Chapter 9 –
Today is our ninth installment from Thom Rainer’s Autopsy of a Deceased Church – 12 ways to Keep Yours Alive. I will share his thoughts as presented in his book for our consideration.
“The Church Rarely Prayed Together”
“I asked all the survivors of a deceased church a question.” Did the church members pray together?”
A New Testament example. Acts 2:42 talks of the apostles teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayers. They were fervent, intense, and passionate about prayer. They had no doubt that God was listening and paying attention. A failure to pray was tantamount to a failure to breathe.”
The church needs prayer, all churches need prayer along with ours. We must commit ourselves to praying and believing.
Prayer
Lord, teach me to pray. Teach me to pray consistently. Teach me to be a leader in prayer in my church. And teach me to keep passionate and believing prayer as the lifeblood of the church.
Questions –
- Most churches have times of prayer. What is the difference between those churches that have meaningful prayer time and those that do not?
- Why would a churches failure to engage in meaningful prayer lead to demise?
- What is the role and place of prayer in the early Jerusalem church in the context of Acts 2:41-47?
Asbury United Methodist Church 