7.

PRAYING YOUR CHURCH TO ITS POTENTIAL

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one.
John 17: 20-21

"Church members have much more to do than go to church as curious idle spectators, to be amused and entertained. It is their business to pray mightily that the Holy Ghost will clothe the preacher with power and make his words like dynamite" [A.M. Hills.]

What an incredible impact a church can make when its people pray! That is what made the difference during the years I was the pastor at Skyline Church. It made the services powerful, it caused me to receive an anointing, and it enabled the church to give and receive incredible blessings.

Have you thought much about the potential of your church?...Paul said God's intention is to use the church to show His wisdom to everyone in heaven and on earth according to His purpose (Ephesians 3:9-11). How is your church taking part in that design?

THE POTENTIAL TO REACH THE WORLD

There is nothing in this world that has as much potential to be an instrument of change as the church. Theologian and teacher Dr. Paul Tillich once said:

The church is potentially a powerful body with a necessary arsenal at its disposal to change the moral character of this world. The fact that it is not doing so causes us to be painfully aware that its potential is not being realized. That which is possible is not being produced, for while possessing the dynamite of the Gospel, the church has lost its detonator (explosiveness). As a result of this inaction, the church that the world sees is weak, timid, divided, and crawling instead of flying. While it has material resources to convert the world, it is restricted by its stinginess and narrowness of vision.

The "detonator" that churches lack is prayer. It has the power to ignite the dynamite of the gospel and powerfully shake the world!

WHAT JESUS WANTS FOR THE CHURCH

Jesus challenges the church with a clear direction for shaking and changing the world when He gave the Great Commission: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:19-20). But even before He did that, He prayed a special prayer for all believers, which includes us who today make up His church. In the hours before His crucifixion, He prayed the following:

I pray for them [the disciples]. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours...

I am coming to you, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them...Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent the into the world...

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message [that's us!], that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. I have given them the glory that you gave me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world
(John 17:9-24).

Jesus' prayer for the church is an excellent model for us to follow when we pray for the church. He spoke with confidence, knowing His time had come, but secure in the knowledge that what He began on earth would be continued through His body of believers--the church. What He desired for the church can be summarized as five prayer requests:

  1. That People Would Sense the Glory of God
  2. Jesus said, "I have given them the glory that you gave me" (John 17:22). The word glory in the Greek comes from the word doxa meaning the visible manifestation of the splendor, power, and radiance of God. So when Jesus prays these words, His desire is that His people continually feel and sense the splendor, power, and radiance of God in their midst.
  3. Whenever God's presence comes down within the church, it lifts up the people spiritually. And that's when great things begin to happen. For example, I rededicated my life to Christ and answered the call to preach at age seventeen during a seven-week revival at our church in Circleville, Ohio. The revival wasn't something that had been planned--it just happened because God came. While I was worshipping, I saw the joy and glory of the Lord in my parents' faces and I felt drawn to God in a way I had never felt before. I just had to give my life to Him.
    Howard Hendricks once said, "The church doesn't need more workers; it needs more worshipers!" True worship is incredible; it's the highest experience possible for Christians. Too many Christians arrive at worship services preoccupied by their problems or focussed on what they can get from the service instead of what they can give to it. But when the people focus on God and give Him glory, He comes and makes the church a place of power. When a church really worships, when its people really seek to please God and have fellowship with Him and other believers, it draws nonbelievers like a magnet. In such a church, the glory of God is revealed.
    The real value of any church is not the facility, the pastor, or the programs. It's not even the people. Churches have value because Jesus is in them. He brings beauty and power with His presence.
  4. That We Would Follow the Word of God
  5. Jesus also prayed that we would become followers of the Word of God. He said, "For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them" (John 17:8). When the disciples received the words of Jesus, it gave their lives meaning, motivation, and a mission. That's what Jesus desired for His disciples then, and that's what He desires for us today.
    When the people in a church are continually studying and learning Scripture, they begin to change. As they realize that the Bible is eternal, relevant, and full of vitality, their lives take on new meaning. Their values change. And they become motivated to grow, change, and become obedient to God and His purpose for the church...
    ...Isaiah 55:11 says, "My word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." That is always true. We may not always personally see the results of God's Word but it always achieves its purpose.
  6. That We Would Be United in the Love of God

Jesus prayed for all believers to be unified through love. That's because spirit-filled Christians, united in love and guided by a purpose they truly believe in, can do anything. They can shake the very gates of hell. But churches are nearly powerless when they aren't unified. They can't take care of their own people, and they can't be an effective witness to people in the community.

