THE
“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16, KJV).
POWER
P
RAYER IS THAT HOLY, intimate intersection of God and His church through
which God delegates authority to His church to enforce the Kingdom agenda on
earth as it is in heaven. Prayer is the rhythmic and perpetual heartbeat of the
body of Christ. It is the indispensable lifeline to the resources of heaven.
OF
When we pray, we walk in the footsteps of Jesus, who told Peter, “I have prayed for
you, that your faith should not fail” (Luke 22:32).*
When we pray, we lift the example of Paul, who wrote: “We give thanks to the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you” (Colossians 1:3).
PRAYER
When we pray, we follow the pattern of Moses, who interceded with God for people
who had sinned (Exodus 32:31-32).
When we pray, we exercise our faith in Jesus’ promise: “Whatever things you ask
when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:24).
Jesus promised in
When we pray, we affirm that Christ has given us fruit, for Jesus said, “I chose you
and appointed you . . . [to] bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever
Matthew 18:19, “If two of
you ask the Father in My name He may give you” (John 15:16).
When we pray, we lift loads from others and assure joy for ourselves, for Paul wrote:
you shall agree on earth “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. . . . Let each one examine
his own work [in prayer], and then he will have rejoicing” (Galatians 6:2, 4).
as touching any thing that
When we pray, we resist the sin of prayerlessness, for God’s Word says in 1 Samuel
12:23, “Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you.”
they shall ask, it shall be
Jesus promised in Matthew 18:19, “If two of you shall agree on earth as touching
done for them of my
any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heav-
en” (KJV). Imagine the power of God that can be manifested in our world through the
Father which is in heaven”
united, continual prayers of our church!
First of all, it will give an undergirding of prayer support for the accomplishment of
(KJV). Imagine the power
the mission and vision of the church. This is why we exist as a church—to fulfill the
mission and vision God has for us. To reach our full Kingdom potential as a denomina-
of God that can be mani-
tion will require the united and consistent prayers of intercessors around the world.
Second, uniting a powerful prayer force will cause Satan’s strongholds to crumble.
fested in our world
There are several barriers to the expansion of the Kingdom—political, racial, geographical,
linguistic, and others—that can only be breached through agreement in prayer. But there
through the united, contin-
are no walls or strongholds that can stand if we unite in prayer against them.
A third objective of this coordinated prayer effort is to provide a prayer covering for
ual prayers of our church! the church’s leadership and ministries. The ministries of the International Offices exist
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Continued on page 6
EVANGEL • DEC 2008 3
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