February 5, 2023David Murray
INTRODUCTION
First Byron is known asa biblical church, a church that teaches and preaches the Bible without compromise or apology, in the pulpit, in Bible studies, in small groups, and in various youth ministries.
First Byron is known asa church of worship, a church that prioritizes singing old and new songs together that glorify God.
First Byron is known asa welcoming church, a church that welcomes visitors and works hard to integrate visitors into our family of churches.
First Byron is known asa mission church, a church that sends and supports several evangelists and missionaries home and around the world.
First Byron is known asa pastoral church, a church where pastors and elders actively seek and shepherd the flock.
First Byron is known asa lavish church, a church that gives hundreds of thousands of dollars to charity each year.
First Byron is known asa Christian educational church, a church that sacrificially supports Christian families in educating their children in quality Christian schools.
That is a lot! But I have a question. are we known asa praying church? When people think of First Byron, do they think, "This is a place where Christians are committed to congregational prayer" or where congregational prayer takes precedence?How can we increase the value of common prayer in our congregation?
It was a priority for the New Testament church. They devoted themselves to prayer while waiting for the Holy Spirit.All these were unanimous in prayer, together with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brethren.(Acts 1:14). They devoted themselves to prayer after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.And they devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and the Lord's Supper, the breaking of bread and prayers(Acts 2:42). How can we dedicate ourselves to prayer like the early Christians? How can we fulfill this part of God's purpose for His church? (Isaiah 56:7).
FONDS
Acts 1:14 and 2:42 point to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It is no coincidence that the Spirit was poured out in answer to prayer and prayer has also increased.
Why should we pray more together in our church?
PRAYER TOGETHER BRINGS US EXTRA BLESSINGS AND GLORY TO GOD
This is the last sermon in our series on prayer. It is the last, but not the last. In fact, the last is the first in the truest sense of the word. In our context it is the most important sermon of all. It is the one to whom everyone else has turned in prayer. The preceding sermons laid the foundation for this one with their diverse imagery.
- The Cross: We have learned about the power and persuasion of praying in Jesus name.
- The Throne: We learned to pray with confidence as we approached the throne of grace.
- The Battlefield: We have learned to be prayer warriors, participating in spiritual warfare on our knees.
- Dinner: We learned how prayer brings us into the closest communion with God.
- The Door: We have learned how to bring all our needs to the open door of God's ear.
- The Window: We learned how prayer changes our perspective on everything for the better.
- The Schedule: We have learned how to pray both at formal set times and informally at any time.
- Help of the Spirit: We have learned how the Holy Spirit prays for us in our groaning hearts.
- Help of the Son: We have learned how the Son of God prays for us in the heavenly courts.
All of these benefits are available for individual prayer and family prayer. But they are even more available for group prayer. We are also encouraged in group prayer by the fact that the sample Lord's Prayer is in the first person plural (we/our/we) and is therefore clearly intended for Christians to pray together. .
The Bible and Church history teach that God blesses when Christians pray together (2 Chronicles 7:14; Matthew 18:19; Acts 3:1; 4:23-31; 12:12; 13:2-3; 14 :23 ; 16:13, 16).
- The blessing of more answered prayers (Matthew 18:19)
- The blessing of God's presence in prayer (Matthew 18:20)
- The blessing of sharing burdens, joys and sorrows (Galatians 6:2; Rom. 12:15) and thus closer fellowship with one another.
- The blessing of learning to pray by listening to others pray. The great theologian John Owen said that "the prayers of the weakest saint can benefit the greatest apostle."
- The blessing of more prayer as we are encouraged to pray in our private lives and as other groups begin to pray.
- The Blessing of Revival. Pentecost and numerous examples in church history show that widespread spiritual revival often follows Christian prayer together.
Charles Spurgeon said, "How can we await Pentecost if we never come together in one place to wait on the Lord?" Brethren, we will never change much for the better in our churches in general until the prayer meeting takes a higher place in the esteem of Christians.” Dr. A. T. Pierson once said, "There has not been a spiritual awakening in any country or place that has not begun with united prayer." The Reformed faith has seen more revival in Korea over the past half-century than anywhere else in the world. Because? Christians meet there for prayer 365 mornings a year. Google "Prayer and Revival" to find many articles on how revivals of true Christianity followed the revival of united prayer meetings.
When the blessing comes in answer to the group's prayer, great glory comes to God. It receives great glory because group prayer emphasizes our helpless and total dependence on God for blessings. When there is little or no group prayer, God withholds the blessing because people would then attribute it to the pastor or the church.
CHANGE OUR STORIES WITH GOD'S HISTORY
There are many different ways we can increase prayer together in our church. We can join the prayer group that meets on Wednesday at 7:30pm at the retreat. If this time or place does not suit you, we can hold group prayer meetings at other times. We can pray together over the phone or via Zoom. We can add prayers to existing group meetings. We can meet in groups of two or three or groups of ten or twenty. We can have men's prayer groups and women's prayer groups. Some may be for seniors, others for our youth. Some meet in the morning, others in the evening. Some meet before or after the service or during the week. We can have regular prayer meetings for the whole church. We can have prayer groups devoted to mission, revival, the new building project, and individual needs. However or whenever, here are some general guidelines to help prayer together work.
Have clear leadership.Someone should take the lead and provide clear direction and set the tone. It can be a different person each week, but the person needs to know in advance and prepare accordingly. This may also include choosing a specific theme for each week.
Prepare. Before prayer, take time to think about what you are praying for or asking others to pray for.
Set a time limit.It is better to start short (15 or 30 minutes) than so long that it cannot be sustained. Encourage several short sentences rather than a few long sentences that are difficult to focus on.
Share prayers of thanks and prayer requests.Sharing answered prayer encourages more prayer. Make sure you have more time for prayer than for prayer requests.
Speak loudly.There is no point in praying if the prayers cannot be heard by others. The volume also helps energy levels.
Don't say "I".We pray for one another, for your church family.
Sing praises every 10 minutes.This helps maintain focus, energy levels, and the spirit of worship.
Pray specifically.Pray for individual needs, church needs, ministries, missionaries, nations, etc.
Observe.Someone should write down prayer requests and close them with those that have not yet been prayed.
Repeat the sentences silently.Don't just listen, but join in the prayer by saying the words quietly to yourself.
say amen."Encourage the one who prays and encourage those who pray with them. "I agree with that sentence."
Check with ACTS.At the end of each prayer meeting or before the start of a new one, review and adjust the balance of worship, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication.
SUMMARY
A NEW CHAPTER
Add prayer to group meetings.It would be wonderful if every ministry, every small group, every Bible study, every youth meeting could integrate group prayer into every meeting. This is the easiest way to increase devotion to prayer.
Add group prayer meetings.There is already a regular weekly prayer meeting, but this time may not be right for you. So why not start at a different time and place?
prayer. Helper of the helpless, thank you for the help of your Spirit, your Son and your saints. Help me get your help through times of common prayer in our church family.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Why do you think common prayer is not a priority in most churches today?
2. What other blessings come from praying together?
3. What did you learn from Googling “prayer and revival”?
4. How can we use prayer to bring more glory to God?
5. What other practical help would you give in starting a prayer group?
6. What will you do to increase prayer together in our church and in your life?
PDF OF SERMON NOTES