Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God may open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; in order that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak. Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person. – Colossians 4:2-6
Brethren, pray for us. – 1 Thess. 5:25
Even a casual reading of the Bible will reveal how central prayer is to the life of believers. Examples abound of godly people faithfully and consistently seeking the Lord in prayer. From Moses (Ex. 32) to Samuel (1 Sam. 12:19-23) to David (Psalms) to Daniel (Dan. 6; 9) to Jesus (all through the Gospels), we have profound examples of leaders who prioritized a lifestyle of prayer. The verses above highlight just a few passages where Paul consistently asked others to pray for him. Why do I bring this up? Because I also realize how desperately I need your prayers.
It is a profound blessing to my soul when so many of you have told me that you pray for me and my family regularly, daily, or even multiple times each day. It is very apparent to me that I am (and other leaders in the church are) in a spiritual war. The enemy hates us and what we are seeking to do for the glory of our Lord and Savior. He is smart, experienced, powerful, and doesn’t take days off. But my battle isn’t only against him, it’s against my own sinful flesh (see Rom. 7:14-25; Gal. 5:16-25; James 1:13-15). Add to that the need to care for my own family, shepherd the church family, carry out the responsibility of preaching & teaching God’s Word accurately, lead our church staff and the ministry of Shepherding the Nations, etc. I am capable of doing NOTHING apart from Christ (John 15:5) but God is capable of doing exceeding, abundantly, beyond all I can ask or think (Eph. 3:20).
All of that to say that I am reviving a team of prayer warriors I had several years ago called Pastors’ MVPs (that stands for “Most Valuable Prayers”). This team commits to pray regularly for me, and I commit to sending them specific praises and prayer requests via email (usually weekly). I won’t include every detail of every day, but I will include several specific events or things I will be doing in a given week (study, counseling, meetings, outreach, preaching/teaching opportunities, weddings, funerals…). If you are interested in joining this team, please let me know (pbrown@tbbfchurch.org).
Thank you for your love and support. Thank you for your encouragement. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your partnership in the Gospel. I am truly grateful for the privilege of serving the Lord with you and so look forward to the day I hear Him say to you, “Well done.”