Matthew 18:19-20
66b) The Church at Prayer, Part 2 (~1987)
Pastor Martin continues his series on corporate prayer, focusing on the necessity of unanimity and the cultivation of God's presence. He expounds on Matthew 18:19-20 and 1 Corinthians 14, arguing that true corporate prayer requires doctrinal agreement and relational harmony among believers. Martin provides practical guidelines for fostering edification in prayer meetings, emphasizing audibility, brevity, selective focus, flexibility, and rational initiative, while also addressing how to wisely reform unbiblical prayer patterns within a church.
Primary Texts
Topics
Outline 11 sections · 39 min
- Fostering and Preserving Unanimity in Corporate Prayer 0:02
- Practical Ways to Foster Unanimity 5:27
- Making God's Presence the Focus of Expectancy and Supplication 9:11
- Edification as the Goal and Structure as a Friend 14:40
- Encouraging Audibility in Prayer 18:07
- Encouraging Brevity in Prayer 19:14
- Encouraging Selective Focus and Flexibility of Format 22:40
- Encouraging Rational Initiative and Discouraging Idiosyncrasies 26:56
- Reformation in Corporate Prayer: Not in Isolation 30:35
- Reformation Based on Renewed Understanding and Leadership Unity 33:30
- Reformation Following Correct Priorities 37:57
Key Quotes
“If there is no oneness in fundamental doctrinal perspective, there will be no oneness in prayer.”
“More stuff gets pushed under the rug under the guise of waiting for the outpouring of the Spirit.”
“much of it has been a capitulation to the me-ism and to the navel-gazing that is the climate of the present age.”
“if our people don't sense the contagion of our... our expectation and our desire, then we cast the spell of death over the prayer meeting.”
“The problem with the Corinthians was they thought the more you have of the Holy Ghost, the more you'll have edification, the less there'll be structure and order.”
“Nothing, nothing, however, tends so much to flatten a prayer meeting as long prayers.”
“you know what a rut is? I said, No, sir. He said, It's just a grave with the ends kicked out.”
“I have many things to say unto you Jesus but you're not ready you're not yet able to bear them”
Applications
All listeners
- Constantly remind your people of the nature of corporate prayer, that one person is the mouthpiece for the many.
- Instruct your people in the use of the 'Amen' as both a privilege and a duty in corporate prayer.
- As a general rule, refuse to break up the congregation into smaller groups during corporate prayer meetings to maintain corporate identity.
- Expect and pray for the presence of Christ by His Spirit in prayer meetings, and let your people sense your expectation.
- Encourage audibility in prayer among your people, providing both general reminders and personal pastoral input.
- Encourage brevity in prayer, taking brethren aside if necessary to counsel them on the length of their prayers.
- Train your people to have selective focus in their prayers, taking only one or two concerns when leading.
- Encourage flexibility of format in prayer meetings to prevent ruts and unofficial orthodoxies.
- Encourage people in the area of rational initiative, understanding that prayer is a duty rooted in God's Word, not just a 'feeling.'
- Discourage idiosyncrasies in prayer that might hinder others from engaging fully.
- Recognize that reformation in corporate prayer cannot be effected in isolation; it requires a general attitude of submission to God's Word.
- Base reformation in corporate prayer on the renewed understanding of your people, instructing them before implementing changes.
- Initiate reformation in corporate prayer by securing the agreement of the majority of the church leadership.
- Follow a pattern of correct priorities in reformation, addressing the most crucial issues first and laboring patiently for long-term change.
A full transcript is available on the tab. 113 paragraphs, roughly 39 minutes.
Fostering and Preserving Unanimity in Corporate Prayer
All right, brethren, we pick up as we are dealing with the directives for leading the corporate meetings for prayer. We're examining the major principles that ought to condition and regulate corporate prayer. And we come now to the fourth of those principles, and it's stated in your notes this way, the unanimity of corporate prayer must be carefully fostered and preserved. And here we go back to Matthew 18, 19, where our Lord uses a very interesting term, if two of you shall agree, and the Greek verb is sunfoneo.
