Pathways to a Praying Church
A Study of Corporate Prayer Margie Burger
Pathways to a
Praying Church A Study of Corporate Prayer Margie Burger
Cover Design by Steve Wolverton, Director of Media, ARM Illustrations property of Aldersgate Renewal Ministries. Used by permission. Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Š 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked TEV are taken from the Good News Translation, Second Edition, Copyright Š 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form whatsoever, print or electronic, without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
CONTENTS UNIT ONE - PRAYING TOGETHER Chapter 1 - The Importance of Corporate Prayer • Small Group Bible Study and Sharing Time Chapter 2 - “The Harp and the Bowl” • Concert of Prayer – The Lord’s Prayer
7 9 15 18 22
UNIT TWO - THE HOLY SPIRIT AND PRAYER Chapter 3 - Prayer in the Power of the Holy Spirit Chapter 4 - The Gifts of the Holy Spirit and Prayer • Frequently Asked Questions and Answers Chapter 5 - Praying for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit
27 29 34 43 45
UNIT THREE - TOOLS FOR CORPORATE PRAYER Chapter 6 - Prayer Walking Chapter 7 - Prayer for Pastors and Spiritual Leaders Chapter 8 - Praying for Revival by the Power of the Holy Spirit Chapter 9 - Identificational Repentance Chapter 10 - Spiritual Warfare Chapter 11 - Intercession Chapter 12 - Prayer Summit Chapter 13 - Soaking Prayer
49 51 58 72 83 92 111 129 133
UNIT FOUR - PRAYING FOR HEALING Chapter 14 - Ministering to the Whole Person • Journaling Activity: Personal Preparation for Ministry Chapter 15 - Prayer Team Training • Guidelines for Ministry • Praying for Inner Healing and Deliverance
139 141 148 150 158 167
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
171
ABOUT ALDERSGATE RENEWAL MINISTRIES
172
OTHER RESOURCES
173
7
Unit 1
PRAYING TOGETHER
Life together in the body of Christ is amazingly simple and also extremely profound. Scriptures indicate that believers should worship together, pray together, experience the gifts of the Holy Spirit together, witness together, and perform acts of love and service together. That’s just a few of the ways God expects us to live together as the body of Christ. Many of us are comfortable worshiping together and serving together, but somehow the experience of praying together eludes us. For some, it evokes sweaty palms and fear of what others will think. For many it is the result of receiving teaching that prayer is only personal and private. In Unit 1 we will delve into the scriptures to lay the foundation for the importance of praying together, share with others our journey to be a part of a house of prayer and experience a unique model of corporate prayer. As you study this material with your small group, you are encouraged to participate fully in the suggested prayer activities. This study is more than an opportunity to learn about corporate prayer, it is an opportunity to experience God together as you are challenged to experiment with a variety of styles of corporate prayer.
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Chapter 1
The Importance of Corporate Prayer Corporate prayer is simply praying together with others in the body of Christ. It is purposeful prayer that develops from a common vision and unity in the body of Christ. Corporate prayer often begins with prayer partners, when two believers gather to pray together. Many times corporate prayer is exemplified by small group prayer. However, it also extends to opportunities for entire congregations or whole communities of believers to gather for prayer. Corporate prayer is powerful because there is multiplied power in corporate prayer. Leviticus and Deuteronomy highlight the multiplied power given when believers come together in unity. One exciting purpose of praying together is to see the enemy defeated and God’s kingdom advanced.
“Five of you shall give chase to a hundred, and a hundred of you shall give chase to ten thousand; your enemies will fall before you by the sword.” (Leviticus 26:8) “How could one have routed a thousand, and two put a myriad to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, the LORD had given them up?” (Deuteronomy 32:30) Unified corporate prayer defeats the enemy. Praying the scriptures to defeat the enemy is an appropriate and effective battle plan. Remember Ephesians 6:17 calls the Word of God the sword of the Spirit. It is our offensive weapon against the powers of darkness. Building corporate prayer into the life of the local church requires commitment. Both the pastor and the people must be committed to the importance of corporate prayer. You will not see your church moving toward becoming a house of prayer unless the pastoral staff and the lay people share a common vision and a true commitment to the importance of prayer.
