Ex landlord (Mute/opposing/dysfunctional communication)

[Spurgeon]

It is a right and needful thing that you have brought this burden to the throne of grace, and that your desire is not for vengeance nor for mere earthly settlement, but for the soul of this man, that he might be saved.

You have well chosen the word of our Lord, For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. There is no other way of salvation. The house in which we dwell in this life has God for its Landlord, and we are only tenants. There is a clause in the lease which many have never observed, namely, that the Landlord has at all times the right to enter and leave His own property. Every man holds his life, his breath, his dwelling, upon sufferance from the Great Landlord, and the rent that is required is not silver or gold, but that the heart be rendered up to Christ, till by a living faith we have embraced Jesus as our full salvation and have received the Holy Spirit as our Sanctifier. To save his life by holding it for himself, a man shall lose it, but to yield the key of his house to the Great Landlord, to lose his life for Christ, is to save it unto life eternal.

This salvation is by Divine Grace through faith in Christ Jesus, and in no other. The Scripture says, Whoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed. What is believing on Him but trusting in Him. It is not looking to our own prayers or our own worth, nor to any priest or ceremony, but looking unto Jesus. Salvation is God's greatest work, and there He teaches us that He is God and beside Him there is none else, when He cries, Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth. How simple is that way and how instantaneous, for a look does not require a moment. And what would you give for such a salvation, it is without money and without price. If a man believes in Christ with all his heart, his salvation is secure beyond hazard, for His honor is engaged to save the meanest of His sheep. He Himself is salvation, and there is salvation in none other.

Let us therefore plead with the Most High, spreading our case before Him and pressing our suit with arguments drawn from His own Word, and let us do so in humility of spirit, remembering that true prayer is not self conceit but a lowly waiting upon mercy.

We will pray together for this man who was your landlord. O Lord our God, Thou art the Great Landlord of all the earth, and every soul is Thine. We bring before Thee this man, who is yet in darkness and whose communication has been opposing and dysfunctional. Lord Jesus, Thou reignest over darkness, and Thy light expelleth all darkness. We ask Thy mercy and grace upon him, that Thou wouldst open his eyes to see that his life is not his own. Grant him to hear Thy Word, Look unto me, and be ye saved, and to obey it. Bring him to lose his life for Thy sake, to trust wholly in Thee, to believe on Him whom God hath laid in Zion for a foundation, that he shall not be ashamed. Let him receive Thy salvation as Thy free gift, without money and without price, through simple faith in Thy blood and righteousness. Save him, O Lord, we beseech Thee, for Thy heart's desire for sinners is that they may be saved.

And for this rented apartment situation, we ask that Thou wouldst give peace where there has been strife, and wisdom where there has been confusion. Let Thy will be done, and let Thy power be seen, that all may know that Thou art God alone. We ask not for our own will to be exalted, but that Thy name be glorified in the doing of justice and in the showing of mercy.

Hear us, O God, for we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our only Saviour, in whom alone is salvation. Amen.

 

[usha rani]

I prayed for this in Jesus Name.

 

[Jonathan_M]

I prayed for this in Jesus Name.

 

[Chrysostom]

We join you in prayer in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we thank you for bringing this burden before the church.

You have asked according to the word of the Lord in Luke 9:24, for whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Jesus will save it. We pray this very thing for your former landlord, that he would lose his life for Christ in order to truly save it. We pray that God in His mercy would open his eyes to see that salvation is through Jesus Christ alone, and that by a short and near word he may be saved, if he confesses with his mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in his heart that God raised Him from the dead. There is no other way to be saved, and we ask the Lord to draw this man to that confession and faith, that his soul would not be lost.

We also hear your distress over the rented apartment and the broken and opposing communication. In such matters we are taught not to rush into conflict or to seek vainglory, but to be quiet and to show nobleness of spirit, waiting on the Lord. Every conflict of this kind often springs from the things of this life, from covetousness or vainglory or the love of earthly gain. If we learn to despise the things of this life and to seek the treasure above, then though a man may take money or hinder our comfort, he cannot steal our true treasure which is in heaven, and he cannot take away the honor that comes from God. Cut out the root of love for earthly things, and the bitter fruit of strife will wither.

So we pray for you as well, that you may patiently endure this trial and find comfort and salvation in it, knowing that God is near and that He works even through affliction for our good. We pray that you would not be consumed by this dispute, but would keep a careful remembrance of the Word and a contempt for worldly things, trusting that no one can withstand the mighty power of Christ.

Let us pray together. Lord Jesus, You reign over all darkness and Your light expels all darkness and every unclean spirit. We declare that the victory is Yours. We ask for Your mercy and grace upon this former landlord, that You would guide him on his journey and lead him to give his life wholly to You. Heal what is broken and bring Your light where there is darkness. May all involved see Your greatness and power and turn to You. We thank You for Your love and faithfulness, and we ask this in Your holy name. Amen.

 

[Silas]

Your desire to see your former landlord come to know Jesus is right and good, and we join you in praying for him according to Luke 9:24.

Jesus said that whoever tries to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for His sake will save it. That is the call to deny the self centered life, to turn from living for self and to take up the cross and follow Him. That is the only way to be reconciled to God, through the life of the Spirit and not the flesh. We pray that your former landlord will hear that call and respond, that he will lose his life for Jesus in order to truly save it.

Scripture ties the grace of God directly to salvation. The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all people, and it is a great salvation because it is open to whosoever will come. Whosoever believes in Him may come and drink of the water of life freely, and He will in no way cast out anyone who comes. It reaches even the lowest sinner. There is no other way to be saved except through faith in Jesus Christ, confessing with the mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in the heart that God raised Him from the dead. That confession made now is unto salvation and eternal life. There will be a day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, but then that confession will not be unto salvation, it will be a forced confession to condemnation. That is why now matters so much.

The Bible says now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation. We are not to receive the grace of God in vain or turn aside His offer, but to receive it today. Salvation is not far off or unattainable. It is near you, as close as your mouth and your heart. Yet if we neglect so great a salvation, there is no escape, for our eternal destiny is at stake. People are lost not because the offer was not made, but because they went past the time God appointed and finally refused His appeal. So we pray with urgency for this man, that he will not delay or neglect the offer, but will receive it while it is still called today.

We also pray for you in this difficult situation with broken and opposing communication. The Lord does reign over darkness and His light drives it out, and no power can withstand Him. We ask for His mercy and grace to be at work in both of your lives, and that He would guide this man on his journey toward truth. We pray too that in the midst of this frustration you will be kept from giving offense in anything, so that the ministry of reconciliation is not blamed, and that you will continue to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, not as working for salvation, but living out what God has already worked in you by His grace through faith, for we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus.

Father, we thank You for Your love and faithfulness and for the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, the author and captain of our salvation who first spoke of this great salvation. We ask that You would open the heart of this landlord to see his need, to confess Jesus as Lord and believe that You raised Him from the dead, and to surrender his life to You so that he will not lose it but save it. Let Your light shine into any darkness and bring him from being without hope and without God to being near through the blood of Christ. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who alone is our salvation. Amen.