Lead Us to Pray
How has God called each of us as Christians and men of God… to fulfill the great commission, to make disciples of all nations, and to serve others by serving them the bread of life? According to 2 Corinthians 5, God has given us the ministry of reconciliation: to connect God’s people back to him. To do this he has committed unto us the Word of reconciliation, the truth of scripture, God’s message of deliverance by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
The world teaches us what it means to be a leader, but how does God define his leaders? EM Bounds said, “Praying men are God’s chosen leaders whom God has brought to lead his people to Christ, sanctified according to to his purpose. He has called them to be men of prayer.” 2 Corinthians 5 says, therefore we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. To whatever position he’s placed us in the body of Christ, he has called us first to be men of prayer. God calls his ministers to lead and to bless his church which is his called-out, his elect and chosen.
Godly leaders are different from worldly leaders. The world chooses leaders according to worldly credentials. However, leading in the church requires men who having walked in fellowship with their Lord, live to do their master’s will. The church is not an organization but rather a organism. The church is the elect of God, the called-out living body of Christ.
The false church that looks for better methods to pursue worldly success. However, God does not look for better methods. He looks for better men….men mighty in prayer. In Jesus’ day, the Romans ruled over their empire with an iron hand. When Jesus broke upon the scene, the people realized that he was different from their oppressive worldly rulers. They wanted to make Jesus their earthly king. However, Jesus said, That’s not why I’m here. They asked him, “Jesus, what’s your plan?” He pointed to some lowly uneducated fishermen and a despised tax collector. He said, “those men over there, they’re the plan.” God chooses the lowly things of the world to confound the wise.
Those who spend time in the Lord’s presence are the ones whom God has chosen to lead his church. A pastor and a godly man must spend time in close proximity with his Lord. Jesus didn’t say to his disciples, “do what I say.” Rather he said, “follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” He said, if you abide in me and my word abides in you ye shall bear much fruit. He said, I am the vine and ye are the branches. Therefore abide in me. A fruitful life is the result of abiding with and within the living vine.
God asks each person he’s called, “what is it that you want? What do you desire most? What is the object of your delight?” The world thinks that prayer is telling God what we want. However, the Bible says that this is the opposite of prayer. Prayer is not telling God what we want. Instead prayer is telling our heart what God wants. Prayer is not aligning God’s heart with my heart, but rather, aligning my heart with God’s heart. This is the meaning of Psalm 37:4, “Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”
The next question he asks is, “what’s that worth to you? What are you willing to sacrifice to achieve what you value most?” The world tells us that sacrifice is something that we give up and that in giving it up, we’re poorer. However, from God’s perspective, only when we give up the things of this world can he fill us with the things of highest value, the things of the spirit of life in Christ.
Prayer is the key to abiding in Him. When we live live life rejoicing in the Lord together with our brothers and sisters in the household of faith, our prayer will be an outpouring of praise and thanksgiving. Prayer and praise is the product of a thankful heart. Our prayer will glorify God and encourage and edify one another within the body of Christ.
The Navigators Colossians 2:7 program leads small groups through a discipleship training program. Pete recalls that when he was a novice assistant pastor, an elder in his church asked him to lead a small group to go through this basic Christian training program. The first sessions began with the most fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. As a young pastor, Pete didn’t think he was qualified to lead the elders whom he admired as seasoned men of God. However, one elder encouraged him, “never apologize for reminding us about the foundations of our faith.”
Men and women of God see life through the lens of Jesus Christ and him crucified. 1 Peter 4:16-17 says, “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?”
God expects men of God to be salt and light in a world that has lost its salt of truth and has turned to darkness. He’s called true disciples to be counter cultural to the culture of this World. To follow him we must love him more than the things of the world. After Jesus had trained his disciples and after his resurrection, Jesus asked Peter, “do you love me?” Is he the object of your affection? The question is “do you want to spend the rest of your life learning to become just like him?” The cost of following him is to turn from the things of the world. The first of the Ten Commandments says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” In other words, “there shall be nothing between my face and your face.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “But we all with open face beholding as in a glass (mirror) the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory (of the flesh) to glory (of the spirit), even as by the spirit of the Lord.”
Jesus said, “in this world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Our comfort is not in the comfort of this world. Our comfort is in the comfort of Holy Spirit. The job of the Holy Spirit is to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.
Jesus calls us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. 2 Timothy 5 is about suffering. Through the trials and affliction, through the tribulation and pressure of this world, we will learn to trust our souls to the captain of salvation.
When a man is faithful he shall receive a crown that fadeth not away. Our confidence is not in the insecure things of this world. The only security is in the rock of our salvation. Only Jesus Christ is the sure foundation. He alone is our refuge and strength.
He alone is worthy of our prayer and praise. Therefore may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable unto thee, O Lord my strength and my redeemer.
That we may live a life of prayer, a sweet smelling savor…. to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
MIchael
