Praying for Gospel Advance

The church in Ephesus had gotten off track. Those responsible for shepherding it were leading people astray. Paul charged Timothy to remind them why they existed. They were called to preserve and promote the gospel, for in so doing they would bring glory to God, which is why the church in Ephesus, or any church for that matter, exists.

The first thing that Timothy needed to do was to get the church praying for the advance of the gospel. Praying ‘all kinds of prayer for all kinds of people,’ including “for kings and all who are in high positions,” was of primary importance. This appears to be a particular need for the Ephesian church. It seems that the false teaching promoted a distorted view of the church’s responsibility. It was not uncommon for Jews to think that they were responsible only for other Jews (this was the mindset of the lawyer whose question, “And who is my neighbor?”,  prompted the parable of the Good Samaritan). The errant teaching in Ephesus seems to have been influenced by such thought and Paul emphasizes the need to pray for the salvation of all people.

It was also important that the church pray for those in authority so that Christians might lead peaceable and quiet lives. There’s a kind of romanticism about the church doing its best when being persecuted, but history demonstrates that the church really took off once it gained favored status under Constantine. And a report published in Christianity Today in 2013 demonstrates that the top ten missionary sending countries are all relatively stable and prosperous ones. Free movement, freedom of speech, enough resources to support the effort, all favor gospel advance. Consequently, the gospel has had greater opportunity to flourish when those responsible for spreading it have lived in stable societies.

But the fundamental problem the Ephesian church had was their lack of concern for the advance of the gospel. They had become distracted by foolish and vain speculations that grew out of their mishandling of the law. Such a lack of concern is not a problem unique to that church. It’s hard “to keep your eye on the ball.” Fatigue, familiarity, errant teaching, not to mention the devil, all work to tamp down gospel enthusiasm, even in churches that once were marked by evangelistic zeal. When that happens, making prayer the main thing will go far toward making the gospel the main thing.