THE PRACTICE HANDBOOK FOR THE DISTRICT SERVING ONES
SERIES TWO
THE GOD-ORDAINED WAY AND VARIOUS KINDS OF MEETINGS
Message Ten
The Prayer Meeting
Acts 12:5 So then Peter was kept in the prison; but prayer was being made fervently by the church to God concerning him.
1 Tim. 2:1 I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men.
Col. 4:2 Persevere in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving.
THE PRAYER MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH—
THE EARTH CONTROLING HEAVEN
Brothers and sisters, the ministry of the church is not only the preaching of the gospel. This does not mean that we should not preach the gospel; it means that the ministry of the church is not merely the preaching of the gospel. The ministry of the church is to bring the will in heaven to earth. How does the church bring the will in heaven to earth? It is by prayer on earth. Prayer is not as small and insignificant as some may think. It is not something that is dispensable. Prayer is a work. Prayer is the church saying to God, “God, we want Your will.” Prayer is the church knowing God’s heart and opening its mouth to ask for what is in God’s heart. If the church does not do this, it does not have much use on earth.
In verse 18 the Lord says, “Truly I say to you, Whatever you bind on the earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on the earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” What is special about this verse? The special thing is that there must be a move on earth before there is a move in heaven. It is not heaven that binds first but the earth that binds first. It is not heaven that looses first but the earth that looses first. After the earth binds, heaven binds; after the earth looses, heaven looses. The move in heaven is controlled by the move on earth. Everything contrary to God has to be bound, and everything in harmony with God has to be released. Everything, whether it is something to be bound or loosed, should have its binding or its loosing originate from the earth. The move on the earth precedes the move in heaven. The earth controls heaven. (CWWN, vol. 22, “The Assembly Life & The Prayer Ministry of the Church,” ch. 1)
THE PRAYER MEETING BEING A BATTLE
Particularly, the prayer meeting is a battle. Nearly everywhere among the churches today, the prayer meeting is the meeting with the smallest number in attendance. This is a bad sign, indicating defeat. We all must endeavor to defeat the enemy by being gathered into the Lord out of ourselves. If we go to the meetings in this way, we will certainly function. If we come to the meeting in an indifferent manner, however, it will be hard for us to function. The old way keeps us in a dormant situation, and the Lord’s new way is always to stir us up, making us alive. If you come to the meetings in a living way, I assure you that you will function, that you will not be lazy, that you will have an interest and a taste for every kind of meeting, and that you will always be watchful and on the alert, knowing that all the meetings are battles. (CWWL, 1987, vol. 3, “The Scriptural Way to Meet and to Serve for the Building Up of the Body of Christ,” ch. 3)
Because it is difficult to have a Christian prayer meeting, the attendance in the prayer meeting of almost all Christian groups is low. For this reason, it is our responsibility to find out how to increase the attendance in the prayer meeting. If each of us is revived in our spirit, the attendance in the prayer meeting will increase twofold. Every person who prays knows that individual prayer has a certain taste but that prayer in a meeting has a strong and rich taste. Therefore, I treasure my personal prayer, and I also treasure the prayer meeting; neither can replace the other. A person who prays much by himself will attend the prayer meeting. Hence, we cannot expect attendance in the prayer meeting to increase without spending time before the Lord by ourselves. We must ask the Lord for a revival: “O Lord, revive our gathering.” We should even set aside time to fast and pray. In this way the number in the prayer meeting will increase. (CWWL, 1985, vol. 2, “The Proper Aggressiveness of the Lord’s Serving Ones,” msg. 6)
ENCOURAGING SAINTS TO ATTEND THE PRAYER MEETING
Furthermore, all the members of the vital groups should endeavor to attend the prayer meeting of the church. In the 1960s when we were in Elden hall in Los Angeles, at least seventy to eighty percent of those who attended the Lord’s Day morning meeting also attended the prayer meeting. Why could we have such a highly attended prayer meeting at that time but not today? Some of the mothers may take their children as an excuse, but I would encourage the mothers to get together for babysitting so they can attend the prayer meeting on a rotating basis. Of course, the mothers need to care for their children, but they should not take this as an excuse for always missing the prayer meeting. (CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 3, “Fellowship Concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups,” msg. 13)
The members of all the vital groups also have to attend the regular church meetings. In particular, all of us have to endeavor to come to the prayer meeting. We have to do something to rescue the prayer meeting. We have been practicing the church life in the United States for about thirty years. Over this period of time a negative habit has been built up. This negative habit is that most of the church members despise the prayer meeting.
