Praying for Holiness
Let me read the whole of 1 Thessalonians 3:13, which closes out Paul's prayer for the people of that church: "May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones."
Paul's purpose in praying for the strengthening of these people's hearts was not just so that they feel better. It was so that they live holy and God-honouring lives. In the end, this is always Paul's great focus – you see it in each of his letters. He desperately desires for the Christians there to be living holy and godly lives. He always prays this for the people who receive his letters.
Is this a prayer that ever comes from your lips? Are you asking God to grant your Christian family holiness and blamelessness – freedom from the sin that brings them down, and greater Christlikeness in the way they live their lives?
That's what holiness is after all – being like Christ. This has two implications: it is both a freedom from something, and the tendency to something else. Like Christ, we are to live free from sin and the evil one's ways; and we are to live to the glory of God, by loving and caring and being compassionate and bringing good into the world.
The Power of Prayer for Spiritual Revival
Pray regularly, would you, for God to so fill you with His Spirit that yours would be a life that is free from evil, and committed to good. And pray the same thing for the people in your church family. Pray that your community would truly be holy and Christlike. Pray that His Spirit would so move among your church that sin is purged away and love for God and people enfolds the community.
I think Rev. Robert Beckett put it so well in an article called The Need for Holiness in Rural Church Revitalisation: "The key to reviving a struggling church is holiness. When people in the church focus on growing closer to God through prayer, Bible study, and worship, the Holy Spirit will begin to work in their hearts and minds. As they begin to understand who God is and what He has called them to do, they will start living holy lives. And as they live holy lives, the fire of God will begin to burn brightly within them. When the fire of God burns brightly in people's hearts, it will also ignite a passion for sharing the Gospel with others and reaching out to those in need. Thus, church revitalisation starts with individuals who are devoted to living holy lives and seeking God's will for their lives. As more and more people embrace this mindset, the holiness of the church will begin to spread throughout."
Making Holiness Your Church's Foundation
How about taking that paragraph to your prayer space, and regularly asking God to bring such a revival in your church? In the end, the church doesn't need more programmes, more ministries, more services even, if they are missing the call to holiness – to Christlikeness. Should our prayers be filled with more churchy things, or should they be filled with a deeper desire for the people of our church to be conformed to the image of Jesus?
Paul's words make it clear. Let's pray this year for our church communities to be filled with truly holy, Christlike people – redeemed by His blood, and made new by His Spirit.
May our prayers be effective this year!
Paul's ultimate prayer was that his people would live holy and blameless lives, free from sin and devoted to God's will. This week, pray that God will make you and your church community increasingly holy and Christlike.