You know what the transliteration of that equals in English, symphony. If two of you shall agree, sun, together, foneo, to speak. If two of you shall agree together. As touching what they shall ask, it shall be done of my Father who is in heaven.
And there in your notes, I've listed Matthew 22, 13, and Acts 5, 9, instances of the uses of this verb that underscore its significance. There was an agreement between the master and those whom he hires with respect to their wages. There was this demonic, devilish agreement between Ananias and Sapphira with regard to...
Lying to the Holy Ghost and tempting God. And it is this element of agreement that is underscored with a different word in Acts 1, 14, that they were found with one accord as they are united in prayer. And similarly, in Acts 4, 23, the emphasis is upon this agreement in the engagement in corporate prayer. Acts 4, in verse 23, that first...
Crisis of opposition in the Jerusalem church. And we are told in verse 24, they lifted up their voice with one accord. They lifted up their voice with one accord. There was this attainment and maintenance of unanimity in corporate prayer.
Now this underscores the necessity of the context of oneness in prayer being maintained by those things that constitute the taproots of oneness in prayer. If there is no oneness in fundamental doctrinal perspective, there will be no oneness in prayer. Somebody is praying, Oh God, call out your elect. And someone is sitting there saying, There ain't no such thing as an elect.
Every man chooses God for so... How can there be a symphony of agreement if someone believes in election of grace and someone doesn't?
And then someone is praying, Oh God, batter down the pride and storm... From the gates of the soul, invade that person.
Open their... No, no, no, they have a free will.
And God will never impose himself on someone. You see, there can't be agreement, even in the most passionate prayer for the conversion of sinners, if there is no doctrinal symphony. If God is not the one who does the saving, and if there is no such thing as an effectual call, and then right through the whole doctrine of the Christian life. So it's vital that if there is to be unanimity in corporate prayer, fostered and preserved, that the climate in which the church that gathers to pray is a climate in which there is increasing, growing doctrinal symphony of mind and heart, perspective on the work of God, the maintenance of relationships, the hands-on pastoral involvement, where there is friction between brethren. I would like to think that having addressed a very...
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that involves at least three to four people where there's either been lack of communication, miscommunication, misunderstanding. I'm in this building until quarter eleven Wednesday night after prayer meeting, dealing with a brother, and he raises an issue, and I say, well, I happen to be meeting with that other brother, do I have your permission to express your concerns since you feel it's been a dead end? Yes. So we express the concerns.
Well, this brother says someone else involved. I'd love to just say, oh, Lord, sort all this thing out. But there's a direct line between some brethren who've got some static in their relationship and what happens next Wednesday at prayer meeting. If those brethren are sitting there, they can't agree together.
One of them leads in prayer, the other's going to say, you bald-faced hypocrite. With that issue that you have against me, or if the other brother...
So you see, all of this is a ball of wax, brethren. That's why it all has to come under the rubric of the exercising of government and oversight and shepherding of the people of God. And you can't put these things in categories. And you can't irresponsibly say, but oh, if the Holy Ghost would come down in power, he'd sort all these things out, so I'm going to wait until he does it.
More stuff gets pushed under the rug under the guise of waiting for the outpouring of the Spirit. Well, granted, if God poured out His Spirit, this thing might get sorted out without me having to do anything. But my duty's clear. And that is to deal with these issues in a godly, biblical fashion.
Practical Ways to Foster Unanimity
And so to maintain this unanimity in corporate prayer, how is this to be done? Well, I've listed in your notes, you may foster unanimity by, number one, constantly reminding your people of the nature of corporate prayer. It is not the performance of one that is listened to by the many. It is the one being the mouthpiece of God on behalf of the many.
They all, with one accord, lifted up their voice singular. This man...
This man is the voice of the congregation. Constantly remind your people of the nature of corporate prayer. Brethren, as you become our mouthpiece at the throne of grace, please keep your voice up so we can all enter in. We can affirm our amen.
You have been our mouthpiece. By drips and drops, constantly remind your people of the nature of corporate prayer. I suggest, secondly, by instructing them in the use of the amen. Amen.
