Category: Prayer

Testing the Spirits

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In these contentious times, many people are claiming to have heard from God. However, one thing that is generally missing from such pronouncements is how the person knows that they have heard from God.

This is especially interesting since the Bible is clear, in both the Old and New Testaments, that we need to be discerning about such claims, and that while we should not despise prophecy, we should carefully test the spirits. Jesus, Paul, and John all warned us about the deceptions that would occur. In most cases, the context is when people are claiming to speak for God. In those cases, Scripture is clear that they need to be tested because the danger of false prophets is real and significant.

Thus, while we should probably be open when others claim to have heard from the Spirit, we should be discerning and careful to test. This is particularly important when what is said affects other people. This is certainly true when the guidance affects many people, but probably applies even when it affects one other person. In generally, whenever someone claims to speak for God into someone else’s life, that claim should be tested.

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God and the Power of Healing

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Throughout history, healing has been inextricably linked with divine purpose. From the ministry of Jesus to modern medical breakthroughs, God’s compassionate design for human health has manifested in increasingly sophisticated ways. This evolution represents not just scientific progress, but the continuing expression of divine love through human hands.

Jesus established the foundation of this legacy through His ministry of miraculous healing. These acts weren’t merely demonstrations of supernatural power; they were profound expressions of love, confirmations of His Messianic identity, and the beginning of a tradition that would transform society. The pattern He established—placing value on healing the sick regardless of their status—became a hallmark of the Christian faith that continues to this day.

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Effective Evangelism: Spiritual Insights from Acts

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The phrase “ends of the Earth” as it appears in the book of Acts pertains to those who are far from God. Acts chronicles a great deal of evangelistic activity, yet it offers only a few instances where we are provided with detailed accounts of the messages shared with people who are in this category. These examples warrant closer examination to uncover insights about the methods used and their outcomes.

In one such example, Paul and Barnabas visit the city of Lystra (Acts 14:8-18). Here, Paul performs a miraculous healing of a lame beggar, which evokes a dramatic response from the townspeople. Believing that Paul and Barnabas are manifestations of their gods, Hermes and Zeus, the people prepare to offer them worship. This reaction is linked to a regional myth about the gods previously visiting in disguise and being overlooked, leading the people of Lystra to vow not to repeat the mistake. Paul and Barnabas reject this misplaced veneration, redirecting the crowd’s attention to the one true God. Interestingly, Acts does not record Paul explicitly mentioning Jesus in this instance. The outcome? There is no mention of conversions, and Paul and Barnabas eventually move on to the next city, seemingly leaving behind a community unchanged by their message.

Athens presents a starkly different scenario (Acts 17:16-34). Paul engages with the local populace in the agora, or marketplace, which leads to his invitation to address the learned elite on Mars Hill. His speech here stands out for its cultural resonance: Paul begins with the Athenians’ own worldview, referencing their religious practices and even quoting Greek poets to introduce them to the concept of the one true God. From this foundation, he moves on to the subject of Jesus and the resurrection. The results in Athens were more mixed: some listeners believed, while others expressed a desire to hear more, and still others dismissed him outright. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that Paul tailored his approach to align with the intellectual and cultural framework of his audience, resulting in tangible spiritual fruit.

Later in Acts, Paul finds himself arrested in Jerusalem, leading to an audience with King Agrippa (Acts 26:1-32). Given this opportunity, Paul shares his personal testimony, recounting his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus. Rather than addressing Agrippa’s specific concerns or context, Paul focuses on his own story. The outcome is clear: Agrippa is unmoved, dismissing Paul’s appeal and showing no interest in embracing Christianity.

It is worth noting that the examples above are the primary instances in Acts where messages are delivered to those far outside the Jewish faith or the category of “God-fearers”—non-Jews who already believed in the God of Israel and needed to be introduced to Jesus. Among these three encounters, Paul’s only apparent success was with the intellectuals at Mars Hill. A possible reason for this lies in his method. Unlike in Lystra or before Agrippa, Paul at Mars Hill made deliberate use of the listeners’ cultural context and knowledge to frame his message.

