Only a Prayer Meeting

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Supplying resource material for praying believers and their leaders on:
Prayer and The Prayer Meeting
Other Subjects: The Attributes of God, The Death of Christ.

Only a Prayer Meeting

Spurgeon once wrote in " The Sword and the Trowel" :

" A Wesleyan minister lately said that he was never more surprised in
his life than when he dropped into the Tabernacle, and found the
ground-floor and part of the gallery filled at a Prayer-meeting. He
believed that such a thing was almost without a parallel in London,
and that it accounted for the success of the ministry. We concur in his
impartial judgment. Will not all the churches try the power of prayer?"

A congregation without a prayer meeting is essentially defective in its organization,
and so must be limited in its efficiency.
The Prayer Meeting and Its History, J. B. Johnston

Only a Prayer Meeting
by
C. H. Spurgeon

Prayer Meetings
by
Tony Capoccia

Also

The book Only a Prayer Meeting by C. H. Spurgeon is a
collection of extemporaneous messages he delivered at the
Monday evening prayer meeting that usually had over 1,000 in
attendance.

The memory of Charles Haddon Spurgeon has been cherished among evangelical
Christians for over the past 100 years. Many Christian leaders consider him to be
the greatest preacher England ever produced. He is commonly hailed as the "Prince
of Preachers". Over 63 volumes of published sermons still bear witness to the
richness and success of C. H. Spurgeon's ministry. Though known as a great
preacher, it was not preaching that made Spurgeon great. Mr. Spurgeon repeatedly
acknowledged his success as the direct result of his congregation's faithful prayers.
"It has often been remarked that the whole church helped produce Spurgeon."
When visitors would come to Spurgeon's church he would take them to the
basement prayer-room where people were always on their knees
interceding. Then Spurgeon would declare, "Here is the powerhouse of this
church."

Spurgeon in his autobiography described his gratefulness for being blessed with
such a praying church. "I always give all the glory to God, but I do not forget that He
gave me the privilege of ministering from the first to a praying people. We had
prayer meetings that moved our very souls, each one appeared determined to storm
the Celestial City by the might of intercession." Spurgeon regarded the
prayer-meeting as the spiritual thermometer of a church. His church's
Monday night prayer meeting had a worldwide testimony for many years.
Every Monday night a large portion of Spurgeon's sanctuary was filled with
earnest and fervent intercessors.

"In Spurgeon's eyes the prayer-meeting was the most important meeting of
the week." It is here many of us find ourselves in conflict with dear Mr.
Spurgeon. We love our meetings for preaching and praising and yet sadly
neglect those set aside for praying. One of Spurgeon's greatest concerns was
that his people learn to truly pray. "He taught his people to pray, doing so far more
by his example than by any preaching. People heard him pray with such reality that
they became ashamed of their own mere repetition of words." Throughout his entire
ministry many hearers remarked that they were moved by his preaching, but yet still
more affected by his praying. D. L. Moody after his first visit to England, being asked
upon his return to America, "Did you hear Spurgeon preach?" He replied, "Yes, but
better still I heard him pray." A close friend of Spurgeon's, commented on his prayer
life, "His public prayers were an inspiration, but his prayers with the family were to
me more wonderful still. Mr. Spurgeon, when bowed before God in family prayer,
appeared a grander man even than when holding thousands spellbound by his
oratory."

Spurgeon fully recognized that the Church's greatest need was not to have another,
"Prince of Preachers", but to have more princes of prayer. One of his many
published sermons expressed his feelings on this. He wrote, "Shall I give you yet
another reason why you should pray? I have preached my very heart out. I could not
say any more than I have said. Will not your prayers accomplish that which my
preaching fails to do? Is it not likely that the Church has been putting forth its
preaching hand but not its praying hand? Oh dear friends! Let us agonize in prayer .
. . "

There has been much talk lately about pockets of revival springing up in our nation.
Many are saying they desire such revivals in our own local churches, and cities. Yet,
is it not the prayer-meeting which is still most neglected? If Christ Jesus were to visit
us today with real revival power, how could such a blessing be sustained where
there is no ground work laid in prayer? To merely exercise our words about revival
and not our knees is hypocrisy! It is time to make the prayer-meeting as crowded as
our favorite preaching and praise meetings. It is then and ONLY then, that a true
revival will come with lasting power! Like Mr. Spurgeon, let us regard the
prayer-meeting as our most important meeting!

References Used:
C H. Spurgeon's Autobiography compiled by Susannah Spurgeon and Joseph
Harrald
Spurgeon by Arnold Dallimore
http://www.evanwiggs.com/revival/portrait/spurgeon.html