Casting A Vision For Corporate Prayer

Pentecost Prayer Meetings
by Claude V. King

The following testimony comes from the Forward to Andrew Murray’s book The Prayer-Life (1913).

I wish to add one word more, in regard to “the Pentecostal prayer-meetings” held throughout our Church [Dutch Reform Church of South Africa]. These have had a very interesting and important place in our work. At the time of the great Revival in America and Ireland in 1858 and following years, some of our elder ministers issued a circular urging the Churches to pray that God might visit us too. In 1860 the revival broke out in various parishes. On April, 1861, there was very deep interest shown in the Paarl, in one of our oldest congregations. During the week preceding Whitsunday the minister, who ordinarily preached only once on a Sunday, announced that in the afternoon there would be a public prayer-meeting in the Church. The occasion was one of extraordinary interest, and many hearts were deeply touched. As one result the minister suggested that in future the ten days between Ascension and Whitsunday should be observed by daily prayer-meetings. This took place the following year. The blessing then received was such that all the neighboring congregations took up the suggestion, and now for fifty years the ten days of prayer have been observed throughout the whole Church. Each year notes were issued as subjects of addresses and prayer, and the result has been that throughout our whole Church Christians have been educated in the knowledge of what God’s Word teaches regarding the Holy Spirit, and have been stirred to seek and to yield themselves to His blessed leading. These ten days have often proved the occasion for special effort with the unconverted, and of partial revival. And they have been the means of untold blessing in leading ministers and people to recognize the place that the Holy Spirit ought to have of the Godhead in the heart of the believer, in the dealing with souls, and in consecration to the service of the Kingdom.

There is still very much indeed lacking of the full knowledge and power of the Holy Spirit, but we feel that we cannot be sufficiently grateful to God for what He has done through His leading us to dedicate these days to special prayer for the movings of His Holy Spirit.

I have written this with the thought that there may be some who will be glad to know of it, and in their sphere to unite in the observance.
 
Pentecost Prayer Meetings—Ten Days of Corporate Prayer
Consider planning 10 days of corporate prayer beginning on the Day of Ascension and continuing to Pentecost Sunday (Whitsunday). Plan for a variety of prayer experiences. Provide specific suggestions for a variety of prayer emphases for each day. Where appropriate incorporate a message and music, only don’t substitute them for an extended time for prayer each day. Prayer should dominate your time together each day. The following are some suggestions for your consideration.
 