And I'm going to... I have to preach on it again because our amens are too faltering and too tentative and either those who are praying on our behalf are not praying in a way that the majority of the people can say, so be it.
That's the expression of my heart. Or they don't understand that that's both their privilege and, I believe, their duty. I have no problem with the biblical data seeking to bind the conscience of brothers and sisters with respect to the corporate amen in the context of corporate prayer. And I've listed there the two tapes from the Trinity Pulpit.
If you've not listened to them and you want to use them for reference, that's why I've listed them. But then, thirdly, by refusing to break up the congregation as a general rule. I'm sure many of us have been exposed to churches where when it comes time to pray in a prayer meeting, the young people go off here, the women go off here, the men go off there. I've been part of one where you had your prayer partner and you kneeled down in the pew with another individual.
And there are... In that particular church, probably three, four hundred people.
And so you had whatever the number was divided by two and everybody's praying.
And no sense of corporate identity. Now, I said as a general rule, there may be a time when it is a temporary expedient or there may be certain circumstances where to have a given segment. This is one of the reasons we have resisted the almost universal pressure and current orthodoxy about small...
In lieu of a corporate prayer meeting. Now, I'm not saying what may be the benefit in given circumstances for smaller group meetings to foster fellowship, discipleship. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the replacing of a framework for corporate prayer where the whole body gathers to seek the face of God and to sense, as it were, the pulses of the mind and will and presence of Christ, the living head coming down to all the members of the body in the same place at the same time.
Brethren, you're going to face it more than some of us have. Because with this need-centered mentality, you see, here's the key. It's in the smaller group you're more comfy to express your needs and to know that people will be concerned about your needs. And while I'm convinced much good has come through the small group movement, I'm also convinced if the Lord tarries, it will clearly be...
indicated by the fruits in the long haul that much of it has been a capitulation to the me-ism and to the navel-gazing that is the climate of the present age.
Making God's Presence the Focus of Expectancy and Supplication
And the end result is not going to be productive of real advances in the work of Christ's kingdom. Well, then, I've listed as the fifth directive with respect to the major principles, the sense of God's presence in the midst of His praying people should be...
made the constant focus of expectancy and of supplication. If the Lord Jesus has given His special promise to be present with His gathered people, and that follows on the heels of His promise with respect to corporate prayer, surely, surely, if ever, we have grounds to expect the fulfillment of the promise. It is when we gather to pray. And that Spirit, who is called the Spirit of Grace, and of supplication, we ought to gather in the expectation of His presence and pleading for His present and powerful actings as the Spirit of Grace and of supplication.
I was struck with this principle where the psalmist again and again confesses what God is, and then having done that, he makes his prayer, Lord, be to me what You are. My psalm yesterday was Psalm 31, and I was struck with that afresh. In You, O Lord, do I take refuge, let me never be put to shame. Deliver me in Your righteousness.
Bow down Your ear to me and deliver me speedily. Be to me a strong rock, a house of defense to save me. Why? For You are my rock and my fortress.
Well, is He or isn't He? He says, be to me, and then He says, You are. Well, the indicative underscores the imploring and the pleading, because God is a rock in covenant, promise and commitment and engagement. I am warranted in my prayers to say, be to me a strong rock.
You are, now be to me. Lord, You have promised Your presence, we therefore plead that we may know Your presence. Not You've promised it, therefore it will be there automatically. Or to come and plead because we're not sure whether the promise is worthy of our trust, but in expectation we plead for the outpouring of His presence and of His grace.
Again, I close this section with this comment from Murphy, page 314, in his work on pastoral theology. This is his 15th point of directives to pastors in ordering and directing the lives of the prayer experience of the church in its corporate prayer. A sense of the divine presence should be cherished in every meeting, and it's in every meeting for prayer. This is our final, and most important counsel.
