Weekly Pursuit – Week 1 of June
Verses:
Col. 4:12 “Epaphras, … a slave of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.”
Excerpts:
Prayer is the only way to have our mind set on the things in heaven. When we set our mind on things above by praying, we will not pray for trivial matters. Instead our prayer will be occupied with Christ’s heavenly intercession, ministry, and administration. Because Christ is interceding for the churches around the world, we also pray for the churches. We should let the Lord take care of all the small matters in our living. Our responsibility is to seek first the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness. Since the Father knows our need, He will take care of us and meet our need.
When we set our mind on the things which are above during our times of prayer, we become a reflection of Christ’s ministry in the heavens. Through our prayer, Christ, the Head, is given a way to carry out His administration through His Body. When we pray, we are a heavenly ambassador on earth as the extension of God’s kingdom. Only when we pray do we become an ambassador of the heavenly kingdom on earth in a practical way.
Christ’s ministry in heaven is for the goal of building up the Body and forming His bride. However, Christ’s ministry in heaven requires our response. We need to become on earth the reflection of that heavenly ministry. When we seek the things above, we respond to the Lord’s heavenly ministry and reflect it. We will sense a current flowing back and forth between Him and us. By means of this kind of prayer, the divine riches are transfused into us. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, Message 357)