The Importance of Prayer Meeting

From: Knowing the Trinity by Ryan McGraw – Chapter 13 “The Trinity and Prayer Meetings”

Read: John 14:12-14

Note: Many Christians think we live in a “day of small things” (Zech. 4:10) because the church appears to be declining in the West.

• But from God’s perspective, this is actually a “day of great things,” since Christ has already come and poured out the Spirit He received from the Father (Acts 2:33).
• Pentecost (Acts 2) displayed this reality powerfully.
• Jesus had already prepared the Church for this in John 14:12–14, teaching that after the Spirit’s outpouring, believers would carry on His works—even greater ones—and would accomplish them through prayer in His name.

Point: [McGraw] – “The book of Acts confirms the fact that the Spirit was the mighty engine through which the Church accomplished these things. This text teaches us that a primary concern of the Church in every age should be corporate prayer for the Spirit of God to make the preaching of God’s Word effective for the salvation of many people. The text reveals the astonishing truth that preaching is better than miracles, prayer precedes effective preaching, and corporate prayer is better than private prayer.”

Those who believe in Christ would do the same works and greater things than He had done

Note: The “same works” Jesus mentioned refers to apostolic miracles, but the “greater things” do not mean greater miracles than Christ Himself performed—His works were unsurpassed, especially raising Lazarus after four days and His own resurrection (John 10:17–18).

• Instead, “greater things” points to the greater results of the gospel through the apostles. Acts demonstrates this: after Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, the Church grew from 120 disciples to 3,000 (Acts 2:41), then to 5,000 (Acts 4:4), with daily additions from the Lord (Acts 2:47).
• The “greater works” are the massive expansion of Christ’s kingdom through preaching empowered by the Spirit.

Point: The only “greater work” Christ performs through the Church—greater than His earthly miracles—is the regeneration of souls through the Spirit.

• This work is as majestic as God’s original act of creation (2 Cor. 4:6).
• These “greater things” refer to Spirit-empowered preaching that brings sinners to the Father through Christ. This promise belongs only to those who believe in Christ.
• Preaching is momentous because it is the very power of God for salvation.

Corporate prayer in Christ’s name is the means of accomplishing these “greater things.”

Note: Christ teaches that He will do whatever His people ask in His name—the “you” is plural.

• The early Church understood this as a call to corporate prayer.
• In Acts, every major crisis drove the Church to gather and pray together.
• When Peter was threatened and imprisoned, he went straight to a prayer meeting (Acts 4:23–24).
• The Church prayed to the Father in Christ’s name for the Spirit to give them boldness in preaching and to perform miracles in Christ’s name.
• They prayed to do Christ’s works (miracles) and the “greater things” (Spirit-empowered preaching).
• God answered by shaking the building with the Spirit’s presence, and the believers went out boldly preaching the Word (Acts 4:31).

Point: God ordinarily uses prayer meetings to accomplish ‘greater things’—to save sinners through the preached Word—because prayer precedes a faithful sermon.

[McGraw] – “Prayer meetings are ordinarily the worst attended meeting in the local church today, especially if they do not include a Bible study. This is tantamount to telling the Holy Spirit that His services are not required and that we can carry on fine without Him as long as we keep preaching and studying the Bible.”

• Christ appointed prayer as a means through which He accomplishes “greater things”—the conversion of sinners through Spirit-empowered preaching.
• Therefore, Christians share responsibility for the fruitfulness of sermons, not only the preacher.
• The congregation supports the ministry of the Word by contributing earnest, regular prayer.
• Some object that God can hear them just as well in private, and that the prayer meeting is therefore superfluous.
• But would we not do better to lay aside our objections, follow the example of the early Church, and lay hold of Christ’s promises?
• To the degree that we prioritize prayer meetings in the local church, we demonstrate our esteem for the Spirit’s work in Gospel preaching.

[McGraw] – “Though the Spirit is sovereign, working when, where, and how He pleases, the widespread neglect of prayer meetings may be one factor in why we see so few conversions in many western churches today.”