The presence and blessed influence of the Holy Ghost should be so highly esteemed that there would be a most determined effort to secure them at every assembly of the people of God for prayer. Without this, all other devices to make the meeting interesting and profitable will be in vain. You're not saying, don't use the other devices to make it interesting and profitable, but they will be vain without the presence of the Spirit. With it, a holy influence will come down, a sweetness, a solemnity, a power which will impart a peculiar delight and make the spot the dearest on earth, that the presence of Christ by His Spirit, when it is prayed for and looked for, may certainly be expected, is made abundantly sure by His own promise. And then he quotes the promise of Matthew 18. Why should not this promise be fulfilled to the letter in all the places of the world? If it were believed, prayed for and expected, and the meeting entered upon in that spirit, it undoubtedly would.
And it certainly should be aimed at with all intensity of desire and purpose in every assembly of the people of God for His worship of prayer, praise and holy meditation. Where did I...
I lost my thing here. Yes, and holy meditation. The presence of the Blessed Master. Oh, what an elevated and sacred tone it would be to hear this.
Oh, what an elevated and sacred tone it would be to hear this. Oh, what an elevated and sacred tone it would be to hear this. Oh, what an elevated and sacred tone it would give to all the services of the hour. And then he rhapsodizes on this, concluding with the statement, this would be the prayer meeting, the crown of interest and profit and glory.
The presence of Christ would make every prayer meeting so sacred and happy that it would be of a truth, a foretaste of heaven. Well, brethren, if we don't expect that and don't pray for that, and in our leadership, if our people don't sense the contagion of our...
our expectation and our desire, then we cast the spell of death over the prayer meeting.
People will take on the tone of its prominent leadership. And if you don't come expecting, and you don't come earnestly praying, don't be surprised if there is little of the spirit of faith and expectation and pleading on the part of your people. Now we come to the last page of your notes. Directives for...
Edification as the Goal and Structure as a Friend
We are... Practical Guidelines.
I'm sorry. Practical Guidelines for Maximum Edification in Corporate Prayer. And here I've listed two major categories. Establish the fact that edification is the goal and that structure is not an enemy to that end.
Edification is the goal and structure is not an enemy. And here I rest the case in the principles of 1 Corinthians 14. The problem with the Corinthians was they thought the more you have of the Holy Ghost, the more you'll have edification, the less there'll be structure and order. And Paul says, no, we've got to sort this whole thing out.
God is not the author of confusion but of peace. And so again and again in this chapter, chapter 14 in particular, he emphasizes that all things are to be done unto edification. Verse 12. Since you're zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that you may abound unto the edifying of the church.
And here he focuses on what is necessary to edification. I will pray with the Spirit. I will pray with the understanding also. Don't set the ministry of the Spirit in opposition to the godly, disciplined use of your mind.
I will pray with the Spirit. I'll pray with the understanding. I'll sing with the Spirit. I'll sing with the understanding.
And if I don't, notice edification cannot be realized. If you bless with the Spirit, how shall he that fills the place of the unlearned say the Amen at the giving of your thanks, seeing he doesn't know what you're saying? You give thanks well, but the other is not edified. So the presence of the Spirit and order and structure are not enemies.
Hence, specific guidelines are given even in that situation where you had gifts that we do not believe are operative in our assemblies now. Paul sorts out. If the Spirit is present giving prophetic utterance, let the prophets speak by so many. And in turn, this is what you're to do.
When that many have spoken, anyone else claims to be in the Holy Ghost, you tell them, according to the Apostle, you're out of order. Shut up! And when a woman stands up trembling and breathing hard and saying, ooh, the Holy Ghost is upon me, you tell her, shut up.
God says she's not to open her yap in the assembly. That's a little bit of pre-paraphrase of Koine Greek, but basically that he says. So we need, in giving leadership, to get over this hump of saying, well, if I'm analyzing the prayers of the brethren, and if I'm occasionally counting how many times this brother says, dear Lord, dear Lord, that's unspiritual. No, that's not unspiritual.
It's seeking to lend the practical expressions of the kind of structure that Paul very clearly imposes there in 1 Timothy 2, both to substance, I will that prayers, supplication, intercession, giving of thanks, be made for all men, for kings, for rulers, those in authority, in order that. And by the way, I will that the men pray in every place. So he's not cutting the nerve of the people. He's not cutting the nerve of the people.
