Prayer Focus: For The Wesleyan Church to boldly live as a holiness movement in our day and time: What needs to change in me?
Scripture: John 17:15-19
“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” (v. 17, NRSV)
Wesleyans are fond of the word “sanctification,” even if we rarely use it. But if you ask what it means, the answers fall in every direction. Most will say something about being “set apart,” implying a distance of sorts between us and the world.
But in the middle of his prayer, Jesus uses the term three times and his meaning is something quite different. Jesus speaks of being sanctified for the world, not from it: “I am not asking you to take them out of the world … I have sent them into the world, sanctify them (there) in the truth” (vv. 15-17a). The sanctification Jesus prays for is both social and spiritual, set apart without being removed. It’s to live as Christ for the world.
Historically we’ve swayed from one to the other; first being too removed, then being too familiar with the world. Wherever you think we’re at now, please begin to pray for more. As we move toward the General Conference, ask God to give us a new imagination for the world. Pray that we’ll dream of something bigger than ourselves, want more ourselves than better performers and bigger congregations. Pray for our churches to love this world even though they belong to another. Pray that our people will once again be called, “the Holy People, the Redeemed of the LORD … the Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted” (Isaiah 62:12). Ask that we rise and “rebuild the ancient ruins” of our cities, repairing broken walls and restoring the streets with dwellings.
What has Jesus prayed for or God has promised that seems hard to believe anymore? Pray for it anyway.
Prayer Prompt: God, sanctify us, The Wesleyan Church, for the world. And begin your work in me. Amen.
Steve DeNeff
*This entry is part of the “EMPOWERED: 15th General Conference Prayer Initiative,” created to guide Wesleyans in 30 days of intentional prayer for The Wesleyan Church and its 2026 General Conference.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Used by permission.
Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, NRSV.
