The Priority of Corporate Prayer

Acts 6:1-7

The Priority of Corporate Prayer

“In these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.  And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.  Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.  But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”  And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.

“And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.” [1], [2]

mong the churches of this day, “worship” has generally been redefined from the commonly accepted definition of an earlier day.  Perhaps this is because modern Christians are unaware of what the Bible teaches concerning worship, or perhaps it is because we consciously or unconsciously force the Word of God to fit our own particular worldview, rather than permitting the Word to shape our worldview.  Worship is the instinctive response of the individual who finds himself in the presence of the Lord.  Worship is not specifically an emotional act, though those who worship will find that the emotions are fully engaged because of the presence of the Holy One.

Contemporary Christians generally restrict the concept of worship to the corporate liturgy of the churches.  Consequently, the liturgy of the churches is often confused with worship.  However, worship is not so much an act as it is the response of the individual to the presence of the Living God.  Though the individual may believe he is presenting praise and honouring the Lord God together with many other Christians, if that person has not truly recognised the presence of the Son of God, he or she is not worshipping.  Worship is the act of seeking God, endeavouring to know Him and to recognise His presence among His people, seeking to honour Him through considering His glory and His perfections and through praising Him in Spirit and in truth.  Worship is nothing less than offering to God praise and adoration as His character is revealed through His Word.

Churches in this day tend to restrict worship to singing.  In the earliest descriptions of church life, however, worship primarily resulted as the Word was taught and the congregation prayed.  As an example of worship among the early churches, consider the actions of those who were added to the Jerusalem congregation after Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost by reviewing the description given in Acts 2:42.

Dr. Luke carefully describes these first Christians as having “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”  Worship, for the new Christians, consisted of receiving instruction in the Word, investing themselves in each others lives as they ministered to one another with the gifts that the Spirit of God had entrusted each one, observing the Lord’s Table with their fellow believers, and united prayer.

Scripture repeatedly admonishes us to watch doctrine and to attend to reading the Scriptures.  For instance, Paul cautioned Timothy to devote himself in his role as pastor “to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” [1 Timothy 4:13].  Nothing is said concerning the pastoral role other than that the pastor bears responsibility to ensure that the Word is read publicly, and that “persuasive discourse”[3] is to be employed as the pastor makes “earnest appeal,”[4] and instruction in the apostolic doctrine is to be provided for the benefit of those in attendance at the worship of the assembly.

Paul also stressed the necessity for prayer—both private and corporate prayer.  Instructing Timothy how he was to conduct the meetings of the congregation, he writes, “I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all people” [1 Timothy 2:1].  Shortly, he would encourage the young theologue to insist that the congregation put into practise the teaching “that in every place the men should pray” [1 Timothy 2:8].

I realise that the early saints did include “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” [Colossians 3:16; see also 2 Timothy 2:11a-13] in worship; however, surprisingly little is said concerning the hymnody of the apostolic churches.  It is not, therefore, that the churches did not sing; but it is rather that music was not the major focus of worship that it has become among the churches of this day.  What is obvious, and frequently disparaged in this day, is that prayer and preaching were ubiquitous marks of every meeting in the apostolic church.  In every instance where we have been given a description of worship among the churches of the New Testament, prayer and preaching are prominent.

Though as a Baptist congregation we have maintained our dedication to preaching as a hallmark of our faith, we have neglected corporate prayer.  In fact, the tendency among believers, even among those who occupy leadership positions in the church, is to think of prayer gatherings as extra-curricular activity in the life of the Body.  There is little power among the churches today, though there is a great deal of activity.  Few souls are saved, and few saints are burdened for the souls of the lost.  Everything else being equal, we will have as much power in the Christian life as we have prayer among the saints of God.  Perhaps it is time that we again make prayer a priority for the church.

Praying Together was a Priority for the Apostles — The Apostles by their example teach us that all who claim to lead God’s people must be convinced that among the most pressing responsibilities assigned to leaders is the responsibility to pray.  In this model, churches are taught that corporate prayer must be a priority.  The shepherds of the congregation must give themselves to pray for the people, and the flock must likewise accept the responsibility to pray together.

