A Proper Church is a Praying Church: We Need to First of All Pray!

If we exercise ourselves to have a prayer life, the church will be living and uplifted.

This week we are getting into the matter of a praying church in the unique stream of God’s work. We are living at the end of this age, and our ministry as the church is to pray so that we may inflict damage and loss on Satan’s kingdom and we may bring in God’s kingdom.

We need to rise up and pray for the Lord Jesus to hasten His return, and we need to be the praying church in the unique stream of God’s work.

Samuel the prophet said to Saul the king, even after Saul disobeyed God, “… far be it from me that I would sin against Jehovah by ceasing to pray for you.” (1 Sam. 12:23). It is a sin not to pray for the saints, for the people around us, for authorities, for the government, and for everything.

Paul encourages us all as the Timothy’s of today, “I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men.” (1 Tim. 2:1).

Today in the church life we need to take the lead to pray in all things. When you hear of situations, things, issues, etc – don’t talk about it, don’t gossip, and don’t even try to find out “what really happened”; simply pray!

Lord Jesus, make us those who pray for all things and at all times! Save us from the sin of prayerlessness. May we never cease to pray for all men. Lord, make us those who offer You petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings on behalf of all men!

A Proper Church Life Requires a Prayer Life

The Apostle Paul encourages especially the leading ones to pray, so that they may know how to administrate and shepherd the local church. In the church life today we need to have a prayer life: a proper church life requires an adequate prayer life.

A proper church in the Lord’s recovery is a praying church. We all need to come to the Lord and take the lead to have a prayer life, so that we may not fall into the sin of prayerlessness (1 Sam. 12:23). Prayer is a prerequisite, a vital condition that needs to be fulfilled, if we were to have a proper church life.

The leading ones, the responsible ones, the serving ones, and all the saints need to take the lead and follow one another to pray.

First of all – before doing anything, before saying anything, before going anywhere, we should pray. As we see that the Lord’s return is imminent and that the gospel of the kingdom is not yet preached to the whole inhabited earth, we need to pray!

Pray that the gospel would be preached to those around us, and you will then be one with the Lord to speak to them concerning Him! Pray for the saints in the church, mentioning them to the Lord one by one. We need to be recovered to normality – recovered to being those who first of all pray!

Instead of Talking So Much, We Should Pray More!

People like to talk; we like to talk, and time goes by without praying. Instead of talking so much and instead of even working so much, we need to pray more.

When we hear of a certain situation with a brother or a sister in the church, we should not first talk about it or try to find out more, but rather pray. When you hear that someone did something, or you hear of some bad news, you should first of all pray.

Instead of talking so much and even instead of working so much, we should pray more.

The more we talk about things, the more we waste time and we spread rumors and gossip. But the more we pray, the more we will sense the Lord’s will and desire concerning things, people, and situations.

If we exercise ourselves again and again to pray, even as things happen and we hear things, the church life will be living and uplifted. Don’t look at other people who talk about others and don’t even hang out with them; rather, learn to follow those who pray and bring all things to the Lord.

When we see that someone hasn’t been meeting for a while, when a brother is backsliding, we shouldn’t talk about it or even go to visit him: pray first! Don’t be presumptuous to think you know what’s going on in people’s life; rather, pray and be one with the Lord to seek His will and His leading.

If the Lord is leading you to visit a brother, take another brother with you and pray more and then go visit him! Everything in the church life, even such good things as visiting, shepherding, giving, helping, etc. need to be mingled with prayer and even come out of our thorough prayer to be one with the Lord.

What is God Doing in This Age?

The Lord wants us to pray first of all and for all things not that “we would be those who pray all the time” as a thing in itself. God wants us to see what’s really going on, and what He is doing in this age.

God desires to rise up some who pray one with Him for the end of this age, to damage Satan’s kingdom and bring in God’s kingdom.

God desires to throw down Satan’s authority, to oppress and oppose Satan through the overcoming saints, and to bring in the disintegration of the house of Satan, the evil one and the strong man.

For this there is the need for spiritual warfare, and in the Lord’s recovery we need to see that for the sake of the Lord’s return and for the ending of this age, God needs to gain a dispensational instrument to be one with Him in doing this.

Our prayer life is for this, for testifying to the victory of the cross of Christ and the defeat of Satan and destruction of Hades! As we enter into the real prayer in this way, we will enter into the real warfare going on today. God needs a group of people who would sympathise with Him, who pray to inflict a loss on Satan!

He doesn’t need another movement, but a dispensational instrument, the last and final move of God in this age, the manchild, the overcomers who are Amen-ing on the earth the interceding Christ’s prayers in the heavens!

As we pray for saints, for things, for situations, for people, etc, we will eventually be brought up to a higher level in our prayer life, where we pray for the Lord’s coming and the end of this age for God’s kingdom to come in!

Lord, open our eyes to see what’s really going on in the universe today. Lord, keep us praying until we really touch Your heart’s desire, Your will, Your intention to return and end this age. Make us the dispensational instrument You need to end this age and bring in the kingdom. Lord, may Your kingdom come soon! May Your will be done on the earth! Defeat Your enemy, cause him to suffer loss, and destroy him utterly under the feet of the overcoming praying saints all over the earth as the corporate dispensational instrument! Come, Lord Jesus!

References and Further Reading

• Sharing inspired from brother Andrew Yu’s speaking in this message and portions in, Life-study of 1 Timothy (msg. 3), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on Prayer and the Lord’s Move, week 6 (entitled, A Praying Church in the Unique Stream of the Work of God).
• Hymns on this topic:
  # Life’s too short / To waste a single day / The kingdom’s life / Is closer everyday.
  # God needs men who pray, / Those who lay the tracks for Him. / God’s economy is carried out through men of prayer.
  # Lovely One, come soon. / Precious Lord, return! / Lord, do not delay. / We’ll redeem everyday / For Your coming soon.
• Pictures source: with permission via, Inspiration Unlimited (Prayer and the Lord’s Move set).