Be a Church of Prayer
(Acts 12:1-19)
Rev. Dave Chang
I. Prayer brings us together (v. 5)
Unity
Team-mentality
Perseverance
II. Prayer allows for the supernatural to happen (vv. 6-10)
Prayer calls upon the Spirit of God to do the work
Prayer allows the Spirit of God to determine the outcome
III. Prayer grows our faith (vv. 11-15)
Peter’s faith
Rhoda’s faith
Church’s faith
IV. Prayer leads to powerful testimonies (vv. 16-17)
Testimonies are meant to glorify God
Testimonies are meant to be shared
Testimonies are unique
V. Application
Being able to pray beyond just our personal needs and situations and for the church and the world is a sign of maturity in our prayer life. Are we willing to share prayer requests with one another, and to allow others to come pray alongside of us? Is our church a church that comes together to pray together?
If falling to our knees in prayer is not the first plan of action a church undertakes in a time of crisis, then it reveals that the church is depending on something or someone else other than God. How much time are we spending on our knees together versus trying to do the work on our own strength and by our own plans?
How has God grown our faith corporately as a church through answered prayers? Do we record them? Do we celebrate them? Are we even living our life in a way that allows God to grow our faith?