WITH ONE HEART & VOICE

a people who pray together

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” [Romans 15.5-6]

Should we pray together as a congregation, and if so, why? And how does that differ from the praying together which forms part of our Sunday worship?

Is there Scriptural warrant for a congregational ‘prayer meeting’, and if so what is it?

Where, for instance, would you take a person if they asked for the biblical rationale for a fellowship of God’s people gathering on a regular basis specifically to pray together?

There are a whole load of good and important questions around this theme of corporate prayer! Our hope is that it will prove both important and helpful for us to look at these questions together, through the Sunday morning series of studies and then in the context of our Community Groups.

The hardest thing – but perhaps the most important thing – may be for us deliberately to start in our thinking from a ‘blank canvas’: our past experience and our previous approaches are bound to inform our thinking, understandably so, but it will be important for us to ensure that they don’t prejudice our thinking.

We’ll aim to get to grips then, first, with the principles involved, and then try to discern together how these principles will be best worked out and expressed in practice here at this time.

Hopefully, our being able prayerfully to address these issues together in this way will help us come to a clear and common mind under God on this crucial matter as to His way forward for us here at this time.

“If My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then …”

Week beginning Sunday 23 October 2016: With One Heart And Voice 1

Week beginning Sunday 30 October 2016: With One Heart And Voice 2

Week beginning Sunday 6 November 2016: With One Heart And Voice 3

Week beginning Sunday 13 November 2016: With One Heart And Voice 4

Week beginning Sunday 20 November 2016: With One Heart And Voice 5

Week beginning Sunday 27 November 2016: With One Heart And Voice 6

Week beginning Sunday 4 December 2016: With One Heart And Voice 7

Week beginning Sunday 11 December 2016: With One Heart And Voice 8

The book of Acts records the story of the early church and the remarkable spread of the gospel, through the testimony of a small group of very ordinary people.

“[Jesus] said to them ..’you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you: and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’” [Acts 1.8]

The story is one of the floodgates of heaven being opened, and a great river of grace flowing across a dry and thirsty humanity – fulfilling in a wonderful way the Lord’s words through Isaiah –

“I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams.” [Is.44.3f]

The aim of our studies over these weeks is to learn together how those floodgates may be opened again in our own context; for our land today is similarly parched, and as thirsty as ever for the Lord Himself. We’ll hope to get, and then share, feedback from the different Community Groups, so that together we can hear what the Spirit is saying to us as a fellowship through His Word.

Perhaps the prayer which should be on all our hearts through these studies, therefore, is best expressed in the words of the following song, first penned some 30 years ago –

Lord, we long for You to move in power
There’s a hunger deep within our hearts
To see healing in our nation: send Your Spirit to revive us

Heal our nation, Heal our nation, Heal our nation
Pour out Your Spirit on this land

Lord we hear Your Spirit, coming closer
A mighty wave to break upon our land
Bringing justice, and forgiveness: God we cry to You, ‘Revive us’

Heal our nation, Heal our nation, Heal our nation
Pour out Your Spirit on this land.

Each week we will update the links below with the materials for the coming week.

w/b 15 August Opening The Floodgates 1

w/b 22 August Opening The Floodgates 2

w/b 29 August Opening The Floodgates 3

w/b 5 September Opening The Floodgates 4

w/b 12 September Opening The Floodgates 5

w/b 19 September Opening The Floodgates 6

w/b 26 September Opening The Floodgates 7

w/b 3 October Opening The Floodgates 8