The Prayer Priority of the Church - AG Web Services

The Prayer Priority of the Church

By Richard L. Dresselhaus

The motivation of prayer
For this reason [the revealed mystery of the church] I kneel before the Father,

↓ from whom his whole
family in heaven and
on earth derives its
name.

The petition of prayer
I pray:

1. that he may strengthen you
↓out of his glorious riches
with power through his Spirit
in your inner being,

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts
↓ through faith.

2. that you may have power to grasp the love of Christ
↓ rooted and established in love ↓ how wide and long and high and deep
together with all the saints that surpasses knowledge

3. that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
↓ to the measure of

The benediction of prayer
To him be glory in the church

↓ who is able to do ↓ throughout all generations
immeasurably more forever and ever!
than all we ask
or imagine
↓ according to his power
↓ that is at work within us

Here are events that integrate rejoicing, challenge, and deep conviction: In Madras, India,
thousands gather every Friday to spend the night in prayer. In Burkino Faso 80,000 Assemblies
of God women have covenanted to join in fasting and prayer each week. In 1991 the Olympic
Stadium in Seoul, Korea, was too small to hold the masses who gathered for intercession.
I rejoice. I am greatly challenged. And I feel deep conviction over my part in the general
prayerlessness of the American church.

The evidence is in. Wherever believers establish prayer as the first priority of the church, there
is incredible growth. Is there biblical support for this conclusion? Is there a clear link between
prayer and evangelism?

Is it possible that the imperative to win the lost is intended to contextualize prayer? Is it true
that the prayer priority of the church is inseparable from its mission to win the world for Christ?
The purpose of this message is to establish this essential link clearly and convincingly.

The motivation of prayer
Exegesis is like panning for gold. Suddenly your work pays off. You strike it rich.

That is how I felt when I went looking for the antecedent to Paul’s statement, “For this reason.”
(See outline above.) “For what reason?” I asked. Then I found it in the preceding verses. Paul
was driven to his knees because of the revelation of the mystery of the church; namely, that the
gospel is for everyone. “The Gentiles are heirs together with Israel” (Ephesians 3:6).

Evangelism calls the church to pray. The universal appeal of the gospel drives us to our knees.
The prayer priority rises out of the Great Commission. Pragmatism is an attribute of God.

I had never seen it this way before. Since the verses of the passage are incredibly rich in
devotional inspiration, I was content to stop with that. Now I see that evangelism contextualizes
Paul’s prayer of intercession for the Ephesian church. May it be the same for us.

Rightly, the Assemblies of God has a strong focus on prayer. It would be entirely contradictory
to propose outreach without intercession. The passage here not only establishes an irrevocable
link between the two, but it also puts eternal purpose into intercession and establishes
evangelism as the motivational power behind prayer.

The petition of prayer
Not only was Paul driven to his knees by this “revealed mystery,” he was consumed with vision
for equipping the Ephesian church for their part in this universal endeavor.

Note the power of each petition. For strength — a church mobilized for global conquest needs
strength. But what is its source? Paul’s answer: “Out of his [Christ’s] glorious riches.” Here you
will want to digress, to ponder, to meditate. What are the riches of Christ? Think about the riches
of His exemplary character, His history of miracle, His devotion to the Father, and His charity to
everyone whose path He crossed. Talk about riches — out of these riches our strength finds its
source and flow.

What is the agency? Paul’s answer: “power through his Spirit.” Here is the promise of strength
through the indwelling power of the Spirit of Christ. What a provision! Illustrate this point both
from Scripture and from your own experience. Remember, many of your listeners feel
overwhelmed with a sense of inadequacy. They will rejoice to know that the very Spirit of Christ
will provide power and strength for every challenge and opportunity.

What is its location? Paul’s answer: “in your inner being.“ Who of us does not secretly desire
the ability to influence, persuade, and motivate? Yet the strength promised here is inward. It is
the empowering of the inner person. Here again the application is powerful. Most listeners will
find consolation in knowing that true strength is resident more in the inner than the outer person.

The second petition is for comprehension, a church able “to grasp how wide and long and high
and deep is the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:l8). How wide is this love? You can encircle the
globe and never outdistance this love. How long is this love? It spans the ages, from eternity to
eternity. How high is this love? It is impossible to ascend beyond its limits. How deep is this
love? Try the deepest caverns of the distant oceans, and you will still be enfolded by this love. (A
stanza from the song, “The Love of God,” is a powerful expression of the vastness of this love.)

The third petition is for fullness, a church “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
Interestingly this is not an abbreviation, a facsimile, nor a condensation of divine fullness; rather
it is a piece of the whole, a slice of completeness, and a part of totality. It is a measure of
fullness. I cannot experience the literal fullness of God, but the measure of fullness given is
comprehensive and complete. (The NIV translators have caught this distinction “to the measure
of” rather than “with” in the KJV in recognition of the force of the Greek preposition eis).

The benediction of prayer
Following the petitions is a benediction. Follow the thought progression: The One to be eternally

glorified in the church of all generations is He who is doing immeasurably more than we could
ask or imagine according to His power which is at work within us. This sweeps us back to the
beginning — a church motivated to pray by the pressing challenge to reach the world for Christ.

What a way to conclude! Who are the key players in this unfolding drama? We are. By His
power the work is being done through us. Don’t shy away because of feelings of inadequacy. He
will do “immeasurably more” than we can articulate or imagine, according to His power resident
within us.

Intercession and evangelism — they are inseparable, essential, and powerfully effective.
Richard L. Dresselhaus, D.Min., is former pastor of First Assembly of God, San Diego,
California, and an executive presbyter of The General Council of the Assemblies of God.