O God, help us to view the Christian Church from a kingdom perspective. May we see the church as You see the church from your heavenly throne; a church without walls, a church without man-made denominational labels and organisational divisions, a church made up only of true believers who are spiritually connected to Christ and to each other through faith and obedience to Him who loved us and gave His life to save us.
Help us to see the big picture; that we belong to a people group who span the corridors to time from Adam to Christ’s Second Coming, a people of faith, a universal church of saints triumphant who have faithfully finished their course in this life and have gone to be with You; and the church militant who continue in this life to fight the good fight and defend the faith once delivered to the saints of the early church.
O God, keep us from becoming institutionalised in dead religion. Reform your church as you did in the Protestant Reformation. Raise up men and women of God who will blow the trumpet in Zion to awaken a sleeping, lukewarm, apostate church; a church given over to worldly business principles and marketing strategies, who peddle the gospel like a profane commodity instead of preaching it as a sacred trust.
Lord God, raise up leaders, shepherds of Israel, to lead Your church in the ways of righteousness and true holiness. Purge the Christian church worldwide from carnal motivations of success and the sins of pride, envy, and a competitive spirit. Rebuke and admonish those who have placed their trust and confidence in the arm of the flesh, (which is to say) their own abilities and human wisdom. Cause them to repent of their wicked ways and to seek first Your Kingdom and Your Righteousness. May the scales of deception and delusion fall from their eyes by the enlightening grace of Your Holy Spirit.
Lord Jesus, You said that You would build Your church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it; and yet the institutional church, heavily influenced by the Church Growth Movement, has usurped your role, your authority, and have taken custody and ownership of the church and of church growth. O God, convict and convince Your people in every land and in every place, both clergy and laity, that we are not called or commissioned to grow the church; we are called and commissioned to disciple new believers and to spread the good news of Jesus and his Kingdom throughout the world.
Help us to remember always – that one may plant, one may water, but it is You and only You that give the increase. You, O God, are the only one who can cause genuine church growth and the extension of your kingdom here upon the earth. For “Unless the Lord builds the House, they labour in vain who build it”.
Be pleased O God, to therefore forgive us our sins of selfishness, self-sufficiency, self-determination, and self-promotion. Cause us to humble ourselves under Your mighty hand, and to wait upon Your Spirit for all manner of divine enablement and blessing. We pray these things in the name of Your beloved Son; our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
This prayer was taken from Lord, Teach us to Pray by Manfred Wagstaff, 2017.
