About the Book
They all joined together constantly in prayer… Acts 1:14
This book is about facilitating corporate prayer. When I say corporate prayer, I am not simply referring to praying with other people. It is possible to pray individual prayers in a group setting. I am referring to prayers that are influenced by the prayers of others and in turn influence the prayers of others. I am referring to prayers that flow more from listening than from lists. I am referring to prayers of agreement or harmonious prayers. We could call them symphonic prayers. In fact, the word Jesus used in Matthew 18:19 most often translated agree is the word from which we get our English word symphony.
The purpose of this book is to help those who desire to lead others in more meaningful corporate times of prayer find very practical ways to not just survive the experience, but to thrive because of it. You will find illustrations of how the Lord has led me and others in specific settings, but more importantly you will find principles to follow so you can know how the Lord wants to lead you in your prayer group.
My hope is not that you will be able to reproduce a specific model of prayer, but that you will be able to grow in your own ability and confidence of how the Lord wants to use you to influence others through corporate prayer.
Ultimately, this is a book about a key aspect of discipleship. Jesus, in the primary passage on how to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20), instructs us to teach others all that He have commanded us. One of the things He commanded us to do was to pray. His main instruction on this topic (Matthew 6:9-13) is given in the plural (notice the pronouns “our” and “us”). Paul told Timothy to pass on to others the things he has seen in Paul. Timothy saw Paul pray with others and for others. This was one of the things Paul wanted Timothy to pass on. As we encourage others to pray together, we are encouraging them to be better disciples of Jesus.
So, my hope is that anyone who has spiritual influence in someone else’s life, whether as a pastor, a youth pastor, a worship leader, an elder or deacon, a home group leader, a Sunday School teacher, a co-worker, a fellow student, a fellow-worker, a parent, or a grandparent, will find encouragement and help here to assist the people around them to grow more in the grace of God available through corporate prayer.
About the Cover
Here is what we want to communicate with the cover of United and Ignite: Encountering God through Dynamic Corporate Prayer…
- The small ripple reminds us of the importance of “a single drop of prayer.”
- The multiple rain drops remind that many prayers are better than just one prayer.
- The powerful waterfalls reminds us of the great power contained in a large flow of prayer.