The Power of a Praying Church

 

Acts 12:1-10

 

 

A praying church is a powerful church, a powerful church is a productive church, a productive church is a progressive church, and a progressive church is pregnant with unlimited dreams, visions, and apostolic potential. Saints, we should strive to pattern ourselves after the first century church because it was the first century church when they prayed, added over 3,000 souls to the Kingdom of God in one day. Although the first century church met with heavy opposition, they followed the mandates of God and subsequently, God blessed them.

I believe that God’s power is released in and through a praying church. What I’m saying is that the power of God operates when God’s people finally make up in their minds to pray. Signs and wonders, salvation and healing, praise and adoration, all take place within the context of a praying church. We can either pray, believe, and receive or we can pray, doubt and do without! Some of the most exciting times in church came as a result of people coming together in prayer. When the early church prayed together, they saw results! The lame walked, the blind saw, the dead were brought back to life, rooms were shaken, prison doors were open, chains were loosed, and boldness was given when the early church prayed! Why don’t we see similar things in our day? I agree with James when he said, “You have not because you ask not.” We need to learn to pray specifically and not pray amiss. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. The church knows she needs to pray, but too many times she doesn’t know how to pray. Our prayers should be as precise and to the point as guided missiles, but too many times they go out like an improvised explosive device (IED); indiscriminate, general, and not specific. But if God sets the coordinates for the missile’s target we can be confident that our prayer will hit the mark. Oh, that we would have the same boldness and faith that the early church had!

The pattern that we find in the early church is that they prayed and prayed often. It’s time for the church to have a new emphasis. It’s time for the church to enter into the Spirit of corporate prayer, to rediscover the prayer meeting. Just as individuals are to pray, we are to pray as a corporate church body. Prayer was the only weapon that the church used. But guess what, it’s more than enough! Now I want you to put yourself in Peter’s place. Here he is locked up in jail, just like so many in the natural. So many are imprisoned; bound by circumstances, bound by finances; bound by loneliness, depression, and even sickness. But God says He’s got just the real fix for you.

I stopped by this morning to say that a church that doesn’t pray forfeits the blessings and the power of God. A powerless church does nothing to please or to glorify God. Prayer is our weapon, our tool, it's vital for the believer. When you’re in trouble, take the fall. What am I saying? I’m saying you’ve got to fall on your knees. There are many examples in the Bible of people taking the fall to their knees in times of despair. Whatever your problem is, know that prayer is an awesome tool. However, knowing that we have the tools but not using them doesn't do us any good. Not using this tool of prayer on a regular basis is exactly what the enemy wants us do. Therefore, if we want to see the church soar to higher heights and deeper depths, we must become a praying church. If we want to see lives changed and souls saved, we must become a praying church. If we want to have an impact on the world, we must become a praying church. Yes, there is real power in a praying church! When the church begins to use this great tool and weapon of power, God will begin to move among His people and among this land.

As we look at our text, we see that Herod Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the Great, and son of Aristobolus, had vexed the church and killed James the brother of John with the sword. And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he literally had them “lay hands on” Peter, the leader of the church. I want you to know that there are those who don’t want to see the church progress, and will do whatever they can to hinder the agenda of the church. But King Jesus, the Lord of the church, has purposed to build His church and nothing—no king, no earthly power, not even the gates of hell—can defeat His purpose. That’s why it’s imperative that the church of the Living God stay on their knees in constant prayer.

In this passage, we find something taking place that seems to be missing in many churches today–that is church folks praying for church folks. In this particular case, we have a member of the church in trouble! The Apostle Peter is on death row and all petitions to commute his sentence have been exhausted. But I’ve come by to remind you that prayer changes things and people. When all else fails—pray! In the early church, corporate prayer was the norm. The early church is a model for the church of today. In Acts 5: 42, Dr. Luke records that church members met every day in the Temple courts and from house to house. In other words, they had old fashioned, out of your belly, Holy Ghost-filled, apostolic kind of house prayer meetings.

I want you to know that there is great power and great deliverance through prayer. And if you choose not to believe me, you can check the record for yourself and find that the Bible is filled with many accounts of prayer. Moses prayed and God spared Israel from judgment. Joshua prayed and God caused the sun to stand still. Hannah prayed and God gave her a baby boy. Solomon prayed and God gave him wisdom. Elijah prayed and God sent fire down from Heaven. Jonah prayed and God brought him out of the belly of a big fish. The thief on the cross prayed and God gave him eternal life. And these prayer warriors who met at the house of Mary prayed and my God and my Savior set the Apostle Peter free from the bonds of prison.

My Bible says that Peter was arrested and incarcerated. Most importantly, Agrippa had Peter arrested during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Because the Feast of Passover was coming, King Herod Agrippa decided to keep Peter in prison until the eight-day feast was over. Once the feast was over he planned to bring Peter out, conduct a mock trial, condemn him to death, and kill him. Herod knew this would please the Jews. He assumed that if he killed the leader of the church, the body would soon perish. And that mentality still exists today? But unknown to Herod God had other plans. I like a God that can turn dead ends into detours; who can take what looks like the end of the road and turn it into a bend in the road. But know this morning God is bigger, I said, God is bigger than our prisons, jail cells, and our chains.

