United Prayer Works

Biblical re-enactments portray how the early church prayed unitedly and how this led to growth and the solving of problems. Various Adventist leaders and academics share their views about the importance of united prayer.
www.unitedprayerworks.com

[children laughing]
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♪ noble music ♪

[multitone horn]
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[more gentle flowing]
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[male narrator]
It all started in a small upper room,

with humble, fervent prayer.

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Threatened by the authorities

and banned from preaching,

the church prayed and two
men witnessed

with great power and grace.

♪ choral music ♪

And people prayed everywhere,
in one accord

in repentance, with confession
and humility.

And the lives of people were changed.

[plunged stone]
♪ choral music ♪

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Two men started out
on a missionary journey

that would turn the world
as they knew it upside down.

♪ choral music ♪

And the message went out
to the world beyond.

♪ choral music ♪

Corporate prayer helped a prisoner escape.

♪ choral music ♪

A king requested
that his people fast and pray

and the enemy was defeated.

A battle won without the need to fight.

♪ choral music ♪

Through a faithful servant
and a young queen's faith and courage,

a people were saved.

Stories in the Bible showing
the power of united prayer.

As I read the book of Acts,

it's really a book about believers
coming together to pray,

and a prayer-answering God.

Personal prayer is important.

Secret prayer is the life of the soul.

But we know that there has never been
a revival anywhere on this planet

that wasn't preceded by united and
continuous prayer.

Our Lord on one occasion says where
two or more of you agree

on touching anything that is according
to My will, it will be done.

So there is a synergy that happens

when we hook up together and unite
our voices in crying out to God.

As the spirit of prophecy tells us,

prayer is the key that unlocks
the storehouse of heaven's treasury

and blessings.

Some of Ellen White's
counsel and statements

on united prayer are powerful as well.

She says in one place that -

when she was writing to the Farnsworths,
I believe it was - she said

there's more power in united prayer

than even in private prayer.

Then she says, "Why is that?"

It's because the unity of heart
of the believers.

It's like God gets really excited

when we're really of one accord

when we unite together,
just like they did in Acts.

Another statement she says,

at the sound of fervent prayer,
Satan's whole host trembles.

Jesus knows that the habit
of praying with others

helps to rid our lives of the
self-centeredness of our prayers

when we pray by ourselves.

So when the Bible talks about
"continue earnestly in prayer,"

that's not just an individual activity.

It's a call to the church as a community
to call out to God.

Not to change God's mind,

but that we come into alignment
with God's will

and actually I think he uses us as part
of the answer to those prayers.

As you look at the book of Acts,

united prayer brought God's people together.

In Acts chapter 1 and verse 14 and 15,

the entire church met together and prayed.

They knew that the task before
them was too great.

They knew the challenge was too immense.

They knew there was no way they could
carry the gospel to the world.

But yet as they prayed,
God did something miraculous.

He poured out His Holy Spirit
on the day of Pentecost

and three thousand were baptized.

You know one of the —
when you read the text there —

one of the things that jumps out at me is
the simple English phrase,

"they were in one accord."

Pentecost was just an extraordinary event.

It came after the culmination
of Christ's ministry on this earth.

And it looked as though everything was
completely dashed and destroyed.

When Christ was hanging on that cross

and then of course
the resurrection took place.

And He appeared to His disciples

which gave them a completely
different perspective

on what their ministry was all about.

Our blessed Lord told His disciples

to tarry in Jerusalem, united in prayer.

And that was one of the prerequisites

for bringing that rushing mighty wind

and the presence of the Holy Spirit
on the day of Pentecost.

[man speaking berber]

It was the time of Passover

and we were in an upper
room in Jerusalem.

We were all praying in one accord.

We were praying for repentance
and humility,

and we were confessing our sins.

We were also seeking the Lord's vision,
power and the Holy Spirit.

There was an incredible feeling of oneness

as we prayed earnestly together.

[man praying in Berber]

[woman speaking in Berber]

[female speaker] Suddenly there
was the sound of a violent wind

that filled the whole room
where we were sitting.

[wind sounds]

Then tongues of fire came down

and this fire rested on the people.

