A Body, or a Body of Bodies?

Within our local church communities we can sometimes become isolated from other fellowships, even if part of a wider denominational context. In our own local church we think ourselves a little holier, a little more correct and orthodox than other churches around us, even if we are all signed up to the same creeds. In this culture, we tend to forget that we’re not in competition, but in harmony, with those churches. Your local church, depending on your denominational theology, can also be part of a wider network of like-minded theological congregations (eg Presbyterian, Anglican, Southern Baptist, etc.). It is also easy, therefore, to remain sheltered behind the gates of your denominational fortress, and only consider in prayer those other local churches who hold your same denominational principles.

I want to argue that the Bible presents a completely different approach, as does the early church. Rather than hiding, or at least sheltering, within the safe confines of the tradition you believe to be the most Biblical, I believe we ought to be continually praying, privately and publicly, for any and all nearby Gospel-proclaiming churches.

Bible

Firstly, why, according to Biblical example? Where to begin, is the question here! There are many Biblical passages we could turn to that would be evidence for the nature of this practice. We shall deal with only three.

In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he writes:

I have not stopped giving thanks for you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.
(Ephesians 1:16-17)

We see here that Paul prays for the Ephesians, thanking God for their faith, and then petitioning God, through Jesus, to continue revealing Himself to the Ephesians. We are to pray that other local Christians would continue to deepen their love for God by seeking Him faithfully in His word. Our prayers for them ought to have this emphasis clearly expressed. This is an act of love from us to them.

In Paul’s letter to the Philippians he writes:

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now…
(Philippians 1:4-5)

We see here that Paul is joyous because the Philippians are united with him in the Gospel. Whether the Philippians were Baptist, Presbyterian or Independent Reformed Calvinists of Mongolia (IRCM) is not the point. If the true and Apostolic Gospel is shared amongst our neighbouring churches, we are brothers with them. To pray for those who are our partners in the Gospel is both a humble privilege and a Christian obligation – we must pray for those who may not be part of our local body but are part of the body of Christ, interacting with communities that perhaps we cannot reach.

In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians he writes:

We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Thessalonians 1:3)

It is our duty, we see here, to pray for our brothers and sisters that they continue to produce Godly works and labour. Paul isn’t petitioning here, explicitly, but we can infer from his inclusion of their endurance that he wishes these works of faith and labours of love to continue, because of their hope in Christ. We, too, are to encourage our brothers in local congregations with such loving prayer. After all, we ought to crave their prayer for us in these ways.

Tradition

Secondly, why, according to tradition? This is an area less known, but let me show you from the Apostolic Fathers that churches did indeed pray for one another.

To take but one example, the Bishop Ignatius (c. 35-107) wrote letters on his journey to Rome, where he was destined for martyrdom. In his letter to the Ephesians he exhorts them to, ‘Pray for the church in Syria, from where I am being led to Rome in chains…’ This desire is noted in most of his letters, where he also includes phrases like, ‘The love of the Smyrnaeans and of the Ephesians greets you.’ He was clearly interested in the global church bearing each other in prayer before the throne of God, which is noted in his letter to the Philadelphians, where he commented, ‘Since it has been reported to me that in answer to your prayer and the compassion that you have…the church in Antioch in Syria is at peace…’ Obviously, the importance of prayer for the wider body was important to combat the heresies of the day. Likewise, therefore, ought we not to be praying for our brother’s’ steadfastness in the face of moral turpitude and spiritual waywardness today?

Nevertheless, similar refrains can be read in almost all the Church Fathers, who, in dialogue with each other (even those with whom they vehemently disagreed), prayed that the Lord would continue to bless them and their ministries.

The pattern was set by the Apostle Paul, and was transferred through the local churches as they continued to write and pray for one another. How much more are we, bereft in a sea of moral and spiritual confusion, in need of bolstering each other in the confines of passionate and petitionary prayer?

Unity

Thirdly, why, according to unity? The most persuasive argument for praying for other churches, however, despite the clear Biblical example set by Paul and the Church Fathers, is the case for unity.

In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul speaks of the local church as being a body. Each member of the local church has a role to play within that community, and the church is bereft without the faithful interaction of that body member. When a foot falls away, the body becomes lop-sided. However, the Church Militant (i.e. the Christian church as a whole currently alive on the earth) is made up of literally millions of local congregations in almost every country on this planet. The body of Christ is a body of bodies.

Together we unite to make one global body. Even though each local community is also a body, we are together united in Christ as the body of Christ. Therefore, as we are to pray for our own members in the above way, when one congregation falls away, the entire body suffers, as Paul says in Corinthians. Even for those of us independent-minded Baptists and non-Conformists, this is a lesson we need to remember: we are all part of the body of Christ. We all bear the responsibility of praying for, and encouraging, our brothers in Christ. That includes the church across the street, the church across the city and the church across the globe.

Therefore, I urge you, in your church prayers, make time to pray for a local church. Make time to seek God’s grace on them, that they would continue to marvel at His love for them, that they would continue to partner with you in the Gospel ministry wherever you are placed and that they would persevere in doing Gospel-works and labours of love, so that the global body of Christ can praise God with joy on the final day, that they were faithful, enduring to the end.