Quote:
Originally Posted by Praxeas
That was not "preservice prayer" that was the the law about the high priest entering into the Holy place. In the NT Jesus entered into there once and for all and as a result we can all have boldness to do the same. My question is where does the bible say we have to have an hour or so prayer just before the service actually starts? If it is to get right with God then something is amiss...when we pray we pray FOR the service, not because we need to get right with God in order to enter His presence. Where in the bible is it taught this is the case? Taking something from the OT and making a type out of it without any teaching from scriptures to support it is spiritualizing text to support a non biblical doctrine particularly in the instance of making it mandatory.
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While I do agree that we can enter into the presence of God in our own personal prayer time, I also believe that God can meet with the whole church during service in a mighty, special way as well. My experience has been, especially lately, that God moves in a special way in church during corporate worship, than when I am alone with God in prayer.
Why is that? Why is it that God sometimes in a corporate church service moves in a way that is totally different from personal prayer? It reminds me of the time there was 120 at the dedication of Solomon's temple and the glory of the Lord fell so that they were not able to minister. Sometimes the glory of the Lord falls/moves during corporate worship.
God said in the OT that he would meet with them in the holiest of all and would give them commandments - i.e., would give his word.
Exo 25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
Lev 16:2 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.
The mercy seat represented where God would meet and commune with the one inside the holiest of all.
But Aaron was told not to come in at anytime and He had to follow certain steps before coming in.
When we come to church, we come to hear God's word. We believe that God has given the preacher the message to preach to whom it is for. I've heard of some preachers coming to church, still not hearing from God what to preach, but got it sometime after that.
Now Paul asked for prayer that utterance may be given him...
Eph 6:19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
Col 4:3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:
Perhaps sometimes God wants to see how hungry his saints are for the word. Typically, saints express their hunger for the word by prayer.
Many times our Pastor has asked us to pray that God would speak to us and that we would have ears to hear and that we would open up our hearts to receive his word and to apply it to our lives.
Our church has .5 hour pre-service prayer, but if others have 1 hour prayer, then that is up to them. I usually don't spend the whole .5 hour speaking to God, but I don't let the .5 hours slip away without saying anything to God. Me personally, I don't believe that a certain time limit is required, but the church has to be open at a certain time before church to enable prayer, so a time has to be set.
I also agree that pre-service prayer is to pray for the needs of the service. However, if a saint has sinned and not yet repented, he should do so at the beginning of his prayer, so that he can move on to pray for the needs of the service; and to have his unrepentent sin hinder anything.
One last thought, the bible also mentions the "ministry of the saints"...
1Co 16:15 I beseech you, brethren, ye (know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)
Saints have a ministry and if those in leadership or worship ministries are expected to pray before church, then shouldn't the saints pray for their ministry? Can saints minister to others saints in church and/or at the altar?
1Pe 4:10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Paul told Timothy to stir up the gift - how was he to do that? Perhaps by prayer.
Matt 25 also shows how important it is to keep oil in our lamps and not to let it run out like the 5 foolish virgins. How do they get renewed or topped up with the oil of the Holy Ghost? I believe by prayer.
I'm willing to admit that I may have mistaken my OT types/shadows/figures/patterns concerning this subject, however I still stand by pre-service prayer. I and many others have experienced the results.
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