Ask people to come to an ice cream social, and the challenge might be having enough ice cream. Ask them to come to a committee meeting, and the responsible ones will appear. But invite people to a prayer meeting, and eyes glaze over and apologies flow.

What a contrast with the early Christian church. No sooner were three thousand new believers baptised, than “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer”. Acts 2:42. There was prayer at the temple courts, prayer by the riverside, prayer in believers’ homes. Look at the results: miracles, generosity, unity, joy, praise, and steady growth—outcomes we often lack today.

In the early experience of many a church, a similar dynamic appears. “When the message of truth was first proclaimed, how much we prayed. . . . Frequently we spent hours in earnest prayer, two or three together in claiming the promise; often the sound of weeping was heard and then the voice of thanksgiving and the song of praise. Now . . . we should be more earnest, more zealous, and fervent than in those early days. Our perils are greater now than then.”* Yet, if we simply urge attendance at prayer meetings, we contribute little to the challenge. No-one likes “a religion of urging.” Few people will attend a prayer meeting out of obligation, and if they do, they will probably fulfil their own prophecy and find what they expect—boredom and disinterest.

If our prayer meetings are lifeless and boring, a small attendance is understandable. But often the problem is in the human heart—and I include my own heart in this challenge. When I long more than anything else for excitement, entertainment, career success, and material comfort, I am not at the same time longing for the things of Christ, which include fellowship, prayer, generosity, and the salvation of souls. It is not possible for me to strive for two primary and contrary goals at once.

Jesus described this as more than a casual preference for God over material things. He said that by contrast, we must learn to hate and despise material things. Matthew 6:24. Material possessions are not inherently sinful; they can be blessings and tools in service. But each material item I own makes a demand on my money, time and attention, and can crowd out spirituality. So the question I must face is not only, “Do I love God?” but also, “Do I despise the things that detract from my love for God?”

Our planet is hurtling to its final destiny, while many among us are building fabulous lives on foundations of sand.

Back to prayer meetings—but let’s expand the context beyond formal prayer. Consider the whole dynamic of meeting for the purpose of prayer. This is the real challenge and opportunity. “Two or three together claiming the promise.” The record of the first Christians and of first believers in many Christian movements speaks of spontaneity—hearts so filled with Christ and his joy that you couldn’t stop the people from getting together for prayer. It was a natural thing for them to do.

In almost every congregation there are groups of “two or three” whose hearts are clearly overflowing with love for Christ. Let these people get together to pray—in a home or at the church or in a park or somewhere else. There’s no need to get permission from church leadership! Christ gives us all the authority and motivation we need. Informal prayer gatherings may be just as significant as a formal weekly meeting, and perhaps more so.

Prayer and praise are infectious. A movement of prayer beginning with two or three can grow, and spawn new groups of two or three.

The infection could feed into a weekly general prayer meeting that will likewise be filled with joy and meaningful intercession. In the next article, we’ll return to this and consider how to design a weekly prayer service that breathes life in a congregation.

* Ellen G. White, Maranatha, p. 86.

This article first appeared in modified form in Mid-America Outlook, November 2005. Copyright © 2009 by Ed Gallagher (South Pacific edition). / Scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission.