Scripture: Act 4:23-31

In a small Texas town, a tavern began construction on a new building to increase their business. The local Baptist church began a campaign to block the bar from opening with petitions and many prayers. Work progressed right up until the week before the bar opened when lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground. But after losing his building the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that the church was ultimately responsible for the demise of his building. The church vehemently denied all responsibility in its reply to the court. After looking at all the facts, the judge commented, I don’t know how I’m going to decide this, because it appears that we have a tavern owner who believes in the power of prayer and an entire church that does not.

Do we believe in prayer? Do we believe in corporate prayer, praying together? The early church did. Throughout its history the Church has believed in praying together. Tragically, the Church in America too often doesn’t believe in prayer and rarely does a church pray together.

An East Indian evangelist described his first experience at an American prayer meeting. He was visiting a megachurch known, even in India, for the pastor’s outstanding preaching. He was thrilled when the pastor invited the three thousand Sunday worshipers to the midweek prayer meeting. The pastor even shared that something was “heavy on his heart” for prayer.

The evangelist couldn’t wait. In India, the prayer meeting was the heartbeat of the church, where you stormed the heavens, often far into the night. The designated prayer chapel seated only five hundred, so he arrived early to get a seat. But at the designated 7:00 p.m. start time, he was alone. At 7:15, puzzled and still alone, he wondered if perhaps he had the wrong location, so he went outside to check the name. Yes, it was the same chapel the pastor mentioned on Sunday. Finally, at 7:30 a few people straggled in, chatting about sports and weather until the leader arrived at 7:45. The leader shared a short devotional, with the seven attendees, prayed briefly, and closed the meeting.

The evangelist was stunned. No prayer. No crying out to God for help. Prayer was a mere window dressing. If you don’t think something works, you don’t use it. Apparently, no one there believed prayer works.   

My experience has been similar. I grew up in churches that had a weekly “prayer meeting,” but it really wasn’t a prayer meeting. It was a Bible study or another preaching time with a little prayer tacked on the end.

The church in America is guilty of that same corporate prayerlessness that the evangelist experienced. I have to confess that I’m guilty of leading our church in that same corporate prayerlessness, a Bible study with a little prayer tacked on.

You’ll find that Christ-followers are praying but are doing it by themselves. According to a Barna study, 94% of American adults who have prayed at least once in the last three months do so by themselves. Barna’s researcher writes: “Prayer is by far the most common spiritual practice among Americans…[But] people pray mostly alone—it is a solitary activity defined primarily by the immediate needs and concerns of the individual.”

This has been a burden on my heart for years. I was blessed recently to attend a seminar led by Joe Humrichous. My heart caught on fire as Joe talked about a real church prayer meeting. The reason we’re talking about this today is that by God’s grace, we’re going to start one this fall.

Please listen carefully. Corporate prayer isn’t for the super spiritual, the super anointed, good prayers or those who have a passion for prayer. It’s for every believer. It’s God’s will and plan for His church. As we study the New Testament we discover that. What happened in Acts 4 was normative for the early church. It needs to be normative for us. And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31). The early church believed that…

Corporate prayer is on par with preaching and teaching as a priority in a healthy church.

Praying together is a vital key to the power of God’s Spirit working in unique ways.

There is a tendency among believers to think of prayer gatherings as the extra-curricular activity in the life of the church.

Praying churches are used by God to change the world. So, I’m on a mission: I want to convince you that God’s plan is for the corporate praying of our church, so His mighty works increase exponentially here at Grace. God’s purposes are accelerated when we pray together.

Please understand we don’t want to minimize personal prayer. Instead, we want to unpack that personal prayer alone will not result in the working of God to the degree needed for spiritual transformation in our lives, our church, even our community. And I long for and I’m praying that our church will commit to praying together. If you’re taking notes…

1. Praying together was practiced by the Lord Jesus. 

Search the Gospels for Jesus’ teaching on the practice of prayer and you’ll identify 37 verses, sometimes repeated in more than one Gospel. Of those 37 instances in which Jesus refers to prayer, 33 of them were addressed to a plural rather than singular audience. In other words, Jesus’ instruction decisively leaned toward praying with others, not just praying alone in private.

