The Prayer of Agreement in Christian Fellowship
Today’s Bible Verse
"Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for,
it will be done for them by my Father in heaven."
(Matthew 18: 19)
I have heard a few younger Christians asking, "Why do we need to attend church on Sundays? I can pray by myself, from my own room!" This may be true, and that's what we do throughout the week. We spend time alone, worship and pray. But we also pray together as a family at home. Two or three of us agree about things to be asked in prayer, form the same opinion and expectation about what is being asked, and then pray together. Such prayers are answered. These would be prayers for the family members, friends of the family, the church and its ministry, the servants of God, and those who had requested prayers for their various needs.
However, what happens on a Sunday is that we acknowledge the collection of all these individual and family prayers and agree on what we must pray together for as we gather together as a congregation. We agree about our prayers for the needs of individuals, families, communities, societies and nations. We share the burden of everyone as we keep everything in prayer. This is why attending Sunday services becomes essential for a believer. It gives us the spiritual privilege of agreeing on things prayed for in a larger crowd, like a congregation. And this is also why, when we praise and worship together as a congregation, and as we ask the Lord to bless us with His mighty presence, we feel His anointing upon us so mightily. We hear more testimonies every Sunday about what was prayed for in the earlier week. We hear about the joy and relief that the answered prayers bring into the life of many.
Christian faith is built on fellowship. No believer can stand alone and say that she/he would grow alone. It does not work that way. Going to church alone and praying in silence may help us to shed our worries, needs and desires before the Lord, but we grow as believers only when we find fellowship among the believers of Christ. And the building block of this Christian fellowship is the agreement about what we ask for in prayer!
For Christ Jesus, this fellowship of love and agreement was essential. It was on this fellowship did Jesus encourage us to build the church and continue His mission of love. At the end of His ministry in this world, after His resurrection, Jesus asks His disciple Peter an important question. “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep" (John 21: 17). The prayer of agreement is not just a plain result of the fellowship, but it is a reflection of the Christian love that we share. It is by this Christ-centered love that we can feel for each other and be empathetic to others' situations and needs. Therefore, a believer receives the love of Christ and then gets to share this love with those around her/him in the fellowship. The most significant expression of this Christ-centered love would be the prayer of agreement. And this expression of love and agreement becomes the central pillar of the church.
Christ Jesus made the prayer of agreement a vital part of the growth and betterment of the Christian faith. In simple terms, love me with all your heart, love each other, agree on things, and then come together in prayer. This should be the foundational process of growing together as a Christian fellowship. Let it be a kids' group, a youth club, a women's meeting, a men's gathering, a Bible study group, a congregation at the Sunday service or even a mass gathering of believers; love and agreement should be the ruling factors that bring about effective and dynamic prayer that pleases the Lord our God. Therefore, as believers of Christ Jesus, who yearn for a true Christian fellowship among ourselves, let us be vigilant to have our thoughts set on these two essential parts, love and agreement of things, that would lead us to spiritual upliftment and the growth of the mission of Christ Jesus has set for us.
May the blessings of God the Father, the love and grace of Christ Jesus the Son, and the fellowship and guidance of the Holy Spirit, be with us as we continue to seek Him.
May God bless you.
Yours in Christ,
🎶
"As We Worship You"
by Don Moen
