Marks of a Praying Church
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Marks of a Praying Church
Marks of a Praying Church
THE POWER OF A PRAYING CHURCH
We are in a series about the Vision of Our Church
We as a church exist to make a difference in our community, proclaiming the Gospel by:
· Worshiping the Lord
· Praying Corporately
· Growing in Grace
· Reaching Our Community
Giving of Our Resources
Worship is highly important:
There is only one real problem in the Church of God these days, and that is the prayer life of the Church.
We could enumerate many other problems that face God’s people
Sin and compromising with God’s people
Lack of faithful worship
Lack of Commitment
resources spread too thin
Financial Strain
Drama and lack of Unity
But these are all secondary and almost superficial; they only touch the circumference of the situation.
The real problem is the prayer life of the Church, and if that is solved every other problem at once finds solution.
All our difficulties would melt away if that prayer life were to become vital, powerful and, in a word, revived, for prayer is the very life of the Church. It is the life of the church’s individual members, of the church’s worship, and of the church’s varied activities.
In five marks of a praying church are clearly indicated:-
In a praying church:
In a praying church:
I Payer is Important and Spontaneous:
I Payer is Important and Spontaneous:
23 And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. 24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:
acts 4.23-24
After Peter and John had been imprisoned and released they joined the Christians in Jerusalem and reported on all that had happened (verse 23).
After Peter and John had been imprisoned and released they joined the Christians in Jerusalem and reported on all that had happened (verse 23).
When the Christians heard Peter’s and John’s report did they hold a conference?
No, they prayed (verse 24), recognising that prayer was fundamental, not supplemental, and they all felt the same way about it.
Do we recognise the supreme importance of prayer, and have we a spontaneous desire to unite in prayer?
Little wonder that the unbeliever does not believe in a living God who answers prayer, when many of us have so little real appreciation of its importance and so little desire for it!
In a praying Church praying is like breathing. it comes natural
It spontaneous and its not programmed.
Illustration - prayer chain, etc....
In a praying church
II Expectancy is Towards the Lord
II Expectancy is Towards the Lord
24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:
Acts 4.
They turned their eyes away from man and from their problems, to the Lord who could solve every problem, and who is in control of every situation.
They turned their eyes away from man and from their problems, to the Lord who could solve every problem, and who is in control of every situation. They were in line with the Psalmist’s attitude (). After all, whatever problem faces us it is God who matters, not the meetings, the preacher, man or money. These are all, and always, secondary. The eyes of a praying church are upon God who is:-
They were in line with the Psalmist’s attitude ().
5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; For my expectation is from him.
ps
After all, whatever problem faces us it is God who matters, not the meetings, the preacher, man or money.
These are all, and always, secondary. The eyes of a praying church are upon God who is:-
1. The sovereign Lord (verses 24,28). God is the all-powerful creator and sustainer, the One who knows the end from the beginning and who has His great plan of campaign which no-one can hinder.
24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:
28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.
Acts 4.2
2. The seeing Lord (verse 29). God sees all, and waits to intervene and accomplish His will in answer to the prayers of His people.
29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
3. The seeing Lord (verse 29). God sees all, and waits to intervene and accomplish His will in answer to the prayers of His people.
He sees our problem and pain.
In a praying church
In a praying church
II Overwhelming Desire to Evangelize
II Overwhelming Desire to Evangelize
29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
See how they prayed (verse 29)! They didn’t pray, ‘Grant that we may be kept safe’ – ‘Grant that Peter and John may be protected’ – ‘Lord, don’t let it happen again!’ – but they prayed, ‘Lord, help us to get on with the job of proclaiming the gospel!’ In a praying church this will be the overwhelming desire of the members. Does this mark characterise your church? Is there a constant effort being made, not to organise, but to evangelise? – to get souls born again into the family of God?
See how they prayed (verse 29)!
They didn’t pray, ‘Grant that we may be kept safe’ – ‘Grant that Peter and John may be protected’ – ‘Lord, don’t let it happen again!’ – but they prayed, ‘Lord, help us to get on with the job of proclaiming the gospel!’
In a praying church this will be the overwhelming desire of the members.
Does this mark characterize our church?
Is there a constant effort being made, not to organize, but to evangelize? – to get souls born again into the family of God?
illustration - fields are white unto harvest.
A praying church is used by God to evangelize the community
25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. 29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
acts 16.25-
In a praying church :
In a praying church :
IV There is faith to Demand Miracles.
IV There is faith to Demand Miracles.
29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, 30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. 31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. 31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
acts 4.
acts 4.29031
Where prayer is exercised God breaks in with His supernatural acts,
These Christians prayed that God would stretch out His hand to heal and that He would perform miracles.
But some Christians today think the days of miracles are past! Are they?
The fact is that when the Church prays miracles really do take place. Miracles are wrought in the spiritual realm; souls are saved, and even desperate people are converted.
Illustration - Nov 1999;
What happens when people start praying
7 And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord, that he did for Israel. 8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old. 9 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash. 10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.
judges 2.7-
In a praying church
V. There is Great Grace in the Lives of God’s People.
Prayer is the secret of every Pentecostal outpouring; but notice, we are not considering what happened on the Day of Pentecost: this happened after Pentecost – and it can happen again, and again, and again! There will never be another Pentecost dispensationally – but there can be experimentally! Prayer is the secret.
33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
The word ‘grace’ is the operative word here. It means ‘Christ-likeness’, and was seen in four ways:-
See what happened after they had prayed (verses 31,33). It happened when Spurgeon preached: people were struck down by the power of the Word and multitudes were saved – but behind Spurgeon’s preaching was the vital intercession of his praying church, and in every case where great things have been accomplished through the preaching of the gospel it has always and only been in answer to the prayers of God’s people. Conviction and conversions follow the preaching that is backed by a praying church.
7. In a praying church there is great grace in the lives of God’s people.
Verse 33 says, “Much grace was upon them all”; the word ‘grace’ is the operative word here. It means ‘Christ-likeness’, and was seen in four ways:-
Verse 33 says, “Much grace was upon them all”; the word ‘grace’ is the operative word here. It means ‘Christ-likeness’, and was seen in four ways:-
1. There was the grace of unity (verse 32)
32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
There was the grace of liberality (verses 34-35).
32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. 33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. 34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, 35 And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
acts 4.32-25
phil 4.34-35
There was the grace of renunciation (verse 32).3. There was the grace of fellowship (verse 32).4. There was the grace of liberality (verses 34-35).
What Am I asking you to do?
Will you do your part, God helping you, to make our church a praying church?