They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42, New International Version)
Theme: The Local Church
Context:
As we now turn our attention to the Discipline of Prayer we will begin by considering some questions about the role of prayer in your local church.
Before we consider the questions, it is worth remembering the reaction Jesus had to those who were buying and selling in the temple courts. He was not happy that God’s proclamation in Isaiah 56:7, “for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations”, was being perverted.
Primary Questions:
- Does your local church consistently teach biblical principles about prayer?
- Fill in the following blank for your church. My local church is a house of ____. Was prayer one of the first words that came to mind?
- Does your local church consistently have group prayer meetings where all members are encouraged to pray (i.e., not just the “prayer warriors”)?
- Are the leaders of your church fully committed to prayer in their personal lives?
Optional Secondary Questions (if you have the time):
- Does your local church pray with an attitude of expectancy?
- Does your local church practice visiting and praying with the sick?
Your Feedback:
While you are not expected to share your answers to the questions above, we would still love to hear from you. Based on your answers to the questions, do you sense that prayer is the lifeblood of local churches?