ARTICLES: PAULINE PRAYER
Pauline Prayer • Sermon • Submitted
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· 18 viewsWhat have we received and learned and heard and seen from Paul about prayer?
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One of the biggest questions that come up when we begin to understand and appreciate what God is doing through the Apostleship of Paul is: WHAT DO I PRAY FOR? This is an unfortunate because it demonstrates we as teachers of Grace and Rightly-Dividing have done a poor job. It seems we have only done half the job, and it is the easy half. In getting across what God is really doing today, it is easy to to tell people what He is NOT doing today. It is easy to tell people what NOT to pray for but it is a sad commentary on Grace Teaching that we have conveyed what they should pray about. In focusing on what we should not pray about we have been woefully inadequate in accomplishing the far greater and more difficult task of explaining what we should be praying about.
This is a doubly disappointing because of all people, those who begin to grow in the understanding of what God is doing today--His purpose, program and plan—should know what to talk about with God. Of course, the short answer is that we should be talking with God about what He is really doing today. Let’s see how doing that works.
AREN’T I SUPPOSED TO PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE?
Many times when we present Pauline Prayer to others, it will sound to them like we are telling them they should pray about the circumstances and people in their live, and one of the key verses they use to counter what they think we are saying is :
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
And they will usually say, “See, I’m supposed to pray about every thing.” Well, that is not exactly what this verse says, is it? It doesn’t say pray “about” everything. It says “in” everything, in every circumstance and situation that comes up in life, in the good times and the bad, no matter where you are or what you are experiencing: Let your requests be made known unto God. And how do we do that? By prayer and supplication (humble entreaty) joined together with THANKFULNESS.
This verse raises many important questions. Prayer is God allowing believers to enter into His presence in thankful communion with Him. What will be the content of this communion? What types of requests will we make? Will they be just any old ideas that come to mind. Or, like every other aspect of our Christian lives, is there a prayer content that particularly pleases God? Are there requests that are particularly in accord with His will? And what if we are not really thankful? Of course, like every other aspect of our Christian lives this can be pretended. We can begin with a facade of thankfulness that quickly sinks into being unappreciative and ungrateful. We may be able to fool the people around us, but we won’t be able to fool God. What happens to our prayer in that situation?
Of course, like every other aspect of our Christian lives this can be pretended. We can begin with a facade of thankfulness that quickly sinks into being unappreciative and ungrateful. We may be able to fool the people around us, but we won’t be able to fool God. What happens to our prayer in that situation?
Let’s take these questions one at a time.
THE CONTENT OF PRAYER FOR TODAY
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
This seems helpful at first, but it is kind of ambiguous. After all, what are the things that are true and honest and just? Pure and lovely and of good report? What are the things of virtue and praise? Some theological systems suggest that Paul is talking about the best things that humanity can produce, which are exemplified in the pure arts and sciences, whatever those are. If this isn’t what Paul is referring to, then what is he are these things that he is talking about? We don’t have to guess or fill in whatever we want it to mean because Paul tells us exactly what these things are in the next verse.
Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
The things that are true, honest and just; pure, lovely and of good report and with virtue are those things that we have learned and received from Paul. The things we have seen and heard him say and do. Those things! nor are they Not some imagined best things of fallen humanity but the THINGS THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED FROM THE APOSTLE PAUL! Today, of course, God recorded these things from Paul in his letters, Romans through Philemon. The base for the content of prayer and the guide for the requests we make to the Creator and Lord of the Universe are not whatever comes into our mind, whatever we imagine in the moment, they are the things that we have received and learned from our apostle, the Apostle Paul. They are the things we have seen and heard of him. Those things!
The “full-knowledge” of the Truth was given to Paul (). Honest (), Just (), Pure (), Lovely (), of Good Report (), Virtue () and Praise () are words Paul uses to characterize the Christian life he proclaimed. What is interesting about these words in the Greek is that most of them were are only used by Paul and none of them were used before Paul.
The things having to do with what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praise-worthy are the things that God is accomplishing through the Apostle Paul, who writes of himself: To me to live is Christ (). Paul is the one who is following the Pattern of the Risen Christ, and, we are to follow him: Brethren, be followers together of me ().
Do the things we pray about and make request for “ring true” with Paul’s teaching? Are they honest in the sense of having real value, not according to our human standard but to God’s standard made known in His revelation to and through Paul? Are they pure in the light of Paul’s Mystery Program or do they corrupt it by bringing in things from Israel’s Prophetic Program and the Law? Do they result in concord and peace in the appreciation of Paul’s distinct apostleship or do they bring in strive and contention in the rejecting it. Are they worthy of praise from God because they are in line with what God is doing today? It is this pattern set forth in Paul’s Epistles that God wants us to follow in every aspect of our Christian life, including prayer.
So then, what has Paul taught and given to us regarding prayer that is well-pleasing to God today? What have we heard and seen him pray? We don’t need to guess and come up with our own ideas. Paul records his prayer for us in .
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.
THE CONTENT OF PAUL’S PRAYER AND HIS REQUESTS:
REQUEST #1: APPRECIATING THEIR FELLOWSHIP IN THE GOSPEL
In thankfulness, Paul prays upon EVERY remembrance, ALWAYS in EVERY prayer for ALL believers in Philippi and makes requests “for their Fellowship in the Gospel.” That is everything to Paul. That is the summation of the Christian life. This fellowship in the Gospel is the result of the “Fellowship of the Mystery.”
and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
This is Paul’s Gospel, the Mystery of the Gospel, the Gospel, which had been kept until God revealed it to and through the Apostle Paul.
The is the Mystery of the Gospel, Paul’s Gospel, which had been never been known before God revealed it to and through the Apostle Paul (Eph. 3:1-10).
and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Ephesians 6:19-20
Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
If we throw away Paul’s distinct apostleship as most of historical Christianity has done, we throw away the Fellowship of the Mystery, and when we throw that away we throw away fellow-shipping together in the Gospel. In following Paul (), receiving and learning about the Christian life that pleases God from him, we receive his distinct apostleship, which brings us into the Fellowship of the Mystery, and it is there that we are empowered to fellowship together in the Gospel.
Today the content of believers is this continuing in the fellowship int he Gospel and comprises Paul’s main prayer request. Paul knew that God would do His part. God would keep this believers from the first moment that they believed until the very end at the Day of Christ (). But what he didn’t know is if the believers in Philippi would continue faithful in the Paul’s Gospel until the end. Thus the prayer request that all believers would remain stead fast in associating around the Gospel of the Grace of God, Paul’s Gospel. And that would be Paul’s request for us as well, making it the core of our request for others. For the unsaved our prayer requests will be that they enter into this fellowship by faith in the Person and Work of Christ on the Cross. For the saved we pray that they might appreciate that the mutual faith that leads to fellowship in the Gospel is based on the Fellowship of the Mystery that God is now dispensing through Paul’s Apostleship.
THE CONTENT OF PAUL’S PRAYER AND HIS REQUESTS:
REQUEST #2: STANDING FAST, DEFENDING, CONFIRMING AND FURTHERING THE FELLOWSHIP IN THE GOSPEL
even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.
Phil. 1: