Have We Misplaced the Role of Worship in the 21st Century Church?
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Let me share with you two examples of breakthroughs that happened because of prayer.
1. The Holy Spirit at Pentecost
“Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers” (Acts 1:12-14).
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:1-4).
Why did this happen? Because they were praying together.
2. Peter’s Escape from Prison
In Acts 12 Peter was put in prison by King Herod and his intention was to make a public spectacle of him. However, Herod was not aware of one fact that was happening, the church was praying.
“So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him” (Acts 12:5).
If you read the rest of the story, Peter was miraculously set free from prison, not because the church was worshipping, but because they were praying.
There are more I could cite but I think you get the point. Worship is powerful, but it should never replace individual prayer or the church praying together, because that is not what it was meant to do.
“And as he taught them, he said, ‘Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers’” (Mark 11:17).
My last point on this is to consider how Jesus described his house. He didn’t call it a house of worship even though that happens there. He didn’t call it a house of preaching and teaching, even though that happens there too. He called it a house of prayer. The defining characteristic of the house of the Lord is prayer. When you dig a little deeper, what truly causes breakthroughs and deliverance, healings, miracles, and everything else that can happen in the house of the Lord or in the life of a believer is a result of God’s people praying.
I would love the church to not just be a church of worshippers, but a church of prayers. I challenge you to use worship for what God intended, and not stop at worship but use it to go deeper into the place of prayer. I know when we get to that place, we will begin to see things happen that can only happen when God’s people pray.
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He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose, which helps readers understand how God leads them into his will, and the author of The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has released his first course, Bible Study Basics, to achieve that goal. To learn more about his ministry and resources, please visit clarencehaynes.com.