We see that the early church met regularly and often to practice corporate prayer. In the Book of Acts we see the church meeting to pray to understand the will and plan of God (Acts2:1ff); for boldness and courage to preach the Word of God in the community and to make it real in our lives (Acts 4:23-24); To set aside leadership for the work God needed them to do (Acts 6:3-6); To intercede for others in need (Act 12:5ff); and to understand the purpose of God (Acts 13:1-2). With all these things in mind, why is it that we continue to devalue the power and importance of prayer. As followers of Christ, We need to join together to pray for the wisdom, strength, and direction that the Lord gives to those who seek it from Him (James 1:5). We need to always remember that Jesus said that “He would build his church” (Matthew 16:18), and that organism is corporate not individual. As the church was founded, it was essential for the church to be viewed as corporate over individual, as all people had all things in common. The church is about us, not me! We need to keep that … READ MORE

We are told in Hebrews 4:16, that because we have a high priest (Jesus) who understands our weaknesses we can “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Learning to pray is a process. We teach it to our children as we pray with them at meals, as they go to bed at night, and when we have family devotions together. We teach each other as we pray as a church for the needs of the body. We must understand that “prayer is more caught than taught!” Prayer to the church, is what breathing is to the body. Our body as a whole moves about and functions because we breath without even spending time thinking about it. As believers, our time in prayer should be a natural part of our lives. We should devote time to praying for one another and uniting our hearts and minds in one accord as we come before the Lord. Unfortunately, we have abdicated our right, and the church as a whole is choking on the process. We trivialize prayer, thinking of it as the last thing we do. The reality prayer … READ MORE

Acts 2:42 tells us that as the church was founded that “they [the Church] continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine, in the breaking of bread, and in PRAYERS.” Many churches are strong in the first three aspects of that verse, but why is it that we have somehow given up the importance of corporate prayer. We can say all we want that prayer is important in the church, but examine the practice that is current in the American culture. Prayer Meeting is a dying service. We can say that it is because our lives have gotten to busy, but then we would have to admit that we make time for what is important. When most of us speak, we talk of prayer as either the last resort (“I guess all I can do is pray”), or as almost an apologetic response to a need (“If there is nothing else I can do, I will at least pray for you”). My friends, prayer is not the last thing to do, or the least important thing we can do, IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT AND POWERFUL THING WE CAN DO! We not be concerned that we are not as articulate as some, … READ MORE