Chapter One
Prayer Matters! First Church, located in the Midwest, averages about 250 at
Sunday morning worship. Several years ago, the church
adopted a growth strategy built around six purposes of the
church-one of which is prayer. The church wasn't large
enough to afford a full-time minister of prayer, so they enlisted
a layperson to be the prayer coordinator.
The new prayer leader enthusiastically tackled the challenge.
He recruited prayer teams to pray for ministries that supported
each of the church's purposes. For example, a team was formed
to pray specifically for the church's evangelism and missions
efforts. Other teams were formed to pray for the church's fellowship,
her worship, and her other central purposes.
The prayer leader also worked with the pastor to provide
training opportunities for the members. The pastor preached a
series on prayer. At the same time, the church held Sunday
evening classes, covering such topics as "How to Pray for Your
Unsaved Family Members," "How to Pray for Your Coworkers,"
and "How to Pray for Your City."
Now the church offers a prayer track in its Wednesday night
equipping program, prays weekly for missionaries, and provides
multiple opportunities for members to pray together.
Under the leadership of the pastor and a committed prayer
coordinator, First Church has become a praying church.
One secret behind this church's renewed focus on prayer is
simple: They have a pastor and a prayer leader who believe that
prayer matters. When a church's pastor and leaders really believe
that prayer makes a difference, they'll make prayer a priority in
their own lives and in the church's life.
The goal of this chapter is to challenge you to raise the
level of prayer in your church. The New Testament church
serves as the model of a church that prays. Stories of churches
that grew as they prayed will encourage you as you strive to
become a church "devoted . to prayer" (Acts 2:42).
As you begin this study, take time to consider the importance
of prayer in your church. Complete activity #1 on the following
page, and be prepared to discuss your opinion with
other members of your study group. (A suggestion: After you
read the following sections on prayer in the early church and in
other churches, you may want to do this exercise again.)
THE EARLY CHURCH AND PRAYER
Have you ever thought about how much the early church
prayed? Look at these revealing clues from the book of Acts:
• 1:14-"They all joined together constantly in prayer."
• 3:1-"Peter and John were going up to the temple at the
time of prayer."
• 4:31-"After they prayed, the place where they were
meeting was shaken."
• 6:4-"And [we] will give our attention to prayer and the
ministry of the word."
• 10:9-"Peter went up on the roof to pray."
• 12:5-"The church was earnestly praying to God for him."
• 13:3-"After they had fasted and prayed, they placed
their hands on them and sent them off."
• 14:23-"Paul and Barnabas . with prayer and fasting,
committed them to the Lord."
• 16:25-"Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns
to God."
• 20:36-"When [Paul] had said this, he knelt down with
all of them and prayed."
• 28:8-"Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed
his hands on him and healed him."
Clearly, the early church was a praying church. Why?
Because they loved Jesus, they were dependent on God, and
they knew that prayer made a difference.
The Early Believers Loved Jesus
Because of my teaching and speaking schedule, I'm often out
of town and away from my wife. Wherever I am, though, I want
to hear her voice and talk with her. Our phone bills are sometimes
expensive, but not talking to each other isn't an option. We just
naturally want to talk with each other, because we're in love.
That's the way it was for many of the early Christians.
Though they needed direction in how to pray (Ephesians 6:18-20;
Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; James 5:13-16), talking
with God was as natural for them as a wife talking to her
husband or a son talking to his father (Romans 8:15-17).
Jesus' love for them had motivated him to teach them to pray,
and their love for him motivated them to follow him in prayer.
In reality, however, we sometimes get so busy "doing church"
that we neglect our love relationship with God. Our church activities
continue (often in abundance), but we give too little attention
to our personal spiritual walk. Driven by duty rather than by
love for God, we work harder in church but often pray less.
A church that wants to be a prayer-driven church will first
make sure that she has kept her "first love," that is, that her
members love God more than they ever have (Revelation 2:4).
If they really love Jesus, they will keep his commandments
(John 14:15).
The Early Believers Were Dependent on God
Genuine prayer indicates not only love but also dependence.
The prayers of the early believers showed that they were
dependent on God for food (Matthew 6:11), health (James
5:13-16), power (Acts 1:8, 14), protection (Matthew 6:13),
and guidance (Acts 1:24-25). They also knew that only God
could grow the church (1 Corinthians 3:6-7).
The early church recognized that they couldn't face a tough
world without God's directing them. In fact, the apostle Paul
himself needed prayer support to be a bold witness for God
(Ephesians 6:19-20). His call was dramatic (Acts 9:1-19) and
his commitment was sure (2 Timothy 4:7-8), but even Paul
needed God's daily strength to fulfill his mission.
I recently led a group of American Christians on a mission
trip to Moscow, Russia, to teach the Russian believers about
prayer. At our first meeting, the Russians stood to pray (as they
always do) and then led us in a two-hour prayer meeting.
Throughout the next two weeks, the Russian brothers and sisters
taught us more about prayer than we could ever have taught
them.
They typically prayed for hours, with hearts broken over
unbelieving family members and friends. They interceded passionately,
believing that God would be faithful to hear their
prayers. These believers-whose faith had often cost them
dearly-had learned through hardship to trust God. In the
end, their dependence affected the way they prayed.
Prayer-driven churches are churches that depend on God.
On the other hand, churches that operate in their own power
usually don't pray much.
The Early Believers Knew Prayer Made a Difference
Many of the early believers were Jews who had converted to
Christianity. Very likely they knew from their Scriptures many
stories about the power of prayer.
Abraham interceded for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah,
and Lot was rescued (Genesis 18:20-33; 19:29). Moses
prayed for water, and God provided it (Exodus 15:22-25).
Hannah prayed for a son, whom God gave her (1 Samuel 1:1-20).
Solomon gained his wisdom through prayer (1 Kings 3:1-15).
Elijah prayed on Mount Carmel, and the God of Israel
revealed his authority over the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:36-39).
Nehemiah sought his king's favor through prayer, and
God granted that favor (Nehemiah 1:4-2:8). Daniel's commitment
to prayer landed him in the lions' den, but God protected
him there (Daniel 6:1-28).
(Continues.)