- Unit ONE: PRAYING TOGETHER
Building a house of prayer also requires opportunity. Opportunities for corporate prayer should be varied in styles and times so that all people can participate as the Lord leads. No one model of prayer or single prayer opportunity will incorporate the various needs of all the people. Variety is the key to engaging more people in corporate prayer. One way to enhance variety is to form prayer groups with a specific purpose. No one prayer group can accommodate all the prayer needs of the fellowship. Instead, offering prayer groups that focus, for example, on praying for healing, or interceding for the worship services, or covering the needs of families will increase participation and give people options for praying together. Expecting people to pray together also entails a significant amount of practice. Getting started in corporate prayer requires teaching that is both scripturally sound and practical. But experience is the best teacher. Helping people to be comfortable with their beginning efforts of praying together is vital. Then building on that foundation will come with practice. Revitalizing an existing prayer group may require breaking old patterns and strong teaching that enables everyone to make paradigm shifts. Being willing to change and experiment with new models of prayer comes as people understand and embrace the scriptural reasons for moving deeper in prayer. Overcoming obstacles to corporate prayer includes getting past the fear of praying out loud in a group. Helping people become comfortable praying in front of others can be an important task. Some people have been taught that all prayer is very private. Even people who have been a part of church life for a long time may be reticent when asked to pray in a group. What helps can we offer? Begin to practice praying out loud when you are praying by yourself. Get accustomed to hearing your own voice in prayer. This technique will also enhance your personal prayer life by enabling you to stay more focused during seasons of prayer. Helping people learn to pray the scriptures is also an important tool to overcome the hesitancy to pray out loud. Learning how to use the scriptures to give voice to your prayers builds confidence that God hears and answers prayers. Often we can begin with sentence prayers when praying corporately. Using sentence
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starters like “God, I thank You for…”or “Father, I praise you because you are…” enables everyone in the prayer group to participate in a non-threatening exercise. Teach the importance of praying in agreement. Read, study and apply Matthew 18:19-20.
“Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:19-20) Remind the group members that they are listening to the other person’s prayer with the intention of agreeing in prayer not judging the merits or eloquence of the prayer. Remind the group that the person praying is, first and foremost, talking to God and not to the others in the group. Remember God is more interested in the sincerity of the heart than our eloquent words in prayer. Any attempt to become a house of corporate prayer must address the pitfalls of keeping a prayer group together. Getting started is easier than staying together as a prayer group. Be intentional about praying for perseverance in the group. Praying together has a much different dynamic than praying individually. Agree on some basic “ground rules” when a new prayer group is being established. For example, one person should not dominate the time of prayer; everyone’s contribution is important. The leader may have to hold others accountable to this agreement. Corporate prayer groups should have a leader. Agree together that one person will be responsible to lead the group. This simple step will eliminate much confusion later. The leader helps call the group to accountability and stay focused. The leader also helps validate everyone’s participation. Finding ways to allow everyone to participate freely brings greater diversity, healthy balance and corporate wisdom. That’s easier said than done. Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and a desire to see the group persevere is vital. Agree on a time frame for the corporate prayer group. The leader should help the group start on time and end on time. This simple step will encourage people to return to the prayer group again and remain committed to
- Unit ONE: PRAYING TOGETHER
corporate prayer. The enemy will always work against believers coming together in unity to pray. Be intentional about praying for protection against the schemes of the enemy. Unity is a necessary element for the anointing of God in all aspects of life together. Therefore, corporate prayer must be unified prayer. But building and maintaining unity in the body of Christ is not always easy. The blessing and anointing of God comes “when kindred live together in unity… For there the LORD
