To Serve & ProtectSample

10. To Protect the Church

“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” – Ephesians 6:18 (NLT)

Nobody can be everywhere. But everybody can be somewhere.

The apostle Paul travelled the known first century world and planted local churches just about everywhere. Equipping leaders and strengthening communities. He would also teach and encourage these churches from afar by writing letters, such as Ephesians and Philippians. Most of these letters were concluded with encouragement to endure, requests for prayer and invitations to give.

The local and global church needs your protection through your persistent prayers and faithful funding. You might not travel the world like Paul did, but you serve faithfully in your community. You might not be a missionary, but you can pray for the mission. You might not go to the nations, but you can give locally and globally.

As believers who serve faithfully in our local church body, we can also do our part to protect the church globally by praying and giving. Our world often revolves around ourselves, our daily and weekly activities and our immediate environment. While it is important to firstly be involved where you are planted, it is also important to realize that there is a whole wide world to be reached and a global church to be covered. There is a global church community of congregations who face challenges you might never have and workers in the mission field bringing in a harvest you might never see. At least not on this side of eternity.

But when we pray for the church globally, covering the persecuted in prayer and giving for those who gather the nations, we are in fact investing in eternity. The seed you sow now and never see spring up in this life will eventually echo in eternity when we are all gathered with Christ. You won’t know the impact your financial funding makes in the mission field now, but one day in heaven you’ll meet those whose lives were reached.

Likewise, when we pray for God’s work globally and intercede for those workers in the foreign fields, we are covering the church in ways we cannot yet imagine. A simple but persistent prayer can produce a harvest and protect the church around the globe.

You protect the church as you pray for other believers, near and far. Pray with others personally as well, whenever you can. Contribute locally, as you should at your own church where you are involved, but also take part in covering the church globally whenever you can. No seed is too small to create an eternal echo. But remember also, the more you get, the more you are entrusted to give.

So, live to the fullest for Christ where you are locally. Give generously. Fund faithfully. Pray persistently. And reap the results eternally.

Read Ephesians 6:18-20 & Philippians 4:15-20, and Reflect on the following…

• What do you observe about prayer and giving from today’s reading?
• How can you stand in the gap to protect the church locally and globally?
• Where can you contribute to covering the church and its worldwide work?
• Who and what do you need to pray for today?