WHAT HAPPENS WHEN
A CHURCH PRAYS
Acts 12:1-24
Dr. Roger W. Thomas, Preaching Minister
First Christian Church, Vandalia, MO
Introduction: Acts is the story of the church from birth to powerhouse. Dr. Luke records how a handful of frightened believers rocked the mighty Roman Empire. If Acts is the story of the church then Acts 12 is the story of the church in crisis. The Jerusalem church had grown rapidly. They had faced persecution. Now their leaders faced execution. I wonder how we would react?
Did you hear the account of the Eastern European church several years ago before the fall of the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall? Church meetings had been outlawed. Pastors had been imprisoned. Some had disappeared. One significant underground church continued to meet. Suddenly one night as they were meeting in a secret location, the door to their meeting place burst open and two heavily armed soldiers entered.
One shouted, “You know you are not to be meeting like this? We could kill all of you!”
The other soldier interrupted, “No we can’t do that! Let’s let them go.”
The first soldier turned to the huddled crowd of several dozens worshippers and barked the order, “All of you who really believe this Christian stuff stay here. The rest who are ready to give up this “god myth” may leave and live. Now go!” Many of the scared church members rushed through the door and out into the night.
Once they were gone, the soldier shut the door and bolted it. He turned to the remaining believers and said in a very calm voice, “We too are followers of Jesus. Now that the unbelievers are gone it is safe. We came to join you in worship!”
I wonder what we would do under such circumstances? I hope our children or we never have to find out!
When facing a crisis like that many in our day might picket the city jail, start a petition drive, and lobby our congressman. Some might begin efforts to start a Christian political party. If the preacher were arrested, we might appoint a search committee to call a new one. We certainly wouldn’t want a preacher with an arrest record! Some churches might begin to point fingers and blame one another. Lots of church members I have known through the years would whine and complain. Many would conclude that all was lost. What’s the point of believing?
The church today has many advantages over that first century church. We have more money, more buildings, and a freer government. We have more political powers, more Bibles, more tools. We have padded pews, handsomer preachers (just kidding), air conditioning, sound systems, guitars and drums. We have many advantages! But that first century church has us beat in one all -important category. They knew how to pray, when to pray, and what to pray for. They believed that prayer was a power that over ruled even the most powerful opponent!
My goal is to once again take you to the pages of that first century church again and challenge you to make their prayer lives the pattern for our prayer lives. When faced with a crisis they did the most revolutionary thing available to them—they appealed to the God of heaven to over rule the laws of kings. That church was carried on the backs of those prayers. That church was born in a prayer meeting (Acts 1); it grew because it believed the power of prayer was the secret of their existence. I believe that any church that believes like they did and prays like the did will experience what they did!
Another thing happens when a church begins to major in prayer—when the tongues of believers are occupied with praying to the Almighty, there is no time left for gossiping (one can’t gossip about what you are sincerely praying about), complaining (burdens that are given to the Lord in prayer are burdens that are seldom heaped on the backs of others), or cursing (you can’t call on God and talk against God at the same time).
R. G. Lee, a fiery Baptist evangelist of a previous generation, said it a bit strongly, but correctly when he wrote, If all the sleeping folk will wake up,
If all the lukewarm folk will fire up,
If all the dishonest folk will fess up,
If all the disgruntled folk will smile up up,
If all the depressed folk will cheer up,
If all the estranged folk will make up,
If all the gossipers will shut up,
If all true soldiers will stand up,
If all the dry bones will shake up,
If all the church members will pray up...
Then we can have a revival!
My burden is to continue to challenge you to see prayer as first impulse not a last resort. I want us to corporately begin to make prayer the lifeblood of this church. I want you to begin to ask—not just me or not just the elders—how can we become a more praying church? What would happen if we began to prayer like the early church?
Using Acts 12 as a case study—let’s look for answers to our question—What happens when the church prays?
The first thing that happens when the church prays is that God Hears. This is the heart of the Bible faith. Prayer is not first about us but about a God who hears. Prayer works because God has promised to hear. Cast away any idea of new age spirituality or old fashion paganism—where by right methods or magic words we force God to pay attention to us. Quite the opposite! Our God is a willing participant in our prayer meetings. There is no reluctance on his part. If there is any reluctance to prayer, it is on our part, not God’s.
The brilliant scientist Sir Isaac Newton said that he could take his telescope and look millions and millions of miles into space. Then he added, "But when I lay it aside, go into my room, shut the door, and get down on my knees in earnest prayer, I see more of Heaven and feel closer to the Lord than if I were assisted by all the telescopes on earth." Any pray-er can know that by experience.
Jim Elliot, a missionary-martyr slain by the Auca Indians in the 1950’s, once said, “God is still on His throne and man is still on his footstool. There’s only a knee’s distance in between.”
It is an amazing truth-----He listens and He Responds. That the promise of 1 John 5:14-15, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: 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 what we asked of him."
A second thing happens when the church prays. First, God hears. That’s the foundation. Next circumstances are altered. There is something significant about the crisis the early church faced. James had been killed and Peter was arrested. In all likelihood, Peter faced the same fate that James had. So the church prayed. No doubt they had prayed for James, too. And he had died. They knew all prayers are not answered in the manner desired. But that’s God’s decision. So they prayed for Peter. We don’t pray because we know for sure that we are going to get what we asked for. We pray because we want God to make the choice. He has asked us to pray.
