Developing Dynamic Prayer in a Church E-Book

Jonathan Graf

• Herausgeber: WS
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 55

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Praying together was a mark of the early church. Most Western churches today struggle to have group prayer that is powerful and draws people to participate. In this special 40-page e-book, Jonathan Graf, president of the Church Prayer Leaders Network shares helpful thoughts and ideas to make your church's group prayer come to life!

Includes the following chapters:
The Benefits of Praying Together
Biblical Principles of Corporate Prayer
Prayer in the Worship Service
Hindrances to Corporate Prayer
The Purpose of Your Prayer Meeting
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jonathan Graf is the president of the Church Prayer Leaders Network and the publisher of PrayerShop Publishing. He is the author of a number of books on prayer including, Praying Like Paul and The Power of Personal Prayer. He is a popular speaker and often consults with church leadership teams on strategizing how to grow prayer in their church.

Leseprobe

This e-book is published by the Church Prayer Leaders Network, a ministry that seeks to come alongside churches to help them make prayer foundational to their ministries and in the lives of their people. The CPLN has a robust website, https://prayerleader.com, with close to 1,000 articles and helps on prayer. Much of it is open to the public, but purchasing an annual membership will give you complete access to all the CPLN offers.

© 2019 Church Prayer Leaders Network

Church Prayer Leaders Network

P.O. Box 10667

Terre Hatue, IN 47801

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version ®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

IntroductionJesus Built a Prayer Meeting

Chapter 1The Benefits of Praying Together

Chapter 2Biblical Principles of Corporate Prayer

Chapter 3Prayer in the Worship Service

Chapter 4Hindrances to Corporate Prayer

Chapter 5The Purpose of Your Prayer Meeting

ConclusionSome Ideas for Further Encouragement

INTRODUCTION

JESUS BUILT A PRAYER MEETING!

One of my favorite books on prayer is a modern classic, With One Accord in One Place: The Role of Prayer in the Early Church. It was written in 1978 by Dr. Armin Gesswein, a Norwegian pastor, shaped in his early ministry by revival, who later had a profound influence—through prayer—on the early ministry of Billy Graham.

In the first chapter “The Jerusalem Congregation—Full of Surprises,” Gesswein writes:

When Jesus builds His church He builds a praying congregation. Every single member was a praying member. A strong praying member. An intercessor. A real priest.

In this Jerusalem congregation we do not read of a “church within the church” (ecclesiola in ecclesia, as it is called). All the members were together. All were “with one accord in one place.”

Nor do we read of “the church prayer meeting,” as today. The church was the prayer meeting. The entire assembly was at prayer.

Could you imagine pastoring or being a part of a church that “was the prayer meeting,” where its central gathering was so prayer saturated that it—like the early church—could see its world transformed?

That is why I am so passionate about the power of corporate prayer—praying together on a unified theme—and what it can do to the life of a church.

I hope you will imagine that as well as you read through this little e-book.

ENCOURAGE AND EQUIP

This e-book is not put together to intimidate you. It comes out of my 22 plus years encouraging and equipping churches to pray. It is meant to inspire you, to challenge you, and to equip you as you consider how you can influence more powerful, more dynamic corporate prayer in your congregation.

Most of the chapters are popular articles I have written for the CPLN website, prayerleader.com, or are chapters in books I have written on growing prayer in the local church.

It is my desire to encourage and help you in your passion to grow prayer in your own church. After reading this, if it spoke to you, I highly encourage you to join the Church Prayer Leaders Network, so I can continue to encourage and equip you in your ministry.

–Jonathan Graf

CHAPTER 1

THE BENEFITS OF PRAYING TOGETHER

I was recently in a small church that for years has struggled to grow beyond sixty people. They are dear, sincere people who want to trust God to use them in greater ways in their community. I challenged them to focus more on Kingdom issues in their prayers (as opposed to just the needs of the congregation).

In a Facebook chat a few weeks later, the pastor’s wife commented that they had tweaked the way they were praying, and a neighbor had prayed to receive Christ that week. A month after this they saw six women pray to receive Christ at a women’s event. I will continue to pray for a renewed passion to seek the kingdom as they pray together.

Despite the fact that many churches do not have significant corporate prayer expressions, most prayer leaders and pastors believe praying together is important. But what are the benefits? There are many benefits, but here are three significant ones.

1. Praying together invites the presence and power of the holy Spirit.

In 2 Chronicles 6-7, we see the dedication of Solomon’s Temple. While “the whole assembly of Israel was standing there” (2 Chron. 6:3), Solomon prays a dedicatory prayer in which he invokes the presence of God. “Now, my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. Now arise, O Lord God, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. May your priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, may your saints rejoice in your goodness” (6:40-41). Of course the presence of God entered with dynamic power!

There is a different atmosphere in churches that pray together and who have praying people. Worship seems more powerful. There is a sense of connection with God that is not there in non-praying churches.

A few years ago, I held a conference at a church in Michigan. The church had invited many other churches to attend the conference and they had responded—more than 300 were in attendance. As these people (hungry people who wanted to grow closer to God through prayer) worshiped and prayed together, something happened. God showed up! There were multiple times where we so sensed His presence that we had to just be silent for seemingly long stretches of time (up to five minutes).

A number of years ago at our prayer leaders’ convention, Dr. Tommy Barnett, pastor of First Assembly of God Church in Phoenix, Arizona, said, “The presence of God in the midst of a church is directly proportional to the amount of prayer that takes place there.”

When the Spirit of God is manifestly present, other things happen. People hear Him speak, giving direction and encouragement. The church in Antioch saw this truth in action: “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.’ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off” (Acts 13:2-3). During a normal time of prayer and worship, the Holy Spirit gave crucial direction that forever changed the world—Saul (Paul) began his missionary work.

As you pray together as a congregation, God will begin to “show up” more and more.

2. Praying together increases the faith of a congregation to believe God for the miraculous.