By Pastor Stephen Hess –
One of the things you will notice if you look at the Apostle Paul’s lists of spiritual gifts in the New Testament (Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:7-10, 27-31) is that he never mentions the gift of prayer. This is not because Paul thought prayer was unimportant, but because he didn’t believe it was a spiritual gift given only to certain Christians. When Paul talked about prayer, he assumed it was an essential spiritual activity for every Christian. This explains why Paul told Christians to pray steadfastly, at all times, and without ceasing (Eph. 6:18; Col. 4:2; 1 Thess. 5:17). For Paul, prayer is not merely an activity Christians do; it is our way of life.
This is modeled in the life and ministry of Jesus. A quick survey of the gospels reveals that prayer permeated everything Jesus did. He spent time in prayer before starting his morning (Mk. 1:35), during busy days of ministry (Lk. 5:16), and before making big decisions like choosing his apostles (Lk. 6:12). He spent time in prayer when he was faced with sad news like the death of John the Baptist (Matt. 14:13, 22-23) and when he was preparing to face his own death in the Garden of Gethsemane (Lk. 22:41-42).
We see a similar lifestyle of prayer when we examine the early church in the Book of Acts. The apostles spent days in prayer while they were waiting for the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14) and before choosing a new apostle to replace Judas (1:24). This devotion extended beyond the apostles to the entire church (Acts 5:42). The church prayed when appointing new elders and deacons (Acts 6:6; 14:23). When Peter was in prison, the church held an all-night prayer meeting (Acts 12:5, 12). Before sending off Paul and Barnabas, the church bathed them in prayer (Acts 13:3). It is not too much of an overstatement to say that the Book of Acts is basically a non-stop series of prayer meetings!
When we put this whole picture together, it becomes clear that prayer was not meant to be merely an activity but a way of life for Christians. Just as breathing is essential to physical life, prayer is essential to spiritual life. That is why on September 8th we are going to start a new 7-week sermon series called “Becoming a People of Prayer.” These sermons will examine what the Bible says about prayer so that we can learn how to make prayer our way of life.
During this series we will also offer two additional opportunities for you to grow in your prayer life—one for individual study and one for group study. For individual study, we will be making copies of Paul Miller’s book called A Praying Life available for purchase in the narthex. This wonderful book has helped thousands of Christians develop a vibrant prayer life full of joy and power. Paul Miller lays out a pattern for living in relationship with God and includes helpful habits and approaches to prayer that enable us to return to a childlike faith.
For group study, we will have several small groups going through a study called “Real Prayer” during the sermon series. These small groups will provide an opportunity to get connected in fellowship outside of Sunday morning with other people at Highview and dig deeper into what the Bible says about prayer. In the coming days there will be sign-up sheets available at church to join one of these groups.
I hope that you will join us and take advantage of these opportunities as we start the fall. Throughout the history of the church, big things have happened when God’s people get serious about prayer. I can’t wait to see what the Lord will do in our midst!