PRAYER MEETINGS
On August 30, 1868, Charles H. Spurgeon delivered a sermon entitled, “Prayer Meetings.” It contains a lot of good information and ideas, as he begins with the “apostolic history” of such meetings. He shows at least six purposes of prayer meetings in the New Testament: (1) Encourage the discouraged (Acts 1), (2) Receive power (Acts 2), (3) A Resource for the persecuted (Acts 4:35ff), (4) Individual deliverance (Acts 12:4ff), (5) Guidance regarding mission work (Acts 13:2-3), and (6) The First Step of a new work for Christ (Acts 16). He follows that up by citing three important results of such a meeting: (1) Draws us closer in a special kind of fellowship, (2) It generates devotion, and (3) God has promised extraordinary and special blessings to those who do it. He goes on to say some other useful things, but he makes the powerful case that prayer meetings were a fixture of the New Testament church (Prayer-Meetings, Capoccia, 1-2).
In more modern times, especially following the “Great Awakening” in this country back in the 19th Century, most religious groups met regularly as a church to pray. During this same period of time, there were men and women dedicated to restoring the New Testament church and eradicating denominationalism whose custom it was to meet frequently to pray. And, they believed in prayer. Alexander Campbell called it “the holy of holies, the inmost temple of religion” and Barton Stone said it was “the offering up of our desires to God for things agreeable to his will” (Enclyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement, Foster, et al, ed., 600-601).
While “prayer meetings” are not frequent or common anymore, and that may reveal a lot about the church-wide challenge to evangelize and grow, they still will serve the purposes and produce the benefits asserted by Spurgeon 150 years ago. When we meet in the sweet communion of prayer, as a church, we will be closer, more devoted to God and one another, and blessed by answered prayer. A former elder, very funny man, and dear friend of mine in Mississippi, upon reading of our Saturday Night Prayer Session for “Think Souls,” wrote, “Well, first of all, who would ever have thought of having a prayer meeting on Saturday evening at 6:00 P.M. to pray for opportunities to reach souls? Who would have thunk it? We’re still working on getting folks to attend worship.” Well, we are, too, brother. But, I cannot wait to see a house full of saints, drawn together to petition “The Great I Am” to help us think, find, reach, and teach the souls all around us! Oh, the thrill of summoning the One with unlimited power, resources, and knowledge to help us do the thing His Son left for us to do right before He stepped on that cloud (cf. Acts 1:9). Before we “go” (Matt. 28:19), let us “come” boldly before His throne as a church and ask His help (cf. Heb. 4:16).
–Neal Pollard