Many church members consider the pastor to be a sort of chief executive officer of the congregation.  Over the years of my ministry, I have reviewed a rather large number of “job descriptions” drafted by pulpit committees searching for a pastor.  Prominent in the list of qualifications that congregations seek is almost inevitably the ability to administer the work of the church.  I reviewed a few of the “job descriptions” posted by several sister churches.  They call for almost every imaginable qualification and duty by those the churches are seeking to hire—except for a commitment to prayer.  Yet, when the Apostles first began to seek help in the church, it was so they could “devote” themselves “to prayer and to the ministry of the Word” [Acts 6:4].

Why should the Apostles devote themselves to prayer?  What is the great requirement for prayer that drove these men to assert openly that this was their priority?  First, they knew that they needed God’s power if they would perform God’s work.  They needed divine authority if they were to confront the challenges arising from people who, though saved, were still attracted to the world in which they lived and who still tried to do God’s work with the tools of the world.  They knew that they needed divine unction—the anointing of the Spirit.  This knowledge drove them to seek the face of the Lord.

The Apostles lived among and ministered to people that were hostile to the Faith of Christ the Lord.  They would be harassed and hated by the very people that had crucified the Master.  We also live in a world that does not love our Lord Jesus Christ.  Instead of accommodating ourselves to the hostility of the world in which we live, we need to pray, seeking the face of the Lord and seeking His power.  When I preach, and when you enter to worship, we must come “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” [1 Corinthians 2:4].  Instead of trying to entertain people and being content with being liked, we need to so live and so prepare ourselves that the Spirit of God through us will “convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement” [John 16:8].

Again, the Apostles realised the fallen state of all humanity.  Men are not converted because they are attracted by our winsome demeanour.  Neither is anyone converted because we sing lively songs.  Our knowledge of the most current views of philosophy or our familiarity with the latest scientific dogma will never turn the lost soul to faith in the Living Son of God.  We do not have a problem of a lack of knowledge or an inability to provide a “religious variety show” that will attract those who are lost.  Our problem is that the people to whom we are sent are “dead in trespasses and sin” [Ephesians 2:1].  Because they are dead, they must be wakened by the Spirit of God.

Paul realised that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood” [Ephesians 6:12].  Instead, we struggle “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” [Ephesians 6:12].  We are not fighting man; but we are fighting the devil.  Because we are engaged in spiritual warfare, we must commit ourselves to prayer.

I do not want to insult anyone, but neither do I wish to permit anyone to continue in his or her blindness and alienation from Christ the Lord.  God, through the Apostle Paul, has said that the lost live “in the futility of their minds” [Ephesians 4:17].  The condition of outsiders who imagine that what they think determines their relationship to God is described in the following verses.  “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.  They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity” [Ephesians 4:18, 19].

We must not imagine that this describes what men once were in the ancient world, but that mankind has now changed for the better.  We must not think that we are now educated and sophisticated, and thus no longer thinking errantly about our righteousness.  Sinners are blind!  Their best thoughts are folly.  We dare not temper the warning that “the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing” [1 Corinthians 1:18].  Indeed, the message we preach is idiocy to those who are lost [1 Corinthians 1:21].

Why are not more sinners converted to Christ?  Why do lukewarm Christians turn aside, seeking an easier way to righteousness?  Why do fellow Christians attempt to persuade us to embrace the latest entertainment as the means to advance the cause of Christ?  Is it not because we have forsaken looking to the Spirit of God to enable us to fulfil the ministry He gives?  Is it not because we have somehow convinced ourselves that the latest spiritual fad will have greater power to open the heart of the lost than does the presence of the Spirit of God with us?  Does the world choose to be righteous and holy because they like our music?  Do the lost of this world become godly because we give them a short sermon that makes them feel good about themselves?

