Vision and growth come from this one simple priority
++ Every church needs a prayer habit widely shared, to see growth — and that comes from ordinary people resolving to meet and pray ++
by IAN GREIG writing in FAITH FRAGMENTS
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How do we progress from saying “Amen” to someone else’s prayer, to our own heartfelt communication with God?
There’s a common misconception that prayer is the preserve of priests who do it for us. There are no priests in the NT apart from every believer.
There’s nothing wrong with enlisting the help of someone with strong evident faith to help us pray in a crisis.
As the saying goes, “It’s who you know” and a friend (not necessarily a professional) who clearly knows and talks to God is good to have alongside.
But God wants us to be praying our own confident prayers. We all need to have that personal relationship through receiving Jesus as our Saviour and Lord — and talking and listening to God ourselves.
Developing a prayer habit in our church is inhibited if there’s wrong expectation — on both sides — that this is the preserve of the minister. A good shepherd develops and encourages the gifts of others, aware that they are complementary.
A church struggling with numbers, money and resources to grow, might find a time without a minister is a time to find themselves.
The ‘interregnum’, as it’s commonly called, removes the ministry person and so the ministry has to come from within. It’s also a time of need, when leadership can emerge and there is the motivation for everyone to pray.
Prayer itself is a learning experience which grows our confidence. This is because heart prayer, not reading out of a book, is something we do with the help of the Holy Spirit. He is attracted to repentant, prayerful hearts.
He cannot help those who don’t think they need help, but He seeks out those who seek Him. And true to Jesus naming Him the Helper, He reminds us, teaches us and encourages us.
That’s why praying our own words from our own hearts brings its own dynamic. It’s not just the changes we are asking God for — it changes us as well.
I’ll finish with Maryanne’s story. Her church was down to six people. Those few resolved to pray together earnestly, faith rose — and now there are more than 200 members meeting.
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