Prayer for the Ministering Servants of God

The point: Become allies with me in the fight... That conflict with the powers of darkness and with ignorance and the host of hell, that conflict is your conflict. And together we must bear the responsibility for that warfare.

The Greek word 'agonize' is contrasted with a casual 'now I lay me down to sleep' prayer, illustrating the intensity Paul sought in prayer.

And so the nature of the prayer which the Apostle is soliciting is not the now I lay me down to sleep, God bless pastor and use him kind of prayers. He is soliciting the kind of prayer that can only be described by this vigorous Greek word to agonize. And he says, I beseech you to agonize together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf. The New English Bible translates this part of the text, be my allies in the fight.

8:03 - 8:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Become allies with me in the fight... That conflict with the powers of darkness and with ignorance and the host of hell, that conflict is your conflict. And together we must bear the responsibility for that warfare.

The New English Bible's translation 'be my allies in the fight' is quoted to vividly convey the nature of joint spiritual warfare in prayer.

And so the nature of the prayer which the Apostle is soliciting is not the now I lay me down to sleep, God bless pastor and use him kind of prayers. He is soliciting the kind of prayer that can only be described by this vigorous Greek word to agonize. And he says, I beseech you to agonize together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf. The New English Bible translates this part of the text, be my allies in the fight.

8:03 - 8:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Become allies with me in the fight... That conflict with the powers of darkness and with ignorance and the host of hell, that conflict is your conflict. And together we must bear the responsibility for that warfare.

Ministers are described as 'front line troops in the great army of God' to illustrate their peculiar engagement with the powers of darkness.

And I like that. Be my allies in the fight. He writes, He recognized that in going forth to preach, he was engaging in a very peculiar way with the powers of darkness. In a very peculiar way, those who proclaim the word of God and carry out the message in the official capacity of the messengers of Christ are the front line troops in the great army of God.

8:45 - 9:15 Read in full sermon

The point: Become allies with me in the fight... That conflict with the powers of darkness and with ignorance and the host of hell, that conflict is your conflict. And together we must bear the responsibility for that warfare.

The well-known hymn about meeting at the throne of grace is used to illustrate the spiritual unity and shared striving in prayer despite physical distance.

In the language of that well-known hymn, it is a wonderful thing to meet at the throne of grace and there to mingle our ardent desires and prayers before our common Lord. It's a wonderful thing when I leave this place to know that I leave as one whose relationship to you is neither suspended nor severed. By the 3,000 miles that will lie between us over the next two and a half weeks. God by his spirit has made me a member of this congregation just as he's made you a member of this congregation.

9:55 - 10:37 Read in full sermon

The point: Become allies with me in the fight... That conflict with the powers of darkness and with ignorance and the host of hell, that conflict is your conflict. And together we must bear the responsibility for that warfare.

The 3,000 miles separating Martin from his congregation are used to illustrate that their spiritual relationship and shared membership in Christ's body are not suspended or severed by distance.

In the language of that well-known hymn, it is a wonderful thing to meet at the throne of grace and there to mingle our ardent desires and prayers before our common Lord. It's a wonderful thing when I leave this place to know that I leave as one whose relationship to you is neither suspended nor severed. By the 3,000 miles that will lie between us over the next two and a half weeks. God by his spirit has made me a member of this congregation just as he's made you a member of this congregation.

9:55 - 10:37 Read in full sermon

Driving home: If God does not intrude in the realm of the attitudes and actions of unregenerate men, a prayer request of this nature is sheer nonsense.

Paul's need to travel by ship and be at the mercy of elements is used to illustrate God's control over 'winds and tides' and all details of providence, contrasting with modern travel.

And then, of course, the third thing, when he says that I may come to you in joy through the will of God, he's revealing his confidence that God controls the winds and the tides. Remember, he didn't hop on a 747 or a 707 or the Metroliner. He had to get on a ship. He was at the mercy of the elements, of the courts, quote, forces of nature, and all of these factors.

16:00 - 16:27 Read in full sermon

The point: I entreat you to make that one of your specific focuses of prayer: that I may be delivered from disobedient men.

The recent IRA explosions in Ireland are cited as an example of 'unreasonable men' and the reality of potential danger, underscoring the need for prayer for deliverance.

Surely, I'm not so stupid as to think they're not unreasonable men who would think, hmm, this is a good place for us to get a little attention. Stir up a little trouble. Attract a little attention to our cause, even as the IRA did when someone said they were a spent cause. Explosions went off in 32 places across Ireland just a couple of days ago.

17:46 - 18:09 Read in full sermon

The point: I would urge you to pray that God would give me the hearts of his people in these places.

Preachers are described as a 'funny lot' who can be 'catty' at conferences, illustrating the challenge of gaining their acceptance and the need for prayer for an acceptable ministry.

And all kinds of thoughts go through their minds when they come to a preacher's conference. And they can be awfully catty and sit around and compare preachers and criticize and all of the rest. And then when you have the added liability of being an American and added to that general liability the additional liability of being rather swashbuckling, outgoing, a bit loud American, why, it's almost going up to the plate with two strikes against you and the bat over your shoulder and the third fastball coming down the pipe. Well, I say that again.

20:07 - 20:47 Read in full sermon

The point: I would urge you to pray that God would give me the hearts of his people in these places.

Being an American, loud, and swashbuckling preacher at a British conference is likened to 'going up to the plate with two strikes against you,' illustrating the cultural barriers to acceptance.

And all kinds of thoughts go through their minds when they come to a preacher's conference. And they can be awfully catty and sit around and compare preachers and criticize and all of the rest. And then when you have the added liability of being an American and added to that general liability the additional liability of being rather swashbuckling, outgoing, a bit loud American, why, it's almost going up to the plate with two strikes against you and the bat over your shoulder and the third fastball coming down the pipe. Well, I say that again.

20:07 - 20:47 Read in full sermon

The point: Will you pray with me, brethren, that God would grant that the ministry would be acceptable?

Ministering in Ireland after a long absence is described as feeling 'utterly strange,' like being without many tools, illustrating the challenges of cultural differences and the need for prayer for acceptable ministry.

And then as I go on to Ireland, a situation in which I have not ministered for a number of years, I feel so utterly strange, illustrative material. You've got to draw it out of the raw stuff of the culture unless you use universal illustrations and that sense that you're there without many of your tools and funny little mannerisms and little phrases that can easily turn the minds of people away from the thing towards which you are driving. All of those things can throw up barriers. So that your ministry is not acceptable to the saints. Well, will you pray with me, brethren, that God would gran...

21:55 - 22:59 Read in full sermon

The point: I plead with you as you pray for me, pray this prayer, that utterance may be given to me, that God will loose my tongue and do everything necessary to grant that loosened, tongue.

Preaching is described as either 'born or stillborn in the act of preaching,' illustrating the dependence on God's Spirit for boldness and effective utterance, despite preparation.

such as the apostle had in terms of direct revelation, who feel ourselves utter pygmies in his presence as far as stature is concerned, whose range of experience is so much more limited than was his, surely if that man said, oh dear saints, in the work of spiritual warfare, in the conflict, pray for me that utterance may be given, how much more do I need to make that plea to you as the people of God? Pray that utterance may be given. And again, time will not permit my going in to all of the many factors that are involved in that matter of utterance so that we speak boldly, with unfettered free...

28:12 - 29:33 Read in full sermon