Corporate Prayer | Steuart Payne | 15th October 2023

Family Church Online

This week in our series House of Prayer, Ps Steu speaks about Corporate Prayer. This is sometimes known as gathered prayer or collective prayer. Its clear from the Bible that we should be praying together. In Acts, we read about the first century Church, coming together regularly to pray. Acts 2 explains the purpose for which the believers gathered together. Acts 2:42-47 (NKJV)says "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

Ps Steu asks some questions

• Why should we pray together? It is fundamentally something the church does. We are designed you to be part of a body of believers. Also, praying together brings us to greater unity with each other, especially when we pray according to God's word. Praying together invites the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Scripture tells us that whenever two or more are gathered in His name, He is there in our midst. This is a powerful thing. God empowers us. We need the presence of God. Praying together increases our faith to believe God for the miraculous. Collective prayer also moves us from seeking our own desires to seeking the purposes of God and the desires of God.
• When should we pray together? Answer - regularly!! We've got to remember that we are children of God's kingdom. Praying is what we do; talking to our Father is what we do. Ps Steu speaks about specific occasions that might warrant us praying together - times of decision making, intercession....
• How should we pray? Remember Jesus said if two or three of you agree on earth, concerning anything that they asked for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.... So we should pray in agreement with God's words. The word of God reveals the will of God. In 1 John 5:14-15, it says 'this is the confidence we have in approaching God that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us? And if we know that we have what we have asked of Him'. The Bible is the greatest prayer tool we have, so speaking passages of scripture reminds us who God is and what God says. We also ought to pray earnestly. Acts 12:5 retails Peter being in prison, but that the church was earnestly praying for him. The story ends with his release.
• What happens when we pray? Prison doors are opened! Acts 4:31 tells us that 'when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke the word of God with boldness'. The presence of God came and filled the room. The Holy Spirit did something amazing in their lives.

The Holy Spirit is the same now and will do amazing things in our lives.....