As you read the gospels, do you notice that there are many things Jesus did not teach His disciples to do? As far as we know, Jesus did not teach His disciples to preach or teach. He did not teach them how to heal, nor did He teach them to how to win friends and influence people. He did not even teach them how to lead, except by example. What He did teach His disciples how to do was pray!
The gospels record that one day the disciples simply sat and watched Jesus pray. Whether it was the fervency of His prayer, or the length or content of His prayer, we do not know. But it obviously moved and inspired the disciples because when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1).
Jesus prayed before His ministry began, before meals, before a big decision, and before an important day. Jesus prayed during acts of service, during times of relational pressure, during times of sorrow, and in the midst of temptation. Jesus prayed after a stressful day, after a spiritual victory, after a provision of God, and after completing a job that God had given Him to do. Can we afford to do less?
Whatever you believe about the book of Acts, it is certainly clear that the early church was a supernatural church. There were no seminars on "if you do A + B you will get C." We believe that God's kind of church is a supernatural church. It is a place where things are happening that are not humanly explainable. We are not talking about bizarre, or unbiblical manifestations -- just dramatic conversion, physical and emotional healing, and direct answers to specific prayers. Many times our minds say, "I can't do it without Him." Yet, our day planners indicate that we are trying to go it alone. Only when we get on our knees and get desperate for God does our true need for Him become more than intellectual assent.
Since Harvest began, the most consistent barometer of God's blessing upon our fellowship has been our willingness to "pray the price." By that we do not mean that our God does the work we desire when a certain amount of prayer has been prayed. Rather, God does His deepest works when His people are spiritually fit to receive them. Prayer is preparation for that work. Nowhere does Satan attack the church more than when it begins to pray. Early morning prayer meetings, all night prayer meetings, small group prayer, 24 hour prayer vigils, weeks of prayer, months of prayer and more----all of this we must do because we believe firmly in the power of prayer.
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