He's not cutting the nerve of the people. He's not cutting the free blessed presence of the Spirit, but he's seeking to establish that the Spirit operates in that framework of order that reflects the mind of God. Therefore, if edification is the great goal, you must encourage among your people, privately and publicly, these, at least these five things. Audibility.
Encouraging Audibility in Prayer
Now, you who were there Wednesday know that I was exhorting the men, pray with sufficient volume that those who are a bit hard of hearing can hear you. I can name two or three people that get so frustrated. They make the effort to get out to prayer meeting, but they can only hear sometimes a half, two-thirds of the men who lead in prayer. And it's really not fair to the brethren.
And you need to encourage your people. And if you've got a brother that prays, continue, a pattern of softness, and he doesn't get the general directive, then do. I've had to do many times over the years. Periodically, give the general reminder from the pulpit, then you take that brother aside.
Brother, your prayer was edified. That is, the parts I could hear. And I'm conscious that so-and-so and so-and-so. Are you aware?
And name some of these people who are tried and proven saints, faithful in their attendance. Are you aware that they have a hearing problem? No. They didn't hear a thing.
Brother, please, if you need to practice at home, do it. But encourage audibility. Periodic reminders, personal pastoral input. And then encourage brevity.
Encouraging Brevity in Prayer
Few people can carry a whole congregation in real, earnest, mental, spiritual engagement for a long period unless, again, there's an unusual unction of the Holy Spirit and a man has an unusual combination of elements in his praying that, as it were, just puts hooks in your mind and heart and your mental and emotional faculties and carries you along. And there are times when you will need to take certain brethren aside. Again, I'm not giving you counsel. I don't follow brethren.
This grows up. It grows out of the crucible of years of pastoral involvement. Take a brother aside and say, Brother, are you conscious that you prayed for seven minutes in the prayer meeting? No.
You know, most of the brothers pray for just two or three minutes just from the standpoint of giving time for others. I really think it would be good if you cut your prayers back and if you need to, glance at your watch. When you're doing that in order to be edified, the Lord won't be displeased if you open your eyes and peek at your watch.
I tell my fellow elders, rare is the man who can lead in public prayers, pastoral prayers, in our day, in our setting, and carry a congregation if his prayer goes beyond six to seven minutes. And I said, Brethren, I time mine.
I glance at my watch. This is not my private devotions. Much thought goes into what I'm going to pray for. An outline has generally been committed to memory.
Now, is that cutting the nerve of the ministry of the Spirit? No. It's recognizing the Spirit will minister consistent with His own Word. Let all things be done into edification.
And if we know that excessively lengthy prayers cut the nerve of edification, then we'll take whatever steps we need for ourselves and pastorally with respect to others to see that brevity marks the prayers in a prayer meeting. Here, I quote from the Banner of Truth article. This is Angel James on the prayer meeting. You have the full article.
He writes, Nothing, nothing, however, tends so much to flatten a prayer meeting as long prayers. And nothing is more conducive to this prolixity, good word, than the idea so prevalent that each one who engages is expected to continue for at least ten minutes. That was the orthodox standard length apparently in his day. If you didn't go ten minutes, you weren't a real prayer.
And then he goes on to say, and such people go through the whole round of commonplace topics. Lord bless the missionaries, bless our children, bless our families. He's saying everyone would go over the same litany of broad concerns. On the contrary, how interesting and delightful would it be to hear a Christian breathe out his desires if it were only for five minutes upon one subject somewhat in the form of the colleagues of the Church of England in a manner which indicated his heart was much set upon the matter of his petition and carried the hearts of all present with him.
Much depends on the judgment of the pastor as to the fact that the pastor as to the interest of these meetings and it is perhaps a part of the pastoral duty which has been far too much neglected. And you've got to get over that hump of thinking to critically assess and pastorally correct a man's prayers. Well, that's like putting your hand on the ark. God may strike you dead.