For example, Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” We mistakenly read “you” as singular, referring to an individual. But it’s a plural “you.” That means Jesus was urging a gathering of believers to ask, seek, and knock.

In other passages, Jesus deliberately emphasized the significance of praying together. Matthew 18:19, Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. Jesus could have said, “If anyone asks…” instead, He deliberately chose to emphasize a group gathered for prayer. Jesus’ focus on a group praying indicates that God has a design in corporate gatherings, through which He uniquely and powerfully works.

2. Praying together was a priority for the early church. 

In Acts 6, the early church faced one of its first dilemmas. There was a division in the church about caring for widows. So, the Apostles appointed what were the first deacons to care for it, making sure there wasn’t favoritism. Why did they do this? Acts 6:4 says so the Apostles could focus on their priority. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

Maybe like me, you’ve always heard that this meant that the apostles delegated ministry responsibilities to others so that they would be freed up to spend time in personal prayer and study God’s Word to preach to the people. That’s not the point of this passage.

The Apostles weren’t referring to the need for personal prayer. Instead, they’re talking about the ministry of mobilizing the church, the people of God to pray together. They placed a high premium on God’s people praying together. They considered guiding the corporate prayer life of the church as critical of a priority as the preaching/teaching of God’s Word.

3. What happens when we pray together? 

Personal prayer rarely results in the working of God to the degree needed to spiritually transform our lives, our churches and communities. God in His sovereignty has determined that something wonderful happens when we pray together that transcends us praying separately. When we pray individually, one plus one equals two; but when we pray together, one plus one equals three.

We don’t want to ever minimize the importance of personal prayer. Personal prayer and corporate prayer are like the two wings of an airplane. Which one do you want to do without? The absence of either is fatal. So, what are some things that happen when we pray together?

When we pray together, we invite the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 3:14-17 Paul writes: “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love.”

Prayer is the vital spark that brings the Spirit’s engine to live out His power. Prayer is not one more activity of the church. It’s the heart of all of the church’s ministry. Some Christ-followers are obviously better at prayer than others and yet Paul never mentions the gift of prayer. Why? Because as there is no gift of breathing, there is no gift of prayer.

Prayer is not an option; it’s the engine. It’s so vital to the life of a church that it’s not a gift given to a few. It’s for every Christ-follower. Prayer is not a ministry of the church. It’s the heart of ministry through which the real leadership of the intimate union of the Spirit and Jesus operate. Prayer accesses the Spirit of Jesus. He’s in charge. He runs the church, not us. But if we miss the Spirit of Jesus, prayer becomes drudgery.

When we pray together, it brings unity to the church. There is a different atmosphere in churches that pray together and who have praying people. Worship seems more powerful. There’s a sense of true connection with God. As we pray together, God will begin to “show up” more and more.

Shared experiences — a concert, vacation, an adventure — create a bond. Those memories often create deeper, more enduring affection. They can be the relational glue that holds people together.

Dates and vacations with Jane have reinforced our marriage for those times when life is hard. Shared memories create tenderness, understanding, and love. In the church, similar kinds of shared life can lead to mutual appreciation, unity, and trust. For example, I love and appreciate our Deacons because we’ve endured tough times together. We’ve fought side by side in spiritual battles.

Gathered prayer can be that shared experience in a church. You could  think of these prayer times as the furnace room of the church. Heat and warmth radiate out when God’s people gather together to pray. It unites us. 

Praying together is like connective tissue within the body. 1 Corinthians 12, envisions the church as a physical body. Every believer functions as a vital part or organ in this body. Each is unique, yet all are united in Christ.

To be healthy requires diversity within the unity. Each part must work together. Otherwise, the body becomes dysfunctional and ceases to work.

Yet how do we get diverse parts to work together? How do we cultivate this unusual unity and cooperation? We pray together. When we pray together, God unites our hearts with each other. In prayer, the motives and desires of our fellow brothers and sisters are on display. We see the depth of each other’s faith, their heart of compassion. We hear their love for the lost and their affection for Christ. We gain understanding of one another. That understanding is critical for genuine, durable love.

Corporate prayers initiate unity. Our diverse prayers reveal God’s glory and work as a beautiful kaleidoscope. We see, we hear so much more than we would have otherwise. It motivates us to live more fully for Christ.