We can modify our message, ensuring that it is ever so entertaining.  We can shorten the message so that it becomes merely a “sermonette for Christianettes.”  We can make the service quite pleasurable, telling stories and jokes and mouthing platitudes.  However, if the Spirit of God does not convict the soul of the lost, nothing will change them.  For far too long we have been content to simply inoculate the lost against damnation.  If the lost are to be saved, they must renounce all dependence upon their own goodness, recognising that Christ died because of our sin.  The lost must learn the reality of the apostolic declaration, “I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh” [Romans 7:18].  The lost sinner must know that salvation is found in Christ alone, and that all human merit is excluded.

The Apostles also prayed because they understood the nature of salvation.  Salvation is not divine help; it is not merely heavenly assistance.  Salvation is not comfort that leaves us in our present condition of blindness and sin.  Salvation is not happiness, nor even joy.  Salvation is regeneration!  It is being born from above and into the Kingdom of God.  Salvation is new life.  This is the reason the Apostle Paul asserts, “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ” [Ephesians 2:4, 5].

That all people require the new birth is affirmed through the words Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.  So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” [John 3:6-8].

 “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” [1 Corinthians 2:14].  There is no argument or demonstration that will persuade the lost to embrace Christ.  They must be born from above, and that new birth comes only through the regenerating work of the Spirit of God.  People do not become Christians because of our efforts in the flesh.  Sinners are converted through the demonstration of the Spirit; and the Spirit has chosen to honour the church that prays.  The Apostles devoted themselves to prayer, because it was God’s method to supply the power they lacked and because it was His means to change the heart of their hearers.

Corporate Prayer Became a Priority for the Apostolic Church — The Apostles provided leadership by remaining focused on the godly priorities of prayer and preaching.  Consequently, the churches that arose from their ministries were likewise committed to prayer as necessary for every spiritual advance.

Every major action described among the early Christians began with prayer and the labours of the Christians were bathed in prayer as the work was performed.  When the disciples gathered in the upper room after the Ascension of the Lord Jesus, “with one accord” they “were devoting themselves to prayer” [Acts 1:14].  Christ had promised that He would send the Holy Spirit.  They had no doubt that He would fulfil His promise.  Yet, they devoted themselves to prayer; and the Apostles were careful to include within the praying community “the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brothers.”  Not only did the eleven Apostles commit themselves to prayer, but they also ensured that all who knew the Risen Lord were included in that prayer life of the Body.

Later, when they sought to determine whom God would have them appoint to replace Judas, the congregation—all 120 of them—met for prayer.  Though we would imagine that they could have simply reviewed the qualifications of the appropriate candidates, asking who would “let their name stand,” they determined to know the mind of the Lord through prayer.  Listen to their plea.  “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place” [Acts 1:24].

Every threat against the early churches was met with prayer.  Peter and John were arrested and after being threatened by the Sanhedrin, they were released.  Thus we read, “When [Peter and John] were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and elders had said to them.”  When these brave Apostles had concluded their report detailing the threats issued by the religious leaders, the Word informs us that “they lifted their voices together to God” in prayer [Acts 4:23 ff.].

Herod executed James, the brother of John; and, in an apparent bid to curry favour with the Jewish leadership, he also arrested Peter, holding him in prison, intending to execute him when the days of Passover were past.  The leadership of the church in Jerusalem was threatened, and the immediate response of the congregation was to pray.  Acts 12:5 informs us “earnest prayer for [Peter] was made to God by the church.”

It is instructive to review the account of the appointment of the first missionaries.  “Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.  While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’  Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off” [Acts 13:1-3].

The prophets and teachers appointed to serve the church in Antioch were “worshipping the Lord and fasting,” when the Holy Spirit spoke to them.  He directed these men to dedicate Barnabas and Saul to a specific work.  The response was obedience “after fasting and praying.”

When Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in the nascent churches, they did so “with prayer and fasting” [Acts 14:23].  When Paul concluded his instructions to the Ephesian elders, he did so with prayer [Acts 20:36].  In Tyre, after meeting with the church, the missionary band took their leave after praying with the saints [Acts 21:5].

It is significant to note that among those included in prayer at this time of farewell were the children of the church members.  I am compelled by the example provided in the Word to caution that we do our children no service when we segregate them from the prayer life of the community of faith.  If there is to be hope that our children will be prepared to accept responsibility as members of the Community of Faith, they must be trained in the act of corporate prayer.  They must see united prayer modelled both by those who lead the congregation and by their own parents.