Prayer Experience Options

• Concert of Prayer—Members in small groups (of three or four persons) throughout the room are guided to pray about a variety of topics by the concert of prayer director. The director gives instructions and a topic for prayer. Following a season of prayer a new topic is presented for prayer.
• Cottage Prayer Meetings—Members gather in private homes or apartments and use conversational prayer to present their requests to the Lord and surround them with intercession.
• Focused Prayer Groups—Identify several topics for prayer and enlist a leader for each topic. Ask each leader to prepare a banner or sign to identify his or her topic. Invite members to move to the topic of choice and join others in praying for that topic. Members could stay focused on one topic for the evening or rotate to two or three during the evening.
• Congregational Praying—Members gather in one large group for prayer. One member at a time prays as the congregation listens and joins in agreement.
• Small Group Praying—The congregation is divided into small groups of six or eight persons. These use conversational prayer to focus on the prayer emphasis of the evening and/or on requests offered by those in the group.
• “How can we pray for you?” Praying—In small groups (four to eight people depending on the time available) ask one person at a time “How can we pray for you?” After hearing the request, let one or more people pray for that person. Then ask a second person for their prayer request and pray for him or her. Continue until each person has been prayed for by the group.
• Topical Prepared Praying—In advance develop a list of topics of concern and assign each topic to a different person who will then lead the group in a corporate prayer for that topic. These could include prayers of confession and repentance.
• Prayerwalking—Members in groups of two or three walk and pray “on site with insight” in their neighborhoods or areas of the community of special burden or interest (or Prayer Driving—same focus in a car, van, or bus).
• Prayer Triplets—Ask members to group themselves into  triplets (groups of three). Lead members to identify people in their circles of influence who do not have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Take turns identifying a person who needs Christ and then praying together for the person’s salvation. These triplets may want to enter into a short- or long-term covenant to pray for these lost friends, coworkers, family members, and relatives. Triplets can gather periodically to pray or use a conference call weekly to pray together.
• Lighthouse Movement Praying—Families meet in their respective homes to join in praying for their neighbors (five neighbors to the left, five to the right, and ten across the street). Launch Lighthouse praying and follow the pattern of pray, care, and share.
• Prayer Vigil—(or Watchnight) Gather a group to spend the night in prayer. Using other prayer ideas described here, schedule a variety of prayer emphases throughout the night.
• Watchman Praying—Enlist members to agree to pray for one hour (probably at home) during the Watchman Prayer Emphasis. Depending on the size of your congregation decide to pray around the clock for one day (24 hours), a weekend (3 @ 24 or 72), a week (7 @ 24 or 168), or for all ten days (10 @ 24 or 240). Watchmen may sign up for one hour or for the same hour of each day during the emphasis. Provide a prayer guide to help direct the hour of praying in conjunction with the Pentecost Prayer Meeting themes. Provide a printout of watchmen with a contact phone number for each. Ask each watchman to call the person on the list who has agreed to pray the next hour to make sure they are up and on the watch. An hour could be taken for prayer by an individual or by a couple, a family, a class, or a cell group who will agree to meet and pray at the designated time.
• Invitational Prayer—Persons come forward to request prayer for specific needs. The leader invites other members to circle around this person (couple or family) and join in intercessory prayers for the request.
• Prayer Ministry Line—Intercessors, ministers, and/or other church leaders stand in a line facing the congregation and make themselves available to pray with those who desire prayer. Individuals, couples, or families may approach a prayer minister at the front for prayer. This approach can be combined with the invitational prayer approach to give opportunity for either public or private requests for prayer to be made.

Prayer Emphases Options

• Prayers of Worship, Praise, and Thanksgiving
• Prayers of Confession and Repentance
• Prayer for Christian Life of Members
• Prayer for Marriages and Family Life
• Prayer for Local Church
• Prayer for City-wide Churches
• Prayer for Your Denomination
• Prayer for the Nation
• Prayer for the Harvest
• Prayer for the Nations
• Prayer for Specific People Groups
• Prayer for Home and Foreign Missionaries
• Prayer for National and Worldwide Christian Ministries
• Prayer for Christians Around the World
  

Message Options

• The Greatness of God
• The Holiness of God
• The Sinfulness of Man
• Reconciliation with God or The Ministry of Reconciliation
• A Love Relationship with the Heavenly Father
• The Heart of God for a Lost World
• The Power in Prevailing Prayer
• The Necessity of Unity in the Body of Christ
• Consecration to God
• The Final Command: “Go Make Disciples”
• First Fruits of the Church at Pentecost
• Holy Spirit Power for Witnessing
• The Good News in the Gospel
• Jesus Is Coming Soon

Music Theme Options

• Prayer
• Praise, Adoration, and Thanksgiving
• Love of Christ
• Confession and Repentance of Sin
• Forgiveness and Cleansing
• The Cross of Christ
• The Blood of Christ
• Salvation/Redemption
• Faith/Trust
• The Resurrection of Christ
• The Second Coming of Christ
• Revival of God’s People
• The Harvest/Missions
• Consecration/Dedication to Christ
• Christian/Spiritual Warfare

Claude V. King, Prayer Strategy Coordinator
New Hope New York
236 W 72nd Street, Floor 6, New York, NY 10023
646-274-6820
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(NOTE: Has also appeared in the National Pastors’ Prayer Network – www.nppn.org)