CALL TO PRAYER & SBC RESPONSE

Greetings,

"The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers. . . turn ye unto Me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. . . turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings:  but they did not hear, nor hearken unto Me, saith the Lord . . . .according to our ways and according to our doings, so hath He dealt with us."  Zechariah 1:2 - 6

Purpose of this letter:
Last year a task force was working to evaluate the prayer life of the SBC.   IN order to know where to edify, help and promote prayer among SBC, you must know where they currently are in their prayer life.   You simply go and ask them what they are doing in regards to prayer and what they are not doing.   Contact was made to state executives, associations and regional leaders, pastors and seminary presidents to discuss what they were doing in regards to prayer and what time was devoted to prayer in a month's time period.  From this it was concluded that only 12% of the 42 state conventions, the 47,000 churches, and the SBC entities were having at least one hour of corporate prayer a month.   Meaning that 88% were not having an hour of prayer corporately per month.

Now even if, we assume that there were some that were not contacted, nor heard from of these groups, and we boost the percentage to allow for error to 15 - 20%.   Are we content to say that we are a praying people?  or that our churches are 'houses of prayer" with over 80% not having 1 hour of prayer per month?

The following is to address this great need and correct it immediately.  The sin of prayerlessness has cost us much.

The Problem:

From the above stat we clearly recognize our problem within the SBC convention and our churches.   We are not a praying people, nor are our churches, houses of prayer.   The neglect and absence of prayer means that we are guilty of the sin of prayerlessness.   Without prayer, there is no power of the Holy Ghost to flow through pulpits or pews.   The church is greatly affected by this.  Thus, our continual free-fall of baptism numbers, deliverance over addictions, and protection from great evils.   Pastors, churches, SBC entities, and the individual Christians must recognize that our plight as a nation, society, families, churches and our own heart is found in this one issues, we are prayerless.  

Our nation is under great judgement due to our heightened and increased acts of evil.  Evil that has been legislated, judicial edicts made and embraced lifestyles and  choices which directly go against the God's Word ways.    God has stood ready to help, answer and send His power, but He has not heard the cry of His people.   Now there is a remnant that prays, and thank God for them; this is the 12% that corporately pray each month, and they are often found many times in a week corporately praying.   And II Chronicles 7:14, which is a favorite to so many for the answer to our day, but we want God to do His 3 promised responses, yet we have not done our responsibility of the first 4 responses, especially 'If My people humble themselves and pray. . . ".   Thus, greater evil has swept into our streets, society, homes and hearts.   We have never seen it like this before.   Prevailing prayer is the answer to it all.  

Remedy:

This is a simple remedy to our problem.   Samuel Chadwick stated, 'A prayer life is a life that prays."  Our simple remedy is to understand our plight, and correct it.   An immediate remedy is that the 80% of SBC churches, areas, states and entities, immediately in this month of February, begin to have an hour of prayer corporately to address these things.   And to those that are praying at least once a month, to increase to twice or each week  Whatever prayer is being done, among the brethren, the body of Christ, increase it to meet this need of our hour.

This remedy is to implement and suggest a corporate pattern of an hour of prayer each month in as many ways to be employed as we can.   For example, Family Research Council many years ago, started 'Call 2 Fall' for churches to pray at least 10 minutes on their knees for our nation one Sunday each year.   Our churches embraced that and increased it to where we pray the first Sunday of each month for an hour.   Cancelling our Sunday School time and employing corporate prayer for that hour.   Many groups and churches will have to remedy this sin of prayerlessness to simply have a prayer life that prays.

One thing about this remedy is necessary to understand.   The corporate prayer life of the church, I believe, flows out of the individuals secret prayer times.   The prayer times we have in our secret closets with the Lord, enflames the corporate prayer times.   Thus, if there is no prayer life in the secret closet, the corporate prayer meetings will be Spiritless. Let us make sure we are not simply trying a remedy that has no meat to it.       



Response: 
Intentional!!   We hear a lot about this today, especially in regards to evangelism.   But evangelism is trying to be done today without the Holy Spirit.   The power of God to save the soul is found in God's people being intentional to pray for Him to do what only He can do, which is to save the soul.   So whatever we are doing in prayer, I recognize it and thank you for it.  But our response must be more urgent and fervent, especially in regards to our emergency in our nation.   We must be intentional each day, each week to look for opportunities to gather ourselves together to corporately pray.

These corporate prayer times must be filled with worship - confession - pleading.   When I say worship, I am not referring to a band or music.  I am referring to adoration, Bible verses of God's Names, attributes and promises.
1.  Worship is about God and Who He is and what He is able to do.  Even though music is largely employed in this today, the corporate prayer time is more suited for declaration by the mouth of rehearsing to God what God has said and revealed about Himself.
2.  Confession is to identify how far we have fallen away from what we were supposed to be.  This is confession of sins of the nation - the church - families and our own hearts.   Followed with a resolve and repentance to be holy as He is holy.
3.  Pleading is a more desperate prayer than what most are accustomed to.  Pleading is much like Joel 2, which  depicts of "weeping, mourning" with tears and anguish for our desperate plight.  Recognizing how much we have offended a holy God, how far we have fallen from Him and a desperate urging for Him not to consume us but save us.   'In wrath remember mercy."

During the dark, sinful days of the 1700's, Jonathan Edwards received the correspondence from John Erskine of Scotland.   They had coveted together to pray the first of each month.  This prayer time was a day of prayer and fasting by individuals, the whole participating, yet individually done.  But sometime during that week, they came together corporately to pray.   The more the church took part in this, the sooner the revival came.   This is our REMEDY & RESPONSE  to our great plight today.  These are titled, "Concerts of Prayer".    Call for a day each month for prayer and fasting.   Set a time to corporately pray an hour, a night, a day.   During these times together worship - confess - and plead.   Let us now fall into the hands of the Lord.   for 'who knows if He will repent and turn and leave a blessing behind Him.'

Brethren, the hour is late, and the need is great.   Let us pray so as to prevail, while there is time. 

I thank you for your attention to these things.   I would be glad to speak, pray and further this message as you feel led of the Spirit.   


 Until,
Dan Biser
rdbiser@live.com



Started:   February 1, 2019

Continued:   2/2; 2/4;2/5;

Finished: