People of Prayer

When it comes to growth in the Kingdom of God, nothing is more of a necessity than becoming a people of prayer.  Every major decision or meaningful in the New Testament is paired with prayer, both individual and communal.  Prayer is the very life-blood for the Church and for believers.  It is the requisite communal aspect of prayer that is so woefully neglected in churches.  Because of this, churches flounder and fail to be effective in their ministries.

This ought not be so.  For if we are to live lives by the example put forth by Jesus, then prayer should not simply be a check box on the list of church to-dos. Rather, prayer needs to be the focus of any and every church function and activity.  Prayer is so integral and necessary in our relationships with God that we should take the practice of prayer to be at the top of the priority list of church life.

Unfortunately, the church has neglected the life of Jesus as well as the examples set forth by the early Church.  If we look at Acts, every (not an understatement) decision was taken with prayer.  Replacing Judas: prayer; receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost: prayer; preaching in the synagogues: prayer; healings: prayer; fellowship: prayer; choosing the Seven: prayer, et al.

This is by no means an exhaustive survey of the significance of prayer to the early Church.  Clearly, prayer was important.  Moreover, this focus on community praying is not merely meant as historically descriptive of the first-century Church.  By no means!  This constant attitude and reliance on prayer is totally normative and wholly prescriptive for how Church should be done today.

Or remember Jesus, being in very nature God, prayed constantly (for a cursory understanding see Luke 3:21; 5:16; 6:12; 9:18, 28-29; 11:1, to name a few).  Needless to say but powerful to remember, prayer matters.  Praying is communication with God.  It is the practice of relationship with the Lord that we have been given through the work of Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Additionally, corporate prayer serves distinct and significant purposes, not the least of which being that it immediately connects the body of Christ.  When believers are joined in prayer, the Holy Spirit is present to guide, to teach, to encourage, to convict, to comfort, and to exhort.  We should strive then to become not only people of prayer but, and even more so, churches of prayer.