[man speaking Berber]

[male narrator] All the people in the
room were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Now remember that at
the time of the Passover,

people came from many countries to worship

and now suddenly they
could hear the gospel

each in their own language.

As a result of this, three thousand people

were added to the believers in one day.

♪ gently sparkling music ♪

[woman speaking Berber]

[female speaker] The people
devoted themselves

to the apostles' teaching
and the fellowship,

to the breaking of bread and of prayer.

Every day they would meet together
in the temple courts.

In their homes, they broke
bread and ate together.

And the number of those
being saved grew daily.

♪ one rich chord music ♪

And we believe something like this

is going to happen
in the last days as well.

But I think only as a church
and as a people

we get together in one accord

and in fervent prayer, will we ...

till we do that, we won't see that happen.

And really, what happened at Pentecost

is going to be, again, duplicated
by the Lord

in an even greater fashion

as the three angels' messages go forward,

as the fourth angel of Revelation 18
is proclaimed

and as the final loud cry is heralded
all over the world.

And it's going to be people
who have submitted to the Lord,

confessed their sins,

and then the Holy Spirit can fall

and can use us in a mighty way.

Well, I think in the book
of Acts, Acts chapter 6,

it seemed like a good problem.

The church was growing exponentially.

But in the midst of that, there's this
food distribution challenge.

[men arguing in Berber]
♪ animating music ♪

[male speaker] The church
was undergoing practical challenges.

The Hellenistic Jews were complaining
against the Hebraic Jews

because the former's widows
were being overlooked

in the daily distribution of food.

The apostles decided that they needed

to focus on the ministry
of prayer and the word.

And so they requested for seven deacons

to be chosen for these
other practical tasks.

♪ animating music ♪

[man speaking Berber]

[male speaker] The apostles
asked us as a group

to chose seven men who were known

to be full of the Spirit and have wisdom.

This proposal from the apostles

pleased our whole group.

So we went about selecting the seven men.

Once the men were selected,

they were presented to the apostles.

The apostles laid their hands on them
and prayed for them.

[2nd speaker] With prayer as a priority,
the church would never fail.

After this, the number of disciples
increased rapidly.

And a large number of priests
became obedient to the work.

So I think we find a case study there

that says when we face challenges,

let's use wisdom, let's use our training

but let's also recognize that we have

a prayer-answering God
who will give us wisdom.

I've seen this over and over and over.

Churches with big problems

have solved them when they
come together to pray.

♪ baritone choral music ♪

[Chief priest lecturing Peter and John]

[Chief priest continuing
to lecture Peter and John]

[male narrator]
Peter and John were called in

by the chief priests and elders
about their preaching.

They tried to defend their actions,

but the leaders were very hard on them.

They were commanded not to speak

or teach in the name of Jesus.

After further threats, they let them go.

Peter and John went back to their
own people

and reported all that the chief priests
and elders had said.

♪ baritone choral music ♪

[man speaking Berber]

When we heard all this, we immediately
raised our voices in prayer to God.

The entire group prayed for
Peter and John.

We prayed for God to give boldness
to these two humble servants.

Such intense prayer I had not
experienced for a long time.

After we had prayed, suddenly
the whole place was shaken.

[another man speaking Berber]

People were filled with the Holy Spirit

and Peter and John went out

and gave witness with
great power and grace.

They witnessed throughout the land

about the resurrection of their Saviour.

♪ final chord music ♪

So I think Peter and John
drew great strength,

both from knowing they were praying

but also from the power that's unleashed

when people pray for us.

There's a peace,

there's a power from God

that comes into us when that prayer
is being answered by many believers.

♪ stern music ♪

[female narrator] Then Esther
sent this reply to Mordecai:

"Go and gather all the Jews
who are in Susa together

and pray and fast for me.

Do not eat or drink anything
for three days and nights.

I and my maidens will fast as you do.

After that, I will go to the king

even though it is against the law.

And if I perish, I perish."

♪ continously rising music ♪

♪ martial fanfare ♪

We look back at Esther now

and we think what a gutsy girl.

You know, what a woman of faith.

But she was probably just as terrified

as any of us might have been.

It was a very desperate situation.

You know the old saying,
there's no such thing

as atheists in foxholes.

And I think this was a case where

they knew without divine intervention,

without divine intervention,
all was going to be lost.

