The Power of Collective Prayer

If you are a political conservative, the phrases “collective good” and “shared prosperity” are certain to raise red flags in your mind. These are code words for the redistribution of wealth, which ultimately equates to an assault on your wealth if you’re one of the fortunate that still has some. Candidate Obama’s “spread the wealth around” comment to Joe the Plumber during the 2008 presidential campaign was a harbinger of things to come for those who were paying attention.

In the spiritual realm, however, these phrases have a positive connotation for the local church and the body of Christ at large. Inasmuch as all believers are indwelt by the Spirit of God, they are, in a collective sense, a holy temple in the Lord and a habitation of God through the Spirit (Ephesians 2:21-22). The prosperity they share comes from God’s riches in glory by Christ Jesus, not from some finite earthly source. Our Lord therefore redistributes nothing, but rather distributes freely to his people from his own infinite resources. Even the poor of this world who believe in the Lord Jesus are considered rich because they are heirs of the kingdom (James 2:5).

One of the teachable moments in scripture is the ten-day preparation that preceded the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. What we learn from that waiting period is this: the church that immerses itself in the practice of collective prayer will be, at some point in time, the benefactor of heaven-sent Holy Ghost power!

A summation of that collective prayer activity is found in Acts 1:14: “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.” What we find here, as in other scriptures, is spiritual profundity wrapped in elegant simplicity! There are several attributes of this collective prayer meeting that are worthy of note.

The first is diversity. The phrase “these all” is comprehensive in scope, signifying all without exception and or distinction. No insiders or outsiders, no first-class or second-class believers. Is this not the beauty of the gospel? Is this not indicative of the equal footing established by the cross of Christ? On one end of the spectrum was Mary, the mother of Jesus--a woman renowned for her sexual purity, virgin conception, and unflinching loyalty to her Son’s ministry. On the other was Matthew, the former tax collector--a man despised for his corruption by the rank-and-file citizenry but transformed by the grace of Christ. So diverse in background was this band of believers!

The second is tenacity. The word “continued” is the Greek proskatereo, meaning “to be strong towards, to persevere.” It is a present participle, speaking of an ongoing action. A literal translation of the Greek is: “these all were the ones who were continuing (persevering).” This group was determined to maintain the prayer vigil until the Lord delivered the promised enduement of Spirit power (Luke 24:49). The continuance (persistence) exhibited in prayer before Pentecost spilled over into doctrine, fellowship, and daily meetings in the temple after the Spirit of God fell upon them (2:42, 46). Show me a man or woman tenacious in prayer, and I will show you an individual that loves to study the scriptures and meet together regularly with a local body of believers!

It should be noted that there is a direct relationship between persistency in prayer and the promises of God. If you and I find ourselves fainting in prayer, it is likely because we have relinquished our grip upon the promise that motivated us to pray in the first place. God’s promises are the foundation for our persistency, and his tenets the fuel for our tenacity!

The third is unity. The phrase “with one accord” signifies oneness of mind, soul and spirit. As with diversity, it is both because of what they had in common and in spite of the points at which they differed. The incentives that pulled these folks together were greater than the differences that might have pulled them apart! One could liken this to a service-oriented company where a “satisfy the customer” mandate becomes the overriding theme that pulls employees together at the expense of individual opinions and differences! Should not the mandate to win the lost and disciple the saved in the power of the Holy Spirit be enough to unite God's people?

The fourth is urgency. The phrase “in prayer and supplication” denotes the seriousness with which this embryonic group of disciples conducted its most sacred business! Prayer is the general word for an approach to God. Supplication is the Greek deesis, which speaks of an urgent need to be met. While prayer affirms that God is sufficiently worthy to warrant our humble approach, supplication affirms that he is sufficiently wealthy to meet our needs from his incalculable resources! And there is scarcely a more urgent need for the people of God at this hour than enduement with Spirit power for holiness of life and the bearing of spiritual fruit!

I agree with every pulpiteer through the centuries that has reminded us that no man or woman is greater than his or her prayer life! If that truth is applicable to the individual, it is certainly true for the local church. In these last days, may our Lord enable his churches to rediscover the power of collective prayer with similar result!

Reference:
The above message was copied from the following website: http://www.truthonfire.com/pen/recent/collective-power-of-prayer.asp
Don Roberts , emal: DRoberts47@aol.com