Sermon Tone Analysis

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:

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

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 ().

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.

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.

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

II Overwhelming Desire to Evangelize

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

acts 16.25-

In a praying church :

IV There is faith to Demand Miracles.

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

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.

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.