Charis Ministries

There have been and are many books on prayer. This manual makes no claims to be unique. My hope is that this teaching from God’s Word will stimulate some believers to begin to pray for their local church, that it will encourage others who have been praying in this way to focus on the key areas of ministry as they pray and to challenge others to focus blocks of time in prayer utilizing this format.

 

The five areas of ministry cover all the different types of ministry that a local church is or should be carrying out. The terms are taken from Scripture and provide the primary groupings for every type of ministry in each local church.

 

 

The format for this material will be as follows:

·        the heading,

·        the Scripture text quoted with reference(s),

·        a comment on the text,

·        one or more suggested ways to pray that particular text for your church.

 

The first main point illustrates the format that will be used throughout this manual:

 

 

I. Every Church Leader would be a Teacher     -1 Tim. 3:2; 5:17; Titus 1:9 (10-16)

 

The verse 1 Timothy 3:2 simply states that the oversees/elders must be teachers. This means they have the God given spiritual gift of teaching. Each man who is in a position of spiritual leadership in the church is able to teach the Word of God in some way in their church on a regular basis. They will spend time reading, studying and meditating on the Bible. They delight in grasping truths and principles of God’s Word for it to be lived out.  They seek for opportunities to present these truths and principles in direct and indirect teaching. They must know the Word of God for the building up of the church and the need to stand against false teaching. 

 

As you read through the material you are encouraged to seek the Lord yourself for His leading in the area of praying for your local church. 

 

1 Tim. 5:17 The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

 

Just as the 1 Timothy 3:2 indicates that the elder or overseer must be a gifted teacher so

1 Timothy 5:17 points out that those elders who work hard are to be paid for their efforts, especially those who preach and teach. The point is that all elders are to work hard and be supported financially for their efforts but those who provide the ongoing, direct teaching to the entire church body are given special notice. The reason for this is the ultimate priority of the consistent, systematic teaching of the Word of God to the local body.

 

 

 

                       

As Paul instructed Titus to appoint elders in every city he gave clear criteria for those men who were to serve as elders in each local church. He concluded the criteria with verse nine. Again he points out the importance of the elders knowing the Bible so that they may teach in two ways. 

 

First, they can exhort in sound doctrine which is the systematic teaching of God’s Word and second, they can discern false teaching and false teachers and specifically refute those who teach what is not in the Bible and who live in disobedience to its standards.

 

Once again, there are the two primary expectations for the spiritual leaders of each local church. They are men whose character is evident in their consistent Christian living and who preach and teach the Word of God. There is a very real need for godly leadership in the church of Jesus Christ today. When you seek the Lord in prayer concerning this issue you are helping the church begin to accomplish the Lord’s will since you will be praying according to the will of God.

 

II. God would Raise Up Gifted Teachers in the Church-Rom. 12:6,7; 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11-16

 

            It seems at first that this is the same as the last point we just covered. But this one does not specifically deal with the leadership. This point relates to all those whom God has gifted in each local church, men or women, who have the spiritual gift of teaching but who, for various reasons, do not qualify for spiritual leadership.

 

The sovereignty of God in the Christian life is evident in that each believer is given faith to trust in Jesus Christ for salvation.  In addition to saving faith as a gift, Romans 12:3b “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith” clearly indicates that God has determined the extent of faith that each believer has been given for living out the Christian walk. Our responsibility, in this context, is to exercise our spiritual gift according to the faith given to us. 

 

 

 

 

This verse indicates the priority placed by the Holy Spirit on the teaching gifts. This does not raise up the man or woman whom God has gifted with the teaching gifts beyond all believers in the body. No, the whole context of the passage indicates the sovereign design of God as the Spirit and the Father give gifts just as they will (see 12:11,18). Also, the manner in which each local body of Christ (church) is to function does not permit one gift to operate exclusively without the involvement, in some way, of all the other members who are gifted (12:14-25). This eliminates pride, self-centredness and self pity.

 

 

 

 

This is one of the most important passages on the function of the local church found in the Scriptures. It begins with those men gifted to lead the church. Each of these gifts is given to teach the Bible to the believers in each local church so that they will be equipped to fufill their calling and gifting in that church.

 

The people do the work of ministry not only the paid staff. Scriptures do not distinguish between paid staff (ie. pastors, ministers, other clergy) and lay people. There are no such divisions. Everyone is called and gifted to serve the whole body of Christ with whom they have identified. Those who receive remuneration are simply able to dedicate more direct time in their service than those who fulfill an occupation in the world.