In contrast, Paul’s approach in Lystra seems detached from the people’s preoccupations. The townspeople’s focus on their local myth appears to be ignored or unacknowledged in Paul’s exhortation. His message is a generalized appeal to accept the God of Israel, devoid of specific references to Jesus. Similarly, with Agrippa, Paul relies solely on recounting his personal spiritual journey, without any evident attempt to connect with the king’s unique perspective or concerns.

This leads to a broader reflection on the effectiveness of Paul’s strategies. Could it be that these accounts reveal the importance of speaking not just from personal conviction but in a manner that resonates with the audience? Paul is often assumed to have always spoken under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit, yet Acts does not explicitly affirm this in every instance. The varying outcomes—particularly the apparent lack of conversions in Lystra and with Agrippa—might suggest that even Paul had to navigate the challenges of effective communication and cultural engagement.

Indeed, Paul later requests prayer for boldness and clarity in proclaiming the Gospel (eg, Eph. 6:19 and Col. 4:4), an acknowledgment that effective evangelism requires divine empowerment as well as thoughtful preparation. This is what I’ve termed “speaking in power” in this blog, and highlights a significant tension in Christian witness: the balance between faithfulness to the message and adaptability to the audience’s needs. The examples in Acts remind us that successful communication of the Gospel often requires humility, contextual sensitivity, and reliance on the Holy Spirit.

Pentecost and the End of Slavery

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Pentecost is often seen to be the start of the church, as the Holy Spirit filled the small band of believers. Sometimes focus is placed on the result of the Spirit’s filling, namely speaking in tongues, as an indication of the presence of the Spirit. Others see the primary impact to be the fellowship that existed shortly after this event as more and more people entered the community.

In this blog, we’ve looked at the effectiveness of Peter’s speech, how it was the first example of Jesus’ statement that the Father would give us words to speak of Him, and how this example was followed by others in Acts, modeled by Paul’s prayer requests, and described in the theology in his letters.

I think that there’s another way of looking at the Spirit’s effects in the lives of the early believers, and that is to consider the difference between freeing slaves and ending slavery that I discussed earlier. In that discussion, slavery was used as both a literal problem and as a metaphor for the many ways that people are subject to the kingdom of this world, rather than the kingdom of God. The idea is that, while it is good to free slaves, to help people whenever we can in whatever ways we can, it is better to remove the institutions of slavery completely.

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Prayer for the Kingdom to Come

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Jesus gave us the Lord’s Prayer as basic instruction for praying. After recognizing God’s holiness, the first request is for His kingdom to come. Once we realize that this request should naturally come before any of our own, then it seems important to reflect on what we are really praying for in this case.

Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10 (ESV)

Very simply, this is a prayer that God’s ways would be manifested in our world. Although there is a future, final aspect to this statement, it’s clear in Jesus’ teachings that there is an immediate aspect as well, that there are ways that the kingdom of God is manifested before He returns. This is the “already but not yet” aspect of the kingdom.

Also clear in New Testament teaching is that the kingdom is manifested first in changed hearts, and that then leads to changed lives. For example, when the disciples asked about the physical realization of the kingdom in Acts 1:6, Jesus pointed them again to the need to proclaim Him, because only by accepting His salvation and lordship could the necessary first step occur.

When Jesus’ followers show changed lives that include serving and loving those around them, then the kingdom becomes manifest.

The fact that this process starts with changed hearts highlights the importance of evangelism: not just to save individuals, but to bring God’s saving power to the world through those individuals. When salvation is followed by discipleship, the impact to the world grows like a seed sprouting forth into a great tree.

Thus, although the reality of God’s kingdom is manifested in many different ways, we can start by praying that the kingdom comes in people’s hearts as they know God through Christ.

Heavenly Father, I pray that Your kingdom would come into the lives of those around me, that Your salvation would be known to them personally and that it would work out through them to the rest of the world.

