The following are some practical things to help charismatic prayer groups to function well. Everyone needs to come prepared for the prayer meeting. Preparation is not wrong. Sometimes we get that idea that preparation will ruin spontaneity. But to worship in Spirit and in truth, we need to study. Every prayer group member needs to have a foundation of prayer and meditation built up through the week. Then the Holy Spirit has a storehouse from which He can bring up themes at the prayer meeting. Prophecy can then be received at several levels as the Holy Spirit works with each person�s inner storehouse.
Following are eleven points to help your prayer meeting grow. Each person who comes to the prayer meeting should cultivate these attitudes and actions.
1). DAILY PRAYER AND STUDY. The prayer meeting absolutely depends on the daily prayer and study of each member. We must have time set aside each day for prayer and study of God�s word in the Scriptures. Leaders cannot assume that everyone is doing this. We all struggle to keep our prayer time and need encouragement. There are many good resources available. Help your group by making these resources available to your group. Miracle Hour by Linda Schubert is good for people who are learning how to pray. A series of teachings from this book is recommended. Other good resources include One Bread, One Body and The Word Among Us, which contain meditations for the daily Scripture readings at Mass. New Covenant magazine gives good teaching that will help build the foundation of a solid prayer life. The Charicenter Newsletter, put out by the National Office for Charismatic Renewal, is excellent for leaders.
2). FOCUS ON WORSHIP. Every person who comes to the prayer meeting must focus on worshiping the Lord. We have to overcome the �filling station� mentality which focuses on self. Yes, God does fill us when we worship Him, but our motive in praising Him is not so that we feel good, but to give glory to God. We come together for one main purpose: to worship God. We also come for teaching, fellowship, healing, etc., but these are not central. We come to immerse ourselves in the life of the Trinity!
3). RESPECT VARIETY. There are as many expressions of praise as there are people in the prayer group. We can regard this variety as a gift or as an aggravation. When the way another person is worshiping God gets on my nerves, is the problem with them or with me? Is it the Holy Spirit in me that is disturbed or my flesh? In a good prayer meeting there can be quite a variety of praise within the common focus of worshiping God. We should be blessed by the variety in worship, marveling at how the Holy Spirit builds up a symphony of praise all around us. Of course, this should take place within a context of order.
4). REPENTANCE. Before coming to the meeting, each person should ask himself, �Is there anything that will keep me from being able to worship God?� Is there any anger, jealousy, hurts, worries or pride? Ask the Lord to send His peace. Be honest about my tendencies. Do I always tend to become proud or jealous in certain situations? Has it happened again? Be honest, bring it to God in repentance, and He will bestow His peace. We will be ready to worship.
5). HAVE A GROUP MENTALITY. As Christians our worship is communal, not individualistic. Personal, yes. We each express our worship to God in our own way, but together as the Body of Christ. Great worship is together. There will be a variety of expression, but the praise is built together. We must find just the right balance between individuality of personal expression and the essential togetherness.
6). EXPECTANT FAITH. Before we come, we must expect that God is going to be present in a special way�that �something good is going to happen.� Of course there are times when we will just barely stagger in and the Lord will refresh us, but we shouldn�t make a habit of this.
7). READINESS TO SHARE AND SERVE. Throughout the week each member should be asking, �What is the Lord doing in my life?� Reflect on this. No one will share all of what the Lord is doing in their life�just the part that becomes anointed and alive during the meeting. Each one should ponder and treasure what God is doing in his or her life. �When you assemble, one has a psalm, another some instruction to give, still another a revelation to share, one speaks in a tongue, another interprets� (1 Corinthians 14:26). Good sharing needs preparation, or we tend to ramble. Our sharing ought to be spontaneous, but well reflected upon. It ought to fit. It ought to be to the point. It is easy to start with a genuine word from the Lord and then lose it by adding our own commentary. Our focus needs to stay on the Lord. But we should be gentle with each other when we get off track.
8). COMMITMENT. Each group has a different kind of commitment. It is good to ask the question, �What are we committed to doing together?� At the very least we should: 1) pray for each other during the week; 2) pray for the prayer meeting. We must also commit to a daily prayer life, and commit to sharing the fruit of that personal time with God. When people feel supported, they become more faithful. It is frustrating and discouraging when a significant number of people don�t come to the prayer meeting. We need to have a core of really committed people or the prayer group will die. We need to talk about commitment. It is important to be realistic and not bite off more than we can chew.
9). TREASURE AND PONDER THE WORD HEARD. The leaders should review the theme of the meeting so that the members have something to take home with them. If the theme is not clear, don�t force it, but try to find something to ponder in the week ahead. We must act on God�s word in our everyday lives after we are reasonably sure what He is saying to us.
10). RIGHT ORDER IN OUR PERSONAL LIVES. We need to maintain proper relations with our families and friends, with people of the opposite sex, with our brothers and sisters in the faith. This frees us for peace, reconciliation, honesty and unity. If our relationships are not in right order, it means trouble for the prayer meeting. Married people should let their spouse be a part of the prayer group at least to some extent. A couple cannot be totally disconnected in such an important area since their whole lives are related and bound up with each other. This requires wisdom and guidance from the Lord. Pray about this! Call on the grace of matrimony. It is a powerful grace! We need to ask if we are over-involved at church or out of control in our lives.
11). HOSPITALITY. The first impression is the one that is left on newcomers. Did they feel welcomed? Did they feel as if they were part of things? Did they feel cared about without feeling smothered? How we welcome people is very important. We need to listen to them first. We need to accept them where they are and seek to get to know them before we tell them a lot. There will be plenty of opportunity for us to share later. They should feel that we are interested in them. We don�t pry, but show an interest in them. We should love them first. If we put ourselves in their place, we will get the right idea. We must teach often how to be hospitable. We all need to learn this, especially in our culture. Our families are in such a mess that many have never learned simple Christian hospitality!