Title: How to Pray in the Corporate Prayer Meeting Meta: When praying in a corporate prayer meeting ask God to help you to forget everybody else. You’re not there to impress others with your praying. You’re not there to be eloquent as the Pharisees were. Your prayers don’t have to be fancy or perfect. Remember prayer is the expression of the heart to God so we need to learn to be free and to be ourselves. We need to learn to be specific in prayer. Tags: prayer meeting,corporate,church,body,believers,Acts 2 1 00:00:00,150 --> 00:00:02,633 Two most important factors, I think, 2 00:00:02,633 --> 00:00:03,881 in a group prayer meeting 3 00:00:03,881 --> 00:00:06,792 or a church prayer meeting is: 4 00:00:08,452 --> 00:00:09,770 Ask God to 5 00:00:09,770 --> 00:00:10,580 help you 6 00:00:10,580 --> 00:00:12,440 to forget everybody else. 7 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:16,352 You're not there to impress others with your praying. 8 00:00:16,352 --> 00:00:17,632 You're not there to 9 00:00:17,632 --> 00:00:19,583 be eloquent. 10 00:00:19,583 --> 00:00:22,638 Your prayers don't have to fancy or perfect. 11 00:00:22,638 --> 00:00:24,220 They don't have to be even 12 00:00:24,220 --> 00:00:25,810 theologically 13 00:00:25,810 --> 00:00:28,040 accurate the way you'd want them. 14 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:29,698 You know prayer is the 15 00:00:29,698 --> 00:00:32,228 expression of the heart to God. 16 00:00:32,228 --> 00:00:34,557 So we need to learn to be free. 17 00:00:34,557 --> 00:00:37,367 We need to learn to be ourself. 18 00:00:37,367 --> 00:00:39,118 We need to learn 19 00:00:39,118 --> 00:00:41,568 to target in prayer. 20 00:00:41,568 --> 00:00:44,098 You know maybe if we come to pray 21 00:00:44,098 --> 00:00:45,349 to a prayer meeting 22 00:00:45,349 --> 00:00:46,999 we ought to prepare 23 00:00:46,999 --> 00:00:48,439 and say, "You know 24 00:00:48,439 --> 00:00:50,602 I'm going to pray for two people tonight, 25 00:00:50,602 --> 00:00:52,240 or two specific things. 26 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:54,631 Or if there's prayer requests that come forth, 27 00:00:54,631 --> 00:00:56,060 I'm going to grab onto one of those 28 00:00:56,060 --> 00:00:57,240 or maybe two of them 29 00:00:57,240 --> 00:00:59,330 and I'm just going to target those. 30 00:00:59,330 --> 00:01:00,981 And I'm going to be specific. 31 00:01:00,981 --> 00:01:03,751 And I'm just going to beseech the LORD to work." 32 00:01:04,601 --> 00:01:09,159 If you have a group of ten Christians or thirty or fifty Christians, 33 00:01:09,159 --> 00:01:10,021 who are praying 34 00:01:10,021 --> 00:01:12,951 and you have a corporate time of prayer. 35 00:01:12,951 --> 00:01:14,193 If they'll pray that way. 36 00:01:14,193 --> 00:01:16,723 If they'll just get down to business. 37 00:01:16,723 --> 00:01:17,672 And 38 00:01:17,672 --> 00:01:19,402 one brother prays for 39 00:01:19,402 --> 00:01:21,242 this family that's in need. 40 00:01:21,242 --> 00:01:21,932 "Lord 41 00:01:21,932 --> 00:01:22,932 would you work in them. 42 00:01:22,932 --> 00:01:23,893 Here they are. 43 00:01:23,893 --> 00:01:25,464 You know their need. 44 00:01:25,464 --> 00:01:28,755 We're coming to ask you to do this for them." 45 00:01:28,755 --> 00:01:31,518 To maybe pray some Scripture if it's natural to do so. 46 00:01:31,518 --> 00:01:33,402 'Cause you know you're praying 47 00:01:33,402 --> 00:01:35,102 the mind of God when you do that. 48 00:01:35,102 --> 00:01:37,077 But specifically just go 49 00:01:37,077 --> 00:01:39,457 and make petition and request. 