Thought for the Month (Sept 2025) “A call to prayer”

“They were continually devoting them-selves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42, NASB)

You hear me referencing this verse many times. I cannot get past its simplicity and yet profundity. It records what the first converts after the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, baptised into and forming the Jerusalem church, were habitually doing (“were continually devoting”), and in doing this, it sums up church life in a few words.

With the morning of prayer coming up (13th September), I wanted to draw your attention to the last phrase: “and to prayer” — or, as the Legacy Standard Bible (following the Greek closely) puts it: “and to the prayers.” Please note the plural. This may refer to the set times of prayer the church had, or even the times the church gathered for worship, which are called here “the prayers.” But the meaning is inescapable: they prayed together (“themselves”) regularly, devotedly (making it a matter of principled priority for themselves).

As a church body, we seek to imitate this in our services, and in a dedicated time of prayer on Saturday mornings. But from time to time we have a special occasion when we come together, as a whole church, to pray: and I would like to encourage you to join in the next one of these (remember: 13th Sep-tember), and to join in “the prayers” we have every week.

Here are a few, non-exhaustive number of reasons, why:

First, because it is the biblical pattern. The church in Jerusalem were not doing some-thing new, but joined what the people of God had done through the ages before them. A number of Psalms are dedicated to the choir director, leading the whole congrega-tion in prayer. We see in Ezra and Nehemiah that the church cried out together to the Lord. We read the prophets calling the peo-ple to pray. God’s temple is called a house of prayer. God’s people pray, and they pray together.

Secondly, because this serves the unity of the church. Praying together binds us together. When we together pour our hearts before the Lord, when we say “amen” to each others prayers, when though one prays aloud, we all groan/rejoice/request with the praying brother or sister, God is knitting us closer together. It is one God-given way of “being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3)

Thirdly, because God answers prayer offered in unity. Following Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the temple, in which he repeatedly asked the Lord to hear His people’s prayers directed towards the house of God, we read the Sovereign One’s famous answer: “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:13–14)

Today, the church is this temple: the people themselves, in whom the Spirit of Christ dwells. To turn to the temple in praying to-day means to join the church in prayer.

Is this not encouragement enough to pray together as a church? I am sure we could find more reasons, but this is meant to be a short article. Therefore, I close with this: See you on 13th September, and every time the church gathers to pray!