The Church Advances through Prayer

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The Prayer Meeting is Necessary to Our Lives
Each Child of God Contains Spiritual Life
All life proceeds from God (personal spiritual life and the combined spiritual life of a church)
A church’s spiritual life may be directed in part by its leadership, but the life itself proceeds from God into every member who should be contributing that life into a local church, a local assembly of believers. A local body, where each part is connected to the other by God. Divinely placed together.
When this happens, we all contribute this life , like tributaries to a mighty river.
If the tributaries are dry, the river is low. If the tributaries are overflowing, then the river floods its banks. So it is with the spiritual life that each of us brings to the body. AND so it is with prayer as a body.
Prayer is a Marvelous Gift
Opportunity to talk to God and hear from Him
Undistracted opportunity to enter into fellowship with him
Spiritual life flows into us as we draw from God himself, we are made whole, encouraged and strengthened, just be being with God. Just like Moses whose face was shining without understanding, so we are when we have truly been in the presence of God.
Prayer is Private but it’s also meant to be done in Community
A stream by itself is a stream and supports some animal life, but joined together with hundreds of other streams, it can create something like the Mississippi river, which carries cargo with life giving supplies to the heart of the United States.
This is the church that prays together. Life pouring into life.
This is why we must gather together for prayer. Life is poured in, and life comes out: into our communities, into our families, into outreach. The life of Jesus fills and then overflows everywhere we go.
We are built up, encouraged, healed, and led by the Holy Spirit - as a Body - in part by the prayer meeting together
Praying Together
Acts if filled with examples - most well known would be
Acts 2 - they were all gathered together in once place, and the Holy Spirit came upon them and they were witnesses to Jersualem first - 3,000 were saved
Acts 4:18-25 - after the healing of a lame man and 5,000 people getting saved

18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.

The Believers Pray for Boldness

23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,

Where did the apostles go? To a corporate prayer meeting!
Acts 4:29-31

the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

The Church Advanced Through Prayer Together!
Peter in Jail and about to be Executed, the Church Prays
Acts 12:6–12 ESV
Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.
Many Were Gathered together to pray!
Prayer alone is necessary, but prayer as the body of Christ is also necessary and a natural way of life for us as a body of believers.
The Church Advanced that Day -
The Gospel of Mark, 1st and 2nd Peter were not written for another 20 years
If Peter dies, the church for 2,000 years does without these 3 books
How were these preserved? God answering the prayers of a gathered group of believers
If Jesus does not return in our generation, what might our prayers together as a church provide for future believers? What healings, what callings of God, what freedom from bondage, what ministry is there in this body that will be freed in a prayer meeting? Perhaps the salvation of a million souls lies within the answered prayers within this room.
Acts 13:1–4 ESV
Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend 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. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
A prayer meeting produced one of the greatest missionary efforts in all history.

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. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Come to the Altar
Let’s pray together church!
Let’s not make excuses to not be at the prayer meeting.
Let’s call our families and friends to the prayer meeting - they have needs, let’s come together and pray for them.
When we’re tired, when we’re not motivated, when we’ve sinned get to the Lord in prayer
The gifts of the holy spirit are here
Your family is here
God is here!
In the Altar
Expect that he is working when we cannot sense it
just like Matt 6 shows a personal reward in private prayer, we are rewarded with God himself and an abundance of spiritual life that is not always felt or understood in the moment
But we recognize the peace, wisdom, anointing and power when going from the place of prayer.
WE understand the intimacy of a God who loves us
This is part of the Gospel, we have been purchased to God and He desires a people for himself.
We are that people, let us gives ourselves to Christ in Prayer