Corporate Prayer

Recently we held our first annual Grow and Go conference at Kapahulu Bible Church (KBC). One of the take-aways from Jon Graff's teaching—for the elders—was our need to practice corporate prayer better than we have been doing. So, going forward every month—at least once a month—we are going to make corporate prayer an intentional practice at KBC during our morning gatherings.  

As we begin this practice it's important that we set a good foundation. We don’t want to promote  wrong ideas about Corporate prayer. CP is not about getting enough people together to pray so that God hears us better or so that our prayers are more powerful. Instead, prayer—whether it is corporate or private—is about submitting to God, abandoning our desires and submitting to His will. 

I’ve heard many times the verses Matthew 18:19–20 used to encourage prayer:

“where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in their midst.” 

It is important to read these verses in the context of the passage. The context addresses church discipline of a sinning member. When Christians utilize these verses as a directive to pray together, it is a misinterpretation of the passage. Two or three people gathered in the name of Jesus do not acquire added power or a closer "ear" of the Lord.  Yes, Jesus is present when people pray together, but He is equally present when a believer prays alone.

I'd like for us at KBC to use a different Biblical text to promote our praying together. I love the description of the Church found in the second chapter of the book for Acts. Towards the end of this chapter Paul writes about a growing church; a church whose members are confessing and repenting; a church that is experiencing consistent baptisms; a church where the Word of God is cherished and obeyed; a church where the people meet the needs of one another, where unity is apparent to everyone who is around to see. This is a church who loves to gather together—they make it a priority. They are joyful. They get together for meals in their homes because they can’t wait until the next gathering. And then right in the middle of these descriptions it says in verse 42:

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

They were devoted to the application of God's Word, to the relationships nurtured as they got  together, to the Lord’s Supper and to prayer.

Going forward I want this to be our proof text for praying together. We pray together to encourage the body life of the church where the apostle’s teaching is taught and obeyed, the fellowship of the believers is enjoyed and the communion—the presence—of Christ is practiced. 

We Should Approach All Scripture With Excitement

Kapahulu Bible Church's (KBC) current Bible readings—for those following along with the chronological reading given at the beginning of the year—is taken from Ezekiel. I am in the middle of reading Ezekiel 40–48 this week. I remember times when I approached passages like this (the measurements of the temple) in the same way I would approach the Old Testament genealogies and the census taking statistics of everyone and their brother. I read these passages and thought, “This is so boring and so irrelevant to my life.” However, my attitude has changed over the years—thanks be to God! The measurements that Ezekiel writes about—given to him from a bronze colored angel—must be pretty important. So rather than skipping ahead to the next narrative that has a more clear plot, we should look for the significance that God has for us. 

For me this morning—after a little time thinking, praying and digging—I began to see it. This isn't a temple that has been built yet. And yet it is a literal temple that will be built. This passage should be exciting for us, as this is our temple in the future millennial reign of Christ. Imagine having the plans for the future structure to be built here at KBC—that would be exciting for those who attend, right?

This passage in Ezekiel is meant to stir up our hope and to prove God's faithfulness (because one day that temple will be built to the exact measurements that Ezekiel outlined). 

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. —2^nd Timothy 3:16

Hopefully you will stop, pray, think and dig a little deeper when you come to passages that seem boring or irrelevant. God has a treasure for you to find there.