What must it to have been like to be a part of the early church? Acts 2:42 gives us a little glimpse into those first believers priorities. Wouldn’t you love to have heard the Apostles teach or the have fellowship with some of the 120 who gathered to pray in the upper room? Or, how about taking communion with Peter!
Acts 2:42 “And THEY continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
Have you noticed that most of us typically think about the above verse as clearly corporate in regards to: teaching, fellowship, and breaking of bread, but then we jump ship and typically think of prayer as something we do…. alone.
Warning:
As our culture continues to move towards individualism we drift further away from the biblical picture of the corporate and closer to the private.
Prayer that is plural
It seems the one area that may be almost entirely lost in our day is the corporate aspect of prayer. I long to be a part of a church that hungers for and pursues corporate prayer.
5 Reasons why:
1.) I believe the Bible makes a case for it. See: Our, We, Us…. and stay tuned in for future posts on this issue.
2.) The Gospel provides us a relationship with the Father and that relationship brings us into a brother / sister relationship with each other. Why would any of us NOT want to pray together?
3.) It is soooo encouraging! I don’t know why exactly, but I find myself so very encouraged when I am praying with others corporately. When you hear the hearts of others crying out to God, it stirs and encourages me in the Lord.
4.) There is someone to celebrate with when God answers prayer.
5.) Faith is stirred in a corporate context in a way that is different when alone.
Charles Spurgeon on prayer
“Oh! yes, (the prayer meeting) is the place to meet with the Holy Ghost, and this is the way to get His mighty power. If we would have Him, we must meet in greater numbers; we must pray with greater fervency, we must watch with greater earnestness, and believe with firmer steadfastness. The prayer meeting…is the appointed place for the reception of power.” Charles Spurgeon
Does your church have a corporate prayer meeting? Might I challenge you to view that prayer meeting as the most important meeting of the week? You see, ALL that the church does is rooted in and built on prayer. And what Jesus accomplished in His life, death, and resurrection provides the way for us to pray and pray…. together.
The next time you are praying, consider….. Christ died to make this prayer time with others and with Our Father….. possible!!
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