Jesus sets us a great example of praying for the church. It’s easy to
moan or worry; but with the same amount of energy one could choose to love the
church by praying for her and actually see transformation.
John 17:9 “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have
given me, for they are yours.”
Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer”.
This prayer in chapter 17 runs a course that
is good for all of us to follow. He starts by focusing on God, then on
Christians and then on those currently outside who need salvation.
Jesus loved and prayed for us; how are we
doing at loving and praying for God’s church? They have been chosen and
purchased by Jesus’ blood. God will give us His heart for His people as we pray
for them.
What do I do if I don’t feel love toward the church?
There are times when we don’t feel like we
want to pray for the church. Maybe we’ve been hurt or just become bored. I
found this quote by C. S. Lewis helpful in this regard.
‘It would be quite wrong to
think that the way to become "loving" is to sit trying to manufacture
affectionate feelings… The rule for us all is perfectly simple. Do
not waste time bothering whether you "love" your neighbor; act as if
you did. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come
to love them'. (C. S. Lewis, Mere
Christianity)
The church, this
side of heaven, will never be perfect; but she is loved by God! She is the
bride of Christ. Bought at the expense of Jesus’ life. Let’s be inspired to
imitate Jesus as He prayed for His church, let’s make it a daily habit to ask
for God’s grace on our leaders, our plans, our mission, our needs…
You can catch up on all the messages in the
John series at:
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