If you do not have prayer with your children, as part of a time of family devotion, do not be surprised if your children shortly reject your concern for their spiritual welfare.  If our children do not see us pray as a congregation, joining our hearts and our voices in prayer to God, it is unlikely that our children will believe we are serious about prayer.

The apostolic practise had been modelled by the Master.  When Jesus was transfigured, He had taken Peter, John and James with Him, permitting them to witness His glory.  Consequently, His transfiguration occurred “as He was praying” [Luke 9:29].  In fact, we are informed that He had specifically gone “up on the mountain” to pray [Luke 9:28], deliberately including these chosen disciples to be with Him.

Facing the cross, the Master asked His disciples to accompany Him for prayer [Luke 22:39-46].  In the Garden, “Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears” [Hebrews 5:7], in the presence of His disciples, yet alone in His agony.

One cannot read the account of the life of the early Christians, beginning with the example of the Master Himself, without concluding that corporate prayer was an essential component of every spiritual activity of our forebears in the Faith.  Should it be any surprise, therefore, that the description of the worship of the Jerusalem congregation included corporate prayer as an integral and vital aspect of worship [Acts 2:42].  Congregational prayer was integral to the life of the Body.

Again turning to the text before us, the Apostles not only stated their intention to commit themselves “to prayer and the ministry of the Word,” but when they set apart these first deacons to the specific ministry God had given, they did so with prayer.  Prayer, and especially corporate prayer, was essential to the life of the apostolic church.

The church faced a crisis.  The congregation had enjoyed a remarkable unity to this point.  The church had grown from twelve to 120 to 3,000, and then it grew by another 5,000.  When the disciples were increasing in number and a multitude of new faces were in the congregation, a significant number of the saints began to grumble.  Complaining is always dangerous to the continued health of the congregation.

Therefore, the Apostles called the entire assembly together.  Stating the threat to the ministry God had given them, they accessed the situation for the congregation.  To address every complaint would require that they give up “preaching the Word of God.”  That would hinder the advance of the Faith.  Therefore, it was necessary to protect the servants as they devoted themselves “to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.”

It is likely significant that the Apostles first mention prayer before they speak of “the ministry of the Word.”  Preparation for the ministry of the Word requires prayer, and especially does the ministry of the Word benefit from the united prayer of the church.  Peter Ainslie has said quite perceptively, “There is no real preaching without prayer, which precedes and prepares all preaching.”[5]

As a significant aside, if the preaching of the Word proves unsatisfying for you, perhaps it is time for you to unite with others in prayer for that ministry.  If the preaching of the Word fails to excite you as it once did, join a prayer group.  It is amazing how the preaching improves when you pray.  As long as you are focused on yourself and focused on satisfying your own desires, the ministry of the pulpit will irritate and the time will seem interminable and you will be unfulfilled despite spending the time in church.

Prayer and the ministry of the Word go together; they cannot be segregated.  Jesus taught His disciples, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” [John 15:7].  In the Proverbs, the Wise Man wrote,

“If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,

even his prayer is an abomination.”

[Proverbs 28:9]

Prayer unites the congregation of the Lord in the work of Christ and appropriates His power that He has promised to be available to those who ask.  God confronts us with the knowledge that “you do not have, because you do not ask” [James 4:2b].

United Prayer Assured the Advance of the Faith — No true servant of Christ is able to read that seventh verse without a deep yearning in his soul.  “The word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.”  Though some among the professed people of God are content with a static church that does not challenge, the true servant of Christ longs to see multitudes come to faith and to see the Master honoured as the people grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Many of my fellow elders appear convinced that the churches are commissioned to Christianise the world.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Christ did not call us to Christianise society; Christ called us to convert the lost!  We can generate great excitement by gathering a group for a noisy march to coerce government into enacting some social legislation, but we cannot gather the church to pray.  We can get a crowd to meet to sing and shout and feel good about what we call worship, but we are reluctant to speak to our co-worker or to our lost child to invite them to believe Christ and be saved. 