But she was wise enough
to say to her uncle, Mordecai,

"I will fast and pray.

And I will have my people
here in the palace fast and pray.

But I want all of God's people
to fast and pray."

I think we miss out a lot

on the unleashing of God's power

in this world by not fasting.

And it doesn't have to mean you
have to go totally without food

but some form of giving up something

we really love every day

and uniting that together with prayer

and praying with others,
it does something,

moves in this great controversy.

It's very easy at times to forget

just how dependant we are upon God.

And as Dwight Nelson likes to remind us—

Pray desperate prayers!

And Esther was desperate.

Pray urgent prayers!

And pray prayers of expectancy!

And I think her prayers
encompassed all three.

If you look at the book of Acts,

prayer was very uniting.

Take, for example, Peter and Cornelius.

Cornelius, a Gentile.
Peter, a Jew.

And Jews and Gentiles would
not possibly come together

in any kind of intimate talking

or visiting in one another's homes

or eating together.

This was the Holy Spirit breaking
down some walls.

A Gentile of the Italian band,
Cornelius, was praying.

It was no accident. He was praying.

Peter on the rooftop, praying.

And he prayed so long that he fell asleep.

Peter has this dream of the sheet
coming down

with all these various animals in it.

And God says, Peter, rise and eat.

And Peter says, I've never eaten snakes

and crocodiles and rodents.

The vision of course was not about

clean or unclean foods.

The vision was about respect
for other cultures.

Respect for other people.

And God sent visions, epiphanies, to
both of them

that broke down the walls

that divided them.

And Peter declared, God has shown me

that He is no respecter of persons.

As both of them prayed, Jew and Gentile,

their prayers ascended to heaven

and met at the throne of God.

♪ drifting while ascending piano music ♪

[1st speaker] It was around noon
when Peter went up to the roof to pray.

It was here that Peter had a vision

about a large sheet containing
a mix of unclean animals

representing God's affirmation

of the diversity of peoples

in the growing church.

♪ yearning flute mingled in ♪

[2nd speaker] We had heard
that Peter was staying

at the house of Simon the tanner,

and were instructed by Cornelius,
the centurion, to go out and find him.

♪ piano and flute continue ♪

[1st speaker] While Peter
was still thinking about the vision,

the Holy Spirit told him to go downstairs

because three men were looking for him.

[same man speaking Berber]

Peter went down and told the men

that he was the one they were looking for.

♪ piano and flute continue colorfully ♪

[2nd speaker] We then told Peter

that Cornelius, the centurion,

had been told by an angel

that Peter would come

and see him at his house.

So, unbeknown to Peter,

Cornelius was already expecting
his visit to Caesarea.

[first man speaking again]

What happened here was quite unusual.

Just the fact that Peter
entered the house—

remember that it was against the law

for a Jew to associate with

or visit a Gentile.

♪ restrained music ♪

[2nd speaker] Cornelius told Peter
how three days earlier

he had been praying in his house

when an angel had appeared before him.

[first man speaking Berber again]

Peter shared with Cornelius

his new understanding that God

does not show favoritism

and is the Lord of all.

This was a real turning point.

From this point on,

the gospel was also given among
other people groups.

And it all started out with prayer
and fasting, and a vision.

Cultures were bridged.

Barriers were broken down.

Hearts were united.

And they became one in Jesus Christ.

And the gospel was open to the Gentiles.

What does united prayer

do for breaking down cultures?

When we are kneeling together -

different cultures, different backgrounds,

different sociological backgrounds,

different educational backgrounds,

different racial complexions -

when we are kneeling together

our hearts are united
as one in Jesus Christ.

I look in Acts chapter 13,

where the church in Antioch

is sending out Paul and Barnabas.

And they lay hands on them.

And they pray for the blessing
of the Holy Spirit.

The laying on of hands was the
setting aside, in Acts 13,

of Paul and Barnabas for
ministry and mission.

They were going to launch
their missionary journeys.

I don't think there's anything
magical about the hands.

I think it's a symbol.

Like water is with baptism

or the unleavened bread and the
unfermented grape juice

are in the communion service.

