Something Happens When Churches Pray

When the local church prays for direction in its decisions, then it is acknowledging three very vital factors that are involved in the work of the church. And these three factors are Lordship, leadership, and partnership. 

Acts 1:15. And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples and said, (the number of names together was about a hundred and twenty), "Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit by the mouth of David spoke before concerning Judas, who was guide to them that took Jesus." And here Peter refers to the Old Testament scriptures that refer to the sin of Judas and what ought to be done. 

Now in verse 20 he says, it is written in the book of Psalms, "Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishopric let another take," that is his overseership. "Wherefore of these men who have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection." And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, "Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which of these two thou hast chosen, that he may take part in this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place." And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Now the first factor involved here is the factor of Lordship. You'll notice that when they prayed they said, "Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men." You see, the Lord Jesus Christ is the head of the church. Peter was not the head of the church; Mary was certainly not the head of the church; the Lord Jesus Christ was the head of the church. I notice that when Peter stood up, he didn't say, "I have a wonderful idea, we really ought to replace Judas." No, he got up and said, according to the Word of God, this is what we ought to do. And he quoted from the Psalms to back up what his decision was, from Psalm 41 and from Psalm 69. 

Now there are those who claim that Peter was out of place. They say that Peter should not have conducted this business meeting because Paul was the one who was supposed to be added. I think that that decision is wrong. Paul makes it very clear in Galatians 1 he was never meant to be a part of the original band of the disciples. He also makes it very clear that God had called him in his own way and in his own time. Don't forget that in Luke 24:45 we read, "Then opened he their understanding that they might understand the scriptures." The Holy Spirit of God had not yet come in great power, but the Lord Jesus had breathed upon his disciples and said, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit." He had opened their eyes to understand the scriptures. 

The Word of God guided Peter in making this decision. And Peter knew what the qualifications were for an apostle; he had to have seen the resurrected Christ. Peter knew that the Word of God said that Judas' place should be filled, and therefore Peter did the right thing when he led this meeting. Lordship. The apostle Peter was acknowledging the lordship of Jesus Christ. And we appreciate the way they prayed in Acts 1:24, "Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which of these two thou hast chosen." 

You see, back in Acts 1:2 we read that the apostles were the ones he had chosen. The Lord Jesus Christ had chosen twelve apostles on earth, now he was going to choose another apostle from heaven. He was still the Lord of the church, and he's the only one who knows the human heart. I have participated in my ministry in many different kinds of meetings. I have been a pastor, and I am the member of a few mission boards, and we have to pray and make decisions. God is the only one who knows the heart. And because he does know the heart, he is the one who can give the direction. I read this same phrase in Acts 15:8, "And God, who knoweth the hearts, bore them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as he did unto us." 

When we pray, we are acknowledging the lordship of Jesus Christ. The Spirit of God gives wisdom through the Word of God when we pray. Now you have some decisions to make. The first thing you want to do is acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord. We don't make these decisions on our own. There are decisions that your church committee has to make, your church board, or perhaps the whole congregation. You may be looking for a new pastor. You may be about to vote on a pastor. You may be considering a missionary. I don't know. But this I do know: God knows the human heart, and God has already chosen according to his will. 

The purpose of the church is not to get man's will done up in heaven; the purpose of the church is to get God's will done here on earth. And God's will is done here on earth when we pray: "Thy will be done on earth even as it is in heaven." Our Lord Jesus said an interesting thing to his disciples when he was still on earth with them, Matthew 18:18, "Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

My Greek professor in seminary told me that the verbs in Matthew 18:18 are very interesting. It reads like this: "Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall have already been bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall have already been loosed in heaven." In other words, the church doesn't tell Jesus what to do; the Lord Jesus tells the church what to do. It's in an atmosphere of prayer and submission that the church seeks the mind of Christ. Take time to pray. Take time to pray because the lordship of Jesus Christ functions by the Holy Spirit in the church when God's people pray. 

