Welcome to another Thursday UNFILTERED blog post, the only blog that never participates in freak offs or freak outs. It much prefers geek offs and nerd-a-thons.
Greetings truth-seekers and BS-detectors!
Listen up because I’ve got some news that’s going to rock your world (or at least your podcast queue). Tuesday, October 8th, 2024, you’re in for a treat that’s about as rare as a politician telling the truth.
Remember that mind-bending sermon from Pastor Biff Wellington in episode #212 of the “Christ is All” podcast? You know, the one titled “Things You’ve Never Heard About the Bible (Spoof)” that caused everyone’s jaws to hit the floor?
Well, hold on to your baseball caps, because Biff himself is gracing my studio with his presence for a full-on, no-holds-barred, no soft-balls-allowed interview.
Now if you haven’t heard that infamous sermon yet, what stone have you been living under? Do yourself a favor and give it a listen before next Tuesday. Trust me, you’ll want that context when I start grilling Biff with incisive questions like a well-done steak.
This isn’t just another interview, folks. We’re talking potential history in the making. So mark those calendars, set those reminders, and get ready for a conversation that will be seared into your brain forevah (and evah).
Now for today’s feature.
In the UNFILTERED article from two weeks ago, I promised that I would share the prayers in the New Testament that I regularly use during my time with the Lord.
Today is that day.
This piece is divided into three parts:
*The Exhortation to Pray
*What the Earliest Followers of Christ Prayed About
*Praying with the Early Church: My Scriptural Inspiration
The Exhortation to Pray
Prayer is the act of communicating with God through speaking, listening, and building a relationship. It includes fellowship, intercession, supplication, thanksgiving, and praise. (I’ve discussed the different kinds of prayer elsewhere.)
Here are passages in the New Testament, arranged chronologically, that issue the call to prayer.
Luke 18:1
“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.”
Matthew 26:41
“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
James 1:5-8
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
James 5:13
“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.”
James 5:16
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
2 Thessalonians 3:1
“Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you…”
Romans 8:15
“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.'”
Romans 8:26
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”
Romans 10:1
“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.”
Romans 12:12
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
Romans 15:30-31
“I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints…”
Colossians 4:2
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”
Ephesians 5:20
“Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…”
Ephesians 6:18
“Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.”
Philippians 4:6
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
1 Peter 4:7
“The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.”
1 Timothy 2:1-2
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”
Revelation 5:8
“And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”
What the Earliest Followers of Christ Prayed About
- God’s name exalted in the world (Matthew 6:9)
- God’s kingdom extended in the earth (Matthew 6:10)
- God’s provision for necessities (Matthew 6:11)
- The forgiveness of sins (Matthew 6:12)
- Power over temptation (Matthew 6:13; Matthew 26:41)
- Protection from the evil one (Matthew 6:13)
- Raising up and sending workers out (Matthew 9:38; Acts 13:2–3)
- Casting out demons (Mark 9:29)
- Greater faith (Mark 9:24; Ephesians 3:17)
- Unity and harmony (John 17:20–21)
- Faith to be sustained (Luke 22:32; Luke 21:36)
- The fullness of the Spirit (Luke 11:13; Ephesians 3:19)
- God vindicating His own (Luke 18:7 RSV)
- Boldness in proclamation (Ephesians 6:18–19; Acts 4:29)
- Signs and wonders (Acts 4:29–30; James 5:17–18)
- Miraculous deliverances (Acts 12:5, 12; Acts 16:25–26)
- Raising the dead (Acts 9:40)
- Establishment of leadership (Acts 14:23)
- Healing of unbelievers (Acts 28:8)
- Salvation for unbelievers (Romans 10:1)
- The success of apostolic workers (Romans 15:30–31)
- God’s direction in using His word (Ephesians 6:17–18)
- A deeper sense of assured hope (Ephesians 1:16, 18)
- A deeper sense of God’s power within (Ephesians 1:16, 18–19)
- Power to comprehend Christ’s love (Ephesians 3:14, 18–19)
- Strength and endurance (Colossians 1:11; Ephesians 3:16)
- A mind to discern (Philippians 1:9–10)
- The knowledge of God’s will (Colossians 1:9)
- To know God better (Colossians 1:10; Ephesians 1:17)
- Doing good works (Colossians 1:10)
- Prayer for an in-person meeting (1 Thessalonians 3:10)
- God to bring His work to fruition (2 Thessalonians 1:11)
- The gospel to speed ahead and be honored (2 Thessalonians 3:1)
- Strategic wisdom (James 1:5)
- The healing of wounded friends (James 5:14–15)
Praying with the Early Church: My Scriptural Inspiration
These are the prayers I regularly utilize in my time with the Lord. I simply personalize them. Feel free to use them in your own prayer time.
Romans 1:8-13
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. 11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
Romans 15:5-6, 30-33
5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
30 I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. 31 Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people there, 32 so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed. 33 The God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Ephesians 1:16-20
16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms…
Ephesians 3:14-21
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Colossians 1:9-14
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 4:2-4, 12
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.
12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.
1 Thessalonians 3:11-13
11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. 12 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:13, 16, 17
13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
2 Thessalonians 3:1-5
1 As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. 2 And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. 4 We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.
Hebrews 13:20-21
20 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
3 John 2
2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.
Until next Thursday,
fv
Insurgents Wanted: Joining an Alternative Kingdom in Divided Times