Praying for All Nations -- Pastor Joseph H. Lao

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”(Eph 6:10-12)

As a church, we desire to make the kingdom of the world the Kingdom of Christ. We want to be people that invite God’s Spirit to be felt amongst us in real and tangible ways. We want to be a church that impacts communities. We want to be a church that responds creatively in a changing world.  We want to be a church that blesses the nations by being instruments of God’s love, joy, and peace. 

So what are we doing to align our hearts with God’s for the evangelism of the world? Prayer is the first step in being missions-minded. At the very least, we should be praying for the world to hear the gospel. The heart of God is displayed in the sending of His Son to save the world through faith in Him (John 3:16). The heart of God is for the lost to be saved.  We can find “lost” people all around us…….. in our families, in our schools, in our work places, in our neighborhoods, in our communities, in our cities, in our countries, in our world.

    The world around us has failed miserably in seeking to live our lives apart from God. We have delved deeper into moral decay and are in a spiritual void. Satan is always lurking around to try to devour us. We need to gear up with the full armor of God. We need to participate in this spiritual battle – we need to be a church that prays for all nations – and this is a vast undertaking.
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    Christ has called us to pray for the invasion of His life and power in ALL the world. Jesus gave His life to save us. He sacrificed Himself to pay for our sins and set us free from judgment and death. We need to embrace the sense of indebtedness such sacrifice should engender. The truth remains: “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves” (Col. 1:13). Because we have tasted the goodness of God, we should desire to tell others the story of Jesus and His love.

        “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:13-14) Brothers and sisters, we are called to take God’s message of salvation to the world. We are also called to make our lives a shining testimony of the power and truth of the gospel. We are called to pray for all nations.