On one of his visits to the Continent, Charles Spurgeon (pastor of the large Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, 1853-1892) met an American minister who said, “I have long wished to see you, Mr. Spurgeon, and to put one or two simple questions to you. In our country there are many opinions as to the secret of your great influence. Would you be good enough to give me your own point of view?” After a pause Spurgeon said, “My people pray for me.”
Oh Father please . . .
Help my pastor come to the pulpit, not with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to Your people the testimony of God. Help him determine not to know anything among us except Jesus Christ and Him crucified! Help his speech and his preaching not to be with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that our faith would not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God! 1 Cor. 2:1-5
Help my pastor to preach the Gospel and to present the Gospel of Christ without charge, that he may not abuse his authority in the Gospel! 1 Cor. 9:18
Help my pastor not to preach himself, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and himself a bondservant for Jesus' sake! 2 Cor. 4:5
Help my pastor not to preach Christ from envy, strife, or selfish ambition! Help him to preach Christ from good will and out of love! Phil. 1:15-17
Help my pastor to preach Christ, warning all of us and teaching all of us in all wisdom, that he may present all of us perfect in Christ Jesus! Col. 1:28
Help my pastor to preach the Word! Help him to be ready in season and out of season! Help him to convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching! 2 Tim. 4:2
Help my pastor to preach the Gospel so that It does not come to us in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance! 1 Thess. 1:5
Help my pastor to praise Your works and declare Your mighty acts from the pulpit! Help him to speak of the might of Your awesome acts and declare Your greatness! Help him to speak of the glory of Your kingdom and of Your power! Psalm 145:5, 6, 11
Grant that utterance may be given to my pastor, that he may open his mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the Gospel! Eph. 6:19
Help my pastor to be diligent to present himself approved to You, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth! 2 Tim. 2:15
Help my pastor to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that Jesus has commanded! Matt. 28:18-20
Help my pastor to always be sober-minded, to endure suffering, and to do the work of an evangelist, fulfilling his ministry. And may he see many sinners come to Christ! 2 Tim. 4:5
Help my pastor to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, and may he know that in the Lord his labor is not in vain! 1 Cor. 15:58
Help my pastor to believe what he preaches! Grip him with it and humble him with it, and help him to exult in it until he is lost in wonder, love, and praise! (Adapted from Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Help my pastor to give us a sense of You and Your presence when he preaches. Help him to give us a glimpse of Your glory and majesty, the love of Christ our Savior, and the magnificence of the Gospel! (Adapted from Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Cut all the ribbons that tie my pastor to the frowns and smiles of men and drive a steel beam down his backbone and free him to serve You for Your glory alone! (Adapted from Albert N. Martin)
Help my pastor to seek to serve Your people and not impress us with himself! May he impress us with Jesus! May we come away from his sermons not saying, "What a wonderful preacher!" but "What a wonderful Savior!" (Spurgeon Story)
Help my pastor take heed to himself and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made him an overseer. Please help him to shepherd faithfully the church of God which You purchased with Christ's own blood! Acts 20:28
Help my pastor to be blameless, a one-woman man, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, gentle, and able to teach! Keep him from being given to wine, from being violent, from being greedy for money, from being quarrelsome, and from being covetous! Help him rule his own household well, having his children in submission with all reverence! Keep him from being puffed up with pride and falling into the same condemnation as the devil! Help him have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil! 1 Tim. 3:2-7
Help my pastor to be Your steward oh God, not self-willed and not quick-tempered! Help him be hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, and self-controlled! Help him hold fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict! Titus 1:7-9
Help my pastor to shepherd the flock of God, and serve as an overseer, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly! Help him not lord his authority over those entrusted to him, but help him be an example to the flock! Help him so labor that when the Chief Shepherd appears, he will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away! 1 Pet. 5:2-4
Help my pastor watch out for the souls You have entrusted to him, as a man who must give an account! Help him do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for those entrusted to him! Heb. 13:17
Help my pastor not have dominion over the faith of Your people, but help him be a worker for our joy! 2 Cor. 1:24
Help my pastor not cease to pray for Your people! May he be filled with the knowledge of Your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; may he walk worthy of You, fully pleasing You, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of You! May he be strengthened with all might, according to Your glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy! May he give thanks to You Who has qualified him to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in the light! Col. 1:9-12
Cause my pastor's love to abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that he may approve the things that are excellent, that he may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to Your glory and praise! Phil. 1:9-11
Grant my pastor, according to the riches of Your glory, to be strengthened with might through Your Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in his heart through faith; that he, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that he may be filled with all the fullness of You oh God! Eph. 3:16-19
Please use my pastor for Your glorious employ! Make him mighty in the Scriptures; make his life to be dominated by a sense of Your greatness, Your majesty, and Your holiness. Make his mind and heart aglow with the great truths of the doctrines of grace. Help him learn what it is to die to self, to all human aims and personal ambitions; help him be willing to be a fool for Christ's sake. Help him be willing to bear reproach and falsehood for Your sake. Help him labor and suffer for Your sake. Please make his supreme desire not to be to gain earth's accolades, but to win Your approbation when he appears before Your awesome judgment seat. Help him preach with a broken heart and with tear-filled eyes! Please grant Your ministry through him an extraordinary effusion of the Holy Spirit, and allow us to witness "signs and wonders following" in the transformation of multitudes of human lives! (Adapted from Arnold Dallimore)
. . . for Jesus' sake – Amen!
To learn more about the great King Jesus, the LORD of the church, and His glorious Gospel message, please watch American Gospel: Christ Alone. You can watch the full documentary here with a free, 3 day trial.
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