Rev. Reddit Andrews -What Kind of Church Does the Spirit Bless Pt. 2.
Lastly, the early Church made prayer a priority. Luke tells us that, “all these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer.”
Prayer is almost as difficult, almost as unfashionable as obedience. I am more and more convinced that many are in great trouble here! As difficult as it is to set time aside to assemble in corporate prayer it is precisely the thing the early church made their top priority. Almost every picture Luke affords us of the church finds them gathered to pray. Amazingly, across this land in church after church the prayer meeting is neglected. I blush to think of Christ returning today to find so many of His prayer meetings deserted and languishing.
There is much the early church could teach us here as well. Their life of corporate prayer was marked by three prominent traits. Unity, they prayed “with one accord.” This is something that goes beyond mere assembly and activity to agreement about why they were praying and what they were praying about. They prayed with one mind and purpose, one impulse. This was undoubtedly a result of the fact that their prayers were so utterly saturated with kingdom aims and motives. It was also marked by persistence. They ‘were devoting themselves to prayer.’ They were persistently and consistently at it. These characteristics were evident in the quality and regularity of the early believer’s life of corporate prayer. Finally, it was marked by praise. In Luke 24:53, a passage that overlaps and coincides with Acts 1:12-14, Luke tells us that the disciples were constantly in the temple praising God. This was something that suffused and sweetened the corporate prayer life of the early church.
Why is not prayer a much more prominent feature in the landscape of our lives together? I do not say that we do not pray at all, but I do argue that the church that experiences abundant power and provision from the Holy Spirit is a church that passionately and persistently unites to lift its voice together, with one accord up to God. I also fear that the main reason this is so rare today is precisely because for many it simply isn’t much of a priority. I rush to say that it really ought to be. Is anyone prepared to argue the possibility of experiencing the Holy Spirits extra-ordinary blessing and power in a church with out persistent, passionate prayer? Then, how can we be so comfortable neglecting it? Ought we to do our part to see such a church? Yes, beloved I am importunate because love demands it; because I know that this is an urgent matter for us all.
The kind of church that experiences undeniable, extraordinary outpourings of the Holy Spirit is one that is obedient, united and has a deep commitment to persistent, joyous, corporate prayer. Ask God what you can do to incorporate this into your life and the life of your church.