The first factor involved in the work of the church is Lordship; the second is leadership. They didn't have a consensus; there weren't five people who stood up and tried to lead the meeting. Peter stood up and led the meeting. Now Peter wasn't the head of the church, but Peter was the leader of the church, and our Lord Jesus Christ had given him this commission. In Luke 22:31-32 he told him to strengthen the brethren. In John 21, when our Lord restored Peter to his apostleship, he said, "Now you feed my sheep, you take care of my lambs." Peter was God's chosen leader for the church at that time, and he was directed by the Word of God to replace Judas. 

You see, the apostles were going to witness to the twelve tribes of Israel. It was very important that the twelve apostles together witness to the twelve tribes of Israel. God's program was to the Jew first. He came unto his own, his own received him not. Now later on in the book of Acts, as we read in Acts 12, James is going to be killed, but they did not replace James because now the witness—that opening witness to Israel—was over, and there was no more need for twelve apostles to be witnessing to the twelve tribes of Israel. But at Pentecost, there had to be the complete number of the apostles, and so Peter was directed by the Word of God to be the leader of the church. 

Prayer guides leadership. Oh, if you have a place of leadership in your church, I hope you are a praying man, a praying woman. You might be a teenager who's a leader in your youth group; I hope you pray. Because leadership is very important, and leadership must be bound up with lordship, and this is done through prayer. 

The first factor was Lordship, the second factor was leadership, and the third was partnership. All of the brethren were involved in this, all of the sisters. Apparently, the apostles chose two and then the entire congregation chose one. We don't cast lots today; this is the last time in the Bible you find any of God's people casting lots. We have the Word of God and prayer and we have the development of the whole history of the church to guide us. All of the saints in partnership prayed, and all of them asked for God's guidance, and all of them were a part of the decision. 

You see, all of God's people have the privilege of coming into the presence of God. It makes no difference what kind of church government you have, there needs to be partnership; all of God's people should be involved in the praying, and all of God's people should be involved in deciding. Doesn't mean that the congregation has to decide every detail of the ministry, but I think when it comes to appointing leaders, the congregation needs to have prayer and decision.

I notice that after leaders were chosen in the book of Acts, they prayed for them again. In Acts 6:6 we read, "Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them." They were ordaining them and setting them apart. They had chosen them, now they prayed for them. Something happens when churches pray. When churches pray, they are acknowledging lordship; when churches pray, they are assisting their leadership; when churches pray, they are participating in partnership. Something happens when churches pray, because when they pray, God directs them to the right leaders, and then those leaders can challenge the church to go forward in the will of God. Are you a praying church member? Are you a praying leader? Are you bowed before the headship, the lordship of Jesus Christ?

Acts 6:4 is a verse that is needed in our churches today: "But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word." Acts 6 records an incident in the life of the early church when there was division. "In those days when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews," that is the Greek-speaking Jews from out of the country against the Hebrews who lived in the country, "because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration." The apostles were caring for the new converts, and many of these new converts were widow people and they needed special help. Now the Old Testament law made it very clear that the widows and the orphans and the strangers were not to be neglected. The problem was the apostles were so busy they were not taking care of their own ministry. 

"Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them and said, 'It is not fitting that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look among you for seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.'" That word business means necessity, this need. "But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word." Now you cannot separate the Word of God and prayer. If you do, you're going to have problems. That which God has joined together, we must not rend asunder. 

Our Lord Jesus said in John 15:7, "If ye abide in me and my words abide in you," (that's the Word), "ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you," (that's prayer). The Lord Jesus combined the Word of God and prayer. As you go through the Bible, you will find that the pattern for ministry is the balance between the Word of God and prayer. The Word of God gives us enlightenment, prayer gives us enablement. We read the Word of God and our faith is increased, because faith comes through the Word of God. Then we pray, and God answers prayer because our praying is guided by the Word of God. 

The Old Testament priests, for example, had a ministry of the Word of God and prayer. Deuteronomy 33:10. "They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar." Now here we have at the beginning of the verse the Word of God: "They shall teach Jacob thy judgments and Israel thy law." Then we have prayer: "They shall put incense before thee." This was also true in the life of Daniel. Daniel did not just simply study the Word of God; he also turned the Word of God into prayer. Now the two have to be balanced. When we open the Bible, God speaks to us. When we open our hearts in prayer, we speak to God, and the two of them must go together. 

