And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. Acts 20:36
Okay, I know. It has been said a million times. But it is still true. We need to pray more!
A local church is made up of several component parts. Preaching. The sacraments. Fellowship. Evangelism and missions. And, oh yeah, prayer.
Please forgive me if what follows sounds like a commercial. Maybe it is.
Though the local church is to be a place of all of the aforementioned, the only one Jesus singled out when defining the Church is that it is to be “a house of prayer” (Mark 11:17).
We try to be intentional about that in our services on Sundays and Thursdays. Not only do we open every service in prayer, asking God to bless and direct our worship services, one of the men leads us in prayer every Sunday morning and every Thursday evening.
I addition, we have 30 minutes set aside for prayer every Sunday morning (9:45-10:15). Many thanks to those who participate in this (and other) times of prayer. We understand that for some, attending that time of prayer is impossible. But for the greater number for whom that time of prayer is possible—but who do not come—please reconsider our need for prayer. Sadly, there are frequently ore people in the lobby during this time of prayer than are in the prayer circles. Even if everyone came only one Sunday each month, we would triple the number participating in prayer.
On the fourth Sunday of each month we have a prayer lunch. We eat for 30 minutes and then pray for about 45 minutes. Sadly, participation in this prayer meeting is very weak. We started supplying lunch in hopes that more people would stay for prayer. It didn’t help. So instead of creating work for those who are already very busy on Sunday mornings, we are reverting back to asking everyone to bring their own lunch. But more importantly, we need prayer. Please consider spending 45 minutes in prayer on one Lord’s day each month!
Praying on the spot. May the Lord grant us sensitivity when we are enjoying fellowship before and after church to pray for one another on the spot as praises and needs arise.
Forgive me for pleading, but we need prayer enough that I’ll plead.