The Daily Fountain Daily Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 12 February 2020 – Building Up The Saints Through Prayer
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TOPIC: Building Up The Saints Through Prayer
READ: EPHESIANS 3:14-21 (NKJV)
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what [is] the width and length and depth and height
19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
21 to Him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
THE MESSAGE:
The ministry of the word and prayer was well-recognized by the early disciples as being vital tools in nurturing the newly founded Christian assembly (Acts 2:42). As evident in most of Paul’s epistles, he was genuinely interested in the establishment and building up of the saints also. Instructions through writing and sincere compassionate prayers were very prominent in his letters (Romans 1:9; Ephesians 1:16; Philippians 1:4). Prayer is a responsibility that every believer must take seriously. Jesus showed this example also in His ministry, for not only did He pray but also taught the disciples to pray. This shows the importance of prayer in building up the Church.
Do we as believers really devote time to pray for the Church? Are we burdened by the need to get young believers rooted and grounded in the love of God and love for neighbours? Several concerns have today taken over the attention of many believers to the neglect of the spiritual needs of the growing Church. Notable among these is the undue emphasis on material acquisitions of the Church. Paul’s key interests as he mentioned were strengthening their inner man, ensuring that Christ indwelt their hearts and increasing their power to understand the full dimensions of God’s love. Can we pause and consider the havoc being done to today’s Church as a result of weak Christians being raised up in these last days.
PRAYER: Lord, please teach us as believers to pray for the Church.
