A praying church
一间有祷告的教会
3I
thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In
all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy
5 because of your partnership in the gospel from
the first day until now, 6 being confident of this,
that he who began a good work in you will carry it
on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
3 我每逢想念你们，就感谢我的神； 4 每逢为你
们众人祈求的时候，常是欢欢喜喜地祈求。 5 因
为从头一天直到如今，你们是同心合意地兴旺福
音。 6 我深信那在你们心里动了善工的必成全这
工，直到耶稣基督的日子
9 And
this is my prayer: that your love may abound
more and more in knowledge and depth of
insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what
is best and may be pure and blameless for the day
of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness
that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and
praise of God. 9 我所祷告的，就是要你们的爱心
在知识和各样见识上多而又多， 10 使你们能分
别是非[a]，做诚实无过的人，直到基督的日子；
11 并靠着耶稣基督结满了仁义的果子，叫荣耀称
赞归于神。
The Philippians learnt from Paul to be prayerful.
腓利比教会从保罗学到祷告的生活
The importance of prayer
祷告的重要性
Philippians 腓 1:19-22
19 for I know that through your prayers and God’s
provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has
happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.[c]
20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be
ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that
now as always Christ will be exalted in my body,
whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is
Christ and to die is gain. 19 因为我知道，这事借着你
们的祈祷和耶稣基督之灵的帮助，终必叫我得救。
20 照着我所切慕、所盼望的，没有一事叫我羞愧，
只要凡事放胆，无论是生是死，总叫基督在我身上
照常显.21 因我活着就是基督，我死了就有益处。
The church at Philippi is a model church
腓立比的教会是一个模范教会
Why do I say that?
怎么说呢？
Last Sunday 上星期天
The Philippian church was:腓立比教会是一间
• Mission-minded: they supported A. Paul’s mission
since the church was started. They sent
Epaphroditus to take care of Paul when he was in
prison. (4:18)充满宣教使命的教会:因为他们教会
被建立的时候，就开始支持使徒保罗在外邦地的
宣教。他们派以巴弗提去到监狱里，去照顾保罗
的需要。
• Generous: financially they met all Paul’s personal
expenses in mission. (4:15-16)慷慨的教会：因为他
们在经济上支持保罗在宣教里的个人需要。
• Supporting a missionary is supporting mission.
支持宣教士就等于支持宣教事工。
• Supporting a full-time or a part-time Christian worker
is supporting mission.支持一个全职或兼职在教会服
侍的同工就等于支持宣教事工。
• The church in Singapore supports me and Miu’s
training, they supports a missionary work in Australia.
新加坡教会支持我和Miu的训练，他们是在支持澳洲
宣教的工作。
• You put your money in the church to support a fulltime staff, you are supporting mission in Bendigo.
你将你的钱去支持教会的全职同工，你就是在支持
本迪戈的宣教工作。
• The Philippian church was started in a prayer meeting
by the river side outside the town of Philippi. (Acts
16:13-15)腓立比教会是在腓立比这个地方，以祷告会
开始教会的。
• The first convert was a Greek business woman, Lydia.
She was a God fearer. She was in the prayer meeting.
Upon hearing the word of Paul, she accepted Jesus.
Immediately she invited Paul to her home to teach the
word of God. Hence her home was the first church in
town. 教会第一个信主的人是一名希腊的女商人，莉
迪亚。她是一个敬畏神的人。她在祷告会里听到保罗
的传讲神的话，她就接受了耶稣。她立刻邀请保罗到
她家来教导神的话语。因此，她的家在镇上是第一间
教会。
The church at Philippi is a model church
腓立比的教会是一个模范教会
Since the inception of the church, it became
Paul’s prayer partners and great supporters.
这间教会是从祷告会开始。从教会被建立起
来开始，他们成了保罗的祷告伙伴和有力的
支持者。
What did Paul say about their prayers?
保罗是怎么说他们的祷告呢？
19 for
I know that through your prayers and
God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ
what has happened to me will turn out for my
deliverance. 19 因为我知道，这事借着你们的
祈祷和耶稣基督之灵的帮助，终必叫我得救。
• The Philippians prayed for Paul
腓立比基督徒为保罗祷告。
• Paul prayed for the Philippians
保罗为门徒祈求感谢
In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray
with joy. 3 我 每 逢 想 念 你 们 ， 就 感 谢 我
的 神 ；(V3)
How did Paul pray？
保罗是如何祷告?
9 And
this is my prayer: that your love may abound
more and more in knowledge and depth of
insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what
is best and may be pure and blameless for the day
of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness
that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and
praise of God. 9 我所祷告的，就是要你们的爱心
在知识和各样见识上多而又多， 10 使你们能分
别是非[a]，做诚实无过的人，直到基督的日子；
11 并靠着耶稣基督结满了仁义的果子，叫荣耀称
赞归于神。
Paul prayed that they might grow in:
保罗祷告他们能够成长：
•
•
•
•
•
Love在爱心上
The knowledge of Jesus在对耶稣的知识上
Discernment在分办对与错上
The fruit of righteousness在结出属灵果子上
The commitment to the Lord Jesus 在对主耶
稣的委身上
The church at Philippi is a model church
腓立比的教会是一个模范教会
because it is因为他们是:
• Mission-minded充满宣教使命的教会
• Generous慷慨支持保罗在宣教
• Prayerful一间有祷告的教会
Why don’t we pray to God?
我们为何不祷告？
• I have no problems, hence no requests.
我没有问题，没有好求的？
If you don’t have any problems, others have.
你没有问题，他人有问题。
• I am not in a life and death situation.
我不在生死关头
Others might be in a life and death situation
他人可能在生死关头
Why don’t we pray for the church?
为何不为教会祷告？
• The church is doing ok without my prayer.
教会过得去，不需要我的祷告。
• I have no time to pray for the church.
我没时间为教会祷告
• I am too caught up with my problems.
我本身已经有很多问题
The church needs all your prayer support.
教会需要你的祷告
Do you know that Satan is using all means and
ways to tear down the church?
你们是否知撒旦想用一切的方法来破还教会？
• First, he targets Pastors, leaders & their families.
先攻击牧师,传道,领袖们和他们的家庭成员
• Then any weak brothers and sisters.
其次是为软弱的弟兄姐妹们祷告.
We must pray for the church leaders & for one
another, for missionaries.
我们要为教会的牧师，传道，领袖和他们的
家庭成员，宣教的弟兄姐妹祷告。
In whatever situation
不论在什么情况下
Philippians 腓 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every
situation, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And
the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus.
6 应当一无挂虑，只要凡事借着祷告、祈求和感
谢，将你们所要的告诉神。 7 神所赐出人意外的
平安，必在基督耶稣里保守你们的心怀意念