The early Church prayed. The two major driving forces of the early Church were:
1) the Holy Spirit and
2) Prayer
To see God move, we must be a church that prays. We must pray individually. We must pray together (corporately).
We must all spend significant time in prayer.
Every great move of God is birthed through prayer and fasting.
What God does through you, He first does in you. God does the work in you through prayer, fasting, and meditating upon His Word. You must spend significant time in God's Word.
The early Church prayed in the upper room before Pentecost (Acts 1:4, 14; 2:1).
The early Church prayed on a regular, ongoing basis after Pentecost.
You cannot have Pentecost—and the power of Pentecost—without prayer!
The early Church was a church devoted to prayer (Acts 2:42).
The early Church maintained daily prayer (Acts 3; also 16:13, 16).
The early Church prayed when facing persecution (Acts 3:23-31).
In the midst of trouble and when facing persecution, the early Church prayed:
1) to speak God’s Word with boldness (Acts 3:29).
2) For God to heal and to perform miracles, signs, and wonders (Acts 3:30).
There were 3 results:
1) The place where they were meeting was shaken (v31). Do our meetings shake with God’s power? There is only 1 solution? PRAY! Do we want our meetings to shake more with God’s power? PRAY!
2) They were re-filled with the Holy Spirit (v31). Did you know you can be re-filled, re-fueled, and re-fired on a regular basis?
3) They spoke God’s Word boldly
In the early Church, church leaders focused on prayer and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4).
The early Church prayed over young men when ordaining them for ministry (Acts 6:6).
The early church prayed for and forgave their persecutors (Acts 7:59-60).
The early Church taught people to pray prayers of repentance (Acts 8:22).
The early Church prayed for miracles in impossible situations (Acts 9:40-42).
The early Church prayed regularly (Acts 10:2, 9).
The early Church LISTENED to the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:29; 9; 10:19; 20:22).
When you pray, do not just speak. You must also LISTEN!!!
The early Church did not hesitate to OBEY the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:20).
The early Church prayed in times of trouble, difficulty, and persecution (Acts 12:5, 12).
The early Church gathered together in prayer (Acts 12:12).
The early Church was committed to fasting and prayer (Acts 13:2-3, 14:23).
The early Church prayed and fasted before ordaining and sending people off in ministry (Acts 13:2-3; 14:23).
The early Church sought the guidance of the Holy Spirit through prayer (Acts 15).
The early Church often prayed at night and late at night (Acts 16:25).
The early church prayed in the midst of trouble (Acts 16:25).
The leaders of the early Church prayed together (Acts 20; 20:36-38).
The early Church prayed before traveling in ministry (Acts 21:5).
The early Church prayed to discern the will of God in uncertain situations (Acts 21:4-6).
The leaders of the early Church were men of prayer (Acts 22:17).
The clear witness of the final part of Paul’s life is that he obeyed the Holy Spirit, no matter the cost (Acts 21:4; 23:11).
In his letters, Paul tells us to not:
- quench the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19)
- grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30)
- or put out the fire of the Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19)
Paul also tells us to:
- live by the Spirit (Galatians 5)
Paul walked with the Spirit, lived by the Spirit, listened to the Spirit, and obeyed the Holy Spirit, even unto the death.
