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"Peter was therefore kept in prison, but
constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church."
(Acts 12:5)
Last Wednesday, I had the honor of speaking to pastors in the central Texas area who are interested in church planting. I was asked to speak on the importance of prayer as related to church planters. My biblical text was Acts 12:5, which is at the top of today's devotional. I will share with you some of what I taught the pastors who attended the luncheon. You may not be called to plant a church, but if you know Jesus, then you are called to support and pray for the local church. The Church is God's big idea. He created it, Jesus died for it, and it is for the people of God on earth, for whom Jesus will return.
For anyone involved in vocational ministry today, especially those brave and daring souls who are church planters, these are challenging days. It has always been hard, I get that, but our nation is at a particularly low place spiritually. Churches are closing rapidly, many pastors are quitting, and not many new pastors are heeding the call of God. For those who might be weary in the ministry, I want to encourage you. I heard a couple of powerful quotes from Pastor Levi Lusko recently, and they blessed me. He said, and I summarize, "Pastors should count it a privilege to be chosen by God to serve in such challenging times." He also said, "Continuing to be faithful and serve God are our greatest acts of defiance against the devil."
Jesus and the Early Church prayed and prayed a lot. Prayer should not be our last resort. We should never think, "Well, I have done all I can do, so now I will just pray." If you ever read a church growth strategy and it does not have prayer as the very top priory, then do not read it. Prayer does not equip us for greater works; prayer is the greater work.
Acts 12 records a powerful scene in the life of the early church. James has been martyred for the faith, and Peter is next. In the morning, he will meet the same fate, beheading, unless God intervenes. Verse 5 is one of the pinnacle passages in the Book of Acts. It is one of the most instructive verses on the doctrine of prayer. I call it prepositional praying because of its usage of prepositions—"to God for him by the church."
Peter is in prison, Luke records, BUT. I love that conjunction; you can sense something grand is about to take place! You too may be experiencing trials, troubles, and hardship, BUT. You may have gotten a bad doctor's report, BUT. You may be encountering much turmoil in the church you serve, BUT. The howling winds of adversity are blowing all around you, BUT. You can pray! Notice the early church prayed constantly and earnestly. The word translated "constant" is ektenes, and it means to strain one's muscles to the limits. It is the word used of Jesus in Luke 22:44 when He prayed earnestly in the Garden of Gethsemane. James 5:16 teaches us that the effective and fervent prayers of God's people avail much.
I want to encourage you to think of these church planters as Peter in prison in great need of our intercessory prayers for them to survive. No, they are not incarcerated on the eve of their physical execution, but know that they are in an intense spiritual battle, just like you, and they need our prayer support.
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