The Power of the Church

February 13, 2011

According to Oswald Sanders, “Prayer is the most ancient, most universal, and most intensive expression of the religious instinct”. (Spiritual Leadership, p. 85).

Just like holiness, prayer is innate in those who are born-again children of God.
While most of our human instincts are to be curbed and Spirit-controlled, the instinct to be holy and pray must not be stifled. We must act on these spiritual instincts and work these into our daily lives until they become who we are.

To be the church we are to be, we must pray. Prayer is life to the church as oxygen is to the body.

Yet the department of prayer is often overlooked in the church life because it is not a visible ministry. Prayer is a ‘behind-the-closet’ ministry that is often unnoticed and without glamour. However, the effect of this neglect is often costly.

In prayer, we tap on a Resource that is full of wisdom. When we pray, we seek a higher Power to navigate through the stages of church growth and challenges. Most importantly, we declare our dependence on the Creator and Architect of the church. God is the orchestrator of church formation and He alone provides the blueprint and roadmap of His body. Surely then the community of God can ill afford not to pray.

I am convinced that the power of God is unleashed when His church bends its knees and humbles itself in prayer. It is a discipline that we as a church must master.

May God arise and His enemies be scattered through the church that prays.