PROGRAMS OR PRAYER, WHICH IS THE ANSWER?

It seems to me that a lot of churches today are looking for the newest best thing (program) out there. The question is why? One of the reasons I think is that they are looking to meet a need or combat a problem within the body. That is an understandable reason. Another is they see something that is successful someplace else and they want it for their church. They see the big numbers and want that for their church. On the surface that seems fine, but why is it about the numbers? I have seen program upon program come and go. They were successful someplace else, then someone tries to transplant it and what happens: it starts out with a bang (big numbers, lots of interest) but after a period of time interest fades, the numbers go down until it dies. I saw it with a prayer group I was a part of years ago. The group had been meeting together for many years. There were 3-5 people that met every week. And finally after many years it began to grow. It was up to 12-15 every week. In one regard I was disappointed because 12-15 out of 800 or more people well, that percentage is pretty sad. But at the same time I was excited because it was starting to grow. People were coming for the purpose of praying and nothing more. There was no agenda, no program. Just there to allow the Holy Spirit to do what He wants. Then there was another group that went out to see what was going on at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, and they decided they wanted that here. What is going on out there DID NOT happen overnight. If you read about their history, you learn that it started with just a few people meeting weekly for prayer and it was years before it began to grow. The idea that you can take and transplant that overnight I think is ridiculous. And why would you want to anyway? Maybe because you don’t want to put the hard work into figuring out where God wants YOUR church to go, then growing it up, building it from the ground up, as a church body. The other thing that really bothers me is that people seem to thing that God is generic. God happens to find something that works and it is supposed to be done everywhere. That is not the God I know. He is unique and what He does is unique. He does NOT rubber-stamp. Is it our busyness of life that wants it to be easy so we don’t have to invest ourselves? But God want us to make a choice. What is truly important to you? Are you willing to make the time for Me?

I also see time and time again that people (including and often especially leadership) look to programs to solve the problems and issues within the church. When the answer, the only answer, will come through prayer-corporate prayer. It’s great that individuals are praying. But when you’re dealing with corporate issues/problems, they need to be dealt with in corporate prayer. Not just a two minute prayer on Sunday morning that says “God lead us in the way to go”. No, it is together as a body focused on worshipping, confessing, interceding, and petitioning the Lord to supply wisdom, discernment, and clear direction. Is that easy or comfortable? NO, but I wholeheartedly believed it is the answer. If a sin is corporate, it needs to be confessed corporately. The Holy Spirit needs to be sought corporately, in a unified way and time. And whatever obstacles are in the way need to be removed whether they be people or things (programs, traditions, etc), if you truly want what God wants for this/your church body. The answer is prayer not programs, it must begin and end in prayer.