Acts of the Assembly: Praying I. Introduction A. In the New Testament we see examples of brethren assembling and engaging in various activities 1. These activities include singing, praying, the Lord's Supper, hearing a lesson, giving, and studying the Bible 2. Such, then, are the things we do as we assemble together with one another B. It is good for us, then, to spend some time examining the nature of these activities so that we can engage in them more properly and more profitably C. We have already examined singing, having seen that we are to sing songs to encourage, teach and admonish one another, and therefore must give all diligence to what we sing D. Let us continue, then, with praying E. Before we begin, let us keep two important truths in mind: 1. In the New Testament, "worship" is not limited to practices inside an assembly; the "assembly" and "worship" are never explicitly connected in the New Testament. Our lives of spiritual service-- being a living and holy sacrifice-- according to God's will represents our worship to God in spirit and in truth (Romans 12:1, John 4:20-24). Assembling with the saints is a part of that spiritual service, but not the sum of our worship to God 2. Likewise, we have seen from 1 Corinthians 14:12, 26 and Hebrews 10:24-25 that the purpose of what we do in the assembly is to edify and encourage one another-- everything we say regarding praying in the assembly must be considered in that light F. Having established such things, let us explore from the Scriptures the nature of praying in the assembly II. What is Prayer? A. It is good to begin by asking what exactly prayer is B. Prayer (Webster): In a general sense, the act of asking for a favor, and particularly with earnestness. 1. Prayer, then, is a petition 2. We can and do speak of "praying" before a court or another such institution when we desire them to do something for us 3. Nevertheless, prayer is most often understood in terms of making petitions of God C. Prayer is equated in many Scriptures (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:14-17) with "giving of thanks" 1. Thanking God for the innumerable blessings He has bestowed upon us is more than appropriate 2. Surely God does want to hear our troubles and wants us to ask things of Him, but a significant portion of our praying ought to be thanking Him for the great things He has done D. Prayer, then, is our means of communication with God 1. As Christians, those who desire to be the people of God, it would behoove us to constantly communicate with our God 2. While we can engage in numerous practices that bring us together in stronger association as Christians, can work diligently to avoid sin and to promote the truth for those who do not believe, prayer is the one practice by which we can have communication and direct association with God! 3. While God certainly knows what we need and what we want (Matthew 6:32), it is for our benefit-- physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual-- that He calls upon us to tell Him for ourselves 4. Who, then, is the bigger loser if you do not pray? Certainly not God-- you lose! E. It is natural, then, for prayer to be a part of our assembling together 1. In Colossians 3:17 and Ephesians 6:18 and many other passages, we as Christians are called upon to be in prayer at all times, giving thanks in everything we do to God the Father 2. As the assembly is part of our lives, so prayer is a part of the assembly 3. Let us see what the Scriptures say about prayer in the assembly III. Scriptures of Prayer in the Assembly A. Let us look at the Scriptures that address prayer specifically in the assembly B. 1 Corinthians 14:14-17 1. While the Spirit no longer gives the gift of speaking in tongues (1 Corinthians 13:8-10), there is much we can gain from this passage 2. Prayer here is spoken of in terms of "giving thanks" 3. We see that it was standard practice to say the word "Amen" as approval to a prayer in the assembly 4. The prayer is designed to be understood by all men present 5. The prayer is designed to give thanks to God and to encourage one another C. 1 Corinthians 11:24 1. Paul hearkens back to the example of Jesus instituting the Lord's Supper and how He gave thanks for the bread and the fruit of the vine 2. This prayer, then, was certainly a part of the observance of the Lord's Supper during the assembly (vv. 23-26) D. While never explicitly associated with the assembly, we can certainly see evidence that Paul's request for prayers by the brethren may have been done in an assembly (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:11, Romans 15:30, Colossians 4:2-3) E. We also see some examples of the assembly in prayer 1. Acts 2:42: the earliest Christians were devoting themselves to the prayers 2. Acts 14:23: prayer was a part of the