Saturday, February 8, 2014

How to Help Your Church's Prayer Life


The following is advice I modified and added to from Donald Whitney's excellent book Spiritual Disciplines within the Church.


1)     Participate in congregational prayer.  You may not have the freedom or fluency in public prayer that some enjoy.  Begin with one-sentence prayers or thanksgivings for specific blessings.  Soon you will grow and become comfortable saying more. 

 
2)     Listen and agree in your spirit when others pray.  Actively listen – don’t just check out and let your mind wander.  As you listen carefully, say “Amen” to God in your heart and out-loud when they express something that is a desire of yours as well.

 
3)     Attend designated prayer meetings and training events for prayer.  Determine to grow together in prayer with other people so that you can strengthen the ministry and outreach of your church.


4)     Volunteer to help your church’s prayer ministry.  Work with other people to mobilize prayer in your church.  Churches do this in different ways, depending on their needs and calling.  Most pastors would be delighted to have someone(s) to help organize a prayer ministry.

 
5)     Become a part of – or start – a small prayer group.  You may have a few other people who would be willing to meet with you before work during a weekday, before church on Sunday, or one night of the week for prayer.  Most movements of God in history or in churches were preceded by much prayer from small groups.
 
 
If you long for more of the blessing of God upon the preaching of the Scriptures and the ministry of your church and for more of God’s grace upon your life, meet with other believers and pray for it.  Will God reject the united prayers of His people who ask Him to bless His own Word and work?  In the midst of the contemporary church’s search for sophisticated methods, let’s not forget the pleasure God takes in the confluence of His children’s voices.  – Donald Whitney
 
 

 

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