The Communion of Saints
Pray that the People of God would live in Godly Communion one with another. (Ephesians 4.11-16; 1 Thessalonians 5.6-10)
- Pray that the communion of saints would rest in the communion that we have with Christ—that earthly or temporal considerations would take a secondary role in the fellowship we have one with another—that we would not divide ourselves into particular earthly hobbies or interests, but would commune with one another in Christ. (Ephesians 3.16-19)
- Pray for love and care among the saints in Christ, a proper giving and receiving of each other’s gifts and graces, leaving aside self-interest and serving Christ and one another, advancing Christ’s interests, in His grace. (Gal. 5.13; Eph.4.15-16)
- Pray that the communion of saints would include regular and diligent attendance upon the public meetings of the Church for worship, with attention, focus, grace in the heart; setting a good example of encouragement, godly comportment and decorum, contributing to the edification of the body of Christ. (Hebrews 10.24-25)
- Pray that particular churches would be compassionate toward other churches, providing for them as they are able in times of need, assisting them in ministry, instruction, and by example, bearing one another’s burdens; and pray that all notions of competition, partisanship, and accusation would cease. (Acts 11.27-30)
- Pray that according to the Scripture pattern, this communion of saints would be organized under the Presbyterian form of government, with those stronger presbyterial bonds and mutual confession of the faith, that “orphaned churches would come in out of the cold,” taking their place in mutual worship and service with their brethren. (Acts 15.1-2; 16.1-5)
- Pray that the Lord would promote the “Three Marks” of the church, that each of the saints would work, in communion with the whole to these godly marks—(1) The preaching of the Gospel along with the whole counsel of God, (2) in the administration of the sacraments according to the Scripture pattern, and (3) in loving, firm, and godly order and discipline, for the honor of Christ, the purity of the Church, and the reclamation of offenders. (Titus 3.9-15)
- Pray for wisdom in this communion of saints, that according to the Apostle Paul, every man might learn to “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ,” and also that “every man should bear his own burden.” That, in the communion of saints, we would not enable dereliction of duty, but would assist the afflicted. (Ecc. 4.7-12; Gal. 6.1-10)