Thanking God for Other Christians
When was the last time you thanked God for other Christians? When was the last time that you prayed, saying, “Thank you God for [so and so],” naming another Christian whom you know? From his letter to the believers at Ephesus, we learn that Paul did this continually. In the opening chapter of his letter, we find a very lengthy sentence offering an inside glimpse into the way that Paul prayed for these believers (Eph 1:15-23). It is fascinating to observe that from a grammatical standpoint, the main verb of the entire sentence is this: “I do not cease to give thanks for you” (Eph 1:17).1 What can we learn from this central statement?
Thank God for other Christians.
The word give thanks means “to express appreciation.” A more specific definition adds “for benefits or blessings,” describing a grateful, warmhearted response to the good things in life.2 So then, Paul viewed other Christians as a benefit and blessing of life and he thanked God for them as a result. For whom are you thankful? Can you name some fellow Christians who are a benefit and a blessing to you today? If so, then you should go beyond feeling thankful for them to expressing your thanks to God in prayer.
Thank God for the faith and love of other Christians.
Paul reveals two key factors which motivated him to thank God for the believers at Ephesus (Eph 1:15). The first was their faith in the Lord Jesus. This requires us to reflect back over the first half of this chapter, which is another very long sentence (Eph 1:3-14). This section describes all that goes into the salvation of any believer. Of course, the believer hears the gospel and believes it (Eph 1:13). But God – the Father, the Son, and the Spirit – do so much more to make this salvation and faith possible and to bring it to pass (Eph 1:3-12, 14). The more complex and exquisite, expensive and detailed something is, the more you will appreciate it. The same is true with the faith and salvation of any other Christian. When you understand all that went into bringing a person from death to life, from sin to salvation, then you will thank God profoundly for anyone who believes in the Lord Jesus.
The second factor motivating Paul to thank God for the believers at Ephesus was their love for all the saints. This, too, is a wonder of God’s grace. For other believers to show the care and compassion, kindness and patience of God towards one another is a miracle indeed. We don’t deserve such love, and we do not naturally offer it to one another. Therefore, when you see, hear, or experience the love of God from the life of one believer to another, then you are witnessing something remarkable for which you should give God thanks. The love of Calvary has motivated such love and made it possible. Christian love for one another is a major and significant thing. Do not take it lightly.
Thank God for other Christians continually.
Paul explained that he not only thanked God for the believers at Ephesus, but he did so without ceasing. This does not mean that he prayed for them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. Instead, it means that expressing thanks for them to God was neither a momentary impulse nor a temporary habit that eventually passed away. It was both a feeling and a practice that continued for him without termination. It is somewhat natural to hear something positive about another believer and to express thanks. However, such feelings and expressions of gratefulness may easily fade away. The more you learn about other believers, the closer you become to them, and the longer you spend time together, the easier it becomes to grow irritated by their faults rather than remaining grateful for their faith and appreciative of their love and service.
By his own example in prayer, Paul teaches us to be thankful to God for other believers and to express this thankfulness in prayer on a regular basis. In fact, he demonstrated this principle to other believers in other churches beyond Ephesus. He thanked God for the believers at Rome, even though he had never met them (Rom 1:8). He thanked God for the believers at Philippi, with a special focus on the way that they had partnered with him in his missionary work (Phil 1:3, 5). And perhaps it is most remarkable of all that he thanked God for the believers at Corinth, even though they displayed significant carnality and caused him excruciating duress (1 Cor 1:4).
Thank God for other Christians beyond normal gratitude.
One writer observes that Paul manifested a degree of thankfulness for other believers that surpassed conventional gratitude.
Although Paul’s current connection to the Ephesians comes only through hearing, he thanks God for them and prays for them. On the one hand, for a writer to give thanks to the gods for the health of the recipients is quite conventional in Hellenistic letters. On the other hand, the extent and detail of Paul’s thanksgiving in Ephesians, and elsewhere, is not conventional. The language here goes well beyond conventional expressions of good wishes.3
Does this describe the way that you express your appreciation to God for other believers? Do you thank God for their faith in Christ and love towards others? Do you thank God for them continually? Do you thank God for them to a degree that surpasses normal gratitude? Having considered these thoughts, may God help you to do so and more. Who are some other believers for whom you can thank God today?
Thomas Overmiller serves as pastor for Faith Baptist Church in Corona, NY and blogs at Shepherd Thoughts. This article first appeared at Shepherd Thoughts, used here with permission.
- Robert G. Bratcher and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1993), 27–28. [↩]
- Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 427. [↩]
- Stephen E. Fowl, Ephesians: A Commentary, ed. C. Clifton Black, M. Eugene Boring, and John T. Carroll, First Edition., The New Testament Library (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2012), 55. [↩]