Promise Keepers has been an incredible instrument of God for promoting unity, both within the local church and among churches of every denomination. As a result men have been supporting and praying for their pastors and churches, bridges have been built between denominations, and racial and cultural barriers are slowly being broken down.

On February 13-15, 1996, I had the privilege of speaking at the first Promise Keepers Clergy Conference for Men in Atlanta, Georgia. Over 42,000 pastors from nearly every denomination and culture came from around the country to meet together in the Georgia Dome...My friend Max Lucado, a gifted author and pastor, preached what will probably be remembered as the sermon of the century, calling for unity among churches. The whole experience was a glimpse of what our world could be like if only we were truly united through the love of God.

That We Would Experience the Joy of God

Jesus said that He wants us to have His full measure of joy (John 17:13). What gives a body of believers joy? Obedience to God in the things Jesus talked about gives joy: giving God glory, following His Word, being united in love, and carrying out His mission.

Adoniram Judson, a nineteenth-century missionary, was known for his joy in the Lord. He went to Burma as a missionary in 1812, filled with God's Spirit and a great desire to preach the gospel. It's said that soon after he arrived, he approached a Burmese man, and not knowing the language, simply embraced him. The man went home and reported to his family that he had seen an angel. The joy of Christ was so radiant in Judson's countenance that men called him "Mr. Glory-Face." That's the kind of joy God wants us to experience--and to exhibit to others.

HOW CAN I PRAY FOR THE CHURCH?

You can transform your church and help it reach its potential through prayer. My prayer partners have done it with me, and you can do it too. Here are some ways for you to get started:

1. Pray Continually

Paul's advice to preach in Thessalonica is also good advice for us today. He said, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thess. 5:16-17). If we want the church to reach its potential and accomplish its purpose, we need to pray for it all the time.

...Mike Mullert, used to put a quarter in his shoe. Every time he felt it, he'd pray for the church and me. There's really no limit to the things you can do to remind yourself to pray.

2. Pray Strategically

Begin praying for the people and activities of the church. Pray for anointing for the pastor, for people to come to Christ at each service, for newcomers to be drawn to special events, for relationships to grow, for power as people pray at Wednesday night prayer meeting, for children to be saved in Sunday school. Be aware of all the events and activities occurring in your church, then pray for them to succeed.

3. Pray Geographically

I believe there is great value in physically moving to the places where ministry takes place in the church and praying for the people who will be ministered to there. When I was still in the pastorate, some days I used to walk around the church, asking the Lord to just cover each area. For example, many times I went into the nursery and spent some time laying hands on the cribs and baby beds, praying for God to raise up some giants for the kingdom from the children in the church. Maybe the next Billy Graham would be playing in one of those cribs the next week. And each Sunday before the services, may prayer partners used to lay their hands on all the pews in the church, asking God to do something special for the people who would be sitting there that day.

God honors our prayers whether or not we pray geographically. But I think it helps us when we do because we gain a better understanding of what to pray for and how to pray.

4. Pray Powerfully

If you want to pray effectively for your church, pray with power. There are two ways to do that. First, be filled with the Holy Spirit so that you have the power of God within you. Second, pray according to God's Word. When you pray for the church, use Jesus' prayer as the model and pray for the following:

PRAY FOR BELIEVERS TO EXPERIENCE TRUE WORSHIP.

PRAY THAT BELIEVERS WILL KNOW, ACCEPT, AND OBEY THE WORD OF GOD.

