June 2015
Dear Friend,
This letter is especially dedicated to those who have been assigned to pray for those called to the five-fold ministry (Eph 4:11). It is to my fellow pray-ers that I dedicate this letter and honor for answering the call to pray, and to those who have a stirring in their hearts to pray for ministers of the Gospel.
We recently had an intensive ten-hour course on the study of man and his three-fold nature (being his spirit, soul and body). In one of the sessions, there were two utterances (or messages) in tongues given with their respective interpretations and I saw how it just 'unlocked' certain things that were brought out over the course of the session. I am reminded of something I heard an older minister say recently: that some things could only be revealed through giving a tongue and an interpretation that couldn't be revealed otherwise (1 Cor 14:26)
I strongly believe that all of this would not have been made possible if people had not been praying for the guest minister; that she would deliver the right word at the right time.
In his letter to the Church in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul strongly encourage them to pray, being led by the Holy Spirit, for 'all the saints'; those being God's consecrated people. (Eph 6:18). However, it is interesting what he writes in verse 19:
Ephesians 6:19 (AMP)
And [pray] also for me, that [freedom of] utterance may be given me, that I may open my mouth to proclaim boldly the mystery of the good news (the Gospel),
I find it significant that the Apostle Paul; a man who wrote approximately one half of the New Testament, actually requested for prayer from the Church, that he could have freedom and boldness to proclaim the Gospel. It is difficult to imagine that one as highly spiritual as him would covet the prayers of the church he was instrumental in founding.
Paul places such a high value on the prayers of the church that he even describes the effectiveness of their prayers in another letter he wrote, this time to the Church in Philippi:
Philippians 1:19 (AMP)
For I am well assured and indeed know that through your prayers and a bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (the Messiah) this will turn out for my preservation [or deliverance, KJV] (for the spiritual health and welfare of my own soul) and avail toward the saving work of the Gospel.
When you and I give ourselves over to prayer, we carry with us what Paul described as a 'bountiful' supply of that which God has placed in each of us. That when we pray, many doors of utterance will be opened for the person who we pray for. They have boldness and freedom to bring out of the rich treasury of their hearts the right word for the right season.
Why did Paul place such a high value on the prayers of the church? Read 1 Cor 16:9 and Eph 6:12 with me:
1 Corinthians 16:9 (AMP)
For a wide door of opportunity for effectual [service] has opened to me [there, a great and promising one], and [there are] many adversaries.
Ephesians 6:12 (AMP)
For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.
When Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth, the Amplified Translation describes the door he had to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles as a "wide door of opportunity" (Acts 14:27); and that along with that door of opportunity came many who opposed it (Acts 19:9). These men may have opposed the preaching of the Gospel in the physical sense but Paul recognized that his real enemies were not the religious authorities of the day, but that it was a spiritual war that he fought.
Likewise we also have to recognize that the war we are in is not visible in nature but invisible. There is much opposition to the Word of God taking root in the hearts of men and women who have not heard the Gospel, who have been made spiritually blind to the goodness of God.
THIS is the main reason why were pray for our pastors, and for those in the ministry who God has knit our hearts together with. It is through our prayers that we clear any opposition to the preaching of the Gospel and the teaching of the Word. Read Isaiah 40:3-5 with me:
Isaiah 40:3-5 (AMP)
A voice of one who cries: Prepare in the wilderness the way of the Lord [clear away the obstacles]; make straight and smooth in the desert a highway for our God! Every valley shall be lifted and filled up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked and uneven shall be made straight and level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory (majesty and splendor) of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.
This was a prophetic declaration of John the Baptist's role in proclaiming the coming of Jesus the Messiah, but this is also just as applicable to the role of the pray-er today. Through prayer, we prepare the way for God to come. We clear any obstacles and make the path straight and smooth for the Word to go forth. And as the Word goes forth without obstruction, we know that His Glory will be revealed. And all this can be done through praying for ministers!
As we pray for them, we help to prepare the path for them to speak the Word boldly and with clarity. We know that as they speak, it will penetrate the heart of the ones who hear, changing them from the inside out and positioning them to fulfill their call and destiny.
I do not take the assignment given me lightly, as I know I have a supply within me that helps bring the glory to the Church and beyond its walls. I cherish every minister who I have a connection with. And as God places them on my heart, I lift them up in prayer.
It would be an injustice for me to end this letter without enclosing some examples of how I pray for the ministers who I am connected to. I find that I have faith when I have scripture to stand on as the basis for my praying. The wording is up to the individual, as there is no specific formula or button to push in praying.
1. Ephesians 6:19
Father, I pray for [insert name], that You give [him/her] freedom of utterance, that [he/she] has boldness to proclaim the Gospel to those who would hear it....
2. Philippians 1:19
I thank You that I have a bountiful supply of the Spirit to bring, that my prayers will result in [his/her] freedom to speak the Word with boldness and unfailing courage....
3. Isaiah 50:4-5, 2 Timothy 4:2
I thank You for giving [name] the tongue of the learned, that [name] will speak the right word at the right time to those who need it the most. You open [his/her] ears to hear what You have to say to them. [name] will always be ready no matter where he/she is, whatever season he/she is in...
4. Ephesians 1:17-19
Father, I thank You for giving [name] the spirit of wisdom and revelation in knowing You intimately. You flood his/her heart with light through Your Word. He/she knows and understands the hope of Your calling, how rich Your glorious inheritance is in him/her, and the exceeding greatness of Your power that is working right now in him/her....
5. 1 Samuel 3:10 - 4:1(a)
I thank You that you are with [name], that none of his/her words will fall to the ground empty and void, but will produce much good fruit. He/she is established in You. And what he/she says will spread to all who cross their path.....
There are other possible promises in the Bible that you can stand on. And when you think you've prayed everything you know to pray, you can still pray in other tongues concerning them. Much of my praying is done both ways so it's up to the individual really.
I strongly urge you, fellow pray-er, to pray for those whom God has placed in your life, whether they be your pastor or other ministers of the Gospel who you have connected yourself to. The value of your prayers and the supply that you bring to them is immeasurable.
With much love,
Ken