Herod ordered sixteen guards to watch Peter. Day and night Peter was kept chained to the wrists of two soldiers, one on the right and one on the left because Agrippa was aware of what happened a few years earlier when Peter was in prison together with the other apostles. At that time an angel came and released Peter and the others, commanding them to go into the temple and preach the gospel. Agrippa wanted to make sure Peter wasn’t going to get out of prison so easily again. However, the text says that while Peter was sleeping in prison, the church held a prayer meeting, praying to God on Peter’s behalf. They prayed intensely, earnestly, and without ceasing. It’s fine to pray at home, but every now and then we ought to assemble ourselves together as a body and offer prayer to God. I know you’ve heard that where there is much prayer, there is much power and where there is little prayer, there is little power.

The fact that the Scriptures say that Peter was sleeping shows the deep trust he had in God’s sovereignty. Notice also here in the Scriptures that Peter was bound by two chains. That should be a reminder to us that sometimes, the situations we get in or the imprisonment or strong holds that comes in our lives, may grip us by both hands, they may try to hold us down. But we need to have the peace Peter had, we need to put all our trust in the Lord. These are the times when we need to grab hold to our faith! Do you see what I’m trying to say? We need to grab hold to our faith to have those “suddenly” experiences! The Word says at the same time a light shone in the cell. Now it doesn’t say what happened after the light shone in the cell, but somehow, the guards couldn’t figure out how Peter had disappeared. But, when God is taking you through a mind blowing experience, things are going to happen and no one is going to be able to explain how it all happened. Even Peter himself thought he was seeing a vision.

The church began to pray until something happened. They prayed at one place and God answered at another place. You see the old church used to come together and pray with each other, and that’s why they used to have so much power. The church prayed, and they kept on praying until God dispatched an angel from the celestial shores of Glory to rescue Peter. In other words, while they were trying to figure it out, God had already worked it out. Herod plotted his death, but God plotted his deliverance. Herod made him a captive, but God made him more than a conqueror. Herod held him in prison, but God sent him to the prayer meeting. That let’s me know that James 5:16 is true when it says, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

As we examine this, we are exposed to a praying church. First, the church came together with one purpose and on one accord, prayer. They weren’t there to have a business meeting, but to pray. They weren’t there discussing who would be president of this club or that club, but they prayed. Second, the church may have been paralyzed in their position, but not their disposition. In other words they were helpless physically, but not spiritually. The Bible declares in Isaiah 54:17, "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper." Romans 8:31 says, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" Third, they were persistent and they prayed for results. We must continue in prayer, and when we pray, we must expect God to answer our prayer.

Meanwhile, Peter makes his way past the guards and the iron gate swung wide open all by itself. Did you catch what I just said? You see, automatic doors just didn’t begin in the 20th century! Supernatural automatic doors were invented by God. When you are in trouble God will open doors no man can shut. I want you to know that God has predestined blessings for us, but He’s waiting for His people to come out to prayer. God will do some stuff for us collectively as a body that He won’t do on an individual basis. Prayer can inspire the discouraged, uphold the weak, reassure the frustrated, bless the burdened, provide help for the hurting, freedom for the fugitive, give rest for the weary, redemption for the rebellious, and reclaim the wayward.

A praying church is a worshipping church. The congregation that doesn’t worship; doesn’t pray! But if we are a praying church, prayer will spawn spontaneity in worship. We’ll know how to lift up holy hands. We’ll know how to say "Hallelujah and Thank you Jesus, and Glory to God." We’ll forget about everybody else and we’ll be in the Spirit, and just worship the Lord! But worship comes as a result of prayer.

Over the centuries, there have been many great revivals and moves of God. Yet before each great move of God, there was always a move to prayer. The Lord will raise up such to pray and seek after Him. Right now men and women of God are being called to begin to pray and seek His face. Saints, I’m telling you that there is a sense of expectancy in my spirit. I have sensed it, and many others sense it as well. Many leaders of the Christian faith are sensing it and calling God’s people to a time of prayer. Therefore, I encourage you to listen to your spirit and pray as the Word of God tells us to pray. I believe we are on the threshold of one of the greatest revivals that has ever been seen on the face of the planet. I believe we, this generation will usher in the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that the time is coming soon.

As I begin to close, the Lord would have you know that there are blessings in store for you, but you’ve got to get in the right frame of mind and in position to receive them. I’m saying that you need to follow Peter’s example … in other words, he got in a situation that he felt like there was absolutely no way out, there was no way to escape, he was bound, and had guards all around him. Now who would have thought God would have delivered him the way that He did? Know that God is a way out of no way; He’s the Lily of the Valley, Bright and Morning Star; He’s a Bridge over troubled water. He’s so high you can’t get over Him, and too wide you can’t get around Him. So, we’ve got to stop selling ourselves short. Some of you don’t realize how close you really are to God until you get in a bind, and you begin to see how God is opening the doors for you and how He’s making a way out of no way. We need to trust Him more! God is saying just believe in me and stand on My Word. It’s up to! Do you want a mind blowing experience from the Lord? Then know this morning that there is power in a praying church.