All of us need to do our best to come to the prayer meeting. Because of this training with the vital groups, the church prayer meeting here has been greatly helped and rescued. I have been praying nearly every week that the Lord would increase the attendance in the prayer meeting. (CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 3, “Fellowship Concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups,” msg. 14)
Everyone Who Attends the Prayer Meeting Needing a Spirit of Prayer
For sixty years, from the time I was saved up to the present, I have been attending prayer meetings. First I attended prayer meetings in a denomination, then in a Brethren assembly, and later in the prayer meetings of the church. According to my experience, everyone who comes to the prayer meeting must have a spirit of prayer. As soon as we step into the meeting, we should not care for anything but to pray. If someone is praying, we should wait until he finishes and then continue the prayer. We should not rely too much on the responsible brothers to lead the meeting. We should not expect them to call a hymn, open the prayer, or announce the items for prayer. Such a prayer meeting will not be strong.
In the prayer meetings of the churches in America, whoever arrives first begins to pray, and those who come later join in the prayer; everyone prays. No one waits until seven-thirty to begin praying, they do not sing first and then have an opening prayer, and there is neither a message nor an announcement concerning items for prayers. They just pray. This kind of prayer meeting is powerful and very living; oftentimes the prayer lasts for one and a half hours.
Generally speaking, if someone stands up to announce some items for prayer or to call a hymn in the middle of the prayer meeting, it is an interruption. The spirit of prayer should not be interrupted. Once it is interrupted, it is not easy to raise the meeting. Hence, when we come together to pray, we must take this as the goal. We should not rely on a program, nor should we depend on a few designated people. As soon as we come together, we should begin to pray.
Not Regarding the Prayer Meeting as a Routine
Someone may ask what we should pray for if the items for prayer are not announced. Since we are all in the church life, we should know the needs of the church. When we come to the prayer meeting, we should not pray for trivial matters but for important matters, such as God’s will, God’s kingdom, and the propagation of the church. For instance, the church in Taipei is now at a turning point, a new beginning; we should pray earnestly for this. This does not mean, however, that no one should make a prayer request. If a family member is very sick, a saint can look for an opportunity to fellowship this matter by following the leading of the Holy Spirit. Then he can make a request for prayer.
The prayer meeting will be dead if we pray according to a list that is distributed to every hall or district. I am not saying that we should not have such a list but that it should not become a routine. When the brothers and sisters come together to pray, they should pray mainly for God’s kingdom, the propagation of the gospel, and the building up of the church. Furthermore, they should also pray for the saints’ growth in life and for the move of the church. These matters are our major concerns, and we should remember them in our prayer. If the elders, co-workers, and deacons realize that there is a crucial matter in the church that needs to be made known in the prayer meetings of the church, then it is proper to make an announcement. In addition, it is also good to allow the saints to fellowship some personal burdens. They may have a relative or a friend who needs to be saved and needs the intercession of the saints in the prayer meeting. This is acceptable. In any case, the prayer meeting should be living and not regarded as a routine. (CWWL, 1985, vol. 2, “The Proper Aggressiveness of the Lord’s Serving Ones,” msg. 6)
THE PRACTICE OF THE PRAYER MEETING
Not Announcing in a Dead Way,
but Giving Living Announcements
In the prayer meeting we should no longer announce the items for prayer in a dead way. Instead, we should give living announcements. At the beginning of the prayer meeting, we may select a portion from the Bible, such as Ephesians 6:11-19, which says, “Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand…for our wrestling is…against the spiritual forces of evil…By means of all prayer and petition, praying…concerning all the saints, and for me.” Then a responsible brother can lead the saints to read this portion. If time permits, the saints may also read these verses to one another. Afterward, we can begin to pray-read the verses. When we come to the word stand, if anyone has a burden, he can pray, “O Lord, cause the brothers here to stand. Many brothers are unable to stand.” Another saint may pray, “O Lord, yes, Lord. Here we have ten thousand brothers, but only two thousand come to the meetings. Many have backslidden.” In this way the prayer becomes an announcement. Many others will pick up the burden and follow in prayer. All the saints will pray for the brothers who are backslidden and are not meeting. After praying for some time, one person may think of Hong Kong and begin to pray, “O Lord, who is standing in Hong Kong?” Such a prayer is equivalent to announcing an item for prayer. Consequently, all the saints may turn and pray for Hong Kong. When a person points out something with a prayer, this prayer is equivalent to an announcement. To give an announcement in this way is organic. However, we should not use the Bible verses in a rigid way, in a way that prevents the saints from praying for things that are unrelated to the verse. For instance, at a certain point in the prayer, a saint may have a feeling in another direction and pray, “O Lord, we have a sister who is sick. Please remember her.” That prayer is an announcement. Many saints may follow it and pray, “Yes, Lord Jesus, for the sake of the Body, heal her,” or “Yes, Lord, You bear her sickness for her.” Sometimes we can pray for the Lord’s servants by saying, “O Lord, Your servant So-and-so is going to this place. Please remember him.” This is equivalent to an announcement, and the saints should pray for this.
