"We will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word." Acts 6:4
Those who wish to reconnect the contemporary church to its ancient root system need to take a close look at what the early church fathers. They found themselves in the middle of a crisis, when complaints had arisen among the people concerning the treatment of widows.
Real or imagined, perception is the cruelest form of truth. The early church was divided, and the gap between the two groups was widening with persistent complaints of mistreatment. The solution selected by The Twelve should be a prototype for every church experiencing conflict.
The Twelve devoted themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. They also commissioned a Spirit-filled task force to solve the problem. Crisis averted.
To be devoted means to be strong, to be steadfast, to endure, to be continuously patient, to give unremitting care to a thing. It is much more than emotion. It is a disciplined adherence to a chosen path. It describes an uninterrupted, earnest pursuit towards something precious, and a willingness to persevere, and to be constantly diligent toward a singular purpose in life.
In this case, prayer and the ministry of the word of God would be the chosen path for the church. The early church fathers would not be sidetracked by conflict, or detoured by crisis. They would persevere in prayer, and focus their eyes upon the word of God. Great advice.
The ancient enemy of the church knows that a church focused on prayer and the word of God is formidable, but a church divided by complaints and conflict is vulnerable. Prayerless and powerless churches are not much of a hindrance to the enemy. They lack courage for the fight and are blinded to the schemes of the enemy.
"The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, or prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray." Samuel Chadwick
The early church fathers were devoted to prayer, but what kind of prayer? Anyone who has attended a weekly prayer meeting in a local church knows how easily it can be hijacked into a laundry list of medical reports, or replaced with a monthly business meeting. It is hard to imagine this is what the founders had in mind. What did these men sense about prayer that made it vitally important to the survival and the revival of the church?
The founders were devoted to prayer to maintain personal, consistent companionship with Jesus. They were devoted to the word of God to keep the church obedient to His mission. The were dependable and they were expendable. They never forgot Jesus was the Head of the Church.
Prayer is the air they breathed for the courage to face the enemy, and the word is the light they depended upon for the clarity needed to fight the enemy. The enemy loves to fight in the dark. Prayer and the word of God exposes the schemes of the enemy. Wise warriors in this Spiritual Warfare never go to war without making use of both.
NOTE TO SELF: Don't pray to ask God to bless your plans for your life. Pray in order to get in on His plan for your life. Prayer is not about giving God His assignments to bless you. Prayer is about getting your life into alignment to serve Him. Devotion is consistent companionship with Jesus. Stay in His Presence long enough for the Spirit of God to tune your ear to His voice. When you hear Him speak, confirm what you hear with what He has revealed in God's word. The two will never contradict one another. No fellowship can be called Christ's Church without being devoted to both.
"Knowing God's will in specifics comes out of consistent companionship with God."
Lloyd John Ogilvie
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!