institution of elders, likely in an assembly F. We can see, then, that there certainly was praying done in the assembly, including the giving of thanks to God leading to encouragement of the saints, giving of thanks for the Lord's Supper, and other prayers for specific events within the assembly and for the work of God to continue G. Assembly prayers and Individual prayers 1. As with all things in the assembly, the prayers offered in the assembly are all designed to encourage one another in the faith 2. There are plenty of verses in the Scriptures that indicate how the individual is to have a prayerful life (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, Colossians 3:17, James 5:13, etc.) 3. Prayer in the assembly was never meant to be the end-all and be-all of praying-- it is designed to encourage the assembly, to invoke God's blessing upon the assembly, and to thank God for what He has done for us 4. Therefore, the prayers of the assembly should be supplementing our prayer life as individuals-- if the only time you are in prayer is when we pray in the assembly, you do not really have any form of communication with God yourself! 5. Likewise, when praying in the assembly we must remember that the purpose of said praying is to thank God and to encourage the assembly, and there may be many things that could be prayed about that are more profitable to do as an individual H. Such, then, is the nature of prayer in the assembly 1. It is good for us to remember that prayer in the assembly is one individual directing the minds of everyone else in thanking and petitioning God 2. It is considered normative for people to "amen" a prayer-- to demonstrate vocal approval of that which has been said 3. We should recognize, then, that the one saying the prayer is no more or less praying than anyone else in the assembly! a. you may not be wording the prayer, but you are still praying! b. you are to approve the prayer if it meets your approval! c. how can you approve a prayer that you're not paying attention to? d. how can you be praying as one if some are praying on their own, others are distracted, etc.? e. let us all strive to participate in the prayers in the assembly! IV. What to Pray For? A. It is good to ask: for what things ought we pray in the assembly? B. Giving thanks to God 1. One of the principal things to do in prayer in the assembly, according to the Scriptures, is to give thanks to God 2. We can thank God for the innumerable physical and spiritual blessings He has given us 3. We can thank God specifically for the opportunity to assemble and for all the brethren assembled 4. The giving of thanks will remind everyone how much God has done for us and how indebted we are to God, leading hopefully to humble and encouraged hearts C. Showing Concern for One Another 1. Since a good part of prayer is encouragement, it is certainly good to pray for things that would encourage one another 2. One good way to do this is to pray for things that show concern for one another 3. We can pray for the ill of the congregation and of friends or family of members, for those who travel of the congregation, and so forth 4. We can pray for those who need spiritual help and who have asked for it, also (James 5:16-17) D. The Work of God 1. We can pray that the Gospel be spread and that God be with those doing so, as Paul requested prayers for himself and his work as we have already seen 2. God also charges us to pray for all men (1 Timothy 2:1-4), especially in authority, that we may have peace and that all may come to repentance E. These are but a few of the many things we can certainly pray for; God has never given us a particular exhaustive list of prayer topics 1. The prayer ought to encourage brethren 2. The prayer ought to be understandable so it can be approved V. Pitfalls of Prayer in the Assembly A. Having seen, then, the nature of prayer in the assembly and the types of things that we should pray for, we can explore some pitfalls of prayer in the assembly B. Pitfall #1: Prayers to Look Good Before Men: Matthew 6:5 1. When Jesus teaches on prayer before the disciples and other Jews, He chastises those who pray just to be seen as devout before men 2. "They have received their reward": men have seen them appear pious, but they have not gained any standing before God! 3. This is certainly something that we need to watch out for, particularly with prayer in the assembly 4. When one is called upon to lead a prayer in the assembly, one ought not think, "well, how am I going to say this to look good before the brethren?" 5. One ought to think, "how am I going to give thanks to God and encourage my brethren in prayer?" 