40 Days of Prayer Blog: Day 8

Corporate Prayer

We have been focusing on personal prayer so far, but what about corporate prayer? 

That is us, the Body of Christ praying with and for each other. 

When Jesus cleansed the temple he stated:

Matthew 21:13 ...“It is written, "MY house shall be called A house of prayer”

It the book of Acts we see fruit from praying together consistently.

Look at the first part of Acts 1:14;

Acts 1:14 "These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer…”

Then;

Acts 2:42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

And; 

Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

So the early church set the model for corporate prayer and the Apostles taught this as they established new churches. Paul taught a young pastor named Timothy that he should get the church together for prayer. 

1 Timothy 2:1-2, 8

A Call to Prayer

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

1 Timothy 2:8

Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.

Jesus’ tells us in his own words that as we gather together he is with us. 

Matthew 18:19-20 

“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

Although we are also admonished to communicate with God personally, there is something emboldening and powerful that happens as we gather together to pray. Our faith gets stronger and we pray with a prayer warrior mentality when we stand together. When Pam was going through the worse part of battling Leukemia and we were not sure if she was going to live or die, a friend reached out with scripture and and encouraging visual image that fits here. She said as she was praying for us, she saw a line of fellow believers in battle with us, linked arm in arm, no man or woman stood alone. She said the the battle cry was, “Hold the Line”! Hold the Line!  

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

I encourage you, to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might ! Hold the line !!!

Prayed for you all this morning! 

Much love and blessings,

Pastor Scott