When we pray together, it changes things.In life when it looks like everything is against us. When it looks like we can’t possibly win or that it’s the end and we’re about to be overwhelmed. It’s then that we need to remember that prayer changes things because it releases God’s power.

That power may come in the form of wisdom, an idea you desperately need and can’t come up with on your own. It may come in the form of courage greater than you could ever muster. It may come in the form of perseverance, a changed attitude toward a spouse or child or parent, or a changed circumstance, or maybe even an outright miracle. However it comes, God’s power is released in the lives of believers who pray.

I know that prayer has changed me. During Covid sometimes I was so angry I could have mugged a girl scout. Then, I’d spend time with the Lord, and it transformed my whole outlook. If prayer does that individually, imagine what they will do corporately.

When we pray together, it changes people.Prayer turned the fanatical persecutor Saul into the missionary globe-trotting Apostle Paul. Remember it changed Peter. While imprisoned, Peter was so full of faith and peace he could sleep deeply, even though he thought he’d be executed the next day.

Fifteen years earlier, Peter was a different man. He’d lied to avoid imprisonment and fled because of his fear. Not anymore. In fact, after this experience he was even more fearless. He headed to Rome, the seat of Roman power to boldly share the love of Jesus.

When we pray together, it changes our world. “Prayer is the lifeline of New Testament evangelism, the oxygen for its holy fire. The New Testament was born in prayer. It knows no evangelism without prayer, and no prayer which does not lead to evangelism.” Those are the words of Armin Gesswein, a man God used to ignite a prayer movement in America and around the world.

There is no evangelism without prayer and no prayer that does not lead to reaching the lost for Christ. When you pray for the lost, remember you aren’t trying to convince God of anything. He’s already convinced the lost should be saved. He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23). He desires that everyone would come to repentance and be saved.

God’s biggest problem isn’t with the lost. He knows how to deal with sinners. God’s biggest problem is with us, the saved. We don’t pray as we should for those still outside of God’s grace.

We must pray and we must share the gospel because it’s God’s method for the lost to be saved. When we pray and share the Good News, God moves from heaven and the lost (who seemed so hardened) begin to have a new attitude and eventually come to Christ. All of it comes from God, even the strength to pray for sinners, so that in the end God alone gets the glory.

What’s critical is that we need to talk to God about people before we talk to people about God. Salvation is such a great miracle that unless God divinely works, no sinner will ever be saved. Our eloquence avails nothing unless God opens the sinner’s eyes to see and ears to hear.

Most of us came to Christ because someone prayed for us. It might have been a parent or friend who witnessed to you or a pastor or youth pastor. Someone cared enough to pray for you and God moved from heaven to draw you to the Savior. If someone prayed for you when you were lost, won’t you do the same for someone else that you know needs Jesus?

God uses prayer to bring people to salvation in Christ. The most notable one is the conversion of Saul, a persecutor of the church. While Stephen is being martyred for his faith, he prays for his persecutors and cries out, Lord, do not hold this sin against them (Acts 7:60). This prayer would have included Saul, who was at the execution. Stephen’s prayer is soon followed by Saul’s conversion on the road to Damascus in Acts 9.

4. Isn’t it enough to pray alone? 

Many believers have that question. Paul wrote: “For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many” (2 Corinthians 1:8-11). So why is God more inclined to answer the prayers of many rather than the prayers of one?

When many people pray, it sets the stage for more praise and thanks. The more people who are earnestly praying for some blessing from God, the more thanksgiving will ascend to God when the blessing comes. Paul’s argument is simply: “You must help me by prayer so that many will give thanks when the prayers of many are answered.”

The reason for praying is so God will be thanked when blessings come, and God loves to be thanked. That’s why this prayer becomes so effective. God loves to be acknowledged and praised as the giver of all good gifts.

When we urge our church to pray for some need, we’re creating a situation in which the provision of that need results in more thanksgivings, than if each one prays privately. We tap into a tremendous incentive on God’s part. God loves to glorify Himself by doing what He must do to get as many thanks as possible, and it means answering the prayers of many people. God loves to be thanked by many. It’s why there is power in church-wide prayers. The more praying together for the spiritual life of our church, the more thanksgiving ascends when God answers.

