Prayer Meeting Poll

[justsam]

Does your church have a regularly scheduled prayer meeting?

God Bless You- Sam Smith

[EagerBeaver]

Every Saturday night at 8. Unfortunately I work during this time.

[justsam]

Uhhhhhh- what happened to the poll questions?

God Bless You- Sam Smith

[Pastor Gary]

"When the only tool you have is a hammer, then every problem begins to look like a nail."
—Abraham Maslow (1908–1970)

...or, to put a spiritual spin on that, if your Spiritual Gift is prayer and intercession, you tend to look upon those who don't spend hours agonizing in prayer as heathens. If, however, one has the Spiritual Gift of Hospitality, it gets tiresome to have that gift devalued and disparaged as fluff, when clearly “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”
1st Corinthians 12:4 (NIV)

So let the prayers pray, the huggers hug, the singers sing, the helpers help and let it all be done to the Glory of God.

[Pastor Gary]

Uhhhhhh- what happened to the poll questions?

God Bless You- Sam Smith

You set it up... I thought it was done in an attempt at satire!

[justsam]

"When the only tool you have is a hammer, then every problem begins to look like a nail."
—Abraham Maslow (1908–1970)

...or, to put a spiritual spin on that, if your Spiritual Gift is prayer and intercession, you tend to look upon those who don't spend hours agonizing in prayer as heathens. If, however, one has the Spiritual Gift of Hospitality, it gets tiresome to have that gift devalued and disparaged as fluff, when clearly “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”
1st Corinthians 12:4 (NIV)

So let the prayers pray, the huggers hug, the singers sing, the heloers help and let it all be done to the Glory of God.

Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. (Mat 9:37-38)

God Bless You- Sam Smith

[jinjer]

Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. (Mat 9:37-3

So, if everyone is interceeding for laboures, who then will be the labourers?!!

Jinjer

[crispfin]

Nada. Nope. No dice. Nein.

[justsam]

Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. (Mat 9:37-3

So, if everyone is interceeding for laboures, who then will be the labourers?!!

Jinjer

So your theory of why churches aren't growing is that there is too much prayer?

The men who have most fully illustrated Christ in their character, and have most powerfully affected the world for him, have been men who spent so much time with God as to make it a notable feature of their lives. Charles Simeon devoted the hours from four till eight in the morning to God. Mr. Wesley spent two hours daily in prayer. He began at four in the morning. Of him, one who knew him well wrote: "He thought prayer to be more his business than anything else, and I have seen him come out of his closet with a serenity of face next to shining." John Fletcher stained the walls of his room by the breath of his prayers. Sometimes he would pray all night; always, frequently, and with great earnestness. His whole life was a life of prayer. "I would not rise from my seat," he said, "without lifting my heart to God." His greeting to a friend was always: "Do I meet you praying?" Luther said: "If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day. I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer." He had a motto: "He that has prayed well has studied well."

Regarding John Hyde (known as praying Hyde):

John Hyde was an answer to prayer, and when in other years he prayed in India, God raised up scores of native workers in answer to his prayers. The Great Head of the Church has provided one method for securing laborers. He said, ""The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray . . ." (Matthew 9:37-38, NKJV).

God Bless You- Sam Smith

[Pastor Gary]

So your theory of why churches aren't growing is that there is too much prayer?

Sam, you side-stepped my point above, that prayer is your primary weapon-of-preference because it is apparently one of your primary Spiritual Gifts... therefore, you post proof-texts that emphasize prayer to the exclusion of other methods and leave the impression that all that touchy-feely practical stuff is just in the way of the REAL stuff.

If all the members of the body are functioning in their areas of giftedness, those who God designed to focus on prayer will do so, while those God created to serve will serve.

I hope I am not misreading you here. One might surmise from your post that you are suggesting all believers have the same emphasis and the same gifts.

[Daniel]

Every Friday evening at 7. Plus, our "regular prayer group" joins with other Christians in the city for the First Friday (of the month) city-wide prayer at the Prayer Center.

[paul]

Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest. (Mat 9:37-3

So, if everyone is interceding for laborers, who then will be the laborers?!!

Jinjer

Simple question..while you are praying for the laborers, God just might speak to you and say He is calling you to go.

[paul]

Our church has a full time (paid) Prayer leader who coordinates various prayer services throughout the week. Our life groups meet twice monthly and commit a portion of their service to prayer. Also every Sunday Morning a group committed to intercession meets one hour before service for prayer. This groups consist of around 20 people. Also in our new believers class we spend five weeks on the Power of Prayer with Dick Eastman.

[paul]

So your theory of why churches aren't growing is that there is too much prayer?

Sam, you side-stepped my point above, that prayer is your primary weapon-of-preference because it is apparently one of your primary Spiritual Gifts... therefore, you post proof-texts that emphasize prayer to the exclusion of other methods and leave the impression that all that touchy-feely practical stuff is just in the way of the REAL stuff.

If all the members of the body are functioning in their areas of giftedness, those who God designed to focus on prayer will do so, while those God created to serve will serve.

I hope I am not misreading you here. One might surmise from your post that you are suggesting all believers have the same emphasis and the same gifts.

Possibly a clarification is needed as to what constitutes a Spiritual Gift of Prayer ? and James saying pray ye one for another, or as Sam pointed out Praying for laborers ? One might draw from the above statement that Prayer is for a select called group and others need not concern themselves with it because they have other gifting.

[Full Quiver]

Prayer is for a select called group and others need not concern themselves with it because they have other gifting.

Almost appeared that way.