Jesus’ Promise of Power for Church Prayer Meetings
Jesus promised us THE POWER OF PRAYER when we, His disciples gather to pray: as little as only two or three gather in Jesus name, He promised that He will be there in our midst. ANYTHING that gathered-believers AGREED TO ASK FOR, it WILL BE DONE for us by His Father in Heaven. Whatever we bind on earth will be bound in heaven. Whatever we loose on earth will be loosen in heaven….. as little as two or three [Matthew 18:18-20].
This is really COOL!
A Church In Crisis
The pastors and apostles of the Act’s church were arrested, threatened, then released. On their release, they reported their persecution to the elders and the church leaders. Like any church in crisis, they gathered to pray [Acts 4:18-23].
If such a prayer meeting was to be organized today, what would the prayer items be?
“Lord, thank you for our pastors’ release. Please keep our pastors and our church safe. Please protect us against future arrest. ”
“Lord, please show us where is a safe place to live and gather. Show us if we need to relocate.”
Entirely reasonable. Isn’t it?
How They Prayed?
They Raised Their Voices. [Acts 4:24] Everyone can hear it. Angels and demons in the heavenly realm can hear it. These are voices of desperation. An unashamed outright admission of helplessness; loud cries to God of total divine dependence.
Together. [Acts 4:24] There is no divided heart, no hidden agenda. No one plays church politics. No one puts his wants at the expense of others. THEY AGREED WHAT TO ASK FOR, together. [Matthew 18:19]
They Worshiped God for Who He is. [Acts 4:24] Before their asks, they worshiped God: honoring God in His rightful place on high, called Him “Sovereign Lord”, humbling themselves as creatures of dust. They worshiped Him for His majesty: “You made the heaven and the earth and the sea. You spoke by the Holy Spirit.”
They Called Out The Schemes of the Enemy Before God. [Acts 4:29] They seriously asked God to take notice, “Lord consider”. Like a poor child being bullied, they ran to their Father’s arms and tell on the bully about his evil deeds, Daddy! “They threatened us!”, knowing full well that as beloved children, their heavenly Father would not just stand by and not intervene out of His love of His children! Plus they know anytime they can cash in on Jesus’ promise: when they ask, “It WILL BE DONE FOR THEM by their Father in Heaven.” [Matthew 18:19]
What Was the ASK?
Enable us with Great Boldness to Proclaim Your Word. [Acts 4:29] “Enable Your servant to speak Your word with great boldness.” When Act’s church was in crisis, when the going gets tough, whom we live for does not change. Minds set firmly to live kingdomly, not earthly [Colossians 3:2]. Recognizing our flesh is weak and cannot be strong by our own will, especially when danger is imminent, to be bold, we MUST CRY OUT to God to enable us with boldness that is not ours, supernatural boldness from the Spirit.
Glorify Yourself through Us with Signs and Wonders. [Acts 4:30] “Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” Despite of the crisis, the Act’s church’s first concern is NOT their own safety, but the glory of His name and the sick and those who are dear to our Father’s heart. Living heavenly starts with a heavenly mindset that transcends circumstances.
What Happened Afterwards?
The Place Was Shaken. [Acts 4:31] God’s pleasure was demonstrated by an overwhelming sense of His presence with powerful manifestation. The place was SHAKEN! WOW!
Filled with the Holy Spirit. [Acts 4:31] When our hearts is right, focused on His kingdom, freed from earthly mindset, what is dear in our Father’s heart becomes our desire, we empty ourselves, desperately asking the Holy Spirit to fill us.
Boldness from the Spirit. [Acts 4:31] Human boldness comes from suppressing our fear though the fear is still inside. Supernatural Boldness that comes from the Holy Spirit is filled by God’s love.
United in Heart and Mind. [Acts 4:31] Our Father in heaven does not accept, in fact, displease with, political unity: fake “unity” which is in fact an illusion of peace, a result of a summation of compromises from all sides that reflect nothing in the Father’s heart. Unity in heart and mind can only be attained when all disciples have abandoned themselves and let the Father’s desires become their hearts’ desire.
Powerful Testimonies. [Acts 4:3] One of the sign that God is not among us is the lack of testimonies. Testimony is to tell it like it is on what God has done in our lives. Absence of testimonies means absence of divine encounters. God always done great things among us even when we are at our worst. The lack of divine encounters reflects more of our neglect of God. He is no longer our center of attention. We don’t even care to take notice of the work of His hands, like a forgotten lover, our first love for Him has gone cold and stale.
When the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of our heart; when the Holy Spirit increases our faith and boldness to ask Him beyond the ordinary, when He glorifies Himself through healing, signs and wonders; our jaws dropped and we jump for joy!
Community with No Lack. [Acts 4:32,34,35] When believers are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are able to get out of our self-centerness to see the needs of others, willing to share, love without condition.
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 1 Corinthians 4:20
Holy Spirit Works the Same Today
I am so grateful that my church is running a forty day fast starting yesterday, with sunrise pray meeting at 7:00 a.m. everyday from Monday to Friday during this forty day period. I was struck by the reminder of my pastor, that we come to these prayer meetings, not pose as the spiritual heavy weight. Instead, we come, acknowledging that we have come to the end of ourselves, from the position of our spiritually desperation. May the Act’s church’s prayer be our prayer today.
“Sovereign Lord, our Creator, You made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them. Consider the attacks we face from our Enemy. Enable us, as your servant, to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out Your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”
I can’t wait to see what will happen afterwards!
