Fresh Bread: The Blessing of a Praying Pastor

For this reason [seeing the greatness of this plan by which you are built together in Christ], I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,…I pray that He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality]. May Christ through your FAITH [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts!…That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all… [God’s devoted people…] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of God’s Love];

[That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God […having the richest measure of His divine Presence …wholly filled and flooded with God Himself] Now to Him Who, by… the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]– To Him be glory in the church…throughout all generations… (Ephesians 3:14-20; Amplified Bible).

In Chapter 7 of The Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges informs us that there is “Help in the Daily Battle” to live a holy life. This help is not as simple as having assistance from the Holy Spirit. It is quite obvious that the reason God gave us His Holy (different) Spirit is so that we could live our lives differently. However, if God’s People are going to live holy lives and win this battle, they must have the assistance of a praying pastor.

Ephesians is one of the crown jewels of Paul’s Epistles (letters). In addition, the church of Ephesus was actually his strongest church plant. One of the reasons for this was because he stayed and taught in Ephesus for the longest time. However, the other main reason for their success is that the Apostle Paul prayed fervently for the people of God.

I remember being told a story about Jack W. Hayford, who was affectionately known to many as “Pastor Jack.” He was once asked, “How do you grow a large and successful church like this?” A number of young ministers took out their laptop computers in the hope of finding the Holy Grail of ministerial solutions. They were disappointed with his answer. Pastor Jack’s simple response: Pray for your people!

To close, I will simply borrow the words of Dr. E.M. Bounds. “A pastor, a leader, a deacon, a ministry head, a husband, or a parent who does not pray for his or her people is to be pitied. However, those who are under his or her leadership are to be pitied even more.” Do you want to win the battle for holiness? Part of the solution is to have spiritual leadership who regularly prays for you (Colossians 4:12; NLT).