When we are Religious.. we trample

If you are religious you are going to hate this.


I see examples in scripture (mostly the book of Acts) of the Body of Christ praying as a group.  Peter in Prison and they prayed for his release.   Acts 12:5-18

There are allusions to a prayer of thanksgiving that seems more like an Apostolic Declaration.  But the earth shook.  This is when unity has power.
Acts 4:24-31

They prayed during fellowship.      Acts 2:42        Acts 1:14
  "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers".  No indication of what "the Prayers" were or are.  Just mentioned it.

All of these prayers were with people in unity.  People who sought God without reservation. People who were in one accord.

That is not the case in most churches today.  Sometimes in a small home fellowship it can happen.  But for the most part, there is a wide brush of  opinions, views, committment, theology, faith and unbelief in the average church of 200.  It is not earth shaking prayer when there are so many not able to enter into corporate prayer.    No unity.

Some groups will not even pray in public.  They won't ask you to "Join them in prayer".  They don't believe in being unequally yoked together with those without a commitment in unity in prayer.

So when we pray in a church service or any gathering why do we do it?  What purpose?  What is the pattern?  I find much of what passes for prayer is not really prayer at all.  It's tradition, dry and useless.  It gives the deacons and elders something to do.

I am not convinced that the idea of praying in a fellowship as an essential part of the Church event, UNLESS there is purpose like praying For God's Grace, His presence, for Favor, for  protection, for intervention.  I don't see what I read in the word of God as prayer in the Church of 2014.

Maybe we just do it because our fathers, grandfathers, great grandfathers, great great grandfathers prayed in public.  We have the national day of prayer coming up.  That is going to include a lot of people praying that don't believe what you do.  Does it help for a muslin, a hew, a deist and a nominal Christian enter into prayer together...?  We need to rethink the whole "Let Us Pray" or "Join me in Prayer" thing we do so thoughtlessly.