Scripture of the Day:

Acts 21:5

“They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”

Group Prayer

When I first started to attend Full Gospel services, I was not used to this idea of everyone in the building praying out loud, some in other tongues, some in English, praying at the same time for about 5 minutes or more.  That just seemed weird to me.

Even when I was a Bible School, some instructors would come in and we would do this. I didn’t like it. Not at all.

But, I was at least willing to acknowledge that “I did not know everything” and, after all, I was at Bible school to learn, right?

I also understood that true Church was meant to be fashioned after the FIRST CHURCH – which was the Church in the Book of Acts.

In the Bible, it is called the “Law of first mention” and if the Church of Acts was the first church that the Holy Spirit set up after the ascension of Jesus and the Day of Pentecost, it must be how He wants it to operate  (despite man’s best attempts at doing otherwise).

So, I decided to study this out for myself. And when I did, I found this verse and others like it (Acts 2:1; 4:24: 16:25 and others) that showed me there was POWER in the unity of prayer like that! Praise God! I was onto something!

These scriptures referred to “THEY lifted their VOICES…”

This was not one man praying out loud and everyone else remaining silent…

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love my one on one time with the Lord in prayer. I tend to receive Wisdom and Inspiration on matters that I lift to Him in my private prayer time.

But there are times when we need to be united in prayer and everyone “lifting their voice in one accord.” Amen.

Another example is when Paul and Silas were praying while in prison. This scripture also references they were praying, out loud, together, at the same time. Amen! Don’t shout me down when I’m preaching good!  What happened?

An earthquake hit that opened every single door in that prison…but nobody escaped!  That was unheard of – back then and today! Amen!

But what else happened?

The jailers entire family was saved!  And don’t you know the reason none of the prisoners escaped? All of them were born again, too! They didn’t want to leave that prison because, for the first time in their lives – they were TRULY set free! Glory to God!

And, for further proof of that, Paul wrote a letter to the “Church of the Phillipians.” This was the church the jailer founded – with the prison inmates! Glory to God!

What else happened?  I’ll get more into this aspect tomorrow… but I want to zero in on one more thing as an example of the power of a united prayer – out loud in front of everyone – and how God responds…

The Bible says an earthquake occurred that opened the doors to the prison, right?

Did you ever notice there is no record in the Bible of an earthquake shaking anything else except the prison? Right where Paul and Silas were praying? How’s that for answered prayer?

Nobody except those who were praying received that kind of answer to their prayers!  I believe some of the prisoners, hearing Paul and Silas talking and then singing and praising God and praying out loud – I believe some of them joined in as well. This is what brought God on the scene! Amen!

If He did it for them, what does the Bible say, He will do it for you! For God is not a respecter of persons, Amen!  Glory to God.

So – YES – a united group prayer is important. It is effective. It does work. But, as with everything else, DO NOT make this a doctrine or a