Not Spending Too Much Time Talking about Problems
but Praying concerning those Problems
In the prayer meeting, when we finish pray-reading, we should not spend too much time talking about problems. What we need is to pray concerning those problems. This is more living than giving an announcement. Sometimes a brother may stand up and fellowship concerning the situation of a certain locality, and then his fellowship may be followed with praises. After each fellowship we should pray, petition, praise, or deal with the enemy according to the nature of the fellowship. In this way the prayer meeting will be living. The saints should not wait for the responsible brothers to give an announcement with a list of items to pray for. By the end of such an announcement, all the saints are deflated and unable to pray. Pray-reading should be an all effective treasure in the prayer meeting. Whatever verse we come to, a prayer should follow the points in that verse. Such a prayer will be equivalent to giving an announcement, and the saints will immediately follow in prayer.
Anyone Who Come to the Meeting Praying
We must change the atmosphere in the prayer meeting to the same kind of atmosphere we have in the bread-breaking meeting. The atmosphere in the prayer meeting should be one in which who come to the meeting pray. We need to overthrow the influence of Christianity. In a meeting in Christianity where there is a sermon the crowd will rush through the door to fill up the hall, but in, prayer meeting, the only ones who attend may be the pastor, his wife, and the janitor. Presently, our situation is similar to this. The situation among us is desolate, and we must overturn it. We need to make the prayer meeting living, full of taste, and attractive so that the saints cannot help but come to the meeting. Hence, we need to work to the extent that the prayer meeting will be as living as the bread-breaking meeting. This requires that our spirit be burning. To merely give dead messages will not work. After ten or twenty years our prayer meeting still has only twenty to thirty people. How can we give an account to the Lord? We must overturn this situation. All the co-workers and elders must rise up and overturn it. We must succeed in taking care of this matter. Whatever it takes, we must succeed. (CWWL, 1968, vol. 2, “The Motive, Coordination, and Function of the Lord’s Serving Ones,” msg. 7)
MINISTERING THE WORD IN THE PRAYER MEETING
Those who serve in the ministry of the word should study how to minister the word in the bread-breaking meeting and in the prayer meeting. We should minister the word in the prayer meeting without being long or killing the spirit of prayer and disrupting the mood for prayer. On the contrary, our speaking should strengthen and open the spirit of prayer and stir others up to pray. It is positive if those who do not normally pray would pray after we release the word. (CWWL, 1957, vol. 2, “The Administration of the Church and the Ministry of the Word,” msg. 11)
SELECTING HYMNS IN THE PRAYER MEETING
Now let us consider how to select hymns in the prayer meeting. Suppose in the meeting we sense that the atmosphere is depressed, the enemy’s attack is there, and the spirit of the saints is very heavy; perhaps the church has some problems, or some brothers and sisters are ill or have suffered some hardships in their homes. How should we select a hymn in this situation?
The Meaning of the Words in the Hymn
Matching the Feeling We Sense in the Meeting
Like the table meeting, the prayer meeting has different sections. The table meeting has ten sections, but the prayer meeting may be for spiritual warfare, for spiritual pursuit, for the gospel work, for the revival of the church, for specific matters, or for general affairs. When the atmosphere of the meeting is depressed, we need prayers of spiritual warfare. Although the Lord’s table meeting and the prayer meeting are different in their nature, content, and items, their course is the same. In selecting a hymn, we always have to hold on to the principle that the meaning of the words in the hymn must match the feeling we sense in the meeting.
