This past Sunday I read my sermon for the first time in twenty-five years of preaching. I wanted to revisit the path our church has taken concerning corporate prayer. It has, as I wrote/spoke, been a path of repentance. It is difficult sometimes to find the balance between forging ahead and holding on to what is behind. I am comforted in realizing that a good bit, if not most, of the Bible addresses the need for reminding. When it comes to spiritual matters, a healthy interest in the new should never be to the exclusion of the old, or, “ancient paths” (Jer. 6:16). The book of Deuteronomy was a repetition of the Law of Moses. The Apostle Peter starts his second epistle with a reminder concerning things already established (2Pe. 1:12).
As a local New Testament Church, we should be urgent in our pursuit of corporate prayer. This urgency, however, can become legalistic bondage if we limit our creativity and imagination. Although our corporate prayer box may be bigger than many churches, it is still limited. Our box at CCC presently consists of our mid-week Call To the Wall solemn assembly (7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.); the Tuesday afternoon Mountain Movers Prophetic Prayer meeting (Noon-2 p.m.); the Tuesday evening Coweta Worship and Prayer Furnace (7 p.m.); and the Sunday morning Pre-Service Prayer (7 a.m. and 9:15 a.m.). Praying outside the box challenges all of us to not use our unavailability during these already existing corporate prayer opportunities to excuse us from the pursuit of praying with others. In light of this, I offer some suggestions that I have seen work well in the past or are presently working with other churches, etc. Just can’t make these other meetings? Consider these suggestions…
- LIFE groups meeting in homes for prayer. Explore either hosting, leading and/or hosting and leading a corporate prayer meeting in a home. Such meetings can be established in the framework of a LIFE group in order to encourage the necessary healthy dynamics of Christian community.
- Early morning corporate prayer groups. Many churches in American and around the world have weekly prayer groups that meet early in the morning. Such groups often meet by 6 a.m. or even earlier in order that folks can be on the way to work or school by 7 a.m. Such early time frames may seem daunting at first, but can become a habit quite quickly.
- Alternative nights at church. For those who simply can’t attend the main mid-week prayer meeting, pick and organize another night at church. Monday, Thursday, Saturday…
The point is that we all need to consider praying outside our boxes and, again, not let existing opportunities limit our imagination. One of the unique image-bearing characteristics of man is our ability to create. Let’s focus this wonderful gift in meeting our Savior’s mandate that we all “watch and pray” (Lk. 21:36).
If anyone would like help with any of these suggestions, please contact me.
Pastor Pete
