Things I Think…
1. “As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God:” (Acts 4:23-24 NLT-SE)
The story in Acts is that Peter and John were arrested for proclaiming Christ in word and wonder and after their release came back to tell the church what had happened.
The church immediately went to prayer.
The prayer was immediately heard and God responded.
Today, the church goes to social media and is heard, but not by God…
2. The church has a long history of holding extended prayer meetings in the face of challenges from inside and out. When I was growing up, Wednesday night was prayer meeting night in most of the churches in town. That time is now given to “Bible study” where you ignore all the passages about the efficacy of prayer…
3. Prayer meetings today are usually attached to political concerns followed by a Scripture tinged rally where everyone is assured that God is on their side…the prayer meetings I attended as a young man started two hours before anyone came into the church…elderly men full of the Spirit would lay down at the altar praying and crying for God’s mercy on those who would come that night…the place became holy ground and God moved…
4. Most Christians today are functional agnostics…and politics are more fun…and you evidently don’t have to bother with those burdensome Commandments…
5. CT reports that 8 pastors in Dallas have had to step down in the last few months due to moral failure...that only one city…yet many of you think politicians are going to restore the moral fiber of the country…that’s the church’s job, but we’re not taking in much fiber…
6. One thing all Christian denominations have in common is that they all actively oppose any measures to make their churches a holy and safe place…it’s good to have unity, I guess…
7. Why are gay people held in contempt for being gay regardless of their actual behaviors, but pukes like this will be enabled all day long?
8. I was looking at my desk and it’s time to confess that I have an obsession for study Bibles…
9. I received some inquiries as to why I now use the NLT for most of the Scripture quotations on the site…it’s the version I teach from so it’s the default version on my software. My congregation loves it and I think it’s a fine version for today’s readers. I teach from a gorgeous NLT Schuyler and read devotionally from one with a purple cover that matches my jersey and my shoes. My study preference is the NRSV because it makes me feel like I’m smart…now you know how spiritual I really am…
10. If you hang on to your faith long enough you will know Jesus experientially…and when that happens the rest of this stuff can’t keep you from Him…
5….this!
It’s chilling how dumb we are.
We, not they.
Dan,
I’ll die not understanding why this doesn’t seem to be understood…
#10! It sums up all your other thoughts so well, and it’s true!
My church does have prayer meetings, as well as special ones for special needs. We also have people available to pray with others after services. It’s been a church distinctive since its founding.
I’ve always wondering what church prayer meetings were like at scale…
how many churches have prayer meetings in 2024?
How often and for how long?
did you mean “NRSV” instead of “NSRV”? not trying to sound snarky, seriously…if there is a translation that is NSRV, though, I’d like to check it out…
The prayer meeting thing, yeah… I dunno.
Of course I attended them weekly, and did my turns like a trooper. It felt contrived. There was a formulaic approach to it that it seemed like everyone caught onto. You felt like you had to get into all the hot topics quickly and get done before it started to be uncomfortable for everybody.
I always felt like personal prayers, the ones done in the closet, they were genuine. My speech was totally different, I didn’t need to explain things to god. I didn’t need to use half my prayer time praying an explanation out loud for the sake of others.
So the hours of praying seemed almost unnecessary? It’s just something I never fully understood. I didn’t get why god required the lengthy weeping and wailing.
Back in the day, I used the NLT for my regular readings and church. But my study one was the NASB.
As for lengthy prayer meetings, all I can say is that IHOP (not the one with tasty breakfasts) had those and had them 24-7, and we see how well that turned out.
Reuben,
The thing about the personal private ones, is that you can actually vent, be blunt, etc. No need to be polite or somehow dignified or emotional for the sake of and because of the audience around you.
I appreciate your comment, Reuben.
Although I’ve found a home in a local Anglican Church, it is the most nerve wracking part of my week. I struggle with social anxiety and it’s a battle to focus on God rather than doing / saying anything stupid. Although I do my best to pray and confess from my heart in the liturgy, any kind of real deep soul emptying prayer comes in privacy.
#1: It blows my mind that the early church didn’t pray that God might nullify or deter the threats of persecution but prayed that they might simply be bold, trusting in the sovereignty of Christ.
I don’t want to pray that my comforts be met but rather that I see through past the fleshly comforts and “pray in the Spirit.”
#3: In meditation on Acts 4, I wonder how many prayers are focused on our will which we try to convince ourselves is God’s will?
That early church prayer about boldness to face persecution rather than pray for persecution not to come is wrecking (positively) my approach to prayer.
May God raise up more “prayer gatherings” among our congregations. So needed.
“… rather than *NOT* doing / saying anything stupid.”
See what I mean? Good grief. 🤦🏻♂️
This isn’t meant to argue against anything Michael wrote. I don’t understand prayer whatsoever. I just do it better in secret. 😊
1-3. Between the idea “Prayer doesn’t change God, it changes me” and Calvinistic Determinism, its a wonder anyone prays anymore. Thank God for people so naive as to believe they can actually influence the Almighty and get results.
The thing about corporate prayer is that god has always viewed His people gathering as an entity unto itself that was to engage with Him corporately as well as individually.
This is a difficult teaching for those of us who find ourselves outside a corporate structure and further can’t imagine being part of such a structure…
My wife and I led the worship at prayer meetings for the church we used to attend before we moved. Out of 4,000 members we were fortunate if four showed up. So by and by they canceled it completely. But the fog machines and light show for the regular bible study meetings continued.