07/01/2023
THOUGHTS ON PRAYER IN THE CHURCH
As I posted recently, I discovered after being hospitalized a couple of weeks ago for extreme and intense pain in my S-I joint, that I may have multiple myeloma in my lumbar spine. Praise God that the pain is significantly better and I can move more freely. However, I still need to do some testing to determine whether or not I do have MM. On Wednesday, I had a MRI of my lumbar spine and pelvis and I am currently awaiting the results. I know and am thankful for the people that have been praying for me. Even last night, one of my former pastors came to our house and anointed me with oil and prayed for me. We had not been to this pastor's church in several years, so it was greatly appreciated that he would take the time to visit me and pray for me. I bring this up because I see a very disturbing trend in the church, ie the lack of prayer in our worship services. It's almost as if prayer has become an afterthought, or worse yet, an inconvenience that might take time away from the "message". Recently, my wife and I have been attending a small prayer group on Tuesday evening about 20 minutes from where we live. As a group, we sing a couple of praise songs, do a short devotional, and then spend the remainder of time praying for the needs of the people and the community. We lay hands on the sick and pray for healing for those in the group as well as others. I'm not sure, but it sure seems like this is what the church was built on. It also seems to me that churches are getting away from heart felt prayer. Yes, I know, most churches' idea of prayer is that a person gets up at some point after worship or after a homily and says a general prayer that covers everything including praying for the sick to which the congregation says "amen" afterwards. There's no ministry of the Holy Spirit, no laying on of hands for the sick, no anointing with oil. Yeah, some churches will say, if you need prayer, just come up to the front at the end of service and our elders will pray for you. Is this really what prayer has been reduced to in the church, mostly a monologue with no participation from the congregation? Is that what the apostles had in mind when they started setting up churches? Acts 2:42 says that the believers continued in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Paul states in 1 Corinthians 14:26-39 that someone might have a psalm or a teaching, a tongue, a revelation, and in v. 31, he says that you all may prophecy one by one but concludes in v. 39 that all things must be done decently and in order. It sure sounds like Paul is encouraging participation from the congregation in the church. Is that allowed in the churches today or has church become so choreographed to account for every minute to make sure that the pastor can get in his hour-long sermon? After all, we wouldn't want to deny the congregation these powerful words. Better to neglect the Holy Spirit and what He wants to do which is usually to minister to the people. Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying that a good message is not important for the people, but should that message take precedence over the movement of the Holy Spirit and prayer? Should congregational participation be more than just singing a few songs? I wonder if there is even a church out there that allows its congregants to come up and pray for something on their heart. Yes, pentecostal churches will allow an opportunity for tongues and prophecy, but will they give time to minister to the sick? Will they allow someone to come up and pray for a pressing need? Or are these things now considered intrusive to the "order" of service. Now, some churches will say that "we have prayer at other times for that purpose.", and that is good. But church services shouldn't be specialized. Acts 2 says that these things were done steadfastly and daily. They didn't have a special night for prayer, a special service for healing, a special service for communion. These things were done steadfastly and daily! Both Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 exhort the believers to speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs making melody in our heart to the Lord. I wonder what would happen to the church if it suddenly started devoting more time to prayer and encouraging its congregation to have a more active role in its services. Paul tells us that we are to encourage and edify one another through psalms, songs, hymns, prophesying, and praying when we get together. Is that happening in our churches today? Maybe some, but in most, no. In most churches, the services have become sermon-centric. Maybe it's time that churches start reconsidering a return to the ways of the church in the book of Acts. Maybe then, it can move again in the power of the Holy Ghost and bring the nations in subjection to Jesus.
