“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”
The Lord’s Prayer calls for God’s people to pray that the kingdom of God will come on earth in the same way that it exists in heaven. That is an incredible invitation to participate with God and impact history from the human side. As you pray for our global and Mission Canada workers and all our partners around the world, please pray the Word of God over them. Ask the Lord to give us the nations as our inheritance, to have them in our possession to the praise of His glory. In the previous issue of testimony (May/June), we introduced the first six of 12 kingdom prayers in Part 1 of “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.” Here are the remaining six of those kingdom prayers. Thank you for your continued prayers for the work of PAOC missions.
- Pray that the hearts of those who hear the gospel will be open.
“Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear” (Matthew 13:8-9).
The Spirit of God
The Spirit of God is always at work before the messengers arrive with the good news. Pray that the Spirit will prepare the hearts and minds of unbelievers to hear and to understand the truth of the gospel.
- Pray for the peace and prosperity of the nations.
“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
The Bible encourages us to pray for the peace and prosperity not only of Jerusalem (Psalm 122), but also for those among whom we live. We send our workers into countries experiencing turmoil and often significant poverty. Pray that God will bring peace and prosperity to the nations, and that the churches we plant will be self-sustaining because the believers are being blessed by God. Pray for justice for the poor, the oppressed, the refugees, the orphan, and the widow.
- Pray for the fruit of salvation to remain and for believers to experience true freedom in Christ.
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:16-19).
In many places in the world, when a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ, there can be great persecution and opposition. Pray that God will strengthen those who are new to the faith and give them courage and power to stand. Also pray they understand that hope for forgiveness and acceptance with God are possible only through the work of Christ on the cross. Pray that people will not rely on a works-based salvation that can lead to legalism rather than freedom.
- Pray for open doors and for bold and clear proclamation of the good news.
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:2-5).
- Pray that our workers and all believers would proclaim the message of the gospel clearly, making the most of every opportunity God places before them. Pray that they will always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks [them] to give the reason for the hope that [they] have (1 Peter 3:15b). Pray that they will show gentleness and respect even if people speak evil of them or mistreat them.
- Pray for financial resources to support all of our workers.
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:6-8).
The Scriptures call us all to generosity and to break the power of Mammon in our lives by giving generously. Pray that God will inspire the church in Canada to sow generously so that the ministry will not lack the resources necessary to fulfil God’s purpose. Our workers are worthy of our support and need adequate finances to accomplish all that God asks of them.
- Pray for joy and steadfast endurance in the face of persecution.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12).
“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21).
Church history tells us that the church grows the most when persecution is present. Pray that believers will endure persecution in a Christlike manner and be willing to give our lives for the sake of the gospel if that is what God ordains for us. Pray that God will protect us from the evil one when we are persecuted for the sake of Christ.
Murray Cornelius serves as the executive director of International Missions for the PAOC. For more information on how you can pray, visit https://paoc.org/missions/resources/prayer-guide to order your free hard copy of the latest 2017 Prayer Guide or to download a free digital copy. To subscribe to our weekly missions prayer posts, contact im@paoc.org.
This article appeared in the July/August 2017 issue of testimony, the bimonthly publication of The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. Photo: iStockPhoto