The Need for Corporate Prayer
Jesus said ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’
If you ever crave pancakes at three a.m., there is at least one place you can go anytime day or night to get them: The International House of Pancakes. In most cities across America, the restaurants are open twenty-four hours a day. And you can rest assured that they will have pancakes—it says so right in their name. If you pulled up to IHOP to satisfy your craving, you would be rightfully frustrated and confused if they did not have any pancakes available. It would be nonsensical for a pancake house to fail to offer the item that is part of their very identity. Of course, IHOP has more than pancakes—they offer sandwiches, steaks, eggs, and all kinds of food. But their specialty is pancakes. If you want pancakes, they have you covered.
Where am I going with this? Listen to the statement that Jesus made in multiple Gospels:
‘My house shall be called a house of prayer.’ Matthew 21:13
We are a house of prayer. This is central to our identity as the church. This does not mean that prayer is the only thing that we do. Just as IHOP has a wide variety of food on their menu, churches should have a variety of ministries and activities. However, many churches do not even have prayer on the menu, so to speak. Yet Jesus said that prayer should be our specialty.
As Jesus looks across the landscape of western Christianity, how do you think He would describe His people? If He looked at how we prioritize our time, attention, resources, and energy, what would He call us? A house of what? A house of preaching? A house of community service? A house of evangelism? A house of pastoral care? A house of discipleship? A house of fellowship?
I can’t imagine He would call us a house of prayer. Yet He has declared that that is who we are, and that is who we will become. Our conversation with Him, our love for Him, our interaction with Him, the power that flows through us in intercession, our extravagant devotion to Him — these activities will be what Jesus and the world sees when they see the Christian church. Jesus has promised it, and He will have His way. The church will function as the house of prayer that we are.
Joy In The House of Prayer
Jesus quoted this prophecy from Isaiah while violently clearing out the Temple. For most of us, this is one of the most uncomfortable scenes in the life of Jesus. He fashioned a whip, turned over tables, and confronted the individuals who had altered the Temple from a place of worship into a place for personal profit. The Jewish “church” had become transactional and consumeristic, instead of a place for prayer and sacrifice. Jesus was unusually angry and confrontational, yet He did not sin. The jealous love of our Savior was on full display. He was passionate to have people who seek Him and worship Him with pure hearts. In a similar story in John 2 (some people say it is the same story), Jesus confronted those in the Temple again. His disciples, observing the fervor of Jesus, quote Psalm 69:9: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” John 2:17 Zeal for what house consumed Jesus? The house of prayer. The church. This is what burns in His heart for us.
To step into our identity as Jesus’s house of prayer, we have to stop viewing prayer as only individualistic. Corporate prayer must become a normal part of our rhythms and routines. Whether it be groups of friends, small groups, campus ministries, or prayer rooms, it is time to engage God together.
The idea of praying with others may feel awkward or boring to you. Praying out loud in front of other people might seem intimidating. Maybe you have never attended a prayer meeting that was refreshing, energizing, and powerful. I have been to some awkward and boring prayer meetings, so I understand the hesitancy.
However, God is not boring. In His presence there is “fullness of joy” Psalm 16:11. Remember that God promised in Isaiah 56:7 to make us joyful in the house of prayer.If we can learn to pray together in God’s presence, with worship at the center, we will experience deeper joy in our prayer lives. Jesus’s incredible promise means that we can come together with other believers, seek God in prayer, and enjoy ourselves. It is possible! Let us press into that joy together.
Corporate Prayer in Acts
The apostles and early followers of Jesus evidently understood Jesus’s desire was for them to be praying together regularly. Corporate prayer is a major theme in the book of Acts.
After Jesus’ ascension, the apostles first activity was gathering to pray until Pentecost (Acts 1:14)
Prayer continued to be one of the primary activities at church gatherings after Pentecost (Acts 2:42)
The Jewish believers continued to go to the temple to pray together to Yahweh (Acts 3:1, 22:17)
The church gathered to pray in response to persecution and were baptized in fresh power and boldness to minister to others (Acts 4:23-31)
The apostles found themselves distracted by feeding the poor, so they delegated some of their ministry responsibilities and returned to prayer and God’s Word as their primary ministry work (Acts 6:4)
The church united in a home to offer “constant prayer” for Peter together (Acts 12:5, 12)
The church gathered to minister to God in Antioch with worship, prayer and fasting (Acts 13:1-3)
There was a well-known “place of prayer” near the river (Acts 16:13,16)
Paul and Silas were stuck in jail so they reverted to what they knew to do — they worshiped and prayed (Acts 16:25-34)
Paul gathered with the church at Ephesus and Tyre to pray (Acts 20:36, 21:5)
A culture of prayer permeates the book of Acts, and nearly every reference is related to the church praying together. Jesus taught His disciples to engage in corporate prayer. He identified His people as a house of prayer. The early church prayed together in regular, frequent rhythms. And as Christianity spread, the apostles continued to urge the churches, through their letters, to be faithful in corporate prayer.
Prayer In The New Testament Epistles
As you read the verses below, I want you to understand how they would have been received. These church communities would have been hearing instructions to them as a group. They would understand these calls to prayer as a call to corporate prayer.
Paul asked the Romans to “strive together with me in prayers” Romans 15:13. He was giving them a corporate intercessory prayer assignment.
In his teaching to the Corinthian church about orderly church gatherings, he tells them to “pray with the spirit, and…pray with the understanding” 1 Corinthians 14:15. Praying in their native language and “with the spirit” (Chapter 11 “Enjoying Prayer”) were both to be normal parts of the church’s activity together.
He urges the Church at Ephesus to be “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints”Ephesians 6:18.
To the believers in Phillipi he says “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” Philippians 4:16.
The Colossians were also taught to pray:”Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving” Colossians 4:2.
Likewise, the apostle James encouraged the communities of Jewish believers in corporate prayer: “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray… confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” James 5:3-16.
Peter’s letters to the churches in Asia Minor follow the same pattern. He says, “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.” 1 Peter 4:7
Not surprisingly, the apostle John tells a group of churches “that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” 1 John 5:14-15
Nearly every New Testament book commands the church to pray, and nearly every reference is to be understood corporately. Even Jesus Himself taught us to pray together. The Lord’s prayer begins with “Our Father” not “My Father.” Because we are called to pray together.
Confronting Individualism
To shift your mindset and embrace corporate prayer, you have to let go of the individualistic approach to Christianity that is so common in the west. The idea that following Jesus is something you can do on your own is not a biblical concept. Yes, you must have a personal faith and individual relationship with God. It is true you must choose, on your own, to trust Christ or not. However, when you choose to follow Him, you are choosing to do so as part of the body of Christ. Just as a spouse marries into their spouse’s family, you marry into the church — crazy uncles included!
When you read the New Testament, it is vital not to interpret everything as if it is applying to you individually. When Paul was writing letters to the churches, he was writing to the congregations, not to individuals. The instructions and encouragements were to be embraced corporately by the community. The local churches heard God’s word to them through Paul and had to work out obedience together. This puts an entirely different spin on so many verses that we try to fulfill on our own.
For instance, when Paul encourages the believers at Thessalonica to “pray without ceasing,” 1 Thessalonians 5:17. he is not primarily telling each individual believer to pray constantly. Some people have taken the command to pray ceaselessly to mean that each of us should try to be aware of God’s presence throughout our day, to pray sporadically as we go along, and to abide in Christ in our hearts as much as possible. That is great! Brother Lawrence called this “practicing the presence” of God (See The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence). However, Paul is also encouraging the church to pray all the time collectively. And even a small local church could fulfill this command literally if members of the church took shifts to pray around the clock.