6. Prayer in the assembly is our opportunity to come together in thought to praise God and to make requests of Him; it is not an opportunity for a brother to "show off" before others! C. Pitfall #2: Ritual Prayer 1. Another pitfall is turning prayer into a ritual 2. Consider the use (abuse) of the "Lord's Prayer" in Matthew 6:9-15 a. in many a denominational building today this prayer is being recited b. notice how Jesus says that we are to pray "like" this, and yet for millennia people just stand up and pray it mechanically c. many can still probably stand up and say it based on the repetition done in earlier days d. while it is not inherently wrong to recite a prayer, when all one does is stand up and repeat what everyone else is saying without putting any thought or meaning into it, it has become an empty ritual 3. Even though we may not treat the "Lord's Prayer" in this way, we do have a standard "church of Christ prayer" that is constantly uttered a. on the Internet there are some forwards that talk about how you know that you have gone to churches of Christ, and they talk about you know what "guide guard and direct us until the next appointed time" means and may the speaker have a "ready remembrance" of what he has studied and other such things b. these things resonate because we all tend to say similar things in our prayers in the assembly c. this is not really a bad thing; after all, let's face it-- assembly in, assembly out, the things for which we pray tend to be rather consistent! 4. Our concern must be to make sure that our prayers, even if covering the same topics week in and week out, do not become formal rituals where we simply repeat the same words without any real meaning: we must week in and week out truly mean what we are praying! a. we must truly desire God to "guide, guard, and protect us" b. we must truly desire God to strengthen the preacher c. we must truly be thanking God and truly desiring God to bestow whatever blessings we seek from Him! 5. Let us make sure that we are truly communicating with God and not just reciting an empty ritual! D. Pitfall #3: Not Really Communicating Directly to God in Prayer 1. Another pitfall to watch out for is using the opportunity given to pray to go beyond the realm of prayer 2. This is most consistently done either in terms of the lesson preached or the time to pray is taken as an opportunity to preach at the brethren 3. The pitfall involved here is that our prayer to God is our communication to God and should be addressed appropriately 4. There are other times provided to preach at the brethren! 5. Now, in terms of the lesson, if one so feels one can certainly ask God to assist the brethren in taking the message to heart or to apply it to their lives... 6. ...but using the moment of prayer to re-hash the lesson before the brethren is not really necessary: God was there and heard the message, and it may not be profitable to beat the message over the head of the brethren yet again 7. Let us continually remember that while prayer in the assembly is to encourage the brethren, it remains our giving of thanks and petitioning of God Almighty E. Let us avoid these pitfalls! VI. Conclusion A. We have examined the nature of prayer in the assembly B. We have seen that prayer is the means of communicating thanks and petitions to God, and we should be doing it at every opportunity, both as individuals and also in the assembly C. Our prayers in the assembly are not exactly as prayers we make as individuals, and prayer in the assembly should never replace individual prayer D. Likewise, when there is a prayer in the assembly, all those in the assembly are participating, whether they are speaking or having their minds directed in the prayer and giving assent through the saying of "Amen" E. Our prayers in the assembly are to thank God for what He has done for us and to encourage one another F. We ought to strive diligently to make sure that our prayers are not done to be heard by men, to be empty rituals, or to preach at the brethren: our prayers are to be meaningful communication with God for giving of thanks and for encouragement G. Let us strive to pray to God in the assembly to thank Him for the great things He has done and to encourage one another H. Songbook/invitation I. Prayer is certainly a valuable tool for those who believe-- we can talk with God! J. But prayer is the option of the believer, of the one whom God recognizes 1. 1 Peter 3:9-12 2. If you desire for God to hear your prayer and for Him to help you, you must be on His side and obey Him 3. If you have not yet done so, you have the opportunity to do so today 4. If you once obeyed God, but not have been obedient to Him, you can make your life right with God today 5. Or perhaps you would appreciate the encouragement of brethren through prayer: we can certainly accommodate that right now! K. However we can help you, please let us do so now; come to the front as we stand and sing