Your Kingdom Come — The Prayer of Paul

Paul writes to the Philippians from prison, yet prays with joy. Identifying himself not by his apostolic résumé but as a servant of Christ, he addresses the whole church as God's holy people and fellow partners in the gospel, leveling the ground between leaders and congregation. The teaching dwells on Paul's daily, joyful intercession for the church and asks what a congregation would look like if its people prayed for one another every day. It draws a sharp line between membership and partnership: members have rights and expect to be served, partners take responsibility and expect to give. Paul's actual prayer in verse 9 asks that love abound in knowledge and depth and insight, so the church can discern what is best. That love includes loving accountability, confronting sin in one another rather than hiding behind the claim that no one may judge.