Praying is a commandment that we ought to obey (Luke 18:1).
Beyond making petitions to God it is an exercise of edification to the soul.
Most often we understand the need for us to pray individually. It is not wrong.
However, considering the word of God that says “five of you shall chase a hundred, and a
hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the
sword before you” (Leviticus 26:8) it infers that the more we are in number
when we gather, the mightier we are in battle. Prayer is not only a means of
communication with God but also a weapon of warfare. Christians are soldiers
expected to take more grounds for Jesus and also set free the captives. When
Peter the Apostle was held captive in prison, the church came together to pray
for him. This is the desire of God today too. God wants the Church to come back
together to unite in love, passion, and care void of ulterior motives or
selfishness. This is when we can take the battle to the gates of the enemies.
When the disciples asked Jesus Christ to teach them how to
pray His opening was ‘Our Father in
heaven...’ (Luke 11:2). The reason is because He wants the Church to be
united in prayers before God and He desires the Church to always come together
as a formidable force. Brethren, we cannot do it alone. We need one another to
enforce victories.
So we, numerous as we are, are one body in Christ (the
Messiah) and individually we are parts one of another (mutually dependent on
one another).
Romans 12:5 AMP
In the year 2003, a member of our Church was kidnapped by
ritualists in Lagos, Nigeria and was taken to their ‘den’ where men were
slaughtered like rams for evil purposes,but
the Church came together and interceded for her continuously in unity
until victory was enforced. A week later she was released alongside another
lady but other passengers that boarded that bus with her, lost out. How painful
and sad will be the experience of such families.
As Christians, we are ‘one body – one big family’. This is
time for Churches to come together holding hands and calling on God to change
situations in countries where there are unrests. Jesus said “It is finished (John 19:30), as the Father has sent Me, I also send you”
(John 20:21). You here, refer to the body – the Church. Is there someone dying,
sick, diseased or held captive? Jesus has and is sending the Church to enforce
His victory. It is time we come together again as one body in truth and
holiness. I conclude with the words of Jesus which says “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and
every city or house divided against itself shall not stand” (Matthew
12:25). It is my prayers that the ‘body’ will
be knitted together again as it was in the beginning and the Lord be gracious
to His Church in Jesus’ name. SHALOM
And being let go, they
went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders
had said to them.
So when they heard
that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said:“Lord, You are
God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,
And when they had
prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were
all filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke the word of God with boldness.
Now the multitude of those who believed were
of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he
possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.
Acts
4:23,24,31,32 NKJV
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