Lesson 15. “Effective Prayer” School. Author Mary Alice Islayb shared about the power of group prayer.
The Early Church was born on the Day of Pentecost, when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other tongues. This was literally the birth of a praying Church! They prayed first and foremost. And the spirit of prayer that came upon them and filled them became central to every aspect of life in the Early Church.
The first believers not only began to pray, but the Bible says they continued praying every day (Acts 2:42). The entire Book of Acts describes the extraordinary life and organization of the Early Church. Both local and wider churches can learn much from it today.
Just as Jesus continually abides in prayer, so the Body of Christ, His Church, must continually pray until His return to earth in order to be strong!
Before discussing the principles of praying together, I want to explain what kind of prayer I mean when I speak about group prayer. I am convinced that the Lord intends to accomplish something powerful through churches at this time. Therefore, I will be speaking about prayer in a small church.
I realize that there are certain powerful groups outside the church as well. Some prayer groups meet at evangelistic services (though such groups are rare). This is good provided that a representative of the ministry, entrusted with authority and responsibility for the group's activities, is present.
Through my own experience, I have become convinced that groups outside biblical organization, as well as some associations of local churches and pastors, are weak and easy targets. The devil attacks them with fleshly and spiritual problems that they do not address with the necessary strength.
The main aspect of praying together, which is what group prayer actually consists of, is the way the Early Church prayed. We can read about this in the Book of Acts—our guide to group prayer. We see that the greatest and best work was accomplished by the full church fellowship, not merely by a small, specialized group.
It would be foolish to decide that we do not need small groups that would pray in the church, but first and foremost, corporate prayer in the Church is when the united Church prays.
The power and privilege of prayer have been given to the Church as a whole, not only to the pastor or intercessors. Jesus wants everyone in your local church to be a mighty prayer warrior! The Early Church gathered all the believers, and they prayed together (Acts 2:42, 44).
The Church Has Keys
The Lord has given small, separate churches of believers the greatest authority in the spiritual realm.
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it; And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Matthew 16:18–19
Jesus says here that He gave His keys to the Church. And the more believers in churches pray together, the better. In our time, the Church must hold on with all its strength to the keys Jesus gave. Then whatever the Church binds on earth will be bound in heaven as well.
Mighty power is released when the entire church prays together for a period of time during a gathering. Of course, there has been opposition to this in the past, because the devil became uneasy at the thought that 50, 200, 500, 1,000, 2,000… believers could gather together and pray powerfully!
For this to happen, we must change our way of thinking. This will essentially be a new way of thinking for you, but I am convinced that the Lord wants to perform a miracle in your church by developing a strong Body in prayer among men, women, boys, and girls. Then various small groups will emerge from the Body.
One example of corporate prayer is described in Acts 4:23–31:
After they were released, they went to their own people and reported everything the chief priests and elders had said to them.
When they heard this, they raised their voices together to God and said: Sovereign Lord, You made heaven and earth and the sea and everything in them!
By the mouth of our father David, Your servant, You said through the Holy Spirit: “Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Christ.”
Indeed, Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, gathered in this city against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed,
to do what Your hand and Your purpose had predestined to take place;
And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant Your servants complete boldness to speak Your Word,
while You stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”
And when they had prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God with boldness.
Unity in Prayer
In these verses, we find the key to the success of prayer groups. It says, “They raised their voices to the Lord in one accord.” They were all together, in unity. This unity, this oneness, is the key to group prayer. In group prayer, no one is on their own, going their separate way, but everyone is united with the others.
Group prayer is when there is one mind, one spirit, one direction, one purpose, one heart. This is what true unity is—not a soulish unity, but one created by the Holy Spirit. For prayer to be effective, this unity must be developed in the group during the time set aside for prayer. To carry out what the Bible says, praying together is simply vital.
At the school of prayer, I constantly guide and require intercessors to practice the discipline of being united in prayer. When one person, for example, is praying for their grandmother, someone at the other end of the room is trying not to fall asleep, someone else is thinking about the time or lunch, while in the middle of the room someone is groaning, weeping, and struggling in prayer for a perishing world—there will be no effect!
We must be united—in unity, with one mind, one spirit, one accord. Sometimes we pray while thinking about our own concerns. But we must all pray about the same thing, in the same direction. This is what made prayer in the Early Church so powerful.
Nor should we overlook the fact that they cried out loudly to God. They were not embarrassed or afraid to pray. They did not pray in whispers or silently. There comes a time when we must stand before God. Weak, gentle prayer was not the practice of the Early Church; on the contrary, prayer was intense!
For example, when Peter was in prison, “the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” The word “earnestly” means “continually, fervently, sincerely.”
And, of course, it was not dry or boring. Together, the believers prayed energetically, crying out to the Lord!
