Prayer Meeting Dynamics

Bro. Emmanuel Tamakloe

Introduction:

Prayer meetings should be inspired by the Holy Spirit. But a Holy Spirit inspired prayer meeting does not happen automatically. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to teach us develop Charismatic prayer meeting that properly honour’s the Lord, foster Christian growth and help the use of the charisms. The prayer meeting is the heart of every prayer group.

When you assemble, one has a hymn, another some instruction to give, still another a revelation to share, one speaks in a tongue, another interprets. Let all things be done to build up the community. I Cor. 14:26

What is the aim of the Charismatic Prayer Meeting?

The aim of the Charismatic Renewal if to help people experience the grace and gifts of the Holy Spirit given to us at Baptism and Confirmation.  This spiritual awakening enables us to have a deep personal relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  It produces a hunger for scripture and The Eucharist and a deeper prayer life. It also encourages God’s children to use the gifts of the Holy Spirit in proclaiming the Gospel to others.

A CHARISMATIC PRAYER MEETING IS A WEEKLY GATHERING OF CHRISTIANS who give praise, thanks, and honor to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We gather in community to worship God as the Holy Spirit moves us, and to encourage and support each other in faith.

The prayer meeting has been a place where many, many, people have found a new dimension to their spiritual lives, and have discovered the love of God in a more profound way

The difference between a Charismatic Prayer Meeting and Shared Prayer Meeting:

Charismatic Prayer Meeting:

1. A deeper teaching on the action of the Holy Spirit and how people need to yield to that power
2. The charismatic gifts are freely exercise, especially tongues and word gifts
3. Stress more praise and thanksgiving … free and open in praise

Shared Prayer People coming together to share some form of spontaneous prayer

Take Note

We always have to consider the comfort of the people coming to our prayer meeting. The more comfortable they are the more open they will be, we must help especially those coming to our meetings for the first time to be open. Our openness to the Holy Spirit releases the power made available for our benefit.

• Remember: your prayer meeting is attended by human being (Old & Young).
• They are not spirit, they come to the meeting tired, worried, distracted, troubled, etc.
• They have body and have emotion
• We must Meet them “where they are” connect with them there. Then take them higher.
• The meeting takes place in a relaxed atmosphere where joy and the love of God is emphasised, and where everyone is welcomed.

The Focus and Purpose of the Charismatic Prayer Meeting

1. Celebrate:
   We gather to participate in celebrating the goodness of God, we are not to be spectators at the prayer meeting
2. Communicate (Through)
1. Praise and worship
2. Prayer
3. The use of Spiritual gifts
3. Contemplate
   Members should be helped to focus on the Lord – to become “God Conscious” God-aware.
4. Commune
1. Have deep fellowship with the Lord and one another
2. All we at the prayer meeting should bring us into an intimate relationship with the Lord and one another.

Key Ministries that direct the Prayer Meeting

1. The M.C (The Leading team) – They coordinates the effective flow of the meeting.
• A good prayer meeting leader does more than start and stops the meeting.
• He/she centers the group on Jesus (not Satan) with exhortation.
• He/she redirect the meeting should it begin to shift focus
2. Praise and Worship team – leads the group into God’s presence through praise & worship.
3. Teacher – The voice of God for the day.

M.C. + PWT + Teacher = Effective Spirit filled Prayer Meeting

• Some people have the charism to lead the prayer groups
• Others have charism to lead the prayer meetings
• Some may have both

THE FLOW OF THE PRAYER MEETING

1. Opening Prayer

Prayer of Invocation or Invitation

• A Penitential A.C.T
• Admit faults
• Confess them to the Lord
• Thank God for forgiveness
• Ask for the Holy Spirit’s Presence

‘Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain’. (Ps. 127:1RSV)

The Holy Spirit governs and inspires all our meetings especially the prayer meeting and no two meetings will ever be the same.

“What the soul is to the human body, the Holy Spirit is to the Body of Christ……” (CCC 797)

2. Welcoming
• The leader for the day welcomes brothers and sisters to the prayer meeting
• Calls us Welcoming one another
• Purpose of Gathering
3. Praise and Worship (Entering the presence of God)

At the prayer meeting God is praised with enthusiasm.

Focus: To honour God through worship and to surrender ourselves fully to the Holy Spirit, so that He can praise the Father and the Son through us and among us.

• It is an important part of the prayer meeting
• Vocal praise & worship with our mind
• Vocal praise & worship in the Spirit

The purpose of praise & worship:

Praise: Is to honour God by proclaiming, rejoicing and uniting ourselves with God for his own sake and for what he has done. In the psalms there are three forms of praise: Proclamation praise (Ps 95; 96); Jubilation/rejoicing praise (Ps 47; 66; 100); and Union praise (Ps 42, 63, 84, 118, 136)

By developing an attitude of praise in us that creates a spirit of faith and overcomes negativity. We find ourselves rejoicing in the Lord always and giving thanks in all circumstances

Worship is "honour paid to a superior being." The common New Testament word for worship is proskuneo, which means "to kiss toward, to kiss the hand, to bow down, to prostrate oneself." The idea of worship is that one prostrates himself before a superior being with a sense of respect, awe, reverence, honour, and homage