Encouraging Selective Focus and Flexibility of Format
No, he won't. No, he won't. It's part of wise, responsible, pastoral oversight that is aiming at optimum edification in those precious seats of corporate prayer. So, audibility must be aimed at and cultivated with generic as well as hands-on pastoral involvement, brevity, and then, thirdly, I've put rational, oh, no, that's my old notes.
I put rational initiative. I've changed the order. Thirdly, selective focus. Now, this is what James James is going after.
He's talking about people who go back over the same ground again and again. And you've got to school your people to tell them, look, when the prayer concerns are given, take the one or two that are most upon your heart. And you'll say it dozens of times in the course of your ministry. Now, brethren, lead us in prayer.
Each of us, please, taking one or two of the concerns. Train your people. Tell them periodically. Matthew 7, 12.
As you would that others do unto you, even so do ye also unto them, for this is the law and the prophets. How do you feel when five requests have been given in a segment of prayer time and the first brother stands on his feet, takes all, hives? How do you feel? You say, you didn't leave nothing for me.
Yeah. Well, then don't you make people feel that way. Leave something for the other fellows. You take one and argue with God over that one.
You've got to train your people to have selective focus in their prayers. You may want to preach through some of the prayers of the Bible and demonstrate how this is a biblical principle. How you find it in the Psalms. There you find holy, sanctified repetition born of a focused soul upon a given area of need.
It's not vain repetitions. But it's the repetition of earnest focus of the soul upon a given concern. And then, fourthly, flexibility of format. Old L.E. Maxwell, whose theology at some points none of us would underscore, but the man knew God and walked with God and he exuded a vibrance in his walk before God. It was my privilege to preach out at Prairie Bible Institute on several occasions way back in the dark ages. I'm talking, in about the late 50s and early 60s. And to meet that dear man of God and I'll never forget several things he said in the course of interacting with him.
One of them was, Brother,
you know what a rut is? I said, No, sir. He said, It's just a grave with the ends kicked out.
Well, God's brought that back to me again and again. A rut is nothing but a grave with the ends kicked out. And if we get in a rut, we're in the grave. And the stink of death will be on us.
And the fact the ends are kicked out won't contain the fact that the smell is there. And so, if variety is the spice of life and doth not nature itself teach you that the human spirit longs for variety, that's not sinful in itself. It may find sinful expressions when it wants variety and novelty in theology and variety and novelty in morals. But to have the expectancy that not every single little thing is so unblessed in its predictability, there's nothing wrong with that.
So we need to recognize that in the ordering and in the direction of a prayer meeting, it will not only keep the level of expectancy and freshness, but it will keep our people from thinking this is the only framework within which biblical principles can find a viable expression. We're all a bunch of Roman Catholics by nature. And we want our religion all codified right down to how should a prayer meeting be divided up? What emphasis should be at the front and at the tail end?
And if for no reason other reason than to break any emerging unofficial orthodoxy of order, shuffle the cards with respect to the order. And then if someone says, how come it didn't...
You say, well, where does the Bible say we've got to do this first? You see? And you keep from that wrong kind of a petrifying of what may be a very useful and helpful framework from becoming an unofficial orthodoxy. And then my counsel would be encourage the people in the area of rational initiative.
Encouraging Rational Initiative and Discouraging Idiosyncrasies
And I didn't know how else to put it and none of the old writers addresses it quite that way. What I mean is this. Some dear brethren have fallen prey to this idea unless I feel led to pray. Well, what is your feeler led to pray?
Where is that meter? How do you define it in terms of general revelation, in terms of the constitution of man? What is this feel led to pray meter? And how do you know when a needle has gone up beyond the black into the red?
And you see, we'll have people who have fallen prey to this. And we need the mentality that Stonewall Jackson had. Have you heard the incident in Jackson's life when he became a church member? And he went to the prayer meeting and he heard the pastor calling on different ones to pray.
Well, he had never prayed in public as the mouthpiece of the congregation. He went to the pastor. Here's the general. At that time he was the colonel, I believe, or major.
