We've spent time talking about how to ruin a prayer meeting. Now I'm going to address my comments to  those that have another train of thought when it comes to a Prayer Meeting. These are people who think a Corporate prayer meeting should involve everyone...should be fun, energetic and bring results! so...

 So....here is how to MAKE a Corporate Prayer Meeting successful in THREE points...

We have nine ways to ruin a prayer meeting...or 3 ways to get a good one going: you chose!

  Top 3 ways to make a Corporate prayer Meeting successful:

 1.: being in harmony – all our voices together being raised in prayer,

2.      multiplying our strength: –recognizing that our strength is multiplied when we pray together...and

3.       3. Having a common goal when we pray: letting our prayers work  together for a common good – not only protecting those we love, but bring VICTORY against the enemy!

Seems to me that making a good corporate prayer meeting happen is a lot less work that working to make one boring!! ( 3 steps vs. 9 ).

  ..... they lifted their voices in a wonderful harmony in prayer:Act.4:24

  #1: to make a Corporate Prayer meeting work is: to actually BE corporate - Working as one – with one aim – one focus – as a group – not as individuals.

 Become a Symphony of Prayer. Corporate can mean, harmony or harmonizing – every voice needs to do it’s part... One Heart, One Mind.

. Hearing the report, they lifted their voices in a wonderful harmony in prayer:Act.4:24

 Now apparently these people believe that Prayer meeting is not a time for back-row, anonymous, or secret believers. Gather everyone in a tight-knit group,  making their petitions and prayers KNOWN!

 Remember: these people believe that: · True corporate prayer is when individuals get together to pray as a group,   not, a group getting together to pray as individuals. Corporate prayer has as it's ultimate aim to be as it were, a single voice rising to the throne of God.

 Here's a couple of Scriptures:

Phil.2: 2 Fill up and complete my joy by living in harmony and being of the same mind and one in purpose, having the same love, being in full accord and of one harmonious mind and intention.

* remember The opposite of being in agreement or unity is DISHARMONY: : Matt. 12:25, and Luke 11:1725And Jesus knew their thoughts and said unto them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.

Ps.133 : 1-3 speaks about what harmony is... -it's like oil, it's precious AND it's in that place that the Lord commands a blessing!

 #2  :  to make a Corporate prayer meeting successful is for Prayer Warriors pray in agreement, the power generated is multiplied tenfold  ( Where 2 or 3 are gathered!)..

“Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand! All your enemies will fall beneath your sword.”Lev.26:8

Matt: 18: 19 ( Amp.)Again I tell you, if two of you on earth agree (harmonize together, make a symphony together) about whatever [anything and [a]everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven.

* This verse is actually in context of dealing with offenses and discipline, but one of the commentaries says  “ these are principles that need to be practised everywhere under all circumstances..” .so we are going to use it as an example of what happens when we agree – whether it's about discipline or about prayer..- if we agree, Christ is in the midst!

And the Harper Study Bible (RSV, Zondervan 1979) on p.185, states the following in its notes for Leviticus 26:8  "In spiritual things the law which governs is not that of arithmetic progression but an accumulative effect as the numbers rise. Symbolically, five will chase one hundred but one hundred will chase ten thousand.  Especially in prayer may it be said that the power generated will be proportionately greater as more people pray. Thus the more of God's people who...pray together the more significant will be the results."

 Some examples:

In 1987 Alliance, Nebraska had the highest per capita incidence of drug use in America, but a group of concerned pastors banded together and prayed 15 months.  During an evangelistic series of 9.5 weeks nearly 10 percent of the population of Alliance was converted.

    Max Lucado recounts how he formed four prayer teams of 30 members each to pray for the church.  In six months the church broke attendance records twice, finished over budget, and grew!

 Another Example:

The NYC noon prayer meetings, started with one guy who tacked up posters asking if anyone else wanted to pray – together!!

Alarmed by the spiritual state of affairs, a Dutch Reformed layman named Jeremiah Lamphier tacked up notices in New York City calling for a weekly prayer meeting on Wednesdays from noon till one. The first week, only six showed up and none of them before 12:30.

 The next week, though, the attendance jumped to twenty.3 Then they nearly doubled again. About that time Wall Street crashed. The ensuing financial panic arrested the country‟s attention and turned hearts toward more heavenly things. So great and so immediate were the changes that in less than six months time, more than 10,000 business men were meeting daily in New York to pray during the noon hour. That movement leapt to every single major city in America. The response of God to His people was that 1,000,000 Americans out of a population of 30,000,000 were converted in two years. At the height of revival, perhaps 50,000 a week were being converted.

 Praying together....in one accord..and with one purpose...seems to work!  Which leads us to..... 

Point # 3 to make a Corporate Prayer Meeting Successful: Work as a Group..with one goal – one purpose – to BE a Team...

 Soldiers overlapped their shields around their group  . Roman tacticians, in Paul's day, developed a unique defensive tactic called the testudo, or tortoise. In this maneuver each soldier overlapped their shields around their group and above their heads forming a 'tortoise' shell of protection. This is a strong illustration of what unified praying is all about.( I also use this example when teaching on Prayer shields! Check out my other blog for more info on this!) Working together, does GREAT things! 

In the Prayer of Agreement, or unified praying, two or more Prayer Warriors act and think as in one accord for whomever they are interceding for. The function of this type of praying is to enclose their prayer objective(s) in heavenly protective custody.

Phil1:27 Stand united, singular in vision, contending for people's trust in the Message, the good news, not flinching or dodging in the slightest before the opposition. Your courage and unity will show them what they're up against: defeat for them, victory for you—and both because of God.

My husband had a picture one day, while in the midst of prayer meeting, where everyone was praying all over the map - no single focus on the prayer.  He suddenly saw the group he was with, in a room , that they had been given the task to paint.  Everyone had picked up paint brushes and rollers, and at the starting gun ( so to speak), everyone started painting whatever area they were standing in front. At the end of the time, there were bits and pieces of the walls done, but no one wall was completely done.  Then he saw the vision start over, but this time, the group acted as one, and they all painted on one wall at a time and when the time was over, the whole room was done. The same time it had taken to paint bits and pieces.....when their energy become 'focused', they got the whole room done.  That picture has changed how my husbands prays!

Imagine: the people of God...coming together like that, to pray....defeating the enemy – working together to be victorious even when outnumbered? The strength of prayer warriors working together!

Imagine...a house being packed full of praying friends....

Imagine a symphony of prayer going up....each voice making it contribution....creating a harmonious sound of prayer that releases the commanded blessing of God
Imagine...chasing ten thousand...

 Imagine...a house of prayer – united – full of eager, excited followers of Christ ...

Imagine a prayer meeting full of enthusiastic, excited, prayer people, flowing in unity, praying with focus, surrounding those issues and people we love, with heavenly protection....J

Just imagine what Corporate prayer could be....