REVIVAL BEGINS WITH PRAYER

"These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication." - Acts 1:14

I love great preaching.  Biblical exposition is glorious.  It is wonderful to be spiritually fed as a man of God preaches the Word of God.  It is interesting to note that the greatest revival in history did not begin with a sermon, but a prayer meeting.  In fact, every revival I've read about in the Bible or church history began with prayer.

The Church in America has overvalued personality and performance & has undervalued prayer.  Early in my Christian experience, I learned that most church members are interested in sermons & songs, but not prayer.  As long as a church member can take a seat and have someone publicly stand & make him or her feel good, they are happy to attend.  If they are expected to participate in any form, they are not interested.

To say the least, prayer is not an activity designed to entertain.  A prayer meeting is not an event for spectators, but participators. 

There is a cost for revival and most aren't interested in paying that cost.  Many are interested in the product of revival, but they will not participate in the process of revival. 

The first century church experienced revival.  Those who met in the upper room gathered to pray.  The ultimate result of their prayer meeting was the greatest recorded revival in history. 

For those of us who yearn for revival, we need to learn about prayer from the first century believers.  Please note several things about the prayer meeting in the upper room.

1.  THEY WERE PERSISTENT

The Bible says that they "continued ... in prayer."  It can be easy to get discouraged when you pray.  The key to prayer is perseverance.   Keep at it.  Don't quit.  Jesus said, "Ask and ye shall receive."  Notice that He didn't say that you would receive immediately ... but you WILL receive.  How long should you continue to pray about a matter?  The answer to that question is simple:  keep praying till the answer comes.

2.  THEY WERE PERSUADED

The Bible says that they were in "one accord."  The believers in the upper room were persuaded to pray.  They were united in prayer.  There is something special about corporate prayer.  In John 17, Jesus prayed that His followers would be united.  Revival often comes as believers unite in prayer.

 

3.  THEY ALL PRAYED

The Bible says that the believers in the upper room continued with one accord, "... in prayer and supplication."  It is one thing to plan to pray, but it is another to actually pray.  May I be candid with you?  I have read many books about prayer but they did not take the place of prayer.  The enemy doesn't mind if you read books about prayer, sing songs about prayer and talk about prayer.  What the enemy fights against is the actual act of praying.   

Revival prayer is united, continual and effective.  The prayer meeting in Acts chapter 1 resulted in the revival of Acts chapter 2.  Soon Jerusalem and the rest of the world would be impacted with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Do you long to see revival in every church in America?  Do you yearn to see a great spiritual awakening in our nation?  If so, believers must repent of petty differences and personal sin.  We need to unite in prayer, seeking for a mighty move of God in our land.

It could be that we are one prayer away from seeing revival in our land!