In our passage on Sunday, John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us" (Mk 9:38). The context suggests that this was a matter of jealously over the success of someone else’s ministry, for this comes only a few verses after the traveling band of disciples were rebuked by Jesus for having failed to successfully cast out a demon at the foot of the Mount of Transfiguration. When they asked Him why they failed, Jesus explained that it was due to their failure to pray.

Whose power had they been relying upon, if not the power of God accessed through prayer?! We should not expect God’s power to be evident in our lives and ministries if we are not regularly acknowledging and expressing our weakness through prayer. Where there is faith, there will be prayer. Where there is no prayer, there is no faith and, thus, no spiritual power.

It has now been six months since we launched our weekly Sunday Evening Gathering for prayer and study. This is the only time in the week that we gather together for an extended time of corporate prayer. We begin at 4:30 by worshiping through song, followed by a time of structured prayer, a time of further study of God’s Word and the Christian life, and a closing song, dismissing by 5:30.

During our 25 gatherings thus far, we’ve had as many as 30 worshippers in attendance, and as few as 3. I want to thank each and every one of you who have taken the time out of your busy schedules to gather for one of these times of worship. When conducted out of a genuine desire to seek Him, the Lord blesses every time of prayer and study, but the more hearts that are engaged in such times, the greater the blessing seems to be.

There is a different energy to times of worship when more than a small few are present, so I strongly encourage each of you to consider joining us this Sunday evening, or a Sunday evening very soon, and I do pray it becomes as essential a part of your Lord’s Day practice as our morning gatherings already are. May this be an ongoing expression of our trust in the power of God rather than in our own strength and abilities, for the obstacles and enemies we face "cannot be driven out by anything but prayer” (v. 29).

Blessings in Christ,

Pastor Evan

Related prior article: "Gathered Prayer"