“Prayer does not prepare us for the greater work.  Prayer is the greater work.”

For the past 3 years I have read and studied about missional church planting.  I believe that the church in America has some serious challenges in the sense that it has become an institution, building, one hour service, and irrelevant to every day life (I could go on).  I believe that structure matters and that we need to work hard to structure our communities in ways that make a difference in our world.

However, what we really need is not a new “model of doing church”.  If this is all we are seeking, we are just reinventing the same problem in a new way.  Don’t get me wrong, I more than most, believe we need to do things differently.  But what is deeper than new models and structures, is the vibrancy of our prayer life.  “Unless the Lord builds the house, the laborers labor in vain.”  The model of the house is irrelevant.

When Jesus ascended into heaven, he told his disciples to lock themselves in a room and to not doing anything…….. until…… the Holy Spirit came upon them.  When the Spirit came, God began to use the church to flip the world upside down.

Regardless of structure, what is the state of your church’s prayer life?  Has God poured His Spirit upon your community, your city?   Have you asked Him to?  Or are you trying to change the world by yourself… with cool music, great sermons, and creative logos?

If our churches are irrelevant and ineffective in today’s culture, it is not because we do not have enough technology, money, books, lights, and music videos.  We have all these things and more.  But do we walk with God in the power of the Holy Spirit?

God uses people who pray.

But if you do not pray, He probably will not use you.