Come join us for a time of prayer together. There are all kinds of good reasons to pray! One major reason is that God has repeatedly poured out his Spirit in power on the church through prayer: Here are some examples of how God pours out his power on the church through prayer (taken as an excerpt from this article):
1) Power to preach the gospel (Acts 2): The church was assembled continuously for prayer, waiting for the gift the Father and Son had promised. On the Day of Pentecost, that power was poured out on the church, and they poured out into the streets of Jerusalem to change the world. That offers something of a paradigm for all local churches, although the Day of Pentecost itself was unique in redemptive history.
2) Courage and boldness to face persecution (Acts 4:23–31): Generally, the bolder and more faithful a local church is in witnessing for Christ, the greater the Satanic opposition. This should cause the church to meet again and again for ongoing power and boldness in witnessing.
3) Deliverance in suffering (Acts 12:1–17): The grieving church (bereaved of James) assembled to pray for Peter’s release, and the Lord supernaturally answered their prayers. This provides a paradigm for a church gathering to pray for suffering or afflicted church members: terminal illness, the imprisonment of a pastor, perhaps a critical court case that will affect all Christians in that nation, etc.
4) Wisdom for ministry (Acts 13:1–4): The church at Antioch gathered for prayer, and by the power of the Spirit, the Lord called Barnabas and Saul to their first missionary journey. So also today, a local church can call a prayer meeting for wisdom and guidance in specific paths of ministry.
5) Launching new churches (Acts 16:13–15): Paul and Silas met some women at a prayer meeting by a river in Philippi, and that was the start of that local church. God uses specially-called prayer meetings to birth new churches.
6) Shared sorrow (Acts 20:36–38): Paul’s wrenching goodbye from the elders of Ephesus shows how local churches can gather to derive mutual comfort in times of sorrow and great distress. Corporate prayer meetings are good places for many to “mourn with those who mourn” (Rom 12:14).
7) Intimate unity (Acts 21:1–6): The church at Tyre assembled on the beach to see Paul off the Jerusalem, warning him not to go. Free-flowing corporate prayer in which many feel free to pray is a great way to build strong community, especially through small groups that meet weekly.
8) Church revitalization (Revelation 2:5, 3:2): The Spirit is speaking to every local church in Revelation 2–3, and the call is for church revitalization. Local churches that are dying can call out the remnant that is left by means of prayer meetings.
9) Repentance for sin (James 4:1–10): Churches should occasionally have times of corporate confession, fasting, and repentance from sin. This can be done during the worship service, but there is another kind of power when confession is done for longer times with only believers present.
You won't be pressured to pray out loud if you'd rather not. But you can still come and be encouraged by hearing prayers and offering up your own silent prayers. Hope to see you there!
