When a church prays together

Charles Spurgeon, a Baptist pastor in 19th century London, was renowned for his preaching abilities. Thousands of people flocked to his church on Sundays to listen to him speak. 25,000 copies of his sermons were sold every week. But when visitors came to see Spurgeon’s church building, rather than showing off the pulpit, he would take them down to a room in the basement where a group of people were on their knees praying and say, “This is the powerhouse of the church.”...
Spurgeon once said, “The prayer meeting is an institution which ought to be very precious to us ... for to it we owe everything. When our comparatively little chapel was all but empty, was it not a well-known fact that the prayer meeting was always full? And when the Church increased ... it was the prayer meeting that did it all.”
The early church in Jerusalem also believed in the importance of prayer meetings. There are several occasions in the book of Acts where it is recorded that the men and women of that church gathered together to intercede in prayer. They did not have money, real estate, political influence or a professionally trained clergy. But they did know how to pray. And every time they did so, the course of history was changed.
Each Sunday morning during the month of January, our weekly sermon will focus on a different one of these “prayer meeting passages” in Acts. Fellowship Groups will be encouraged to study the same passage together during the week. On Sunday evening January 27 at 6:00pm, we will gather as a congregation to pray. In other words, we are dedicating this first month of 2008 to learn more about praying together as a church.
The reason we need to do this right now is because, as a congregation, we have just set some really big goals for the next five years. We want to reach more people for Christ by starting new worship services in Astoria and a new church in a neighborhood nearby. We want to become a healthier church by developing a comprehensive plan for equipping and discipleship. We want to see our neighborhood transformed by establishing a community center that will house various programs that minister to people’s needs.
There is no way we can accomplish any of this without God. He has called us to something that is completely impossible in our own strength. This is a wonderful position to be in. This forces us to cry out to God in prayer. As we see him answer our prayers, we will be reminded to give him all the glory, because we will know that he is the One who did all the work.
It is my hope that focusing on our corporate prayer life will have a beneficial effect on our personal prayer lives, as well. Every Christian knows the periodic need for a time of refreshing in their private communion with the Lord. What better way to start the New Year than by seeking fresh authenticity and sharper focus in our prayers. If this is something you long for, you will be encouraged to know that God’s desire to give this to you is even greater than your desire to receive it.
So let’s start the year on our knees. Let’s learn together a little more about what it means to be a congregation that prays.