Last week, I wrote about restoring doctrine to our churches. Today, I want to concentrate on a basic need in our churches. We need to restore prayer to our churches. Most would argue that this isn't necessary for their own congregation. Don't most churches have a segment of the service dedicated to prayer? Sadly, the time of prayer is just a small part of the average service and has lost its power.
There's a difference between a church that prays and a praying church. The first is more popular, the latter is more effective. A church that prays has prayer as another notation in the order of service, but a praying church has prayer as its lifeline.
Our emphasis on prayer reflects our dependence on God and our utter desperation for His help. The fact is that the American church has somehow shifted the emphasis from God to man. Rather than exalting God, we are promoting self-help and self-image. Instead of recognizing that we can't do anything without God, we seem to come up with new and creative ways to do church, as if they are substitutes for prayer. While there is a place of creativity, it cannot replace the blessing of God. We don't need to be more “hip,” “cool,” or “relevant.” We need the power of God! The power and presence of God is not achieved in a church board room, it is received in the prayer closet.
We need to remember that the Church was born at a prayer meeting. Prayer was so vital to the early Church because their need was so great. Persecution brought pain and concern to the early Church. As a result, they turned to God. They didn't turn to politicians, action committees or the business community. Neither did they use slick promotional campaigns or seek legal relief. Instead, the church sought God in prayer. The early church had nothing but the Spirit of God and prayer. We have many more resources and are doing far less than they did.
There's a lesson to be learned in all this. The Church is not a business or a club. It is an organism created by God, empowered by God for the glory of God. Without God, our churches are nothing but worthless relics.
What ever happened to prayer meetings? What ever happened to all-night prayer meetings? We need to realize our desperate need for God and bring prayer back to our churches.
Nearly every revival in the Bible or church history can usually be traced to a handful of believers on their knees in prayer. The only way to have a praying church is for its members to be praying Christians. After I became a Christian, I was troubled to learn that most Christians weren't passionate about prayer. Yes, they wanted God to move. They longed to see the church grow. They had a desire to see people saved. Yet they had little or no passion to seek God themselves. They wanted the product of revival without investing in the process of revival.
What about your church? Is your church a praying church … or just a church that has prayer in the order of service? Let me be more direct. What about you? Are you passionate about prayer? Are you seeking God daily? Are you standing in the gap for your family, your church and your community? Are you a praying Christian … or just a Christian who prays occasionally?
It is time that we quit looking for others to change. We need to be changed ourselves. Perhaps you complain about the condition of your church or its lack of growth. The temptation is to blame the pastor or a deacon. Instead, just look in the mirror and you'll probably see the main person to blame. If you're not a passionate person of prayer, you're part of the problem.
We need to quit looking around for answers and start looking up. We need to restore prayer to our churches. Most of all, prayer needs to be restored to our lives.
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