Acts 12:1-17
Turn with me to Acts 12. I want to speak
today about “a praying church.” I want this to
be a challenge and an encouragement, a message
of exhortation that will lead us into a more
dynamic life of prayer as a church. I would like
to look this morning at what happens when a
church really prays. Let’s start with verse 1 of
Acts 12:1-17.
I. PRAYER CHANGES THINGS
Prayer changes people, but what we want
to look at today is the fact that prayer changes
churches. Things really happen when churches
pray! We’ve seen that in Acts 12. We don’t have
time to go through the whole narrative, but it
tells the story of how the church was facing
terrible persecution for its faith. This wicked
man, Herod, was killing the apostles and seeking
to kill more apostles. We see that the church
gathered together at this great time of need and
emergency, not to discuss the problem but to
pray.
They met together. James had been killed
by the sword, and now Herod was turning his
wicked attention to Peter. We find in verse 5
that “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but
prayer was made without ceasing of the church
unto God for him.” We read in verse 12 that
there were many gathered together in prayer.
Throughout the whole of the book of Acts, we
see that prayer was an integral part—indeed,
perhaps we could say a primary part—of the
operations of the church in its beginnings.
II. GREAT THINGS HAPPEN WHEN A
CHURCH PRAYS
In fact, the miraculous happened, great
things happened, the supernatural happened—
because we find Peter lying in prison, and an
angel comes and taps him to wake him up and
then delivers him—and as many of you have
read in that book, the iron gates yielded to the
power of God, and the power of God intervened
in answer to the prayers of the church.
Peter comes knocking on the door of the
place where the people are praying, and the
young damsel Rhoda comes to the door—and
she can hardly believe it’s Peter. She’s in such
shock that she doesn’t open the door. She
runs back to the people saying, “It’s Peter!”
They reply, “No, it couldn’t be. It must be his
spirit or his angel!” Great things happen when
a church prays, when it really prays—even to the extent that the church doesn’t even believe
what can happen, and when it happens, they’re
so astounded because they didn’t think it could
happen.
III. WHERE IS OUR EMPHASIS?
I think it’s right to say that our emphasis
has changed today from praying to programs.
Programs are not unimportant, but they’re not
as important as praying.
Our emphasis has changed from interceding
to entertaining. The sin of prayerlessness is
not just found in the life of individual believers;
it pervades the church. To God, prayerlessness
is sin—do you realize that? Not only are there
sins of commission (that is, the things you do
that God tells you not to do), there are also sins
of omission (the things we have left undone that
we ought to have done). Probably very high in
the Top 10 of those is prayer.
Ellen G. White says, “A prayer meeting will
always tell the true interest of the church members
in spiritual and eternal things. The prayer
meeting is as the pulse to the body; it denotes
the true spiritual condition of the church. A lifeless,
backslidden church has no relish for the
prayer meetings.”1
She also affirms, “Prayer
meetings are neglected, while concerts, singing
schools, and various entertainments are faithfully
patronized.”2
Turn with me to 1 Samuel 12 and keep your
finger in Acts 12. In God’s eyes, to not pray
is sin. In verse 23, Samuel says to the people,
“God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in
ceasing to pray for you.” You can sin against the
Lord by not praying for others. It is disobedience
to God’s command; in fact, the Lord Jesus
commanded that men ought always to pray and
not to faint.
Now, let me ask you a personal question:
How is your prayer life? Do you rush to work in
the morning without saying anything to God? Do
you rush a prayer to God that you would never
rush to any dignitary on a human level? How is
your prayer life with regards to your attendance
at prayer meetings? I’m not trying to give you a
guilt trip—this is your responsibility before God!
We can be so complicated at times, yet all
God wants is for us to come like little children to
the Father—and will He not, with the heart of a
Father, give us what we need?
Someone once said, “More things are
wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.”I believe that with all my being! What have we
dreamed of? What are your dreams? What are
your visions? If it is according to the will of God
and rooted in the promises of God, it can be
yours for the asking in prayer! Did the Lord not
first say to David, “Ask of me, and I shall give
thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the
uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.”
CONCLUSION
Listen to this poem called “He’ll Surely
Hear” by Oswald J. Smith:
“God promised He would answer prayer. /
Well, then, His promise plead, / And come to
Him in Jesus’ name: / He lives to intercede! /
Behold Him now at God’s right-hand, / Our Saviour,
Christ the Lord. / O, trust Him in the darkest
night, / Rely upon His word. / Our every need He
will supply, / He hears us when we pray: / O, let
us then our faith renew / And trust in God today.
/ It matters not how great the test, / God always
makes a way. / Then let us take Him at His word:
/ He will not say us ‘Nay.’ / The hills before His
presence melt, / The mountains disappear. / He
answers prayer in Jesus’ name, / Our cry He’ll
surely hear.”
“We are encouraged to pray for success,
with the divine assurance that our prayers will
be heard and answered. . . . The promise is
made on condition that the united prayers of
the church are offered, and in answer to these
prayers there may be expected a power greater
than that which comes in answer to private
prayer. The power given will be proportionate to
the unity of the members and their love for God
and for one another” (Manuscript Releases, vol.
9, p. 303).
1 Ellen G. White, Pastoral Ministry, 183.
2
Pamphlets 149, 32.1.