Instead of being disciples and worshippers of Christ, we have become Christaholics.  Disciples are cross-bearers; Christaholics are self-esteem addicts.  Disciples seek Christ; Christaholics seek happiness.  Disciples endeavour to obey the Lord; Christaholics endeavour to feel good about their spiritual life.  Disciples are committed to serve Christ; Christaholics are committed to give one hour each week.

While living in the Lower Mainland, I made the acquaintance of a gifted evangelist who was being greatly used throughout Canada.  His television broadcast was well received throughout the nation; and his ministry was recognised as one that built the people of God.  On one occasion, that good man was asked to participate in a cruise.  A popular band was “hired” to participate in the cruise, and that evangelist was asked to provide Bible teaching for the people on the cruise.  During the days of that cruise, he observed that virtually all the people came to listen to the music, but when he stood to teach, many of the participants left.  What was evident was that the people wanted to be entertained, but they had no stomach for teaching in the deep truths of the Living Christ.

Nothing much has changed.  By-and-large, the professed people of God are more eager to be entertained than they are to be instructed in righteousness.  We would much rather excite our emotions than engage in the hard work of prayer.  We are willing to gather in a raucous forum from time-to-time where we can hear lively music and receive a brief pep talk.  Then, when the days of the convocation have ended we willingly return to our spiritual somnolence convinced that we have experienced the power of the Lord.  At home again, we perhaps continue to say prayers, but we do not unite to pray.  We continue to perform our liturgy, but we do not worship.  We continue to hear a sermon, but we do not wish to receive a message.  No one is convicted.  No sinners are saved.  And we hang on, hoping for something wonderful to happen that will not require too much exertion on our part.

Beloved people, the missing element in our service before the Lord is corporate prayer.  Until we adopt the ways of the Apostles, until we return to the practise of the apostolic church, until we again to “do the works [we] did at first” [see Revelation 2:5], we shall not see the power of God displayed in our services.  Because we have substituted our best efforts for dependence upon the power of the Spirit, I fear that we “have abandoned the love [we] had at first” [Revelation 2:4].  The problem confronting us is not “lost love,” our problem is “left love.”

I conclude the message today with a call to the people of God to make united prayer a priority.  I am not simply calling you to say prayers with your meals, nor even to mumble a few sleepy words before your drift to sleep at night; I am calling us to make corporate prayer a priority in this church.  I am calling us to move definitely and deliberately toward restoration of the old-fashioned prayer meeting.  Important though the prayers of God’s people in our various Bible studies are, there is a desperate need for the church to unite in regular prayer sessions as the people of God.

I know that our fathers and mothers were rather quaint in their desire to unite for prayer, and I know we are convinced that they had more free time than we have.  However, I cannot help but note that they accomplished a great deal for the cause of Christ, and we don’t do nearly as much.  I am calling for God’s people to repent.  I am specifically calling the people of God to repent of our lethargy, to repent of our busyness, to repent of our excuses and to return to our first love.  I am calling for us to do the works we did at first.  If we fail to do what we know is right, I fear Him who says, “I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent” [Revelation 2:5b].

May God give us grace to recognise His call.  May God give us courage to do the hard tasks.  May God give us commitment to honour Him.  My prayer for us as a community of faith is that we stand “firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith” [Philippians 1:28].

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[1] The concept for this message was taken from Lloyd Stilley, “When the Church Prays: The Priority of Praying Together (Acts 6:1-5),” LifeWay Christian Resources, http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/rd_article_content/0,2815,A%253D164399%2526X%253D1%2526M%253D200812,00.html, accessed 20 December, 2006

[2] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

[3] Cf. James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible, electronic edition (Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario 1996)

[4] Cf. James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Language with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament), (Logos Research Systems, Oak Harbor, WA 1997) GGK 4155

[5] Peter Ainslie, Among the Gospels and the Acts: Being Notes and Comments Covering the Life of Christ in the Flesh, and the First Thirty Years’ History of His Church (Temple Seminary Press, Baltimore MD 1908) 316