Brother Jeffrey,<\/p>\n
Please, I want to know from Scriptures about mass prayer in New Testament worship.\u00a0Can we pray together, when we come together, but each one prays his or her own prayer?<\/p>\n
Thank you.<\/p>\n\t
Worship as a church is distinct from individual worship. In a church service, everything is done to edify those gathered. “What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification<\/strong><\/em>” (I Corinthians 14:26).<\/p>\n If everyone is individually praying, each is uplifting himself but no one else is being encouraged. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds<\/strong>, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near<\/em>” (Hebrews 10:23-25). Without that mutual edification, there would be no need to gather as a church. After all, prayers are offered all the time by Christians around the world in mass, but this is not the worship of the church.<\/p>\n In scolding the Corinthians for putting too much emphasis on speaking in other languages, Paul points out, “Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not edified<\/strong><\/em>” (I Corinthians 14:16-17). Praying in a language that others cannot understand prevents the edification of those listening to the prayer. The same can be said if everyone is praying individual prayers at the same time. Others cannot agree to something they did not hear because they were too busy with their own prayer.<\/p>\n Assuming all are speaking their prayers out loud at the same time, the result would be a confusing babble. Another rule for worship is that people speak one at a time in addressing the assembly so that the assembly can understand what is being said. “If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must interpret; but if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment. But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent.\u00a0For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted<\/strong><\/em>” (I Corinthians 14:27-31).<\/p>\n Say your personal prayers on your own time, but in the worship of the saints, let all be lead to pray together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Question: Brother Jeffrey, Please, I want to know from Scriptures about mass prayer in New Testament worship.\u00a0Can we pray together, when we come together, but each one prays his or her own prayer? Thank you. Answer: Worship as a church is distinct from individual worship. In a church service, everything is done to edify those…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[1510,84],"class_list":["post-18591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-prayers","tag-worship"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":33450,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-a-church-have-time-in-worship-for-members-to-pray-quietly\/","url_meta":{"origin":18591,"position":0},"title":"Should a church have time in worship for members to pray quietly?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 25, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am a member of the Church of Christ in a local congregation. Of late, when we pray in the church, we do allow individual members some time to say their prayers adding that we should not speak loud. I am perplexed now. Answer: I don't blame you for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":64487,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/we-have-problems-with-people-wanting-to-do-mass-prayers\/","url_meta":{"origin":18591,"position":1},"title":"We have problems with people wanting to do mass prayers","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 9, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: We have a problem with some Christians imitating the Pentecostal's mass prayers where many people pray out aloud at once. I need your help with the Bible refutation. Answer: People tend to gravitate to things that are exciting and novel. A large noisy party is exciting. A lectureship in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":66225,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-proper-for-a-church-to-pray-together-silently\/","url_meta":{"origin":18591,"position":2},"title":"Is it proper for a church to pray together silently?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 28, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good day, brother Jeffery, Thanks for always answering questions. They've been helpful to me and the people around me. I want to ask you a question about the orderliness of prayer in the church. Can the church pray such that a time is given during worship, such as 10\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":47450,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-should-prayers-be-offered-in-worship\/","url_meta":{"origin":18591,"position":3},"title":"How should prayers be offered in worship?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 6, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Where I need help is with prayers. Is it scriptural to pray saying \"In Jesus' name\" several times in between the prayer before concluding? Does it not count as vain repetitions? Is it scriptural to raise prayer points while everyone prays until the person leading will ask everyone to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2879,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/worship\/","url_meta":{"origin":18591,"position":4},"title":"Worship","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 8, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0At times I am amazed at the vagueness that has entered our beliefs \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019m sure the wishy-washy-ness of the denominational world has much to do it. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0To define something crisply means you are dividing people into two groups -- those who are right and those who are wrong. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0And \u201cHeaven\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13410,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-sunday-the-only-day-of-worship-or-can-we-worship-god-any-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":18591,"position":5},"title":"Is Sunday the only day of worship or can we worship God any day?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 20, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is Sunday the only day of worship or can we worship God any day? I have read in the second chapter of the book of Acts, verse 46, that the Christians worshiped daily in the temple. 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