In the context of loving our neighbor, our lessons in this six weeks long unit are providing biblical proof that obeying this second of the two greatest commandments is vital.  Jesus said so!  First, above all, love God.  Second, love your neighbor.  These two “bigs” cover every commandment ever issued in the Old Testament law.  From Matthew 22:36-40, we hear these two commandments spoken directly from the lips of Jesus. 

He didn’t stutter.

First, with the story of the Good Samaritan, we have answered the question, “Who is our neighbor?”  Last week in First Corinthians 13, we were reminded of what Christ-like “agape” love can accomplish as we practice loving those in our sphere of influence.  Our neighbor might be next door, next street, next desk, next aisle, next city, next state, next country, next nation, or next planet!!  Love your “NIGH-bor!”

Our scripture text for this week comes from the New Testament letter of the Apostle Paul to Timothy, his son in the faith.  Paul reached out to Timothy and drew him into his missionary journeys in the Book of Acts.  Timothy had been raised by a faithful mother and grandmother who taught him the scriptures from a young age.  God had called Timothy and gifted him as a pastor.  Paul mentored and nurtured that young man, giving him support as a young pastor of the Church at Ephesus. 

In chapter one of the first letter to Timothy, Paul spent time greeting and catching up on some vital information. As chapter two opens, Paul makes sure Timothy is prepared for “the WORK of prayer.”  With the opening phrase “first of all,” Paul makes sure that Timothy knows that prayer is very vitally important.  He uses the word “urge” which indicates the “urgency” of prayer.  The Greek word translated there is “para-kallow” which is the same word for Holy Spirit.  It means to call alongside to help.  That is actually the FIRST word in this sentence.  In effect, Paul is saying, “I want to ‘holy spirit’ you” or call you to come alongside these people in Ephesus and help them with prayer.

Then, Paul uses four words to describe prayer:

Entreaties…knowing the people well enough to know their needs and pray accordingly.

Prayers…guard faithfully and give informed attention to current situations.

Petitions…appeal, intercede, plead their case with passion-filled concern.

Thanksgivings…always remembering to give thanks to the Prayer Answer-er. 

Pray for leaders.  Pray for citizens of Earth to be citizens of Heaven.  Pray to the One and Only True Mediator who completely knows all situations. The Prayer Answer-er can step in and move mountains in answer to faithful prayers offered by committed pray-ers. 

Pray for all men.  Lifting others up to the Lord in prayer might be the best gift anyone could give.  Prayer makes it as though we are figuratively taking the needs of that person and literally and word-fully lifting them up to the Lord and placing their needs into His hands on their behalf.  Along with their needs, they would be abiding in the hollow of the hand of God!  People just THINK or HOPE they are in good hands with AllState…

Those were the words of Paul to Timothy as guided by the Holy Spirit.  So how does this apply to US?  Even though we are not individual “pastors” of a church, we are to be pastorally concerned about our neighbors.  The word pastor simply means “to shepherd” or care for with tenderness and monitor with concern.  What if we maintained that kind of relationship with our neighbors?  Our focus would certainly change our interactions and nurture our relationships with them. Instead of building fences we would build bridges. 

For the past five years, I have been praying for the 25 homes nearest to my home.  I have used a website called Bless Every Home.  Each Tuesday, I receive an email from this website and spend time praying over five of my 25 neighborhood homes.  If you would like information about this ministry, let me know.  There is a website and a phone app. Their web address is www.blesseveryhome.com .