9Marks has just released their latest eJournal. You can find a pdf version here or at the 9marks website. This volume pertains to prayer, specifically corporate prayer. We’re trying to become a praying church at CBC where I pastor, and I hope that your church body will too. This 9Marks eJournal will help to that end. There’s some gold here:
On the Use and Importance of Corporate Prayer- An Interview with Mark Dever
A Biblical Theology of Corporate Prayer
Recommendations for Improving Public Prayer
Corporate Aspects of the Lord’s Prayer
Thirty Two Principles for Public Prayer
Sample Corporate Prayers from December 2, 2007
Sample Corporate Prayers from December 9, 2007
Sample Sunday School Class — On Corporate Prayer From the Capitol Hill Baptist “Living as a Church” series
John Piper has some great sermons on prayer:
Pray Like This: Hallowed Be Your Name
This is a great book- “Prayer” by Ole Hallesby
See also D.A. Carson’s “A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers“
Bill Mounce ponders prayer here.
Also, each week at CBC we have a community prayer that is listed in our Sunday morning worship bulletin. Our desire is that each week we would collectively be praying this prayer for one another, the missionaries/ministries that we support, the youth and children at CBC, the other churches in Kaufman, etc.
Here are a few examples of our weekly community prayer:
Sometimes we take a prayer explicitly from a prayer of Scripture. For instance, 2nd Thessalonians 2:16-17 “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.”
Other weeks I adapt a prayer from a particular passage. Since we are beginning a study in the book of Colossians this coming Sunday, our community prayer will be adapted from Colossians 1:1-8
“May others hear of our faith in Christ Jesus and the love that we have for one another because of the hope laid up in Heaven for us. May the gospel continue to bear fruit and grow among us and around the world. And may we be faithful servants of others and continue to love one another in the Spirit.”
Many churches have done away with prayer meetings, and we are striving at CBC to truly be a church who prays. We have 3 prayer meetings so far. One on Monday mornings at 6:00 A.M., Wednesday evenings at 6:00 P.M. and we have dedicated one of our Sunday school classes to prayer at 9:30 A.M. Hopefully we’ll add more in the future for those who can’t attend these.
As the rapping theologian MC Hammer said, “We’ve got to pray just to make it today!”
Hiya.
Matthew 6:6 calls for prayer to be in private. The context is against the hypocritical aggrandizing prayer of Pharisees, but, “when you pray…” – the verse also seems to stand alone, saying that we should pray alone.
Why didn’t the disciples know how to pray (Lord, teach us to pray…)? Sure rabbis traditionally instructed their followers on how to pray, but weren’t the disciples holding regular prayer meetings with the Lord Himself, or did the Lord always go off on His own to pray, up until His High Priestly prayer?
John MacArthur of Reformed theology and diligent Bible study thinks public/corporate prayer is fine, if not required. Dave Hunt, an Arminian and campaining anti-cultist says prayer is to be private. (Dave wrote the wonderful “Death of a Guru” retitled “Escape into the Light”, and is the only ‘high-level’ teacher I know of who supports the private prayer view – what a surprise that he is Arminian!)
Personally, it seems to me that prayer should not be so limited to just the closet. However, every time I hear someone pray, in listening to them, they emblish, drone on, tell God what He already knows, pray about the wonderful study they have just given, and generally pray things for other people to hear. And I hear it from myself as well.
I’ve started to read this blog here and there, and appreciate what I’ve seen, what has been said about topics dealing with Bill Hybels (what do you know, prayer works!) and other offerings (RC Sproul video, discerning the real Gospel). What do you think on this prayer issue?
Thanks, In Jesus’ name.
Mac
Mac B,
Definitely prayer should be corporate and private. Jesus modeled private prayer but he also taught His disciples how to pray. Throughout the OT there are numerous examples of public prayers {the Psalms were prayers turned worship songs!}. And Paul goes out of his way to tell his readers exactly what he prays for them. Therefore, I don’t think you can defend a “private prayer only” view for prayer.
Thanks for reading and commenting!