When the church comes unitedly,

and lays hands on an individual,

they are praying for that individual,

setting them aside for a specific task
of witness and ministry.

[male speaking Berber]

As the prophets and teachers
of the early church

were fasting and praying,

the Holy Spirit called Paul and Barnabas

to go on their first mission journey.

The church prayed together
before sending them out.

♪ angelic music ♪

[female speaking Berber]

Hands were laid on them and we
prayed earnestly.

As a united church,
we prayed for their safety

and that God would grant them

the right words to speak to the multitudes

We prayed that our missionaries
would be successful

in spreading the gospel.

♪ soaring music ♪

Paul and Barnabas traveled
to several places.

In Cyprus, they proclaimed the word of God

in the Jewish synagogues.

In Pisidian Antioch, almost the whole city

gathered to hear the word of the Lord.

When the Gentiles heard
their messages, they believed.

The word of the Lord spread
throughout the entire region

and the disciples were filled
with joy and the Holy Spirit.

♪ floating angelic music ♪

Paul and Barnabas appointed
elders in every church

and prayed with fasting, commending
them to the Lord.

They gathered the church together

and reported all that God
had done through them

and how He had opened a door
of faith to the Gentiles.

As a praying community,

when we lay hands upon those
that we're praying for,

it represents the hand of God.

Kneeling around that person,

setting them aside for that task,

we're asking the Holy Spirit to come

to empower them, to strengthen them

for the task that God has given them
through the church.

I remember a story where Paul was -

he encountered a beautiful woman.

Her name was Lydia. And she was praying.

And, I don't know, that might have been
beside a river, for all I know,

it may have been beside a well.

Maybe it was in the middle of a market,

you know, at their time.

Wherever it was, God was
able to reach her heart

and the Bible tells us that she accepted

the message of the gospel
and she was baptized.

We were a group of women
outside the city gate

by the river at a place of prayer.

Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth,

from Thyatira was also there.

Two men came along
and started to speak to us,

and asked to join us in prayer.

We later learned that they
were Paul and Silas.

The Lord opened Lydia's heart
to heed Paul's message.

She and all the members
of her household were baptized.

Another day Paul and Silas
were on their way to a place of prayer.

They were met by a female slave

who had a spirit in her
that could predict the future.

She earned a lot of money
for her owners by fortune-telling.

She followed us and shouted at us.

This was disrupting and so Paul
ordered the spirit out of her.

When her owners realized that their
chance of making money was gone,

they dragged Paul and Silas
to the authorities

and they were put in prison.

At around midnight, these two
very positive prisoners

named Paul and Silas were praying

and singing hymns to God.

The rest of us were listening to them.

Suddenly there was a violent earthquake

and the prison shook.

All the prison doors flew open

and everyone's chains came loose.

The jailer woke up, saw all the doors open

and drew his sword to kill himself.

He thought all the prisoners had escaped.

But Paul assured him and shouted

that he should not harm himself.

The jailer called for lights, rushed in
and lay in front of them, trembling.

The jailer accepted Jesus Christ,

and his whole family was baptized.

So prayer can happen anywhere.

For Hope Channel, you know
I anchor a program,

I co-anchor a program
called Let's Pray.

And so here we are in a television studio

with lights and cameras and action

and yet we are very much
in the manner of prayer.

And we have seen God,

we have seen amazing answers to prayer,

from the studio, so it can
happen anywhere.

One friend of mine has said

we must pray with such specificity

that we will know when
God answers our prayers.

In Acts chapter 12, Peter is in prison.

He is scheduled for execution.

He's chained between soldiers.

Herod has decreed that he will die.

As Peter's in prison, the entire church

—I like that—
the entire church is praying

for Peter in prison.

Right before that, James was, you know,

taken to prison, but was killed.

And I think the people got
really concerned

that they may now lose Peter

when he was hauled off to jail.

And that caused them to get worried

so they got together and
really prayed all night long.

King Herod had arrested some
that belonged to the church

and was planning to persecute them.

When Herod had James
put to death with a sword,

and saw how the Jews had approved of this,

he seized Peter also.

[female reporting in Berber]

Peter was guarded by four squads

of four soldiers each.

We were very concerned for his safety.

And the church prayed earnestly for him.

