What Your Church Should be in 14 Verses

About two years ago I began to notice three men in my commmuniy (one from my church and two from other churches) who had what I call “holy discontent”. Its that passion to see one’s church be more than it is. You can hear the concern not so much in their words, but in their tone. It is self-evident that they are expressing deep seated convictions about what they wish for their church. The four of us began to meet shortly there after twice a month to pray for all of the churches of our town: pastors, leaders, teachers, men, etc. 

Now if you have ever been to a prayer meeting…especially when it is started regarding a “concern” it can springboard into gossip and slander without any effort. We knew this would happen so before we even met for the first time we had a previously picked Bible passage that in some form or fashion pertained to what church was to be…and we used that as a guide. We read it, discussed it, and prayed according to it. 

So let me ask you two questions:

1. What does God want you to do on a Sunday Morning? What does God expect? Why do we do what we do at church. I’m sure for many of you those are not new questions nor new ideas. Maybe you have given thought to them. I hope action has followed those times of reflection.
2. What is wrong with your church? What is your pastor doing wrong every single Sunday? What blind spots does your home church have that nobody else seems to notice (…I’m not being sarcastic)? Be honest: What are they? What do you catch yourself criticizing? What is your response to them?

In some ways the two questions are one. One is a positive approach and the other a negative approach regarding what church should be. In that let us consider by what standard to we hold to positive convictions as well has point out error?

For the next several posts (made up of 14 verses/passages) we will look at:

1. Some very specific expectations Jesus has for his church; and
2. How we can pray to that end both positively and negatively (praying against error or unhealthy habits in our churches).

The prayers of Paul in his letters as well as Jesus’ words to the churches in Revelation 2&3 will be our guide. In short we will see what Paul hoped for in the churches as well as his thanks to God as seen in his prayers. This will serve a double purpose:

1. Showing us what God desires his church to be and
2. Instructing us how to pray for our brethren and church.

From Revelation 2&3 we do not have prayers being made for believers but we see with painful clarity what Jesus affirms and condemns in each church. I always say that every local church can benefit from reading about each of the churches. No church is too good to ignore what Jesus praises and what he curses. From this part of the posts we will turn each point into application by considering how we “Pray the Bible.” Here is why.

Remember that prayer meeting I mentioned earlier…well I am glad to say that we have maintained that meeting for over a year now, and praise God for it. I have seen prayer meetings rise and fall many times, and I think the reason they often fail is because there is no absolute truth that we base our prayers on. If we do not have the foundation of God’s word as the root of our prayers we will wonder aimlessly in a number of ways. Consider 1 John 5:

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

1 John 5:14-15

Think about it like this. We want to know the prayers we make for our brothers and sisters in the faith, and our home church, have effect. It’s true for me that I sometimes wonder if my prayers make it out of the room I’m in…so quiet…so weak. Why go on? Why pray more? Why???…because of 1 John 5:14-15…because the implications of that verse tell me that as I pray for God’s grace to empower my home church’s missionary to preach the gospel (Rom. 1:5) I can pray fervently. When I pray for my wife to love the brethren more and more (Phil. 1:9) I have confidence. When I need wisdom and boldness to do what is right (1 King 3:9-10; Acts 4:29-30) I pray for it and get up believing I have what I have petitioned the throne of grace for (Her. 4:16).

The Bible is the written revealed will of God pertaining to how we understand God and believe in him; how we are to live and think. When the Bible becomes the source material for our prayers, in this case regarding the church, we can have prayer meeting long and hard, we can grow tired in body yet be diligent in spirit knowing God hears and answers the prayers that echo his revealed will.

My hope for these next several blogs is that we gain insight into what Jesus wants our Sunday mornings and church life as a whole to look like, as well as a growing conviction to pray for our churches where we see weakness instead of just talking about it. Let us turn our concern to prayer before the One who guides and cares for the church far more than we could ever dream of doing.