Components of Unity
Several components are necessary for strong unity. First, they were united in mind. In other words, they were thinking alike about the same thing.
They pushed their own thoughts aside—sometimes this is necessary for prayer, because personal thoughts can interfere. And you will not be able to think about what you are praying for.
You must lock your thoughts away, enter into the Spirit, and focus all your attention on what you are praying for. Make your mind concentrate! Power comes when we are united in our thoughts!
When there is unity of mind, there is knowledge and understanding of what is being prayed for. Be careful to avoid the “just praying” syndrome. It can make the group passive and the prayers monotonous.
Second, they had one purpose. They made one decision: “We are here to overcome resistance and work for the Lord.” They were there to pray. The purpose of a prayer group is to pray. They did not come for a church service or for their own reputation, but to meet with the Lord and pray!
You come to a prayer meeting not to teach, talk, gossip, drink coffee, or minister to everyone present. You came to pray! This is the decision each group member must make individually: “I came to pray!”
Your flesh can play a trick on you and take up your prayer time if you have not made that decision. You must make the responsible choice not to sing or do anything else during this time except pray. Give yourself to the Holy Spirit and work for God in the spiritual realm.
Remember that prayer should not be based simply on good feelings. Feelings are a manifestation of the flesh. Prayer is not based on how we feel about prayer.
We must be led by the Holy Spirit, pray in faith, and flow in the move of the Spirit. No matter how we feel, we are here to pray. When this is everyone’s goal, it keeps the whole group in true fellowship, in unity.
They were also united in revelation. The Bible says that without “revelation from above, the people are unrestrained,” or go astray (Prov. 29:18). Revelation gives you purpose and direction. If you know what the Lord has said, you know where you are going.
When everyone in the group sets aside their own ideas and revelations, and all unite in one revelation—whether it is a revelation about the church or about ministry—power is released that the devil hates and God delights in! When everyone is united in heart and joined together by God’s purposes—by what the Lord has said, expecting the church to do its part—that gives power!
But they were united not only in mind, purpose, and revelation, but also in spirit. Remember what is said in Acts 4:23? The disciples “went to their own people.” They went to those with whom they shared a covenant, who prayed, thought, and believed as they did.
Being united in spirit is vital if a group wants to pray effectively and see results pleasing to the Lord. You must find people who have the same spiritual attitude and perception as you. Find those who share your convictions, those with the same heart—and pray together!
Concentrate on Prayer
They were also united in their prayer request. They prayed for one thing, in one direction. When we pray together, everyone needs to know what is being prayed for and follow the same direction or prayer request. The Holy Spirit may inspire people to pray different prayers concerning one area, but we will all be moving in the same direction.
For example, the leader says, “Let’s pray for Czechoslovakia,” and within the group someone begins praying for peace in Czechoslovakia, while someone else prays for something different, and so on. Although each prayer concerns different aspects, everyone is praying for the same thing—Czechoslovakia.
When everyone knows what the group should pray for, it focuses their attention on it. You can pray with the leader first and then pray independently about something specific. The leader should determine the prayer topics and main aspects. Usually, we do not want to limit the Holy Spirit in what He wants to pray through us, but He works with us and will honor our faith. We can decide what to pray for.
I usually ask the Holy Spirit, “What do You want us to pray about today?” Or I name a specific need that the whole group should definitely pray about in the Spirit. A specific topic helps us focus more deeply in prayer.
Sometimes I say, “Let’s pray and find out what the Holy Spirit wants us to pray about.” This should not be done often, as the effect can be rather weak, but sometimes it can be very powerful. Usually, I decide what we will pray about today. Let the Holy Spirit lead you in choosing a topic; He will tell you what to pray about today and confirm your decision.
How do we pray?
You may ask, “How often do you pray about a particular topic?” It depends on what you are praying about. In some cases, only once; sometimes it becomes an entire project—it involves the whole church or ministry, various aspects, pastors, and so on—and you pray about the same thing again and again.
Remember, you do not pray intercessory prayer only once; you do it repeatedly to bring about God's will for the person or situation you are praying for.
First, you can pray for them based on Scripture; then pray about what is on your heart, following the Holy Spirit; and engage in spiritual warfare over those situations. You will see extraordinary results.
When a need arises, pray in the Spirit first, find out what God is saying, and then continue praying about it. You can and should freely yield to any kind and method of prayer.
Sometimes you can devote the entire prayer time to one request. Can you imagine praying about the same thing for a whole hour? Let the Holy Spirit lead you to find Him.
You will not necessarily always be engaged in spiritual warfare. You should be open to intense battle, but you must also be ready to go in whatever direction the Holy Spirit points out to you.
