I receive several church newsletters from different parts of the United States. Most of the are about the same as they list the happenings or future events in the life of the congregation. Every single one of them prints a list of people who need prayer. It seems as though, the church desires each person to pray for those on the list.
I ponder this: Is is a list of prayer request or does it stimulate real prayer? Seldom do I see in any of the church newsletters a notice of a "prayer meeting." When I was a child and a youth, my home church had a prayer meeting on Wednesday evening. During prayer meeting, time was spent in concentrated and earnest prayer for those on the list or ones that were verbally mentioned that evening. It was a time of prayer power with only one song and a minute or two devotional.
Prayer can and does make a difference. When the Body of Christ gathers for prayer great things can happen. Continue with the lists, if you must, but spend extended time in concentrated prayer for those on the list. Certainly you can pray at home but we're easily distracted by phone calls, television, the kids, etc. Come together in the sanctuary--away from all distractions--and engage in prayer. No telling what God can do when His people pray.
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2 comments:
James River has a wonderful prayer meeting, just like you write about, every Wednesday evening. Wonder if there is any correlation to their rapid growth. We have one too every Tuesday morning but you are right, they are not as common as they once were.
From the very beginning, James River had a time of concentrated prayer. The church began in "house churches" and grew from there. Prayer and evangelism have been their key focus. While I do not agree with their theology or way of doing things, I do admire them for keeping the core values
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