 

 

 

 

III.A. God would Expose False Teaching -Acts 20:28-30; Titus 1:9-16; 1 Tim. 4:1-3

 

It is very sad that the Christian church will always face false teaching but it is a reality. Since Satan is working to hamper and hinder the work of Christ he primarily uses false teaching to accomplish this. 

 

Here Paul is addressing the Ephesian elders as they met in Miletus since this would be their last opportunity to meet face to face. There is a great deal of valuable material in this account (20:17ff) about the role of elders in the church. But at this point we are emphasizing the teaching ministry and Paul exhorted the Ephesian elders to be prepared for the false teachers that would arise from outside the church and also from inside the church. 

 

Notice that these people are savage wolves who delight in destroying the testimony and the Christian walk of as many believers in each local church as possible. They are relentless and ruthless. They will speak things that are perverse (contrary to clear and consistent teaching of the Scriptures) and their desire is to draw people away from that local body.

 

·        Ask the Lord to enable spiritual leaders to identify these people and their doctrine when they know the Scriptures and can separate the false from the true.

 

[Praying for your leaders in this way will help to keep your church from being split by wrong teaching and help to prevent the wrecking of the testimony of many individual Christians as well as the testimony of the church itself.]

What a fascinating yet sad description of the challenges that Titus faced in Crete. Yet we should not be surprised since sinful men reject the truth and, under Satan’s influence, they try to undermine the working of the truth through the proclamation of God’s Word. This will be the ongoing experience of every church the preaches the Word in every generation and every culture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

III.B. God would Root Out Hypocritical Teachers-Matt. 15:8,9; 2 Peter 2

                                   

Jesus always spoke the truth and He always spoke in love. It is amazing to us that He would be so blunt and use such strong language against anyone. Yet, clearly He did here and He did many other times.

 

God hates hypocrisy since it is the complete opposite to His character. His actions are always consistent with what He says. There is never a discrepancy between His character and His spoken word. 

 

The character of a hypocrite is evident in the inconsistency between what he says and actually does. In Greek drama the actors would wear a mask to play a part. The word hypocrite comes from this role of acting. Their lifestyle is different than their inward character. God hates hypocrisy. 

 

 

 

IV. Every Believer would Submit to the Word of God (The Tool for Teaching)        -2 Tim. 3:14-17; Acts 20:32; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2,3

 

There is no other book, material, CD, DVD or other resource that is inspired except the Bible. There is no other book, material, CD, DVD, or other resource that God uses as the means to sanctify individual believers.

 

This verse tells us that God breathed each and every word of the Bible and every part of the Bible. He gave us the Word of God to help us grow as Christians. Nothing is left out. The seventeenth verse tells us that God’s Word effects spiritual maturity for whatever ministry we have been given by God. The word ‘artios’ is  used only here in the New Testament. It has the following definitions: “fitted, complete”1, “thoroughly equipped”2, “competent”3, “complete”4, “complete and proficient”5. Do we need anything else? No! 

 

Am I suggesting that the Bible is the only book we should read? No! I am stating the fact that God only uses His Word to sanctify us. Every thought, experience, word, circumstance of the Christian must be filtered through God’s Word. It has the final say in and on everything! 

 

This is why it is vitally necessary that we pray for each person in the church to submit to the Word of God. As each believer in our/your church recognizes that whatever the Bible teaches on any given subject, it is God speaking. It has the absolute, complete and final authority over the life of every person. 

 

·        Pray for each person in the church to submit the Word of God. 

 

Once again, in this passage Paul highlighted the way to build up every Christian in their faith and to grasp the inheritance they have waiting for them in heaven. It is God through the Word of His grace that accomplishes this.  Just as the Ephesians elders were to equip, strengthen and build up their church through God’s Word so it is true for your church as well. 

 

·        Pray that the people in your church would want to learn from the Bible since it is the means by which God will build them up in their faith.

Both these passages clearly teach that meditation on God’s Word is to be a daily time of fellowship with the Lord in and through the Word of God. This is not a routine part of the day like eating food, brushing teeth or sleeping. It is the vital, absolutely necessary time of personal interaction with Jesus Christ Himself. 

 

This is the spiritual food that every believer wants to receive each day. This is the nourishment that sustains throughout each and every day through all the challenges, difficulties, temptations and doubts. This is the armour that enables every believer to stand firm in Christ in spiritual warfare. It is the coming to Christ and drinking from the water of the Word, which speaks to us Jesus Christ Himself (John 7:37-39; 5:39) that rivers of living water (the Holy Spirit) might be expressed through our daily life. This is not an option.