PRAY FOR UNITY IN THE CHURCH.

PRAY FOR SOULS TO BE WON TO CHRIST.

PRAY FOR JOY IN THE HEARTS AND LIVES OF BELIEVERS.

When you begin praying for your church, awesome things will start to happen. Let me tell you the story of a friend of mine, a layman named Doug Bennet who lives in Michigan. In 1987, Doug and his pastor attended a conference where I spoke called "Breaking the 200 barrier." One of the things I talked about was the prayer partner ministry at Skyline and how it was responsible for the successes that we had experienced.

I didn't know Doug back then, but he later told me that he left that seminar convicted. He felt called to intercede for his pastor and the church, and he committed to praying for their little church of sixty for an hour every Sunday before the service began.

Doug was incredibly excited about praying, but his enthusiasm fell on deaf ears. When he approached his pastor about becoming his personal prayer partner, the pastor wasn't interested. When Doug's fellow board members found out about his prayer time, their response was, "That's nice. Just don't expect us to come to church early to pray." Doug refused to be discouraged; he continued praying. When his old pastor left the church, and a new one took his place, Doug received renewed hope. But when asked about starting a prayer partner ministry, the new pastor said, "We have a prayer meeting on Wednesday nights, and five or six people always come. That's enough."

So Doug continued praying alone. From May 1987 to July 1991, he went to the sanctuary alone every Sunday and prayed for his church and pastor. He had hung on for a long time, but he finally began to have doubts.

"God," he asked while praying one Sunday morning, "can one person really make a difference? Or am I just the biggest fool in this place?" He struggled with that question for two weeks. And finally, God gave him an answer. It was time to move on to another church, but Doug didn't know where.

Doug and his wife, Sherry, left their old church on good terms, and began searching for the new place where God was sending them. A few months later they found it, and in January of 1992, they became members. That's when Doug began asking God what his role would be in this new setting. Very clearly, he got the word: He was to intercede for this pastor and his church. He was to be this pastor's "Bill Klassen"--his personal prayer partner and intercessor.

Doug immediately made an appointment with his pastor, Bill Rudd. When they met, Doug told him, "Pastor, I know you don't really know me. But God brought me here to be your personal intercessor and to surround you with prayer partners."

Bill Rudd's eyes got big, and Doug could see that he almost fell out of his chair. "Wait right here," he said. He got up hurriedly and retrieved something from a nearby file cabinet. "This is last year's annual report. I just wrote it in December. Take a look at this entry on page three," he said. Doug looked at what he had written as one of his goals for 1992. It said, "I am asking God to recruit a band of 'PASTOR'S PRAYER PARTNERS.'"

Then it was Doug's turn to nearly fall out of his chair. For four years God had been preparing and equipping him to come to this pastor's aid.

For the next seven months, the two of them met weekly to pray together. Doug interceded for Bill, and he also started praying for God to bring them forty-eight prayer partners. Then in September of that year, they held a one-day retreat to get a prayer partner ministry going. Seventy-five men showed up at that retreat, and when the retreat was over, they asked for the men who were interested to sign a commitment card to pray for Bill and the church for the coming year. When Doug counted the responses, there were exactly forty-eight.

That was the year their church turned around. Before they started their prayer partner ministry, their church had plateaued at about five hundred people. But as soon as their prayer partners began praying, the church started growing. In the next three and a half years, the church tripled in size, from five hundred to about fifteen hundred. In addition, the church is now in a better position financially than at any other time in its eighty-year history. Lay ministry has also grown and strengthened.

Doug and Bill attribute all the positive changes they've experienced in their church to prayer. And other churches, seeing and hearing about their success, have asked Doug and Bill to help them start prayer partner ministries. So far, they've helped over one hundred churches!

Doug Bennet's prayers are being answered. And as a result, his church has been blessed. Every day it is growing toward its potential. And the same thing can happen in your church. When you start praying, God begins moving. And miracles can happen when you get a whole team of people praying. How to do that is the subject of the next chapter.