We feel more gratitude when we feel it together.Verse 11shows that we should not only pray in large numbers, but we should get together in groups to pray. Let me try to show you how that works.

Picture two possibilities. One would be a dozen people, individually in their homes praying for the release of Paul, say from jail in Philippi. They pray, God answers and delivers Paul. They get word of it. They give thanks. God is honored. Great! But suppose that they met together as a group in Philippi, just like believers did in Acts 12 to pray for Peter’s release when he was in jail. Suppose they got together and prayed, and the fervor of each other’s prayer kindled each other’s fervor up to God. God released Paul miraculously through an earthquake, and they hear about it.

What would happen? Praises and thanks would ascend. Isn’t it human nature to feel gratitude more intensely when others are sharing that experience with you? Isn’t that what happens at a Brewers’ game when they win the game? It’s the rippling excitement of gathered fans.

When you and I experience a blessing that we’ve prayed for together, your thanksgiving deepens and heightens my thanksgiving. It works like this: When the answer comes, I see the blessing coming from God. I see it, and I’m glad. I rejoice. But then I look and see it reflected and magnified in all your faces, my joy is compounded, and my thanksgiving is greater.

God loves deepened thanksgiving. It’s why He wants us to meet in groups to pray. We’re setting ourselves up for more spiritual blessings in our church when we gather together to seek His blessings on our church.

Conclusion

If your home caught on fire, the last thing you want to do is run around in the burning house (as often seen on TV). The temperature at head level may well reach 600 degrees. One blast of that heat could destroy your lungs. The only way to survive is on your hands and knees. But at floor level, the temperature may be only 150 degrees. Crawling to an exit is the safe way to withstand the heat. As Christ-followers, such conditions aren’t the extreme, they’re the norm. We must stay on our knees to survive!

Prayer is more about getting to know God than getting answers. Jesus shows us that prayer is all about recognizing our absolute dependence on God. It’s why we should pray. It’s why we should pray together.

Nearly every day I receive ads about how to grow a church and increase attendance. And when I look at Christianity in our culture, one of the reasons we’re often so casual with prayer is because we actually believe we can have a successful church on our own. We’ve bought into the lie that we don’t really need God. We just need the right plan or program. But if there’s a real emergency then we’ll pray.

Jesus said the key to prayer is you realizing that we have a Father in heaven who desires to give every good and perfect gift to us—and we need Him, not bread. We need Him—not water, not air, not all of these things we hunger and long for. We need Him, and He’ll provide those things for us. Prayer brings us back to that realization.

We have to ask God, in this culture that we live in, to deliver us from self-sustaining Christian lives and self-sustaining churches. It’s goes against the whole point of Christianity because God alone sustains us. He alone empowers us. In the end, we’ll only be satisfied by God. We need God. Prayer is God’s gift to us to help us remember this truth every day.

Our praying will be revolutionized when we honestly tell God, “I don’t have this.” Instead of demeaning us for our need, God is glorified when come to Him. He embraces us with deeper closeness because we recognize our need. As Richard Foster wrote about prayer: Real prayer comes not from gritting our teeth but from falling in love. It’s time that we fall in love with God together, trust Him and depend on Him!

In a few moments we’re baptizing Alex English. It’s an answer to prayer. And we’re so thankful that Alex came to Christ and is being baptized. Yet, I can’t help but wonder how many more the Spirit would empower us to reach if we prayed together? What would God do, if we were truly dependent on Him? If as a church family, God was in the driver’s seat?

So, here’s what I want you to do – First, Pray that we will be a praying church.It’s really that simple. Isn’t that where we should start?

Then, we invite you to join us on Wednesday nights at 6 pm in the Ziebell classroom as we pray together. You don’t have to pray out loud. You can pray silently, just join us for prayer.

Finally, if Wednesday night doesn’t work, gather with a few others from the Grace family to regularly pray. But please pray for the spiritual and the eternal. Let’s pray for the Spirit to empower us, to work in our lives, to use our ministries like Grace & Grit, Amped, GSM, our small groups, our worship services. Pray that God would use us to reach this community and our world for Jesus. Let’s be a praying church! Are you in?