How to Pray for the Church (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)

Children's Lesson (click here)

I. How/What do You Pray?

I'm guessing most of you would not need to be persuaded that praying for the church is a good thing. In fact, I'm guessing most you actually do pray for the church, and specifically, for this church. But, let me ask you this: how do you pray? What do you pray? What are your most common prayer requests for this faith family? Do you pray for unity? Do you pray for our finances? Do you pray for the leadership? Do you prayer for our marriages? Do you pray for the Sunday service and for other events? Maybe you pray for more people; maybe for more children and young people. Maybe you pray for a building. If you are praying in any or all of these ways, keep it up. Those are wonderful ways to pray. But in our passage this morning, we discover at least a few key ways that Paul answers that question, 'How do you pray for the church?'.

II. The Passage: “We Always Pray for You” (1:11-12)

Look with me if you would at 2 Thessalonians 1, verses 11 and 12. In his previous letter, Paul has already told the believers in Thessalonica that he and his ministry team are “constantly mentioning you in our prayers” (I-1:2). So listen to what he tells them here about their prayers...

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, [12] 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.

Isn't that wonderful?! I see four prayer points or prayer requests in what Paul has written here; prayer points that I believe should inspire us to pray (or keep praying) along these lines. But before we look more closely at these requests, I want you to notice Paul's final phrase here, at the end of v. 12. Paul and his team are praying that God would do all these things, “according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ”. To the extent that God has and will answer this prayer, it is all according to His grace. We know the very fact that Paul is even praying as a Christian, and praying for these former idol worshipers, is all according to God's grace. So grace is our foundation. Amen? Let's keep that in mind as we learn about prayer from Paul's prayer.

So as I mentioned, I see in this prayer four points. First, Paul is praying for transformed lives. Second, he is praying for fruitful lives. Third, he is praying for Christ-saturated lives. And finally, fourth, Paul is praying here for endurance-marked lives. Let's take those one at a time, and let's consider how they are connected, or maybe even how theyrepresent a progression. So first,

Paul is praying for transformed lives. When Paul asks God to “make” the Thessalonian believers “worthy of his calling”, he is not praying for what they couldn't do before; that is for lives that we will eventually merit or earn salvation. No. Remember, this is all “according to... grace”. So what does Paul mean here? Well, keep in mind, that Paul reminded them in his first letter that when he and the team were among them, “[we] charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God”. (I-2:12) This is same thing Paul told the Ephesians when he urged those disciples to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (4:1), and when exhorted the Philippians to “let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ” (1:27).

But again, what does Paul mean when you uses the word “worthy” like this? Paul and his team are praying not for lives that will eventually be entitled to eternal life, but lives that will “more and more” reflect the greatness of the eternal life that's already been given to them as a gift. Paul is praying about lives that are consistent with, or in accord with, the awesome goodness and truth and power and beauty and holiness of God. If you have some sense of what a car with the Ferrari badge should look like, sound like, handle like, that's a carry worthy of the Ferrari name. How much more should we seek, again by grace, to live a life worthy of the Father's name?

But think about how encouraging this prayer is. When Paul prays like this, he is praying in light of God's process of making us “worthy”. God's process! In light of what they “received [from Paul and the others concerning] how you ought to walk and to please God”, Paul has absolutely called them to “do so more and more” (I-4:1 and 4:10). He's called them to action! But just before that he gives them this blessing, “and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all...: (I-3:12). But can we unpack this request even more? Yes!

The next thing we find in 2 Thessalonians 1:11 is that, additionally, Paul is praying for fruitful lives. How can you tell if your life is being transformed in this “worthy” kind of way? Well, one evidence is that you have a “resolve for good”; that is, you desire goodness. When combined here with the phrase “every work of faith”, I think what Paul is praying about here is 'every good intention to seek what is good for oneself and do what is good for others'. Paul is praying about something that starts inside us. But even more specifically Paul is praying for God to “fulfill” such desires or intentions, and to do so “by his power”. As the NIV renders this verse, Paul prays “that by his power [God] may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.” Paul is praying for the fruitfulness of these believers.

By God's grace, by his power, lives that are being made worthy are lives that are being made fruitful. Please don't miss that Paul in this passage is not satisfied with simply a desire to do good and a faith that is unexpressed. He is praying for a fulfillment of their resolve, and for a work of faith. Why? Because those are true marks of spiritual health; marks of a genuine work of God.