When the Spirit Has Been Released to the Point
that Our Utterance Has Been Exhausted,
We Expressing This Feeling through a Hymn
After singing, we should pray one after another. Sometimes, when the allotted time for a prayer meeting is long, we need to use a hymn to fill the time, stir up the saints, and maintain the spirit. We can sing Hymns, #890, “Hallelujah! Christ is Victor.” However, it is better not to sing the whole hymn; rather, it is sufficient to sing only one stanza and the chorus. We can also sing Hymns, #880; this hymn strengthens the brothers and sisters in their inner feeling to oppose Satan. After the prayer, when the spirit has been released to the point that our utterance has been exhausted, we may express this feeling through a hymn. When everyone is released in the singing, a brother needs to add a prayer. At this time it may seem that the meeting is over. But if the meeting has a lingering taste, and there is a need to send people off, we can sing the chorus of Hymns, #890 again. This can be compared to wrapping a gift perfectly and then adding a beautiful bow. If the saints attend this kind of meeting, they will surely like to continue meeting.
Our Needing to Study and Practice Selecting Hymns
Our problem is that we always seem to have a good beginning but not a good ending. This is because we are not familiar with the hymns. Thus, we not only need to know the principle of selecting hymns, we also need to study and practice selecting hymns. From now on the responsible brothers should practice selecting hymns in all the fellowship meetings of the church. Then our meetings will spontaneously be good and rich.
Moreover, there is a great principle with regard to singing. It is acceptable to sing slowly when we are alone, but if we sing slowly in a big meeting, the whole meeting will be finished. It is good to sing slowly in private, but we should not bring the same slowness into the meetings. Furthermore, I hope that all the brothers in various localities who can sing would not rely on only one or two to lead the singing. In a meeting all those who know how to sing should lead the singing, and those who do not know how to sing should not begin a tune. In other words, all those who do not have the confidence should not lead the singing, but those who can sing should not wait for others to lead the singing. Everyone must function properly. (CWWL, 1952, vol. 1, “Guidelines for the Lord’s Table Meeting and the Pursuit in Life,” msg. 5)
THE CRUCIAL POINTS OF PRAYER
The gospel meeting and the bread-breaking meeting are important meetings, and the prayer meeting is also important. Every kind of meeting has its own characteristic and place. The prayer meeting can be considered as both an easy meeting and a very difficult meeting. New believers should learn some lessons in this matter.
Praying in One Accord
The basic requirement for brothers and sisters to pray together is to be in one accord. In Matthew 18 the Lord tells us to be in harmony, that is, in one accord. The prayer in Acts 1 was also a prayer in one accord. Hence, the first condition for carrying out a prayer meeting is to have the one accord. No one should come to the prayer meeting with a different mind. If we want to have a prayer meeting, we must ask in one accord.
“If two of you are in harmony on earth concerning any matter for which they ask, it will be done for them from My Father who is in the heavens” (Matt. 18:19). This is a very strong word. In Greek the word harmony refers to music. Consider three persons—one playing the piano, another playing the accordion, and the third playing the flute. When they play together and one plays out of tune, the sound will be very irritating. The Lord wants all of us to pray in harmony, not with different tunes. If we can be in harmony, then whatever we ask, God will accomplish. Whatever we bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. The basic condition is to be in harmony. We must learn to be in harmony before God. We should not pray capriciously with everyone still holding to his or her own idea.
Being Specific
How can our prayers be in harmony? Perhaps the biggest problem in our prayer meeting is that we bring up too many subjects. Once there are too many subjects in the prayer meeting, it is impossible to have harmony. Some prayer meetings have so many subjects that the meetings are an all-inclusive bazaar. We cannot find such a meeting in the Bible. What we see in the Bible is men praying for specific matters. When Peter was imprisoned, the church prayed for him fervently (Acts 12:5). They did not pray for many things but for one specific thing. When the subject is specific, it is easy to pray in harmony.
It is better to pray for only one thing in every prayer meeting. We may pray specifically for a brother or a sister, or we may pray specifically for sickness among the brothers and sisters. In these cases, it is better to pray for one brother’s or one sister’s sickness or to just pray concerning sickness among the brothers and sisters. We should not mention other subjects in addition to sickness. At other times, we may pray specifically for the brothers and sisters who are in need, or we may pray specifically for the brothers and sisters who are spiritually weak. If there is only one subject, it is easier for us to be in one accord.
If there is still time after we have prayed thoroughly over one subject, we can bring up another subject for prayer. But we should never mention more than one subject at the beginning of our prayer. It is confusing when there are too many subjects. The responsible brothers should only mention one subject at a time. If there is more time later, they can mention other subjects. We should pray for only one thing at a time. The greatest need in the prayer meeting is to have a clear subject.
