CORPORATE PRAYER
We continue to look closely at the importance of prayer within our church. Quite frankly, we need to hear from the Lord on several issues our church is now faced with. As well, we need to reckon ourselves to the fact that prayer is not an option for us. Rather, prayer must be considered an essential to our future.
Please don’t misunderstand and think that the leadership of this church is panicked, or in serious trouble of any kind. Not at all. But apparently God is wanting to get our undivided attention…thru’ prayer.
As people change - the church also will change.
Hopefully each of us are burdened for the Lord to have His way with us as individuals while having His way with us as a church (i.e., a corporate body of believers).
The fact is we all are in this together.
We all have a huge responsibility to see God’s plan for this church to grow and glorify Him.
The key word for us today is CORPORATE. Simply put - None of us are going it alone…we are all in this together. We all have a stake in what God is wanting done with this church.
Furthermore, nothing that needs to be changed in our church will ever change until first each of us experience changes individually. Consider this - Did you know that many of your decisions directly affect what happens or doesn’t happen in this church?
No one should think of themselves as sitting on the sidelines with nothing to do but watch the players on the field. The coach has put everybody into the game!
As of this morning, CORPORATE PRAYER is certainly one of the most (if not the most) critical issues facing our church (as a whole). Prayer is more important than any other situation we are facing. This is our third week talking about prayer, and I am sensing from the Lord this is exactly what He wants us to hear and apply.
Many of us may be wondering what we should be praying about, or even how to pray...have you ever felt that way? You may know that prayer is important, but are not exactly sure how to go about it…
Illustration:
It is sort of like the story of the little girl and her mother. It seems the mother had put together a special dinner for some friends that her husband had invited over. The mother had worked hard all day preparing the food while her little girl watched closely.
Finally the time came for someone to ask the blessing over the meal. The mother looked at her little girl and decided that she should be the one to pray. The little girl looked up at her mother and said, “But Mommy, I don’t think I know how to pray.” The mother said, “Oh honey, you have heard Mommy pray before…just pray one of the prayers you’ve heard Mommy pray…” The little girl said, “Okay…” She thought for a moment and then prayed, “Oh Lord! Why on earth did I ever invite all of these people over for dinner?”
Listen – God wants to hear from you even when you are not sure what to pray or how to pray. Likewise – God wants to hear from Lighthouse Assembly of God as a CORPORATE FELLOWSHIP. Even if we are not sure what or how to pray, God wants us all to pray as a church. God not only wants to hear from you as an individual, but He wants to hear from all of us as the Family of God…
Text: Matthew 18:19 – 20
Many times Christians think that their prayer life is a very personal thing, and for the most part this is true. Unfortunately, some will use this as an excuse for not being a part of a public prayer. And yet – Jesus knew of the power of CORPORATE PRAYER. Jesus certainly wanted His disciples to pray together as a group of believers. He demonstrated this in how he prayed.
Many Christians look to the “Lord’s Prayer” as the model prayer for us to learn how to pray. And yet they often miss the very first bit of instruction from Jesus when He said (and I quote), “Our Father…”
Notice Jesus did not say, “My Father…” I am convinced that God dearly wants His people to be unified and corporately focused on praying together. If we can be unified in how and when we pray, then we will find it easier to be unified in what takes place with our church.
This makes sense to me and I hope it does to you…
Unfortunately when an altar call is made, not everyone feels comfortable in coming to the front to pray with those who have needs, or simply want to pray.
Some folks don’t feel like they are good enough to come down and pray. Sometimes people demonstrate their level of commitment to Christ by whether or not they desire to pray. Your prayer life should never be decided by how spiritual you are.
The very future of the church relies heavily on the unified prayer of it’s people. You don’t even have to be a member to come and pray with us…just willing to spend a little time talking with the Lord and praying for His people. We don’t have any rules about prayer, we just want to seek Him and honor Him with what is on our hearts.
Our focus during CORPORATE PRAYER is simply the Name of the Lord. Proverbs 18:10 says,
The Name of the Lord is a Strong Tower; the righteous run into it and they are saved…”
The love and unity of God’s people should be an attraction to meet with Jesus. He said,
Where two or three are gathered in My Name, there I am in the midst of them.
Jesus is very particular about all of us praying together, and I believe He looks at it this way. It all has to do with wanting to hear what everyone is saying.
As an example - If I were to stand here and listen to a group of Christians speaking at me, I would have a hard time hearing everything that everyone is saying. But if I gather a group and purposely stand smack dab in the middle of that group, I will be able to hear from everyone…at the same time…and be able to minister to all of them.
All of this is really very simple, but Jesus wants us to know that He does enjoy being the center of the CORPORATE PRAYER meeting. He loves all of that attention that everyone is giving Him!
Not only that, but Jesus assures us that if and when we pray together in CORPORATE PRAYER He says in (verse 19) that what we ask His “…Father in heaven in heaven will do it for you.”
The Apostle Paul reinforces this with every letter he wrote to the churches.
Romans 15:30 – “Now I beg of you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ…that you strive together with me in your prayers…”
II Cor. 1:11 – “God will deliver us, you also helping together on our behalf by your supllications.”
Paul certainly mentioned the words, “together, our, we and us”, much more than the word “I”. Paul relied heavily on the prayers of the church to get him through whatever he was having to face alone.
Listen I am convinced that God rules the world with the prayers of His people, and that Satan is only defeated (in this life) by those prayers. But often our enemy becomes each other and Satan ends up wining his battle with prayer by default.
We must admit that there are times when we are tempted to treat prayer like a formula. If we have the right technique, and right form, our prayer will be efficient and effective. But we must understand this…we are never, ever able to manipulate God.
We must not think that if we say the Lord’s Prayer, the prayer of Jabez, or any other kind of prayer on a repetitive basis, that our life will magically be blessed.
Jesus simply and boldly says this…
“Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
There is no mention anywhere in the Bible to pray any certain prayer as a chant.
But I do want us to note the divide that exists between the ways of heaven and the ways of earth.
1. Clearly, there are things we are to be against, such as evil and deception and disbelief. These things are to be bound by how we pray.
2. On the other hand, there are things that we are to be for, such as the blessings and promises of God. These things are to be loosed.
We do this because…there is a war taking place all around us everyday.
II Corinthians 10:3-4
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
We have to ask ourselves what is Paul referring to?
I look out at this fellowship and I don’t see anyone with Army fatigues or weapons to launch an assault with. We are not “waging war”. But that does not change the fact that we do live in the midst of spiritual warfare.
That often frightens or causes some Christians to think of me as a fanatic and caring things a bit too far, but the Bible says that we are warring against evil authorities and powers in high places.
We should know that Satan is fighting hard to keep what he has stolen from God’s people.
The only concern of the devil has is to keep Christians from praying. He is not too worried about us –
1. Studying the Bible without praying to understand it and apply it.
2. Working for the Kingdom of God without asking for the strength to serve the Lord.
Satan laughs at us when we are busy at church but don’t want to pray as a church.