Why is the ministry of the Word of God and prayer so important in the local church? Because of the blessings that result when you have a balance of the Word of God and prayer. Now what are these blessings? Well, as we turn through the pages of the book of Acts, we find out what these blessings are. Acts 1, through the Word of God and prayer, we have the source of our wisdom. We've already discussed this passage, Acts 1:15-26, when they were electing the new apostle. Now what was the way that they ascertained the will of God? Through the Word of God and prayer. In Acts 1:14, "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication." And in Acts 1:15, Peter stands up and says, now the Word of God according to David tells us what we're supposed to do. How did the early church get the wisdom of God? Through the Word of God and prayer. 

This is the source of our wisdom. Acts 2, the Word of God and prayer is the success of our witness. Here you had twelve apostles and another group with them, about 120 people totally, trying to reach the people of Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and to the uttermost part of the earth. Now how in the world could Peter, an uneducated, untrained fisherman, ever hope to reach anybody with the gospel? Yet in Acts 2 he preaches the Word of God, and three thousand people are saved. The secret: the Word of God and prayer. They had been engaged in persistent, united, steadfast, heartfelt, sincere prayer ever since the Lord Jesus Christ had ascended to heaven. The church had gathered together for prayer day after day during those days when they were waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit. 

Not only is the Word of God and prayer the source of our wisdom and the success of our witness, it's also the secret of our warfare. The apostles were arrested for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. And they were brought before the council, the Sanhedrin, Acts 4. And they gave their witness, they were turned loose, they went back to their own company, verse 23. And you'll notice that they lifted up their voice to God in prayer with one accord.

Notice this prayer now, Acts 4:24. They said, "Lord, thou art God, who hast made heaven and earth and the sea and all that in them is, who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, 'Why did the nations rage and the peoples imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ.'" What are they doing here? They are quoting from Psalm 2. What do you have? The Word of God and prayer. 

Isn't that interesting? When the early church met for prayer, they turned the Word of God into prayer. Now it takes the Word of God and prayer together to defeat the enemy. In Ephesians 6, for example, we're told about the whole armor of God. Verse 13: "Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit." Notice the combination there: "Taking the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit." The Word of God and prayer go together. 

We cannot defeat the devil just with the Word of God; we must also be men and women of prayer. How did the Lord Jesus Christ defeat the wicked one? He defeated the wicked one through the Word of God and prayer. When he was there in the wilderness, he was praying to his Father and he was quoting the Word of God to the enemy. If your church is going through problems, difficulties, if Satan is opposing your work using people in your community to make things difficult, what is the solution? The Word of God and prayer. That's the source of our wisdom, the success of our witness, the secret of our warfare. 

It is the supply of our workers. People say we need workers today. Well, they're going to come through the Word of God and prayer. Acts 13, we have a picture of the church at Antioch. Barnabas is there, Saul is there. Verse 2: "As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, 'Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work unto which I have called them.' And when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away." It's interesting that Barnabas and Saul were not called to the mission field at a missionary conference. They were ministering the Word of God. They were studying the Word and sharing the Word, helping people to grow, and yet through the Word of God and prayer, they were called to go out and serve the Lord. 

In Acts 20:32 we have another blessing that comes through the Word of God and prayer. The apostle Paul is concluding his ministry with the Ephesian elders, and he says this, Acts 20:32: "And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified." That's the Word of God and prayer. "I commend you to God," that's prayer. "And to the word of his grace," that is the Word of God. You see, not only do we receive these other blessings from the Word of God and prayer—the source of our wisdom, the success of our witness, the secret of our warfare, the supply of our workers—but also the strength for our daily walk. How is it we are able to be built up? What is it that will enable us to claim our inheritance in Jesus Christ? The ability to walk and to walk like one who is a child of the King. It's the Word of God and prayer. 

You see, something happens when churches pray and when they balance that praying with the Word of God. Something happens, because the balance of the Word of God and prayer is the secret of the church's success for the Lord. It's the source of our wisdom, it's the success of our witness, it's the secret of our warfare, it's the supply of our workers, it's the strength of our walk.