Praying for the church

 

Praying for the dead and dying churches of the world. Prayers for redemption and restoration.  (November 1, 2020)

In our world today there are many churches that though they say they are alive; in reality, they are spiritually dead. Many others say they are prosperous and doing very well, but the at best are lukewarm and dying. Others hold to a form of godliness but deny and lack the power thereof.

[Rev 3:1, 15-17 NKJV] 1 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, 'These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. ...

[Rev 3:14-17 NASB] 14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: 15 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 17 'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,

[2Ti 3:5 NASB] 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power;

 

It is to these churches that I hear the Lord crying out:

"Lazarus, come forth!" And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go." [Jhn 11:43-44 NKJV]

In this current word to the Churches, “Lazarus” represents the modern-day churches of “Sardis” and “Laodicea”; Churches that the Lord dearly loves and longs to redeem and restore. It is the Lord who is crying out in a loud voice for them to come forth.

 

But it is to His faithful Church that the Lord says, “Loose him, and let him go”. We need to hear and obey.

 

[Rev 3:22 NKJV] 22 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

The Lord has given His faithful Church the authority in His name, and the power of the Holy Spirit to loose and to bind things here on earth.

 

Matthew 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

 

With Jesus, we are to cry out in prayer for the dead and dying churches to “come forth”. As the “Lazaruses” come forth, we are to loose them from the grave “cloths”, the works of the devil that have kept them in bondage, and bind up their wounds. We are also then to bind up the works of evil that have been attacks on the Lord’s churches.

 

Just some of these works are:

Deception – lying spirits

False and incomplete/distorted doctrine

Perverse spirits – sexual related sin and perversion

Division – disunity

Infirmity – sickness, disease, accidents

Weariness 

Fear

Anger

Drugs and alcohol

Witchcraft (manipulation and control in many forms)

Lawlessness

Greed

Rebellion

Pride

Worthlessness

Depression

Anxiety

Accusations

Religious spirits

Illegitimate authority

 

All of these can be targets of binding prayers.

 

Using His name, the name of Jesus (i.e. appropriating His authority, power, and love) we can bind (to bind, to tie, fasten with chains, to forbid, prohibit, declare to be illicit) and loose (to loose any person tied or fastened, to loose one bound, i.e. to unbind, release from bonds, set free, to do away with, to deprive of authority, to declare unlawful, to break up, demolish, destroy) things on the earth and they will be bound or loosed in heaven. 

We have the authority to loose people from the bondages of hell (1 John 3:8) and to loose the love of God and the power of the cross into people and situations. 

[Isa 61:1-2 NASB] 1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; 2 To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,

[Jhn 20:21 NASB] 21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace [be] with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you."

So now, let us the faithful, Spirit-empowered Church take up the Sword of the Spirit and pray for the dead and dying churches of the world. A good place to start is with Revelation 3:1-6 and 3:14-22.

[Eph 6:17-18 NASB] 17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

[Rev 3:22 NKJV] 22 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."