Third, Paul is praying for Christ-saturated lives. This prayer point really ties together the first two. Lives that are seeking goodness for oneself and seeking to do good to others, such lives are “worthy” of God's calling, not just in a generic 'good person', 'good works' kind of way, but because they reflect Jesus Christ and the call of the gospel.

Paul's prayer is that “the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you”. Think about that. The Apostle is praying that the greatness of Jesus would be evident among them; that Christ would be seen as glorious through their transformed and fruitful lives. But this prayer assumes that such lives are lived explicitly for Jesus; that people could trace their faithfulness for Christ back to their faith in Christ. Many of course knew the testimony of these believers, of “how [they] turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead...” (I-1:9-10) And we know from these letters that they were willing to suffer for the Son. Like Paul, they were not ashamed of the gospel, the Good News about Jesus. So I think Paul's prayer here is for a continuation and expansion of the impact they were already having. The name of Jesus really was being glorified among them.

Finally, Paul is praying for endurance-marked lives. Where am I getting that from this passage? Well look at the prayer points in v. 12 again. Paul not only prays that Jesus maybe glorified “in you”, but also that they may be glorified “in him”. Do you see that? Okay. What does that mean? I think it's related to what he goes on to describe in 2:12...

To this [salvation] he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the glorification of becoming like Jesus that Paul mentions in Romans 8:30. When will that be fully realized? Look at verse 10 of chapter 1: It will take place “when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints”. When He is fully glorified through us, we will be fully glorified in him. So what exactly was Paul praying for? Well, in light of what these believers were experiencing in terms of persecution (something evident from both of these letters to the Thessalonians), I think when Paul prays for glorified lives is simply praying for that grace-granted and grace-empowered endurance that carries to the end. So this is not only a prayer for transformation, it's also a prayer for the fruit produced by that transformation. In the same way, it's not only a prayer for fruitfulness, but for fruitfulness that points to Jesus as the Vine. Finally, it's a prayer that we would abide or remain in the Vine, just as Jesus talked about in John 15.

III. In Praying and Being Prayed For

What a prayer! So as this prayer comes more clearly into view, I think each of us needs to stop and think about how God wants Paul's prayer for that church to shape our prayers for this church. There are, without a doubt, many important, personal and specific requests that we have, that we are, that we should continue to lift up when praying for our brothers and sisters, and for the ministry of this faith family. But none of them should be our first priority.

Way of Grace, the first priority in our prayers for this body should be praying regularly and earnestly for transformed, fruitful, Christ-saturated, and endurance-marked lives, “according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” To put it another way, we should be praying (or continue praying) that the lives of those in this church would, more and more, reflect the greatness of God and his grace; that the lives of those in this church would be characterized by a divinely-empowered fulfilling of our faith-filled works; that the lives of those in this church would broadcast and beautify the name of Jesus in our community; and that the lives of those in this church would persevere in these things, each day, in light of that Day to come; knowing “that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)

Would you pray (or keeping praying) according to these four points, for Way of Grace Church; for the others in this room? A practical way, and maybe a first step, to doing that is to commit to praying each day this week in light of Paul's words. I've made a small reminder sheet that I hope you will use. Let's pray and let's pray with an expectant faith, eager to see how God answers.

But let's also think about being on the receiving end of this prayer. If we are willing to pray according to these four points, for our brothers and sisters at Way of Grace, then, if they are praying for you, we must also consider how God wants these four ideas to shape, not only, our prayers, but our lives as well. What will it look like for you personally to live a transformed, fruitful, Christ-saturated, and endurance-marked life, by God's grace this week? How might it inspire you if you received a letter from the Apostle Paul, and he said this is how he's praying for you? What might be hindering that kind of life? In what ways do you need help? How might God want to use both the prayers and encouragement of brothers and sisters in your life to see these things realized “more and more”? Of course, our greatest inspiration isn't Paul's prayer. It's Christ's life. It's his worthy, fruitful, God-glorifying life of endurance. It's Christ's life, and Christ's grace. Empowering grace. Gospel mercies. The promise of His presence. May God continue to answer your prayers for this church, and your prayers for yourself, that “by his power” and “according to... grace”, these truths would be our priority in prayer, because they are the priority in our lives.... that “that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in [us], and [we] in him.”