the word “all”.

Who ever it is - you can and we should be praying for them.

We may ask, but why God? Why would we need to pray for that man or that woman..well Paul tells us right there, let’s look back at it: “That we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way”

This brings us to our second theme which is...

2. The Ekklesia prays for all people, because Jesus is the only hope for peace. (1 Timothy 2:3-6).

1 Timothy 2:3–6 (ESV)

3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

I am not sure which is more bold. For Paul to tell Timothy that the Church must be praying for “all” people even evil Kings like Nero or the fact that he seems to believe that those prayers will make a difference. Prayers like this are pleasing to the Lord because he desires all people to come to the knowledge of the truth…to be saved. There is no one outside of the reach of the salvation of Jesus Christ.

The word “saved” has such a - Churchy - ring to it that it may be helpful to remind ourselves of what that even means. It means to be rescued. Like a knight storming the castle to rescue his fair maiden. He is going in there to face the dragon in order to save her from a life destined toward misery and certain death. She was captured and now she needs a rescuer. She needs a savior.

In our sin, Satan has captured us and we need saving and there is only one person who has what is required to rescue us. He is the only one who can stand in the gap between us and the destiny of misery and death that our sin has bought for us. There is only one who can pay the price needed, to pay the ransom required to buy us back from the dragon of the Kingdom of darkness into the fellowship of the Kingdom of God.

I came across a passage this past week that keeps laying into me at every turn. I just can’t seem to shake it as I see our calling for our day and time laid out so clear in it. I challenge you to consider it with me, but I warn you, it may cast a dark shadow on how you have approached your calling up to this point.

2 Timothy 2:24–26 (ESV)

24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

I don’t know about you, but this has cast a long shadow on many of the ways that I have handled those that I would say are my “opponents”. It softens my heart to consider the fact that they have been “captured” by the dragon. And I am not the knight to rescue them. No, I am the guy who used to reside in the cell next to them, but I have been set free. Jesus is my rescuer and God has granted me the repentance that leads to a knowledge of the truth.

And I believe that spending time praying for even for our worst opponents, will bring us closer to this posture. To be kind and not quarrelsome. That doesn’t mean we respond passively to everything. We may need to have quarrels we may need to stand up against what our “opponents” are proposing or practicing...Jesus did. But being quarrelsome is needlesly making things worse by pouring gas on the fire. Instead, we are called to patiently endure evil, not return evil for evil, but then correct with gentleness and teach them how Jesus is better than anything else they are trusting in for their peace.

This doesn’t guarantee a positive response from them, but it does please the Lord.

1. The Ekklesia is called to minister together through prayer for all people...because Jesus is our only hope for peace. And lastely...

3. The Ekklesia is to proclaim the truth of the gospel and pray that people respond in faith (1 Timothy 2:7-10)

1 Timothy 2:7–10 (ESV)

7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Ever since Paul’s experience with the risen Lord Jesus Christ, Paul had a one track mind when it comes to ministry. He was called to preach the good news of the Gospel, and specifically he was sent to preach to some of the people that the Jews would never even pray for…the Gentiles. That is why Paul is telling Timothy that the Church in Ephesus needs to be praying for “all” people to come to a saving knowledge of the truth.

But already here in the early Church Paul is recognizing that the Church can get off track from our mission to proclaim the good news of the Gospel and to pray that “all” people respond in faith.

1 Timothy 2:8–10 (ESV)

8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; 9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.

Jewish men were used to gatherings in the synagogue that were riddled with theological debates and arguments over every little aspect of the law. The ceremonial aspects were done peacefully and reverently, but then when the pleasantries were over... it was often a tension filled yell-fest.

Paul is saying that the Christian Church is not be like this. Instead after the Scripture reading and reflecting, they were to submit their cares and concerns to the Lord in prayer - not at one another in war.

Where we could say that the men were causing distractions with their desire for arguments, here we see the women causing distractions with their desire for attention.

The goal for these women was to come into the gathering dressed in such a way that people would pay just as much, if not more, attention to the way they were dressed then anything else they were gathered together to do. Which again was for meeting with God in prayer and worship.

Obviously there are some contextual aspects of these verses as many of the things that were attention-getters back then would not really work for women today. But the principle remains the same - do we come into this place to draw attention to ourselves or to give our attention to the Lord in prayer? Paul says that the latter is what is of first importance for the Christian Church.

1. The Ekklesia is called together to minister through prayer for all people. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

2. The Ekklesia prays for all people because Jesus is our only hope for peace. (1 Timothy 2:3-6).

3. The Ekklesia is to proclaim the truth of the gospel and pray that people respond in faith (1 Timothy 2:7)

Gospel Application

Maintaining an active prayer life is something that many of us struggle with, but when we come together as a Church it should be something of the air that we breathe. And I am not necessarily suggesting that we implement some new “prayer” element to our weekly services. I am more invested in the idea that we consider our prayer times as more than just transitional. That we remember that in every different form of prayer it is coming before our Creator God in the name of our Savior Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I am asking us to re posture ourselves each week in such a way that we don’t “pray our way” into ministry but consider our prayer time as one of the most important ministries that we do here each week. Especially as we pray for those that are hard to pray for, knowing that God’s working in their life could make a world of difference if we just had the faith to see that even they can be saved.

Of course, the sad reality is even with our prayers we know that not all people will be saved, only that it is accessible to all people.

Philip Graham Ryken once wisely said:

“On the one hand, Christianity is the most exclusive religion imaginable. It insists that belief in Jesus Christ is absolutely necessary for salvation. Jesus is the only way. You must go to Him to get eternal life. On the other hand, Christianity is the most inclusive religion possible because it makes salvation accessible to everyone.”

Landing

The prayer life of the Ekklesia should involve different types of prayer for a wide variety of people. I don’t know why, but God chooses to work through our prayers to draw people to Himself so they might have a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. This reality should influence how we come together to pray, because it not only changes people’s lives, but we do it... that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

With all that in mind, Let’s stop and pray.

“Continue in an attitude of prayer.”

Communion.