 

Both Joshua and the writer of the first Psalm indicate the outcome of daily time with the Lord in the Word– be prosperous and successful. This is not referring to money or possessions or earthly accomplishments. This does refer to each and every believer faithfully and fervently doing the will of the Lord from the heart. That is being prosperous and successful. It is knowing that God is working in and through you to accomplish His sovereign will and purpose.

 

 

 

                        -Nehemiah. 8:3; James 1:21,22; Matt. 7:24,25

 

 

            As the children of Israel were re-establishing themselves in Jerusalem from their years of captivity and gradual rebuilding Ezra gathered the people together and read from the Word of God. Notice that the people were attentive to the Bible. They were prepared to listen to the Word expounded and they were ready to obey its truths as the Spirit applied it to them.

 

This heart preparation is vital for our daily time with Christ and as we participate in home study groups using the Bible for instruction, as we attend morning worship services as the Word is proclaimed and as we gather in Sunday School classes or other groups to hear the Word taught and interact around its truth. 

 

·        Pray that every person in your church seek the Lord in prayer prior to participating at any of these meeting times so that the Word will be fruitful. 

 

[A personal comment: Watchman Nee, a Chinese Christian who lived in the first half of the twentieth century, wrote a book about studying the Bible called, ‘Ye Search the Scriptures’. This book stands out in my mind from all the books I have read on reading and studying God’s Word, and there have been many, because he focussed the first half of the book on the preparation of the heart of the person before reading and studying the Scriptures. 

 

He stated that the Word of God must penetrate our hearts (Heb. 4:12) before we can dig into the Bible for ourselves (2 Tim. 2:15). I also noticed that the vast majority of my books on this topic were from North America. These books focussed almost exclusively on the methods and techniques of Bible study with almost no mention concerning the necessity to humble ourselves through heart preparation before the Lord each time we hear the Word.]

This is a great verse for personal preparation before hearing the Word taught or studying it for yourself. It encompasses all the aspects needed: a) personal desire to deal with sin in my life no matter what, b) recognition that the Bible is God’s Word and therefore when it speaks God Himself speaks therefore I must be completely humble wanting to put into practice in my life what I learn from the Bible and c) understand that only the Bible can save and sanctify my soul. 

 

It is through the Word of God that each and every believer is caused to grow in their walk with Christ. The Word proclaimed enables unbelievers, who are the enemies of God to hear spiritual truth and receive the gift of saving faith (Romans 10:17) and repentance (2 Tim. 2:26) so that they might trust in Christ alone for salvation (2 Tim. 3:14,15). And it is the Word of God that the Lord uses to change us into Christ’s image (John 17:17; Rom. 8:29).

 

 

 

 

Finally, notice the difference between these two men. The wise man hears the Word and acts on it while the foolish man hears the Word and does not act on it. Both hear the Word, both built houses but the wise man was able to deal with life because he was prepared to follow the Word of Christ when he heard it while the foolish man heard the same Word of Christ but his heart was not prepared to obey so he did his own thing and his life was destroyed.

 

 

 

            -1 Cor. 2:10-14; John 14:26; 1 John 2:27

 

Whenever someone is born again the Holy Spirit takes up residence in that person (Romans 8:9). The Spirit has a variety of roles or responsibilities in and for each believer and one of them is Teacher. This passage tells us that the only way for any person to understand spiritual truth is by the enlightening of the Holy Spirit (called illumination). Notice in verse fourteen that the natural man (unbeliever) cannot understand spiritual truth because they are dead in their spirits. This means that they cannot of themselves receive or respond to the Scriptures. Also, they do not have the Holy Spirit within.

 

 

This verse helps each of us as believers to understand another way that the Holy Spirit accomplishes His work in the life of the believer. He is their teacher. It is vital for us to acknowledge the ongoing teaching ministry of the Spirit daily. 

 

When there is the combination of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God and a heart that is prepared to obey the Word then you have a growing developing Christian.

 

 

 

The anointing in the verse refers to the Holy Spirit. Only a person can teach and abide which are two activities attributed to the Holy Spirit. We noticed in the previous paragraph that the Spirit resides within and in John 14:26 Jesus taught that the Spirit teaches all things. 

