EFFECTING A CHANGE THROUGH PRAYER
“PETER WAS THEREFORE KEPT IN PRISON, BUT CONSTANT PRAYER WAS OFFERED TO GOD FOR HIM BY THE CHURCH.”
Acts 12:5 (NKJV)
In the present time the church talks more than praying. The problem or issue which supposed to be taken to God in prayer with oneness would rather be subjected to deliberation, and a committee appointed to see to it.
When Peter was arrested and to be executed by Herod, the church gathered to pray; they did not appoint a committee to go and talk to Herod and negotiate for his release (Acts 12:5).
In another occasion when Peter and John were threatened not to preach or teach in the name of Jesus, the Bible says they went to their companions and they prayed with one accord:
18 SO THEY CALLED THEM AND COMMANDED THEM NOT TO SPEAK AT ALL NOR TEACH IN THE NAME OF JESUS. 23 And being let go, THEY WENT TO THEIR OWN COMPANIONS AND REPORTED all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 SO WHEN THEY HEARD THAT, THEY RAISED THEIR VOICE TO GOD WITH ONE ACCORD . . . . 31 And when they had prayed, THE PLACE WHERE THEY WERE ASSEMBLED TOGETHER WAS SHAKEN; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness" (Acts 4:18,23,24,31 NKJV).
Today's church would rather talk than pray.
• The church would want to discuss, debate, analyse and deliberate but does not want to pray today.
• The church today wants to even fight and use force, carry weapons, to achieve their goals than to pray:
3 FOR THOUGH WE WALK IN THE FLESH, WE DO NOT WAR ACCORDING TO THE FLESH. 4 FOR THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE ARE NOT CARNAL [of the flesh] BUT MIGHTY IN GOD FOR PULLING DOWN STRONGHOLDS" (2 Corinthians 10:3-4 NKJV).
With the insecurity challenge in the world today, which believers are being persecuted because of their faith; I have heard some believers and preachers saying that it is high time for believers to also be carrying arms in order to fight and defend their faith. In fact, I heard some of such preachers saying that now is not the time to pray, that prayer would not be needed now, It is the time to carry arms—be equiped with weapons.
But, the Scripture does not teach that believers should carry arms, and the pattern is not found in the new testament Bible. What Jesus told the disciples was that If they were persecuted in one city they should flee to another and they would not have gone through the world before He comes: "WHEN THEY PERSECUTE YOU IN THIS CITY, FLEE TO ANOTHER. FOR ASSUREDLY, I SAY TO YOU, YOU WILL NOT HAVE GONE THROUGH THE CITIES OF ISRAEL BEFORE THE SON OF MAN COMES" (Matthew 10:23 NKJV).
In all the tribulations and challenges of Apostle Paul in his missionary journeys, and persecutions he faced from the Jews, his people; there is no record of where he attempted to carry arms to defend himself. Where the teaching of carrying arms by believers came from could not have been from God, the Holy Spirit or the Bible.
If in the believers, all the churches, in those nations where insecurity challenges are being faced or confronted by the believers would pray consistently; God would be touched and moved to do something about the situation.
Today's church likes or prefers to pray a fire-brigade prayer, having a fire-brigade approach to challenges at hand. If the church would obey the Scripture and pray for their nation and those who are in authority, those in government, a lot of things or challenges being confronted by the church, the believers, would be taken care of:
1 THEREFORE I EXHORT FIRST OF ALL THAT SUPPLICATIONS, PRAYERS, INTERCESSIONS, AND GIVING OF THANKS BE MADE FOR ALL MEN, 2 FOR KINGS AND ALL WHO ARE IN AUTHORITY, THAT WE MAY LEAD A QUIET AND PEACEABLE LIFE IN ALL GODLINESS AND REVERENCE" (1 Timothy 2:1,2 NKJV)
Now, in truth, How many pastors do lead their members to pray for their nation, in their weekly meetings? I doubt If there is any reasonable number of those who do it, but they do pray for their personal needs! Churches only pray for the nation when there is chaos or pandemonium or calamity in the land!
Anytime the people of God disembark from God’s pattern; calamity and sadness used to be the outcome. God does not want us to use the method of the world to achieve His purpose.
Anytime that anyone or a group of people, who supposed to be believers in Christ, resolved to use the pattern of the world to handle any difficult issue; failure is usually the outcome—because God's backing would not be received, and It always ended in disaster and failure.
Thus, the contemporary or modern believers should take their cue from the early church and learn how to take every matter to God in prayer and desists from using the pattern of the world (Acts 4:18-21; 12:5).
Apostle Paul enjoins:
17 AND TAKE THE HELMET OF SALVATION, AND THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, WHICH IS THE WORD OF GOD; 18 PRAYING ALWAYS WITH ALL PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION IN THE SPIRIT, BEING WATCHFUL TO THIS END WITH ALL PERSEVERANCE AND SUPPLICATION FOR ALL THE SAINTS” (Ephesians 6:17,18 NKJV).
Peace in Jesus name.