In Christ: Know It, Live It - 17 (Praying for Believers and Unbelievers)

"For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers..."
Ephesians 1:15-16

The well known prayer of Paul's that follows the above verses is a prayer to be prayed for Christians only. It is NOT for unbelievers. The Apostle has REASONS for praying the prayer in verses 17-19 for the Ephesian church. His reasons, detailed in the above verses are:

• He has heard of their FAITH in the Lord Jesus. Apparently the Ephesian believers had a testimony that reached beyond Ephesus. Perhaps an associate of Paul's brought the report. Even though Paul had spent 3 years with the Ephesian church, it had been several years since he had been there and there were doubtless many new believers in the church. Add to this the possibility that this letter was to go to other churches in that part of Asia and it is clear why Paul refers to his HEARING of their faith as though it was news to him. They had faith in Christ. This is surely the most basic definition of what a Christian is. Paul heard, to the relief and joy of his heart, that the members of the church were still holding to Christ as Lord.
• He had also heard of their LOVE for all the saints. Saving faith has an effect in the believing one. Faith shows itself, it WORKS through LOVE (Galatians 5:6). Faith shows its reality in a transformed heart that gives for the good of others. But this love was not just for SOME of the saints, it was for ALL the saints. Love from a saved heart is increasingly BIG, reaching out beyond affinities, beyond financial status, beyond race, education, circle of friends, age, Bible knowledge, application of Scripture, etc. It more and more embraces ALL the saints. Jesus said that even pagans love those who love them. But how about those folks who hold no promise to give us a return for our investment of time and energy? Do we love them? The Ephesians did.

And so, having heard of this real faith demonstrated in a BIG love, Paul PRAYS for them as BELIEVERS. He prays a prayer that can only be effectively prayed for God's people.

Paul did NOT pray for unbelievers in this way. A short, passionate example of how he did is found in Romans 10:1. Here he prays for unsaved Israel, "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved." Unsaved individuals should not be prayed for to know God better or to better understand the riches of their blessing in Christ. They have none. They are without God and without hope in the world (Ephesians 2:12). They need prayer for things such as:

• That the god of this world will be able to blind them to the gospel no more...2 Corinthians 4:4
• That the Spirit of God will convict them of sin, righteousness, and judgment...John 16:8
• That they will have opportunity for a clear hearing of the gospel...Ephesians 1:13
• That God will open their heart to the gospel when they hear it...Acts 16:14

The point of all this is that we are to pray with understanding, wisdom, and REASON for our family, friends, and work associates. If there is evidence that they are believers, pray for them the prayers of Scripture such as the one here in Ephesians 1. Do they profess and show real faith in Christ the Lord? Is there evidence of Spirit-produced love in their life? Do they have an appetite for the Bible and the fellowship of other believers? Then PRAY with confidence for their further growth in Christ and in the Word of God. But if they show no evidence of being a believer, don't pray for God to bless them, pray for them to be saved and to be delivered from sin and hell. Pray for them to hear the gospel. Pray for their eyes to be opened to Christ the Rescuer.