Praying for revival in a foreign church

What if you had prayed faithfully and diligently for years for revival in your city, and one day, seemingly without warning, God dramatically answered your prayers?

People are beginning to gather from all over your city to hear the Gospel from God's Word. On the streets, in workplaces, in classrooms, and in homes throughout the city, formerly shy church members are faithfully proclaiming the Gospel, and the results are coming very quickly. Lives are being changed, marriages are being saved, and most importantly, one by one, God's enemies are laying down their weapons of rebellion and seeking refuge in His glorious and merciful Son.

What if all this were to happen in your city, right before your eyes, in someone else's church, just a few blocks from yours?

We probably all know what to say in response, but words of praise and joy would probably get stuck in our throats.

It has happened before. In 1839, Robert Murray McCheyne learned that a great revival had occurred in his church during the preaching of a visiting preacher while he was away on a missionary trip. When the Spirit of God blesses the ministry of others rather than our own, some important things about the true nature of our love become very apparent.

«Diotrephes, who loves to be first»

Of course, this struggle between envy and joy is not new. The apostle John writes about it in his third epistle (3 John). Here, in verses five through eleven, he introduces us to two men: Gaius and Diotrephes.

Gaius loves to receive and support faithful missionaries who have been sent by other churches because he loves Jesus (verses 5-8).

But Diotrephes… not quite. Diotrephes refuses to accept these workers from other churches for one simple reason: John says directly that Diotrephes «loves to have the first place» (verse 9). He does not want to see missionary work done unless he himself is doing it. He will not rejoice in any fruit unless it is his own. He will not tolerate any competition. John directly calls Diotrephes« actions and attitude »wicked” (verse 11).

Evil is a very strong word. And honestly, what scares me most about Diotrephes is that we see no mention of a lack of doctrinal orthodoxy to justify such a characterization. There is no mention of heresy or misunderstanding of Christ. In fact, Diotrephes' theology may have been perfectly sound on paper. But his competitive spirit revealed that his supposed love of the Gospel was simply a love of his own group, his own ministry—ultimately, a love of himself. Just like any other pagan.

Not such a delicate moment

So, here is the not-so-subtle conclusion of this article: Don’t be like Diotrephes! Instead, imitate what is good, that is, a spirit that glorifies the Gospel, not competing, a spirit like that of Gaius.

But why is this so important? Because it is not only your heart that is at stake, but also the very value of the Gospel in the eyes of the world.

Look, you can talk all day about praising God for the blessings of the gospel in your church—and you should in a way. But there will always be that nagging smell of self-interest, because it is your church.

But what if you sincerely praise God for the blessings of the gospel in another church, whether in another country or even (oops) across the street? What if you show the same excitement when you see the work of Jesus being glorified and made happy through the service of others? If you do, it shows that you love Jesus, His Gospel, and His Glory—not just your group, your club, your ministry, your church.

That is why it is so important that we cultivate this spirit of Gaius in our hearts and the hearts of our church members. Our love for Jesus and for His Glory can be more vividly expressed when we rejoice in the success of the Gospel, even when there is no possibility that we will receive any share of the glory for it.

How to develop the spirit of Guy

How can you cultivate this spirit in your church and in your heart? Here are some tips.

1. Pray and read

Start by praying and reading. Focus on passages like 3 John that show the unique glory of what we might call the «selfless joy» of the gospel’s progress. And pray that God will develop in you a heart that loves to encourage the progress of the gospel, wherever it happens and through whomever it happens. Why? Because you love to see Jesus glorified.

2. Lead by example and teach

Second, lead by example and teach. Show your church what it looks like by regularly praying for other faithful churches, mentioning them by name, publicly, from your pulpit, on Sunday mornings. Openly praise God for the prosperity he can give to other churches preaching the same Gospel, even here in your own city. And pray for Christians and missionary work in other parts of the world. Teach your church about this so that they will understand that the Kingdom of God is much, much bigger than your local church.

3. Support and celebrate

Third, support and celebrate. And like faithful Gaius, go all the way and take money that could be of use to your church and give it away. Give it to bless other churches and to support the faithful workers who have been sent out for the name of Jesus (3 John 7). Again, when your church sends its money to bless and support outside missionary work, it is like a loudspeaker proclaiming, «We love Jesus and His Glory, not just our own group and our ministry.».

Of course, you should keep some money to responsibly care for your own church. I understand that. But do you really need all the money God gives you? Really? Wouldn’t it be a wonderful liberation and clarification of the gospel to write a check declaring that your church is free, by God’s grace, from the slavery of exclusive personal interests? True churches do not compete with each other for money, members, or glory. After all, all the money, all the people, and all the glory belong to God.

Let's praise God for the success of other churches—and not hide it

God has a great plan for His entire world, and God will accomplish His work in the world. He will save His children, establish them in the faith, and grow them in holiness.

Sometimes He may do it through us. Sometimes He may do it through the church down the street. May we grow in our love for the Glory of Christ, so that in every situation we can say, «Praise be to God»—and really mean it.