I usually have the Holy Spirit's witness when it is time to say, “We have prayed about this enough. Let’s change the subject.” Sometimes I sense that the Holy Spirit is leading us in a particular direction, and then I say, “Let’s continue praying in this direction!”
If I know in my spirit that it is time to move on to something else, I lead the “warriors” into praise. After we receive spiritual knowledge of the victory, we praise God and move on to another prayer topic.
You will learn how to lead prayer in a group as you mature in prayer. Just remember that everyone needs to know what you are praying about and remain united regarding the request, so that you can focus in prayer and act effectively.
In the prayer group—pray!
We have seen that the key to group prayer is one mind, one spirit, revelation, direction, purpose, and one heart. Now let us look at the various functions within a prayer group.
Of course, the primary purpose of your group is to pray. You must remain committed to this purpose, because the flesh tends to drift away from prayer and turn a prayer group into a meeting, a study, fellowship, or a “blessing club.”
The purpose of your group is to pray! You come there to pray and learn to pray, which is why we call one of our prayer groups a “school of prayer.”
The second purpose of praying together is training. Although this may seem less significant compared with the power of prayer itself, being filled with knowledge is essential for effective prayer.
Training keeps the “warriors” spiritually healthy and informed, and when they hear the Word, their faith increases.
In Colossians 1:28, Paul said that we must teach, “warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ.”
However, remember: despite the importance of training, it is the second purpose of a prayer group. It must not replace prayer.
The third purpose is manifestation. In 1 Corinthians 2:4, Paul says that his preaching and teaching were not merely in words, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and the power of God. Paul did not merely preach in Corinth; during his ministry, people saw and felt the power of the Holy Spirit.
In prayer, the Holy Spirit teaches and gives direction through the leader and through the intercessors themselves. Develop a relationship with the Person of the Holy Spirit. It is important to learn to move together with the Holy Spirit in prayer, demonstrate the Lord’s power, and receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
You will learn to walk with the Lord in prayer, praying and manifesting His power. For example, the atmosphere in worship prayer, when you sense the holiness of God, differs from that present during the second level of prayer with groanings (see chapter 13). It will be a powerful experience if intercessors develop sensitivity to how different prayers operate and what feelings they evoke.
The final purpose of a prayer group is to minister to those who have come. It is not very good when the time at a prayer meeting is devoted solely to ministering to each person present. Some groups turn into exactly this kind of prayer meeting, but that is not why a prayer group gathers. You have come to pray for others!
Of course, there are sometimes people who need individual ministry, and then we are open to praying for them. The leader and other group members should be aware of the needs of those present; however, our personal needs do not take center stage. The most important function of our group is intercession for others.
I am convinced that the needs of group members should be addressed at other levels of church organization, and the leader can help determine how to address them outside the prayer meeting. Remember what happened to Job: “And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends; and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.”
Let There Be Variety
Over time, you will see that prayer group meetings are different every time. Of course, it is good to have a certain order and principles that you follow each time. God will bless your order, because He is the God of order, and He takes note of the things He uses to release His power. However, it is good to leave room for variety and freedom.
However, prayer should not be turned into something that merely excites the soul. Prayer should not be entertainment for the flesh. At the same time, it is necessary to use various ways of praying; otherwise, praying the same prayer every day may become boring. Follow your guidelines, maintain a high level of discipline, and remain open to the variety of manifestations of the Holy Spirit.
Always follow the Holy Spirit.
Dedication to Prayer
It is important for as many regular members as possible to attend the prayer group meetings. Some groups are weak because the people are constantly changing: some come while others leave.
It is important for every prayer warrior to decide to remain with the group in prayer ministry for as long as possible. Do not allow yourself to become distracted either. Remember that the devil never wants you to pray, but he has been defeated.
People are at different levels of prayer, but if they keep coming and you can form them into one unified group, this will provide the strength to develop it and make it a strong group.
Finish with Victory
The best way is to finish prayer with victory. Philippians 5:6 says:
Do not be anxious about anything, but always, in prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
A spiritual way to end a prayer meeting is to thank God for a specific request or for everything you prayed about that day.
Let joy and thanksgiving flow from faith and the knowledge that God has heard you, that He is already working on everything you prayed about.
Rejoice before the Lord. Sometimes you may dance before Him. Spend some time in joy, because your prayers are effective, and joy is your strength.
The Word of God says that we can and should pray, and one way to see the results of prayer is to pray as a group. God has ordained your group to be powerful, strong, sensitive, and skilled in the Spirit of the Lord.
Your group's prayers can change many cities and nations and reach the ends of the earth, touching many people. In the Lord's power, you can pray effectively, fervently, and in unity, and see the greatest power released to establish God's will on earth.
End of lesson.