 

 

  

VII. The Church be Obedient to Christ’s Command to Teach Obedience to the Word -Matt. 28:19,20

The third aspect of the Great Commission is not to be neglected; that is teaching every believer to obey, to live out, to apply, to observe the commands of Christ. Jesus’ commands are not only the specific statements in the grammatical form called the ‘imperative’ which means ‘a command’ given only by Jesus but also includes all of the commands in the Scriptures-consistent with the New Testament. This means if Paul or Peter or James gives a command then it is to be obey in the same was as if Jesus gave the command Himself. Commands require obedience. They are not options.

 

This includes accountability. Without the necessary follow up to the direct and formalized and indirect and informal teaching of the Bible, people begin to separate doctrine from life. The church ends up with people who know things about God and Jesus and the Scriptures but they may apply very little if any of its principles and truths. Another danger that arises from teaching the Bible but not incorporating accountability is legalism.

 

 

 

 

VIII. Every Believer in the Church Grow to Maturity Through                                 Teaching            -Col. 2:6,7; Eph. 4:12,13

 

Col. 2:6-7 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

 

As Paul encouraged and exhorted the believers in Colossae he made it clear that their spiritual growth was linked to the instruction they received. This instruction would have been the Scriptures. As they responded to the initial proclamation of the gospel which resulted in their salvation, they needed to continue to grow as believers. The desire of every godly man or woman or child is to be firmly rooted in Christ and to continue to be built up and established in their faith. Maturity is the result. Having all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge found in Jesus Christ will be evident in the life of each believer (Col. 2:2,3).

 

Ephes. 4:11-13     And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

 

Once again we encounter this important passage on the spiritual growth of each Christian in a local church. As these gifts/offices are exercised each believer will be equipped to serve the Lord in that church which will then build up the entire church body. The overall outcome will be spiritually mature believers who understand that the unity of the faith is vital to their church, that they are growing in the knowledge of Christ, demonstrating maturity and wisdom as they live out the character of Christ in them.

 

 

 

IX. Leadership Ensure that Teaching Remain a Key Component of Corporate Worship   -1 Tim. 4:13; 2 Tim. 4:2-4

 

 

Finally, on this point, Paul had directed Timothy, in his first letter to him, on the key aspects of a local church’s ministry. During the public worship service there must be the reading of the Scriptures. During my childhood and teen years I attended a church that had a formal format for the service which included prescribed liturgy each Sunday and specific passages of Scripture to be read. These often included an Old Testament passage, a New Testament section and a part of the Gospels in the New Testament. The passages were to be related in some way.

 

The Sunday morning worship, might I say, is not complete unless a portion of the time is set aside for the public reading of the Bible.

 

2 Tim. 4:1-4    I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

 

How necessary and important are these words to us today. As Paul knew that the end of his life was near and, as a result, his ministry was drawing to a close he wrote his last words to one of his key disciples, Timothy. As, in a sense, his last will and testament we have some of the most important things that Paul wanted Timothy to remember and continue doing.

 

He solemnly exhorts Timothy to preach the Word of God. All the time. Don’t stop. People will try to distract Timothy from consistently teaching the Scriptures by saying that the Bible is outdated, that new methods and approaches need to be adopted to attract unbelievers, that God probably wasn’t exactly like parts of the Bible describe Him so he should avoid teaching on those strange or difficult parts or that he should emphasize the positive elements of Jesus’ teaching. That is the desire to have the ears tickled. It is wanting to avoid, at all costs, any challenge to present thinking and lifestyle.

 

But, Timothy, wrote Paul, don’t listen to them. Be faithful to your calling. PREACH THE WORD!

 

 

 

X. Leadership and the Church Understand that Teaching is Vital to the Discipling Process -2 Tim. 2:2

 

Finally, our last point describing how to pray for the teaching ministry of a local church. Notice the process outlined in this verse. There is a conscious format that is followed. This not haphazard, nor is it without planning. There is a deliberateness, an internationality, a plan that is followed. One man to another man or group who then teach others who then teach others who then teach others. Four generations of teachers are described here. And notice that the emphasis is on the teaching process. It is foundational to every aspect of church life and ministry. 

 

It must be incorporated into every area of the churches operation. Nothing should be excluded. Every meeting, every committee, every informal breakfast, lunch or coffee, every group gathering will be an opportunity for discipling.

 

 But also included in that will be the planned, structured and organized times of discipleship training.

 

·        Pray that your church will have a discipleship plan that will enable each believer to grow in their walk and, as a result, will know how to disciple other believers.

·        Pray that the Lord would build into the life of the church the discipling process grounded on the teaching of God’s Word which would result in generational (spiritual) discipleship training

Please include this on any distributed copy: ©Lloyd Douglas, Charis Community Church, Victoria, BC, Canada