And he said, is it my duty to pray? Yes. Why have you not called upon me? Well, I've become aware that you find it very difficult to lead in prayer.
He said, sir, you're the pastor of this church to implement the rule of Christ. And you're telling me from the scriptures that as a male member I should be the mouthpiece? Then I must perform my duty. I want you to call on me to pray.
And I will, by God's grace, learn how to pray. And he said his first efforts were very pathetic and stumbling. But believing it was his duty and the pastor committed to impose the rule of Christ over the now famous General Jackson's and they said toward the end of his relatively brief life his prayers were most edifying as he learned and cultivated the ability to do his duty. Now that's at the other end of the spectrum in this business.
I don't feel led. I don't feel...
We need to labor with our people and encourage them to take rational initiative that I have a responsibility rooted in the word of God and I'm committed by prayer and pains to learn how to fulfill that responsibility to the glory of God. And then thirdly discourage idiosyncraties. These are practical guidelines. Discourage idiosyncraties.
What do I mean by that? You'll begin to notice as your prayer meetings begin to establish some kind of wholesome predictability that when this particular brother prays he has this oddity of an expression that when he uses it you wince and you sense your people are wincing and it may be we had one brother he would shoot up into an almost falsetto it was not his voice coming out of earth it was something halfway between earth and heaven and I just went to him and I said brother are you aware that when you get praying you suddenly you exchange your throat for your nose now I didn't say it that bluntly I was very sweet and I was the epitome of just pastoral grace and tact here I'm a little more blunt and florid in my description but basically at the end of the day I had to tell him look you don't talk that way even when you get excited with me you don't go up here you get excited in a way consistent with your vocal cords now you've got to learn to do that in prayer I don't know whether you're doing it in private but in the prayer meeting and I can sense it's causing the people to tense up saying you know what in the world is this and the brother working at it has got it in hand recently I took him aside after a prayer meeting put my arm on his elbow and said brother I don't know if you've been consciously working on it but whatever that was that I had to address God's helped you to get it in hand your prayer was not only edifying in its content but in its verbal expression and in vocal expression and discouraged in this way this is what I mean
Reformation in Corporate Prayer: Not in Isolation
by idiosyncrasies things that would hinder the people from having their hearts just jump on the crest of the prayers that any given brother is praying on our behalf well then the last segment deals with practical guidelines for the effective reformation of an existing unbiblical pattern of corporate prayer you see the assumption of all that is preceded in today's lectures is that you're going into a situation where you are either having the primary and the initial pastoral privilege of setting the field of biblical thinking about corporate prayer or you are inheriting the fruit of someone else's labors in this area but now some of you may be placed in a situation where much reformation yet needs to be done and you can't go in from the outset and begin to implement all the principles that we've articulated today and I want to give you at least a working framework not an exhaustive table of all that should be done and I have these four words of counsel number one reformation in corporate prayer cannot be effected in isolation you see if there is not first of all a general attitude of submission to the word of God a conviction that the scriptures are the sufficient and only rule of faith and practice to be followed by you begin to lay on biblical data to reform a prayer meeting
before you've established the fact that the Bible must regulate all of life and all of conduct in the church and you're going to get nothing but flack and opposition and who knows you might get a pink slip and you'd be suffering for the truth yes but also in part for unwisely portioning out truth for which the people were not yet ready I have many things to say unto you Jesus but you're not ready you're not yet able to bear them the writer to Hebrews says I've got a lot more I'd like to say about Melchizedek and how he's related to Christ but I can't tell you that I've got to go back and lay some foundation blocks relay them so recognize that there must be the cumulative influence of your regular pulpit ministry the exemplary influence of your own prayers that the soil of radical fundamental reformation must be conditioned before you try to plant in it the soil of radical fundamental reformation the seeds of biblical teaching explicitly directed to the regulation of a God-honoring prayer meeting so recognize that principle reformation in corporate prayer cannot be affected in isolation secondly reformation in corporate prayer must be based upon the renewed understanding of your people don't reform before you instruct take people where they are and begin to instruct them and as instruction takes hold and the people begin to indicate
Reformation Based on Renewed Understanding and Leadership Unity