According to Acts 1 and 2, Pentecost was brought in through the power of prayer. Please remember that the cross was the work of the Son of God, while Pentecost was the work of the children of God. How did such a great work occur? It came through prayer in one accord. Let us learn to concentrate our prayer on specific subjects, not on many items.
If we want to be specific, everyone who comes to the prayer meeting should come with some preparation. We should try the best to inform the brothers and sisters ahead of time concerning the items for prayer. Let them receive the burden first before they come together to pray. First we need to have feeling and burden. Then we come together to pray.
Being Genuine
Another basic requirement is to be genuine in our prayer. I am afraid that many words in the prayer meeting are spoken in vain. Many people pay attention to the nicety of the words and care little whether or not God listens to them. It seems to be of little consequence to them that God does not listen to their prayers. Such prayers in the prayer meeting are often artificial and vain.
Genuine prayer is the result of a desire that comes from the heart. It is something that flows out from our inner being. Genuine prayer is not made up of flippant and nice words. Only genuine words that flow out from the deepest part of the heart can be considered as genuine prayer. The goal of our prayer should be an answer from God rather than pleasing the brothers and sisters.
If we are not genuine in our prayer, we cannot expect the church to be strong. In order for the church to be strong, the prayer meeting must be strong. In order for the prayer meeting to be strong, all the prayers have to be genuine; no prayer should be artificial. If we are not genuine, we cannot expect to receive anything from God.
Prayer is not a sermon; it is not a speech. To pray is to ask the Lord for something. We do not need to speak many words before God in the prayer meeting, as if God knows nothing and needs to be informed of all the details. We do not need to make a report or preach a message to Him. We pray because we have a need and because we are weak. We want to receive spiritual supply and power through prayer. The amount of genuine prayer we have depends on the amount of need that we feel. If we do not feel any need, our prayers will be vain prayers.
One basic reason for vain prayers is that a person is too conscious of others in the prayer meeting. As soon as we pay attention to others, our prayer is easily filled with vain words. On the one hand, our prayer in the prayer meeting is offered on behalf of the whole meeting. On the other hand, we have to pray as if we were alone before God; we have to pray to God in a genuine way according to our needs.
Being Short
Our prayers must be genuine, and they must be short. Almost all the prayers in the Bible are short. The prayer taught by the Lord in Matthew 6 is quite short. Although the prayer offered by the Lord in John 17 before He departed from the world is quite long, it is much shorter than the prayers of some of God’s children today. The prayer in Acts 4 was the prayer of the whole church; it also was quite short. The prayer in Ephesians 1 is very important, yet it is short. One does not need five minutes to finish that prayer.
Many prayers in the prayer meeting are vain and unreal because they are too long. Perhaps two or three sentences out of the whole prayer are genuine, but the rest are redundant. Those two or three sentences are for God, but the rest are for the brothers and sisters. These prayers drag the meeting on. New believers should forget about the long prayers of the old-timers. They should offer short prayers instead. Not all the brothers and sisters can pray long prayers. If we continue to pray long prayers, the church will suffer great loss.
D. L. Moody once reacted in a very wise way to a sister who was offering a very long prayer in the meeting. As her prayer consumed the patience of the whole congregation, Moody stood up and said, “While our sister is still praying, let us sing hymn number so-and-so.” A long prayer saps the strength of the prayer meeting. Suppose you pray five minutes longer than you should and another does the same thing. When more and more people pray long prayers, the meeting drags on and is weighted down. Charles Spurgeon once said that the most improper thing for anyone to do is to ask God for forgiveness of shortcomings in the midst of a long prayer. Mackintosh also put it well when he said, “Do not try to torture God’s children with your prayer.” There are many people who whip others, not with a whip, but with long prayers. The more they pray, the more uncomfortable others become. We should learn to offer short and genuine prayers whenever we meet together.
Not Offering Prayers that Exceed Our Individual Prayers
Another principle in the prayer meeting is to not offer prayers that go beyond our personal prayer. This is a good principle. The way you pray in the meeting should be governed by the way you pray at home by yourself. Of course, prayer in the meeting is a little different; it should not be exactly the same as your personal prayer. But in principle do not allow your public prayers to exceed your private prayers. The way you pray in the meeting should be almost the same as the way you pray in your private prayer. Do not pray one way in your private prayer and another way in the meeting. Actually, it is difficult to have artificial private prayers, but many prayers in the meeting are artificial. If you go to a prayer meeting and constantly use words that you do not use in your private prayers, your prayers are bound to be artificial.