Prayer for Wisdom

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In any venture, but especially spiritual ones, we need to be equipped by God. Our talents, skills, strength, and thinking all need to be enabled and guided by Him. In fact, our ability to think well underlies much of what we do, which is perhaps why wisdom literature is a specific portion of the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments.

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3:17-18

James gave us a description of wisdom from above – Godly wisdom. It is very different from many earthly descriptions that describe wisdom as the ability to know how to get things done, for example. James’ description is more about the character of wisdom, and note how that character includes characteristics of the Holy Spirit.

When he describes the results of this wisdom, it is less about accomplishing goals than producing righteousness and peace.

Wisdom is important for us to live successfully in the world, but the success we should be concerned with is the realization of God’s will, not our own.

Because this description applies to all of life it must apply to evangelism. For example, Stephen is described as speaking with wisdom in Acts 6:10. Thus, we should seek Godly wisdom in our own efforts to speak about Jesus.

Heavenly Father, as You give us Your Spirit to speak of Jesus, I ask to also be given Your wisdom that my words would lead people to Jesus in righteousness and peace.

Prayer for Leaders

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Prayer for each other is a key aspect of Christian faith, and it takes many different forms, with many different goals. One particular need is to pray for our leaders, for they determine many aspects of our lives and so need to be guided.

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4

Paul’s direction to pray covers a wide range in both the type of prayer and for whom we are praying. However, he calls out one group in particular: our leaders, those in influential positions. We need to pray for guidance for all leaders and be thankful for good ones.

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Praying for Open Doors

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The early disciples recognized the importance of evangelism, and prayed for boldness and effective speech, but these things are useless unless there are opportunities to use them. Paul understood this, and also recognized that we need God’s help to create the opportunities.

At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison – Colossians 4:3

The Spirit works in our lives in many ways and we might ask for Him to open doors in various contexts – relationships, work, health, and so on. However, evangelism is one specific place in which we definitely need God to work ahead of us. Not only do we need circumstances arranged, but there is a need for the Spirit to prepare hearts ahead of time to hear the gospel.

This isn’t to say that we don’t have a role to play, but rather that we need to start by inviting God into the effort. Or perhaps we really need to recognize that we are joining God in His work of bringing the kingdom to Earth.

For those of us who are hesitant about sharing the gospel, it may be easy to forget this step if we unconsciously hope that opportunities don’t appear. This may happen if we’re worried or uncomfortable, which is why we need God’s heart to move us and boldness to act. Note that Paul’s request is for an open door for “us” – he rarely worked alone, and partnering with other believers is a way to strengthen ourselves.

Nevertheless, even with supportive co-workers, holy motivation, and a will to act, we still need doors opened for us.

Heavenly Father, we ask that You create opportunities for the gospel to be shared with people who have open hearts.

Asking God to Reveal Himself to Unbelievers

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We need boldness to go and proclaim the gospel in a dark world, but we also need to remember that God will work to bring people to Himself as we obey Him. We need Him to reveal Himself to people through our words and deeds, through His actions in the world, in their spirits, and so on.

When the believers gathered in Acts 4 to ask for boldness to speak the word in the midst of ongoing threats, they also asked God to continue revealing Himself.

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Prayer to Have a Servant’s Heart for Sharing Christ

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In order to reach others with the gospel, we need to communicate in ways that they understand. This may sound obvious, but it’s easy to stick to familiar patterns. Communicating well means conforming ourselves in some manner to what they need, rather than what we want or think. Doing this requires a heart that’s willing to be flexible.

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Paul was passionate about sharing Jesus, even saying at one point “woe to me if I do not preach the gospel”. This drive led him to do whatever it takes, to the point of becoming a servant to this work such that he changed to become whatever was needed to reach others.

We may or may not need to change ourselves radically to share Christ, but we do need to be open to whatever the Spirit requires of us. Thus, whether or not we really need to change in some way, we do need to have a humble and open heart to the Spirit’s leading.

In other words, one of the most important things we need, and an important starting point, is a servant’s heart.

Heavenly Father, I humble myself before You and ask You to mold me according to Your will to share Jesus with those around me. Give me a servant’s heart to become whatever they need.