Sermon # 17 - The Power Of A Praying Church Series

We read in Acts 4:31, “When they finished praying, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim God's message with boldness.”(GNB)

As the believers in the early church met together for prayer there was a mighty manifestation of God’s power that day. Their place of gathering was shaken, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they went out to declare the message of God with much boldness. The early church was strong, and made a tremendous impact on those around them.

Today’s church is in complete contrast to the way the early church functioned. The growth in our churches is biological rather than the inclusion of new believers being added, which is what the Lord desires for the church. Many members of the church today are weak spiritually only because they have not received the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Church is a place where the Lord resides, and where the Spirit of God moves in a mighty way. When we are part of such a fellowship, we too will be filled with the same power of the Holy Spirit, and the Lord will use us to be a blessing to others. As we gather together to worship we do so with the expectation that the Lord will strengthen us, provide answers to the questions we have, and give us guidance for every decision we have to take. As parents if we want to see our children, and the generations to come being impacted in a powerful way, we must pray with the expectancy that the Lord will bring about a mighty revival, and that our witness be such that those around us will realize that we are a people belonging to God.

Sadly today, many a church has become all about a building, and once the building comes up it becomes the property of the Pastor, his children and their children and what happens as a result is that the vision and burden with which the church began fizzles out. The reason the word of God has recorded the acts of the early church, is to motivate us to understand that all of the mighty deeds that the Lord accomplished then through the apostles and believers, the Lord is willing to perform amongst us even today.

The power and strength of the early church was that they were a praying church. For those who are wondering as to how we too can experience the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit that was so evident in the early church, the secret is to spend time together in prayer. As we pray, we are filled with the Holy Spirit who enables us to be victorious over sin, sickness and the world. Also the Spirit of God removes all fear and inhibitions so that we are able to freely and boldly share the word of God with others.

In Acts 4:24 -31 we read, “So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? 26 The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the LORD and against His Christ.’ 27 “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. 29 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. (NKJV)

Prayer is the foundation for a strong church. The first thing the early church did was they lifted their voice together in one accord, and called on the name of the Lord. They begin their prayer acknowledging that God is the creator of heaven, earth, the sea and everything in it, and the reason for this is to primarily affirm who God really is. It is important and beneficial for us to endorse who God is in every situation of our lives.

In the next part of their prayer, they mention how David had prophesied that the Gentiles and the people of this world would be enraged against the Messiah, and also the kings and rulers would plot against Him to bring him down. This was rightly fulfilled when Herod and Pontius Pilate along with the religious leaders and crowds of people, plotted and sentenced Jesus to die on the cross. The only reason they were all against Jesus was because what Jesus taught was contradictory to the standards they held, and He exposed them of all their evil thoughts and deeds.