God has made abundantly clear in His Word that His children are to love and serve one another (Jn. 13:34,35; Phil. 2:1-8). Growing and excelling in such love, by His power and for His glory, is absolutely non-negotiable.
Assuming you are passionately pursuing loving one another in the love of Christ – which is one of the most fundamental evidences of truly being born of God (1 Jn. 4:7,8) – have you considered the importance of PRAYER as a key expression of love for others? Hear this exhortation from God, through Paul, in Eph. 6:18:
“…praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…” (ESV)
Beloved, this is a divine, authoritative command – we MUST PRAY for one another! And we must do so according to God’s will, zealous for God’s agenda and purposes in one another’s lives. This is exactly what Paul exemplified in his prayers for the Ephesians (Eph. 1:15-21; 3:14-21). Are we learning to pray this way for each other??
I often talk with believers in our church who don’t know how they should be ministering to others. Here’s my first response: begin by praying specifically and regularly for every member of RCG! It doesn’t matter if you know them well or not – you can pray for them according to God’s will! Practically, why not be committed to praying through one page of our church directory each day, and just keep doing this on a daily basis? Begin praying in this way for others, and you’ll discover countless other ways to minister!
God does amazing things as we pray for one another, not the least of which is transforming our own selfish hearts to His purposes and care for His people. As we genuinely pray His will for our brothers and sisters in Christ, we begin to think and act differently toward them. We begin to really care about their lives, about their circumstances, about their souls. And all to the glory of our Great Savior and Lord!
Oh beloved…pray, pray, pray for one another!!!