Jesus Leadership Training

How to Pray for Church Congregation: 6 Honest Prayers Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2(NIV) Pray for Your Church / Praying for the church congregation is not something that only pastors and church leaders should do. Every believer must pray for the church congregation. God’s word tells us that we do not war against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, which is why believers need to fight together. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing, and that means prayer should not be an option but a lifestyle. Ephesians 6:12, " For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms " You may be wondering at this point, how should a person pray for church congregations? What is the best way that we can pray for those people we fellowship with? This article will look at five sincere prayers that leaders and every believer can pray for the church congregation during a church service or in our prayer closets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zGLAl-Q1-o&t=57s God Answers Prayer Let's begin: Prayer of Repentance We go through many challenges as believers. There so many temptations that we fall for. So the first thing you should say is the prayer of repentance (1John 5:16), "If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that." Ask God to forgive the church congregation for going against his plans and will knowingly and unknowingly. Pray for those that are struggling with condemnation because of their sin. Ask God to remind these individuals how much he loves them and that they are forgiven of their past, present, and future sins. Pray for the Eyes of the Heart of Congregants to be Enlightened There are so many things that Paul could have prayed for the church in Ephesus. But he prayed for the eyes of the heart of believers in Ephesus to be enlightened so that they may know the hope to which God had called them Ephesians 1:18, "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" People can be in church for so many years and yet not understand why God called them and what awaits them in eternity. It is only through praying that God is able to open our eyes as believers and show us the hope to which he has called us so that we can keep on fighting the good fight of faith. For the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation We live in a dark world full of temptations, and it is only God that can help us live wisely and know the difference between evil and good. If you're wondering what kind of prayer to pray for the church congregation, consider asking God to give them wisdom and revelation so that they can be able to know how to go about life issues and how to operate in the knowledge that they receive. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbk70u5o4Lc How is Your Prayer Life This honest prayer will also help believers to embrace their differences and live peacefully with one another. By having the spirit of wisdom and revelation, believers will be able to know how to apply the word of God in their daily lives. James 1:2-7, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do" For God to Strengthen the Church with Power through his Spirit The church is going through so many challenges now more than ever. People have become lukewarm, wrong doctrines are being taught in church, and most believers have developed itchy ears- they only want to hear things that will make them feel good. If we are, to be honest, most of us would rather be politically correct because we fear being judged by the people of this world. We want to belong to the body of Christ but fear persecution. We need the power of God to overcome all the things that we face and be like Jesus who did not fear persecution. Ask God to strengthen the church with power through his Spirit so that we can be able to face everything life throws at us. Pray for Your Church Remember, without God, we are nothing. We cannot face the issues of this world without his power. Ask him to strengthen each congregant in their inner being through his Spirit with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead so that Christ can dwell richly in their hearts. (Ephesians 3:16 - 20) " 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." For the Church to be Rooted and Established in Love People have become lovers of themselves so much that they will do anything and everything to defend themselves, even if it will negatively impact others. Turn on the television, and you will see how people are not as caring as before. Evil is being promoted while good is made to look like it is not cool. Evil people are being praised while those walking in the Lord’s ways are being vilified. Sadly, this is beginning to creep in the church. And that is why we need to pray for the church congregants to become rooted and established in the love of Christ (Ephesians 3:17). Only by being rooted in this unconditional love can we love others unconditionally and be there for them the way God expects us to. The church should not be attacking and looking down on unbelievers or those believers that are struggling with sin. We should out there love the unlovable, but that can only happen if we are rooted and established in the love of Christ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok6GDtGwwjs 40 Days of Prayer Pray for Unity Jesus said that a house that is divided could not stand. For the body of Christ to stand and for the kingdom of God to be expanded, we need to be united as one. We are the body of Christ, which means that each of us is part of that body. We need to function in unity to be effective in all that we do in this world. To sum it up It is important for every believer to learn how to pray for the church congregation. When we talk about praying for the church, many people think about praying for physical needs alone. But the word of God says we need to seek first the kingdom of God, and every other thing will be added unto us. Let us make it a habit to pray for the needs that we have here and now as Christ’s body and for spiritual things like unity, being rooted and established in the love of Christ, and for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. When we ask God for these things, we end up being strengthened as a church and prospering not just in our spiritual lives but also in the physical. God loves us so much, and he wants the best for us. But for the things that he has planned for the church to be established, we need to spend time in prayer.