Note what happened---Peter released from prison! It wasn’t just that the church was comforted and made more accepting of the problem. It wasn’t just that Peter had the courage to endure the hardship. They prayed to change the circumstances.
This is why the effective pray-ers and praying churches pray today. We are not just looking for a change in our feelings. We expect God to change our circumstances. A church that prays knows that when answers come from the hand of God, it is not just a coincidence. It is a God-incidence. God has acted. Not luck or chance!
A third thing happened when the church prayed. The same thing will likely happen today. Believers were surprised. Maybe there is hope for all of us! Even when we fully believe in the power of prayer, we get surprised. Note how the church reacted. They gathered in a prayer meeting, petitioning the God of heaven for Peter. God heard. An angel was sent. Even Peter was surprised and had to be told by the angel what to do. When Peter went to the praying church after his release, no one wanted to believe the report. Surely, the servant girl was seeing things.
Even this church that believed in prayer was surprised at how God answered. Maybe they were surprised when God answered. Perhaps they expected Peter to be tried and then freed. They weren’t expecting a heaven sent jailbreak!
Too often we can also be surprised that God answers. In Connecting with God, Herb Miller tells the story of a nightclub opening on Main Street in a small town. Upon hearing the news, the only church in that town organized an all-night prayer meeting. The members asked God to burn down the club. Within a few minutes, lightning struck the club, and it burned to the ground. The club owner sued the church, which denied responsibility for the destruction of the club.
After hearing both sides, the judge said, “It seems that wherever the guilt may lie, the nightclub owner believes in prayer, while the church doesn’t.”
Surprised or not, when the church on earth believes in prayer, things happen in heaven and then on earth. C.H. Spurgeon once said, "Prayer pulls the rope down below and the great bell rings above in the ears of God. Some scarcely stir the bell, for they pray so languidly; others give only an occasional jerk at the rope. But he who communicates with heaven is the man who grasps the rope boldly and pulls continuously with all his might."
When the church prays, leaders are emboldened. I’ll bet Peter never preached the same after that day. I’ll bet the other leaders in the church prayed with fresh zeal and boldness. I’ll bet the whole church prayed with fresh vigor from that day on. Paul believed that prayer was important to his ministry, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should” (Col 4:2-4).
Do you want to see your preachers, elders, missionaries, Sunday School teachers, youth workers set on fire with a new effectiveness and power from heaven? You have it within your power to make that happen. Pray for them. Pray for them in good times and in tough times. Pray for them when you agree with them and when you don’t. Pray for them and await the miracle that God will send.
One last thing often happens when the church prays: Opponents Are Confused and Ultimately Defeated. Luke doesn’t really make much of a point of this in Acts. But I think it is no coincidence that he records what he did at the end of chapter 12. Herod the great opponent of the faith meets his maker right after the church had been praying. His was a nasty fate and direct result of his arrogance. I don’t know what the church prayed. They may have prayed for Herod’s removal. They might have asked God to reveal his power to mighty Herod. They surely would have asked God to bring to naught all of the mighty powers aligned against the church. Little did Herod know what he was dealing with when he took on a praying church.
I wonder what would happen if . . . this church prayed like that church prayed!
A group of amateur climbers were scaling part of the Matterhorn Mountain near Zermatt, Switzerland. As they came to a narrow, hazardous passage, about to make a turn, a gust of wind swept down on them. The experienced guide, knowing the danger this posed for the
group, quickly shouted, "Get down on your knees! You are safe only on your knees!" [Charles Swindoll,, The Christian Life, (Vision House, 1994), p. 223]
How true this is in the Christian life and the church. In good times or in a crisis, there is only one safe and secure spot. On our knees, praying to the Father who hears and answers.
Prayer in Acts
(Acts 1:24 NIV) Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen
(Acts 2:42 NIV) They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
(Acts 3:1 NIV) One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer--at three in the afternoon.
(Acts 4:24 NIV) When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.
(Acts 4:31 NIV) After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
(Acts 6:4 NIV) and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."
(Acts 6:6 NIV) They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
(Acts 7:59 NIV) While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
(Acts 8:15 NIV) When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
(Acts 8:22 NIV) Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.
(Acts 8:24 NIV) Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me."
(Acts 9:11 NIV) The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.
(Acts 9:40 NIV) Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.
(Acts 10:2 NIV) He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.
(Acts 10:4 NIV) Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked. The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.
(Acts 10:9 NIV) About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray.
(Acts 10:30-31 NIV) Cornelius answered: "Four days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me {31} and said, ’Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor.
(Acts 11:5 NIV) "I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was.
(Acts 12:5 NIV) So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
(Acts 12:12 NIV) When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.
(Acts 13:3 NIV) So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
(Acts 14:23 NIV) Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
(Acts 16:13 NIV) On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.
(Acts 16:16 NIV) Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.
(Acts 16:25 NIV) About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
(Acts 20:36 NIV) When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed.
(Acts 21:5 NIV) But when our time was up, we left and continued on our way. All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray.
(Acts 22:17 NIV) "When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance
(Acts 26:29 NIV) Paul replied, "Short time or long--I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains."
(Acts 27:29 NIV) Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight.
(Acts 28:8 NIV) His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him.
***Dr. Roger W. Thomas is the preaching minister at First Christian Church, 205 W. Park St., Vandalia, MO 63382 and an adjunct professor of Bible and Preaching at Central Christian College, 911 E. Urbandale, Moberly, MO. He is a graduate of Lincoln Christian College (BA) and Lincoln Christian Seminary (MA, MDiv), and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (DMin).
