A Church of Prayer

Along with the ministry of the teaching of God's Word the ministry of prayer is essential to the impact God will make through the church on it's local community but also on the church itself! We need to hold one another up in prayer and also pray for the lost in our communities! Our Lord said that His house was to be a house of prayer! (Matthew 21:13)

Ron Dunn a pastor and author has said:
"Prayer is not a substitute for work, or merely preparation for work. It is work. . . . Prayer is the secret weapon of the kingdom of God. It is like a missile that can be fired toward any spot on earth, travel undetected at the speed
of thought, and hit its target every time. . . . Satan has no defense against this weapon; he does not have an anti-prayer missile."(Ron Dunn, Don't Just Stand There, Pray Something, Here's Life Publishers, 1991, pp. 17-20.)

"Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known." (Jeremiah 33:3) God says that He will answer us when we call to Him...

Matthew Henry's commentary on this scripture reads:
"Those who expect to receive comforts from God, must call upon him. Promises are given, not to do away, but to quicken and encourage prayer. These promises lead us to the gospel of Christ; and in that God has revealed truth to direct us, and peace to make us easy. All who by sanctifying grace are cleansed from the filth of
sin, by pardoning mercy are freed from the guilt. When sinners are thus justified, washed, and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Holy Spirit, they are enabled to walk before God in peace and purity. Many are led to perceive the real difference between the people of God and the world around them, and to fear the Divine wrath. It is promised that the people who were long in sorrow, shall again be filled with joy. Where the Lord gives righteousness and peace, he will give all needful supplies for temporal wants; and all we have will be comforts, as sanctified by the word and by prayer."

Prayer is not just asking God for the things we want. Prayer is our opportunity to communicate with God. Prayer softens our hearts and opens our eyes to see our circumstances from God's perspective. Our prayer should always be about God and Him being glorified in our lives and in our community, not my will, but Your will be done! Below is a helpful guide to prayer. (I completely forgot where I got this from).

A - Adoration: Praising God for who He is (Psalms 145-150)

C - Confession: Cleansing your heart to present a pure heart to the Lord (Psalm 51)

T - Thanksgiving: Appreciating all that God has done for you (I Thessalonians 5:18)

S - Supplication: Making specific requests of the Lord, for others and ourselves the chief end being His glorification in our lives (Philippians 4:6, 7)

Nothing in our hearts is a surprise to God. He wants us to be honest with Him. The above pattern is designed to get our hearts right with God before we make our requests known to Him. Often He changes our requests when we get the proper perspective.

Leonard Ravenhill has said the following:
The church has many organizers, but few agonizers; many who pay, but few who pray; many resters, but few wrestlers; many who are enterprising, but few who are interceding. People who are not praying are playing. Two prerequisites of dynamic Christian living are vision and passion, both of these are generated by prayer. The ministry of preaching is open to a few. The ministry of praying is open to every child of God. . . . Tithes may build the church, but tears will give it life. That is the difference between the modern church and the early church. Our emphasis is on paying, theirs was on praying. When we have paid, the place is taken. When they had prayed, the place was shaken (Acts 4:31). In the matter of effective praying, never have so many left so much to so few. Brethren, let us pray.(Leonard Ravenhill, The Significance of Prayer (as quoted in Dan Hayes, Fireseeds of Spiritual Awakening, Rev. ed., Dickinson Press, 1995, pp. 86, 87).)

The saint who advances on his knees never retreats.

My prayer is that we would be a people that move on our knees, praying as we go about the Lord's business.

Matthew 9:35-38

Mat 9:35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.
Mat 9:36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Mat 9:37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;
Mat 9:38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."