The Importance of Prayer Meetings

Martin Luther once said: “I have so much to do today that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” This statement was radical and difficult to grasp 500 years ago. Today, in an age of pragmatism and efficiency—even in Christianity—it may seem almost otherworldly.

If we truly understand the essence of Scripture and the Gospel, we don’t need to be reminded that without God’s intervention, NOTHING we do will bear spiritual fruit or have any real impact! Just think about it—our labor, preparations, rehearsals, training, planning, strategies, and visions are all meaningless without  God’s hand at work.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

This is why, after much prayer and discussion, the elders have come to the conclusion that the next step in GFC’s growth must be a serious commitment to prayer. Prayer is seeking God and asking Him to act upon His promises. If this is true, then prayer—where we encounter the living God—will be the key to our personal spiritual growth as well as to the development of our ministry.

Because of that, all midweek ministry activities will be redirected toward prayer. We are not canceling them but rather channeling them into one of the two dedicated prayer gatherings: Wednesday at 7:00 PM (English), and Thursday at 7:00 PM (Russian).

A couple of practical considerations:

1) Home Groups. What should we do about our small/home groups? Since these gatherings already include time for prayer, each group can decide for themselves whether to meet during a designated prayer week or not. Ask yourselves a simple question: “Will attending our group prevent us from joining the church wide prayer meeting?” If it won’t be a problem, feel free to meet. But if your group meeting would keep you from participating in the whole-church prayer gathering, we strongly encourage you to prioritize corporate prayer.

2) Men’s and Women’s Prayer Breakfasts. These are, after all, prayer breakfasts! They are dedicated times of seeking God together. Prayer will not compete with prayer. Therefore, when these breakfasts coincide with a designated prayer week, neither will be canceled. More prayer – more power!

This is a wonderful opportunity for us to come together and pray for one another! To make this time as effective as possible, we need to pause, slow down, and clear out personal schedules. Every ministry is important, and we have good reasons for all that we do. However, we need spiritual strength, and that strength is found when we come to God in prayer with open Bibles.

Even good things can be pause for something greater. May God bless you as you pursue corporate prayer! We are confident that He will pour out His abundant blessings upon you.

¹⁵ For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, ¹⁶ I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, ¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, ¹⁸ having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might ²⁰ that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹ far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

• Wednesday (7:00 PM) – Prayer Meeting (English)
• Thursday (7:00 PM) – Prayer Meeting (Russian)
• Saturday (8:00 – 9:30 AM) – Men’s prayer breakfast
• Sunday services:
  • Worship Service in Russian at 9:00 AM
  • Worship Service in English at 11:15 AM
  • Evening Service at 6:00 PM (During this service we will have combined offering for mission work and for Gideon’s Ministry International)