• Praise: About what He has done - “Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! (Ps 95:2 RSV)
• Worship: Is about who he is - “O come, let us worship and bow down : (Ps 95:6a RSV)
• Adoration: let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! (Ps 95:6b RSV)

Time of silence - “Be still and know that I AM God” Ps 46:10; Be still before the LORD, Ps 37:7a

4. Exercising the gifts of the Holy Spirit
1. Prophecy
2. Vision
3. A word of knowledge
4. An inspired scripture

The mind of the Church

• “Whether extraordinary or simple and humble, charisms are graces of the Holy Spirit which directly or indirectly benefit the Church, ordered as they are to her building up, to the good of all, and to the needs of the world” (CCC 799)
• “They (Charisms) are a wonderfully rich grace for the apostolic vitality and for the holiness of the entire Body of Christ, provided they really are genuine gifts of the Holy
• Spirit and are used in full conformity with authentic prompting of this same Spirit”. (CCC 800)
Within the communion of the Church, the Holy Spirit “distributes special graces among the faithful of every rank” for the building up of the Church…..to each is given for the common good.” (CCC # 951)
• Such gifts are not to be considered optional in the life of the Church…..there arises for each believer the right and duty to use the in the Church and in the world for the good of men and the building up of the Church, in the freedom of the Holy Spirit….” (Luvenescit Ecclesia #9)

Good Attitudes that foster the use of Spiritual gift

1. Long to hear or see God move among His people just like in the time of old
2. Realizing power in God’s word to touch and change hearts and mind
3. Expectant faith that God wants to lead and touch us through his word
4. Wait and do not rush
5. Sensing connection (in quietness the ask the Lord the ff)
• What are you saying to me?
• What are you saying to us (as a group)?
5. Teaching or Sharing of the Word

Focus: Good teaching should be inspirational, educational and practical.

• Teaching must be (Evangelistic, Basic massage and short)
• Teaching is a key for growth.
• Teaching should infuse: Faith, Hope and love.
• Teaching is essential to the welfare of every prayer group, so it should give direction.

Teaching or Sharing the Word is the heart or core of the prayer meeting, but unfortunately in most cases its weakest point. The purpose of teaching is mainly kerygmatic and evangelistic, the goal of teaching at our prayer meeting is for ongoing renewal and training for growth in discipleship.

6. Prayer Ministry (Responding To The Word of God)

The key to prayer ministry is Listen, Love & Pray. In Prayer Ministry, one must first Listen with one ear to the supplicant and one to the Holy Spirit, Next Love the supplicant with God’s love. Only then are they able to Pray with understanding for the needs presented

• Within the group
• For individuals through prayer ministry (Preferably the closing stages of the meeting)
7. Witnessing – Testimony:

Testimony builds faith “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, (2Ti 1:8a NKJV)

Testimony begins with pure belief. Your testimony is a spiritual witness of what you know to be true. When you share your testimony the powerful part will come from words like Know, Believe and Testify, Holy Spirit inspired testimonies changes life’s and bring others to Christ

Testimony should be A.B.C.

Audible,
Brief and
Christ centered.

8. Intercession & Supplication:

“I urge, then first of all, that request, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone” 1Timothy 2:1There will usually be times of intercession for the needs of the world, the Church, parish and home.

Spirit filled Prayer Meetings should help members:

To grow in relationship: It happened in the Acts of the Apostles, it happened in the lives of our Church Fathers and in lives of the pioneers of CCR it happened. “The Church has a mission to enlighten the whole world with the message of the Gospel,…Therefore, the Church [Prayer Meeting] must be a sign of love, unity, brotherhood” (Gaudium et Spes” – Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World # 92)

The Spiritual gift are for building up of the body of Christ. We cannot get focused on ministry or even prayer, that do not let the Spirit form us as a (family) community.

To grow in prayer, (Schools of Prayer): “…Let your [Prayer Meetings] communities, therefore, be more and more “genuine schools of prayer, where the meeting with Christ is expressed not just in imploring help but in thanksgiving, praise, adoration, contemplation, listening and ardent devotion, until the heart truly “falls in love” (Pope John Paul II – Inter. Leader Conf. Rome)

To become like Christ: Vatican II proclaims the following:

• Every persons has been made to the image and likeness of God
• Every person is called to share in God’s divine nature.
• The Church desires to be like Christ (Gaudium et Spes” – Pastoral Constitution The Church in The Modern World # 3)

To become mission minded (evangelistic heart): “God is opening before the Church the horizons of humanity more fully prepared for the sowing of the Gospel. I sense that the moment has come to commit all of the Church’s energies to a new evangelization….No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples” (The Mission of the Redeemer Redemptoris Missio # 4)

GUIDE FOR PRAYER MEETING LEADERSHIP

Keep the Purpose in mind: never lose sight of the objective and purpose of the gathering.

Allow the Holy Spirit to give you direction: We need the Holy Spirit’s direction in our ministry, in our time of preparing and leading.

Encourage Participation: Too often the congregation becomes more spectators instead of participators. And he encouraged them for the service of the house of the LORD. (2Ch 35:2 NKJV)

Work in humility: A good leader should always seek to “hide behind the cross.” Nothing ruins the spiritual and physical atmosphere of a prayer meeting than pride.

End:
• Our prayer meetings must be a place of fulfillment
• A place of refuelling (filling station)
• A home of love, place where love is experience