[male further reporting in Berber]

The night before Herod was going
to bring him to trial,

Peter was sleeping between two soldiers,

bound by chains and sentries
stood guard at the entrance.

Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared

and light shone into his cell.

The angel struck Peter on
the side to wake him up

and the chains fell off his wrists.

As he was instructed, Peter followed
the angel out of the prison,

past all of the guards
to the gate of the city.

[female further reporting in Berber]

Many people had been praying together

in the house of Mary, the mother of John.

As the servant in the house,
I heard knocking on the door.

♪ soothing string music ♪

With caution, I went to open the door

and to my surprise, there stood Peter.

We had just been praying
earnestly for him in prison.

[male further reporting in Berber]

Once again, united prayer had worked

and the word of God continued
to spread and flourish.

No one who was at that
prayer meeting that night

would ever forget that they have a God

answering prayer after that night.

Everywhere those people went

for the rest of their lives,
they told that story,

which is part of the reason
we know it today,

they told that story with great power

because it was utterly convincing to them

of not only God's willingness to help,

but God's ability to do it
on a grand and surprising scale.

Here were three big, huge nations,

converging on his little
dinky kingdom of Judah

and from a human standpoint,
it was wipeout.

Jehoshaphat says some very honest things

about the ones praying.

We don't know what to do.

We're weak.

We're helpless against this great
number that's come against us.

But he says some very honest
things about who God is too.

God, You are capable. You are willing.

You are able and we are ready.

All of which prepared God's
people for His deliverance.

But I think when we humble
ourselves in prayer

we're giving God permission

to break through in a supernatural way.

And, we're even told in the book,
Christ's Object Lessons,

that we are to present our prayers

with a determination that
will not be denied.

What a promise!

♪ ominous music ♪

Many people came and told Jehoshaphat

that a vast army was approaching
to wage war against him.

Alarmed by this news,
Jehoshaphat proclaimed

a fast for all of Judah.

People came from every town in Judah

to fast and pray together.

We were part of a large group

and Jehoshaphat was earnestly
asking God for assistance.

Then a man called Jahaziel stood up

and said that Jehoshaphat
should not be concerned—

that it was not his battle
but God's battle.

♪ urgent music ♪

[man speaking Berber]

It was early in the morning

when we set out to the desert of Tekoa.

We were seriously concerned
about facing this huge army,

but we were told to have faith.

We had also prayed.

♪ tense music ♪

When our reconnaissance
platoon came over the hill,

we only saw dead bodies all around.

♪ tense music continued ♪

The enemy had apparently turned on
each other. [dark brass]

Jehoshaphat's prayers
had won them the battle

without even having to fight.

When you look at prayer,

in the book of Acts in the Bible,

a definite pattern emerges.

That pattern is that the disciples,

as they begin to share what God
has put on their hearts,

they are persecuted, sometimes
to the point of death.

As the persecution begins,

they actually gather
the believers together.

They pray and the Holy Spirit
is poured out.

Thus causing the word of God

to be spread even more boldly.

Thus the church of God grows.

United prayer is critically important

to the church because it is the key

to national revival and to the
healing of national challenges.

Prayer, especially united prayer,

is not about leverage,

twisting the hand of God with more people

praying the same phrase
over and over again.

It is about God's people together

getting aligned with His will.

When we pray, I think
it changes our hearts.

And when we can unite together in prayer,

there is a unity that is experienced.

And then when we ask, whatever we ask,

in the powerful name of Jesus,
things happen.

Why is united prayer important?

Because it opens our hearts

to the power of the living God

to accompany our witness.

It brings you to the foot
of the cross, together.

United prayer is unleashing God's power

in the universe.

I believe in the great controversy,

He's what we need, not the prayer.

In the controversy between good and evil,

God does not violate our
freedom of choice.

But as we pray, God opens up
new avenues of working.

Isn't God already working for that son
or daughter before we pray?

Isn't He working for the community
before we pray?

He is. But he's limited by their choice.

But as we pray, just like
in the book of Acts

as the church prayed, God honours
the choice of the praying one.

And miracles occur as we pray unitedly.

When we get things right on the vertical

they will become right on the horizontal.

♪ solemn string music ♪

♪ unfolding in full symphonic sound ♪