How Should We Pray For Young Believers?

How should we pray for those young in the faith? The Apostle Paul, inspired by God’s Spirit, does us a favor by describing his prayers for young churches in his letters. These prayers provide clear guidance about how we should pray for new Christians. Two emphases in Paul’s written prayers to the Thessalonians are particularly essential for those serving in Gospel ministry—especially cross-cultural missions.  

Thanksgiving

As Paul prayed, he intentionally kept before his heart what God had already done in the believers’ lives by His amazing grace. After beginning with past grace, Paul’s thanksgiving moved to present grace displayed in the churches, and then on to future grace to be obtained in eternity. This emphasis is no accident, for maintaining such a perspective anchors the Great Commission in the grace of God.

Remembering past grace, present grace, and the promises of future grace is key to helping us maintain our spiritual equilibrium when serving young believers. When our equilibrium is off, we become unsteady physically; we are compromised and dizzy. Thanksgiving serves as a steadying force, keeping us grounded and secure in the big picture of what God is doing.

Thanksgiving for Past Grace: Salvation

In 1 Thessalonians, Paul says, “Our gospel came to you in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction”¹ (1:4-5). He rejoiced in what God had done. He reminded himself and them of their conversion to Christ and of their testimony of true repentance. They had “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven” (1:9-10).

Thanksgiving for Changed Lives

Paul then turned his thanksgiving to their changed lives, past and present. He praised God for their “work of faith and labor of love and steadfast hope in our Lord Jesus Christ,” grateful that they had “become imitators of us” and “examples to all the believers” of faith and love while enduring “much affliction” (1:3, 6-7). He and his coworkers “thank God constantly for this”(2:13-14).

In 2 Thessalonians, Paul continues the emphasis: “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right.” Why? “Because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing” (1:3).

Again, he says, “But we ought always to give thanks to God or you.” Why? They were “brothers beloved by the Lord,” “chosen,” “firstfruits to be saved” in that ministry (2:13-14).

Thanksgiving for Glory to Come

Paul’s thanksgiving did not stop with the past and present, but also included the future of the believers. These brothers and sisters were “called” by God through the Gospel to receive the “glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:14). They were destined for this in Christ and would receive it, along with Paul and his co-laborers.

Considering all of these things in praise to God, Paul says, “For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before God?” (1 Thessalonians 3:9).

Some Reasons Why We Need this Emphasis on Thanksgiving

Many come to Christ with lots of baggage. Devastating sin problems and consequences for those sins dominate their lives. Some have a near-total ignorance of God’s truth and what Christian living means. Discipleship for them takes lots of time and energy. Working with these young believers often comes with many disappointments.    

Difficulties in discipling young believers tempt us to discouragement. Discouragement is certain if we fail to remember what God has already done, what He is presently doing, and what He will most certainly do in completion of the work He has begun. If we forget these blessings and focus instead on the difficulties and failures, we may even become jaded or disillusioned in ministry. These heart attitudes are deadly handicaps to our spiritual lives and ministries.

Sometimes we foolishly expect rapid and sustained spiritual growth from those we serve. We do this even with people who have had far less spiritual advantage in their experience. Unrealistic expectations are especially common for those who have grown up in church, have believed on Christ early, and have had decades of local church life, Bible reading, prayer, sermons, Christian activities, Christian books, music, blogs, and podcasts to strengthen them. We can fail to apply the knowledge that many whom we reach are starting at almost zero in their understanding of God and how to please Him. They are often adults with many damaging habits and scars from sin.

We can glory in our opportunity to reach the unreached and unchurched—and we should! We often forget, however, that this privilege comes with an added level of difficulty in spiritual warfare. We must not get frustrated with the often slow and rocky discipleship process of those whose Christian influence has just begun. Thank God for every victory, and cherish God’s grace at work.   

Intercession

The apostles elevated the ministry of prayer and the Word above all other concerns in their ministries (Acts 6:4). When we read the epistles, we frequently see their heart for prayer and a commitment to a continual ministry of intercession.

In 1 Thessalonians 1:2 Paul writes, “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers.” In 2 Thessalonians 1:11, he also emphasizes, “To this end we always pray for you.” The commitment to serving Jesus Christ as a Great Commission laborer in His harvest is inherently a commitment to intercession. Paul clearly exemplifies this for us. Do we have this fundamental conviction about our own role in intercessory prayer? Do we continually intercede? 

Intercessory prayer is spiritual warfare, accessing spiritual grace and power for the sake of others. Notice the radical focus on the spiritual nature of this work. Intercession should keep our hearts focused on spiritual reality and the big picture of what God is doing. This exercise helps us avoid the frustration and discouragement that pushes to the surface because of our pride, selfish desires, and unfulfilled ambitions. Intercession restrains ungodly responses to disappointment.

In 2 Thessalonians, Paul describes his prayers for believers: “To this end we always pray for you” that God would “make you worthy of His calling,” help them “fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by His power,” help them “glorify the name of Christ,” “glorify” them in Jesus (1:11-12), “comfort their hearts” in tribulation and “establish them in every good work and word” (2:17), “direct their hearts to the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ” (3:5), “give them peace at all times and in every way,” and “be with them” (3:16).

On a practical ministry level, the twin emphasis on thanksgiving and intercession is crucial to maintaining our sanity in gospel ministry. Why? Thanksgiving and intercession take our eyes off ourselves and focus them on Christ and what He is doing. The partnership between thanksgiving and intercession is used by God, in part, to maintain our own spiritual focus as we seek to influence others for Christ’s sake.

(This article was originally posted on Commissioned: Extending Grace to the Nations)