50 00:01:39,457 --> 00:01:42,478 And make your time brief. 51 00:01:42,478 --> 00:01:45,551 It'd be better to go shorter 52 00:01:45,551 --> 00:01:47,151 and be effectual. 53 00:01:47,151 --> 00:01:49,179 And you consider your brothers, 54 00:01:49,179 --> 00:01:51,309 you're giving others time to pray. 55 00:01:51,309 --> 00:01:52,550 And then later, 56 00:01:52,550 --> 00:01:53,601 if there's a lull 57 00:01:53,601 --> 00:01:55,415 and you can pray a second time 58 00:01:55,415 --> 00:01:56,991 then jump in there and do it. 59 00:01:56,991 --> 00:01:58,161 But I think if 60 00:01:58,161 --> 00:01:59,833 Christians together would 61 00:01:59,833 --> 00:02:02,634 forget about the self consciousness. 62 00:02:02,634 --> 00:02:04,810 Consider their brethren. 63 00:02:05,890 --> 00:02:08,553 To pray brief short prayers 64 00:02:08,553 --> 00:02:09,743 at times. 65 00:02:09,743 --> 00:02:11,713 And maybe if you get a real burden 66 00:02:11,713 --> 00:02:12,932 for something, 67 00:02:12,932 --> 00:02:13,864 you know, 68 00:02:13,864 --> 00:02:15,554 it'd be fine to pray for 69 00:02:15,554 --> 00:02:17,974 one or two minutes. 70 00:02:17,974 --> 00:02:20,339 But five minutes doesn't sound like a long time 71 00:02:20,339 --> 00:02:22,717 and it's not when you are praying alone. 72 00:02:22,717 --> 00:02:26,713 But if somebody prays for five minutes in a corporate prayer meeting, 73 00:02:26,713 --> 00:02:29,000 it can ruin the spirit of the prayer meeting. 74 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:31,370 'Cause they begin to dominate. 75 00:02:31,370 --> 00:02:32,370 And others 76 00:02:32,370 --> 00:02:34,462 can lose interest or they 77 00:02:34,462 --> 00:02:37,537 afterward they don't know what to pray, you know. 78 00:02:37,537 --> 00:02:38,537 So it's 79 00:02:38,537 --> 00:02:40,377 being sensitive 80 00:02:40,377 --> 00:02:41,270 about 81 00:02:41,270 --> 00:02:43,972 that you have brothers and sisters there 82 00:02:43,972 --> 00:02:46,600 that God wants to pray also 83 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:48,041 is really important. 84 00:02:48,041 --> 00:02:51,001 Don't let the prayer meeting ever be about your praying 85 00:02:51,001 --> 00:02:53,260 or how long you do it. 86 00:02:53,260 --> 00:02:54,400 Or eloquence 87 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:56,219 or fanciness. 88 00:02:56,219 --> 00:02:57,658 No. 89 00:02:57,658 --> 00:02:59,885 Just brevity, 90 00:02:59,885 --> 00:03:01,368 target 91 00:03:01,368 --> 00:03:02,368 and 92 00:03:02,368 --> 00:03:04,341 being real and honest. 93 00:03:04,341 --> 00:03:06,328 And learning 94 00:03:06,328 --> 00:03:08,458 that when you go to pray 95 00:03:08,458 --> 00:03:09,678 you can learn 96 00:03:09,678 --> 00:03:11,248 to discipline yourself 97 00:03:11,248 --> 00:03:13,877 and make yourself realize, 98 00:03:13,877 --> 00:03:15,940 "OK I'm going to pray now. 99 00:03:15,940 --> 00:03:17,968 I'm addressing God. 100 00:03:17,968 --> 00:03:20,108 I'm going to forget about everybody else 101 00:03:20,108 --> 00:03:21,659 and I'm just going to talk to the Lord 102 00:03:21,659 --> 00:03:23,677 and just be real." 103 00:03:23,677 --> 00:03:26,079 That's what makes for a good 104 00:03:26,079 --> 00:03:28,336 corporate prayer meeting.