As far as accomplishing anything is concerned, the prayer in the meeting is always more effective than private prayers. God answers the prayer of the church more readily than He answers individual prayers. But today we receive more answers to private prayers than assembly prayers because there are too many false and vain prayers in the meeting. Actually, there should be more answers to corporate prayers than answers to individual prayers; there should be not only more but very much more. If God’s children come together, and everyone prays in a simple, specific, genuine, and harmonious way, there will be more answers to our prayers. (CWWN, vol. 48, “Messages for Building Up New Believers (1),” msg. 13)
Our Needing to Petition, to Supplicate, Not to Explain
When we attend the meetings, we should always pray. We have pointed out that many of us have a bad habit of explaining in our prayer. We need to learn to drop this explaining from our prayer. We come to the Lord in prayer to ask, to beseech, to petition, and to beg Him, not to explain to Him. The Lord does not need us to explain things to Him. He knows everything. You may say, “Lord, You know that we are so poor.” But you do not need to say this, because the Lord already knows. It is better to change your prayer by saying, “Lord, have pity upon my poverty.” This is a real prayer. To say “Lord, You know that we are poor” is explanation. Turn your prayer, from the first word to the last word, into petition.
Furthermore, some of us are used to praying too fast. Because of this, others are not able to follow our prayer. We have to pray in an audible and clear way so that others are able to hear us clearly. Then they will be able to say Amen to our prayer. We need to learn to pray without description, without explanation, and slowly and clearly enough so that others can follow us.
Another important thing is that we should not pray according to our natural way. When we pray, we have to exercise our spirit with every word. This does not necessarily mean that if we shout, we are exercising our spirit. But whenever we pray, we must exercise our spirit and the Spirit should be released out of us.
Praying by and in Our Spirit
I hope that we would drop all our old habits and our old thoughts. We should remember two things. First, when we pray, we need to petition, to supplicate, not to explain. Second, when we pray, we should pray by and in our spirit. Paul says in Ephesians 6:18 that we should pray at every time in spirit. A number of translations translate spirit in this verse with a capital S. But the spirit here is not the Spirit, with a capital S, but our spirit. We need to pray at every time in spirit, and watch unto this kind of prayer in our spirit. If we pray without being in the spirit, we have to adjust ourselves. When we pray, we must pray from our spirit. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit (John 4:24). Whenever we come to the Lord, we must exercise our spirit.
We should learn to exercise our spirit to such an extent that even when we are quiet, our spirit is exercised. According to Romans 8, we do not know how to pray as is fitting, so we groan. In our groaning the Spirit groans also, interceding for us (vv. 23, 26). Our groaning in this way with the exercise of our spirit is the top prayer.…Also, when we come to the prayer meeting, we must endeavor to pray. To come to the prayer meeting and not pray is meaningless. I would suggest that each of us pray at least three times in the prayer meeting. The Lord Jesus prayed three times in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:44), and Paul prayed three times (2 Cor. 12:8). Thus, we have to come to the prayer meeting, we have to pray, and we should pray three times. Whenever we pray, we must remember that we need to exercise our spirit for the release of the Holy Spirit.
Even the sisters who play the piano in the meetings need to exercise their spirit when they play the piano. Your playing of the piano may sound like the playing of someone who is either sick, sleepy, or dormant. You need to play the piano livingly by exercising your spirit. When you play the piano, your whole being, all your muscles and all your cells, have to coordinate to release your spirit.
We can say Amen in two ways: without the exercise of the spirit or with the exercise of the spirit. When we say Amen in the meetings, we should always say it with the exercise of the spirit and the release of the Spirit. Even the way we come to meet must be living. If we are not shouting, speaking, or praying, we should still exercise our spirit and release our spirit. If we look at someone with the exercise of our spirit, something living from us will penetrate that person. If we are living, we will inspire other people. If we are in the presence of a living person for even a short time, it will be hard for us to avoid being inspired by him. Therefore, we all have to learn how to exercise our spirit, how to stir up our spirit, and how to release our spirit. Even if we are merely sitting in a meeting, we should release our spirit. All of us have to rise up to function in a living way in order to annul the system of one man speaking and the rest listening. We have to come to exercise our spirit and to release our spirit. (CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 3, “Fellowship Concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups,” msg. 13)
Discussion:
1. How to pursue the Lord’s word in the prayer meeting?
2. How to announce prayer burdens?
3. How to direct the content in the prayer meeting?