ordained his blessing…” (Psalm 133:1-3) We should be honest with the need for unity in prayer and ask God to reveal any hindrances to unity. If we make the anointing and blessing of God a priority as we pray, God will enable us to live and pray together honestly and openly in unity. We also need to be honest about things that can severely damage unity and hinder corporate prayer. Some participants may have been hurt by small groups in the past where people were encouraged to share deeply and then confidentiality was not kept by all group members. Building trust and praying through some of these past stumbling blocks will help your prayer group grow. Your prayer group leader will need much wisdom in this sensitive area. My own story of growing in corporate prayer begins with the gift of a prayer partner. From those humble beginnings of sharing with one other person, I grew in my confidence in corporate prayer and began to understand the importance of praying together. My prayer partner and I saw God answer many prayer requests which vividly showed me the importance of this tool. My prayer partner often kept a journal of our times of prayer and we treasured the opportunity to record how God was working as we prayed together. Those early experiences changed my prayer life. We can learn so much as others pray for us and with us. Corporate prayer was emphasized in my local church. Our pastor encouraged and helped publicize strategic prayer for the worship services and intentional prayer for the staff and ministry. I had the privilege of leading the corporate prayer times for the worship services for many years. God led us to meet for one hour on Saturday mornings. Each week we knew the bulletin outline and could saturate all aspects of
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the worship services in prayer. That targeted time of intercession for the worship services was one of the keys to the growth in worship and the anointing of the Holy Spirit we experienced together. My local church also advocated home groups. These weekly meetings in homes encouraged studying and praying together. They were instrumental in helping participants grow in their prayer lives both individually and corporately. We experimented with a variety of styles and models of prayer. We valued each person’s prayers and practiced praying in agreement. Looking back, I recognize that God was providing a wonderful seedbed for growth in the things of the Spirit. Corporate words of wisdom and corporate prophetic words helped me to understand how the gifts of the Spirit were meant to operate in the body of Christ. God was revealing a corporate vision for the renewal of the church and we had the privilege of praying and participating in an awesome work of the Lord.
- Unit ONE: PRAYING TOGETHER
Questions for personal reflection and group sharing: 1. Are you walking in unity with others in the body of Christ? If not, how can you start? 2. Are you seeking a common vision for your church in prayer with others? What is that vision? Ask others to join you in seeking God’s vision for your local church. 3. Do the prayer groups in your church have a defined purpose? What is that purpose? 4. Are you committed to praying with others in the body of Christ? How can you demonstrate that commitment? What are some current prayer needs in your fellowship that you’d like to pray about with others?
Prayer activities 1. Pray Matthew 18:19-20. Ask God to teach you to pray in agreement. Open yourselves up to hearing from the Lord about any hindrances to unity in your group. 2. Spend some time in quiet listening. Ask God to begin to reveal his purpose and plan for your prayer group. 3. Use the small group Bible Study and Time of Sharing Activity.
PATHWAYS TO A PRAYING CHURCH - 15
Small Group Bible Study and Sharing Time Use this small group Bible study as an opportunity to assess where the members of your group are in their experience of praying corporately. Search the scriptures together to understand what the Bible says about the importance of praying together. Then seek the Lord together for personal applications for your prayer group. Seek to become a house of prayer.
“My house shall be called a house of prayer” (Matthew 21:13) What is your experience with praying in a group? • As you feel comfortable, share your experience of praying together with others. • Did you have a mentor in the process of growing in corporate prayer? How did that experience help you?
What does the Bible say about praying together? Use these selected scriptures and questions to guide your discussion.
Read Matthew 18:18-20. “Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on
earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” Jesus teaches about the importance of praying in agreement. • Does your experience with group prayer follow this pattern? Why or why not? • What pitfalls or problems have you experienced to praying in agreement?
- Unit ONE: PRAYING TOGETHER
Read Acts 1:14. “All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer,
together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.” The disciples all joined together in devoted prayer as they sought guidance. • What are some times or special occasions for the church to be in consistent, devoted prayer? • How do you seek and receive guidance from the Lord?
Read Acts 4:23-31. “…they raised their voices together to God…now,
Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness …when they had prayed, the place where they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.” The early believers prayed together when threatened with persecution. • Have you ever prayed for boldness to witness? Share the results. • Have you ever experienced the place where you were praying being “shaken”? • What else might occur besides physical shaking? Give some other examples of supernatural manifestations of the Lord.
Read James 5:16. “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray
for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.”
PATHWAYS TO A PRAYING CHURCH - 17
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other was the instruction to the church when praying for healing. • Have you ever participated in a prayer group where confession of sin and praying for one another was encouraged? • Describe how the leader facilitated this. • Share the result in healing of body, soul, spirit, or relationships.
What personal application can you see from this study on the church becoming a house of prayer?
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