that they perceive a discrepancy between the instruction that they've embraced and the practice in which they are enmeshed now you know they're ready for reformation and I remember back to those early days that I alluded to on Wednesday when the prayer meeting was nothing but a litany of the walking wounded and I would be vexed in my soul and I didn't come in there and just go chopping things to pieces began to instruct and then people would come to me and say you know pastor in light of what we've seen in the word of God how come we're doing this I said that's a good question isn't it you think what we've learned from the preaching that's it yeah I mean if this is so how come this good question and then another comes and another comes now you know that people are being prepared by the instruction for practical expressions of reformation so don't reform before you instruct take them where they are begin to instruct them and when the truth is beginning to come back in their perceived discrepancy then you know it is time to begin to propose specific dimensions of reformation and here I commend to you the comments of Hoppin particularly pages 344 to 346 very very helpful with respect to this matter of indoctrinating your people with respect to these fundamental principles pertaining to prayer in general and to the corporate prayer
in particular third counsel reformation in corporate prayer ought to be initiated by the majority of the church leadership if you're in a situation where you inherit a typical structure where you're the pastor and you have deacons or you may have elders that lack in some biblical qualifications they didn't come into office by means of a careful scrutiny of 1st Timothy 3 and Titus 1 but nonetheless they are fundamentally guarded by the people who love the Lord you don't go in and throw them out of office and agitate you take them where they are and as you're taking that whole situation where it is then with that leadership you seek to instruct them so that when it comes time to make specific applications of the reforming implications of the truth you can say your recognized leaders are of one mind with me and immediately you see you've not only protected yourself but you've also under God created a framework where change is much more likely to be affected without the whole thing coming apart at the seams God willing on September 21st at that special congregational meeting I'm going to make some announcements of some very critical things pertaining to the life of Trinity Church and I'm going to be able to say all of your elected office bearers that is every elder and every deacon has verbally affirmed to my face
his power to protect you his commitment to this perspective now that's taken some time it's meant I've had to go sit in the deacons meeting and lay out the things that came out of our elders meeting two of the deacons were away one on a pastoral concern one on vacation it meant taking a couple of hours with one of them and the other one now that he's back I'm going to sit down for a couple of hours why do all of that so that when I stand and say to a man every elder every deacon is committed to this anyone who wants to buck is going to have to overturn the one man voice of the entire leadership now people might be cheeky enough to take a pot shot at one or two but they know to do that they better have some very compelling evidence from the word of God to overturn the direction that is being articulated now that takes time it takes patience but that's the burden of leadership that is wise and responsible and then fourthly reformation in corporate prayer ought to follow a pattern of correct priorities it ought to follow patiently patiently to follow a pattern of correct priorities and what do I mean by that well if you inherit a situation that's got a whole mass of irregularities you've got to line up what are the most crucial issues maybe in the prayer meeting you've got godly women who love God who pray biblically who wrestle with God don't go after the matter of proper male female expressions
Reformation Following Correct Priorities
right away there are more important things if the prayer meeting is taken up with long repetitive prayers inane prayers only the same people what are you going to go after first don't go after the fact that you believe that the women eventually ought to yield to the men it's stupid to go after that right away take the major issues first and pray that God will give you wisdom in setting out the priorities of godly reformation and then prayerfully and patiently labor for long term change now there'll be some purists who say oh you're a compromiser that's alright to his own master or servant stands are false and you've got to be free from the orthodoxy of other brethren who may look on in your situation you are seeking under God to administer the rule of Christ wisely and prayerfully for the glory of God and the good of those people
This transcript was generated by automated speech recognition and may contain errors. It is provided for study and reference only; the audio recording is the authoritative source.
Passages Expounded
This passage is expounded to establish the principle of unanimity ('symphony') in corporate prayer and the promise of Christ's presence.
This chapter is thoroughly expounded to demonstrate that edification is the goal of corporate prayer and that structure and order are essential, not antithetical, to the Spirit's work.
Texts Expounded
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