Jesus said, "My House shall be called a house of prayer". As important as solid exposition of God’s Word is in our Churches, is corporate prayer being neglected today? We read of the testimonies of Pastors who have committed not only to the teaching of God’s Word, but also to corporate prayer. One such pastor is Dr. Tommy Barnett in Phoenix Arizona. Four years ago he had been convicted that his church was not seeking God enough in corporate prayer, so he did everything he could to build the weekly prayer meeting. The church went from a handful at the prayer meeting to more than 1,000 in attendance within a year. During the next four years, his church saw more people come to Christ than in the church’s 42-year history. Additionally, more funds came in for ministry than ever before!

This testimony is similar to that of my dear friend, Pastor Jim Cymbala, and the Brooklyn Tabernacle. This Church was also built on the bedrock of prayer. Do you want to see God move in greater ways in your Church? Do you want to see God break through whatever may be paralyzing or holding your church back? Would you like to see the "ho-hum" status quo replaced by vibrant and fruitful ministry? It is our hope to encourage you to start the New Year with a commitment to prayer. Encourage your pastor, small group, and church to seek the Lord together. This is exactly what the early church did throughout the book of Acts. One of these encounters, chronicled in Acts 4:31 resulted in "..the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness." Perhaps if the Church would once again, in one accord fervently seek the Lord, then He will "shake things up" with His power for His purposes. -- Dr.John DeBrine