19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
After Paul’s request that the Ephesians pray in the Spirit with perseverance and supplication for all saints, he asks for prayer for himself as well in verse 19.
We can no longer pray for Paul, but we can pray for our pastor and missionaries we know along these same lines. So what does a preacher/pastor/missionary need?
Paul asks for prayer that he would have the words given to him so that he would speak what he ought to speak. Have you ever considered praying this way for your pastor?
In addition, he wants to proclaim the word boldly. We need courage as we try to be a witness for Christ, and certainly pastors and missionaries who have a more public ministry need to be bold. There is so much input from media in our world that only bold preaching will break through.
And what is it that he wants to boldly proclaim? The mystery of the gospel. He knows this message needs to be boldly presented loud and clear to anyone who will listen. This same message needs to be proclaimed by every pastor and missionary everywhere. Let’s pray that God will give the words and the boldness to every man of God who faithfully preaches the Word.
Exported from Logos Bible Software, 11:31 AM January 9, 2023.