
Allan Taylor is the President of the Baptist Union of New Zealand. He served in full-time Baptist pastoral ministry for 44 years, seven as assistant pastor at Te Atatu Baptist and 37 as senior pastor at Eastgate Christan Centre. He retired in October 2023. This is an edited version of his powerful session at Hui on Thursday, 6 November 2024.
Prayer has always been an important part of my ministry journey, so I have chosen it as my theme for this year.
As president, I’d like to call our churches to a greater passion and love for prayer. Prayer is powerful! Prayer can do what God can do. Through prayer, we have access into the very presence of God. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us through prayer!
In Acts 12, we find a remarkable story that demonstrates the power of prayer. At the beginning of the chapter, things look extremely bleak for the church at Jerusalem. The apostle James has been executed, the apostle Peter is in prison awaiting trial and probable execution and King Herod is basking in a new wave of popularity because he is persecuting and cancelling Christians.
But by the end of the chapter, the apostle Peter is free, King Herod is dead, and the gospel is flourishing. In verse 24, we read, “The word of God continued to spread and flourish.” Gospel renewal was breaking out everywhere in people and places.
What was the reason things changed so dramatically? Why were things so markedly different compared to the beginning of the chapter? Dr Luke tells us in verse 5,
“Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.”
It was the prayers of God’s people that turned the tide! How did they pray? Scripture informs us they prayed constantly, corporately and courageously.
From a human standpoint, there seemed little chance of Peter being released. He was chained to two Roman soldiers 24/7. In addition, two soldiers were guarding the door of the prison; in total, 16 soldiers were assigned to him to ensure he didn’t escape.
Herod and his soldiers no doubt thought they had the upper hand; the soldiers outnumbered their prisoner 16 to one.
But what they weren’t aware of is that behind the scenes, believers in Jesus were bombarding the throne room of heaven, sending up prayers that couldn’t be stopped by swords or spears. God responded by sending an angel who supernaturally delivered Peter from prison. It was a remarkable answer to the prayers of God’s people!
The good news is that the same power the early believers tapped into through prayer is available to us! Imagine what God could do amongst us as a movement if we committed to giving ourselves in a greater way to prayer. There is no limit to what God could do in us and through us. Imagine the lives that would be transformed, the churches that would be changed, the communities that would be impacted. Gospel renewal would be breaking out everywhere in people and places. And this is my dream, that we would be a movement marked out by prayer – it’s an exciting dream which could become a reality if together we caught a vision of what God might do in answer to prayer. “Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things you know not of,” God promised through the prophet Jeremiah. ‘More things are wrought through prayer than this world dreams of,” said Lord Tennyson.
Pastors and leaders, do you have a group of prayer partners supporting you in prayer? Do you have people you can turn to, especially when you’re in need of prayer?
I would suggest that these are essential to survive in ministry. Not only do we as Christians have the normal challenges that non-Christians face in the workplace, but we also have a spiritual enemy whose mission is to steal, kill, destroy and make life difficult.
Paul says in Ephesians 6:12 - We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual host of wickedness in heavenly places.
Christian ministry has always been a spiritual battlefield, but it seems like the battle is hotting up. We are experiencing a flood tide of evil being unleashed on the earth. The enemy is not shadowboxing; he’s playing for keeps. He comes against us through temptation, discouragement and despair. He attacks through our health, our finances, our family and our thoughts. He drives a wedge between friendships and works overtime to bring division in relationships, especially in churches. He attacks in any way possible that will diminish our effectiveness in our service for God.
Could this be one of the reasons why so many pastors leave the ministry prematurely or under a cloud? One of the key reasons the session on serious misconduct was needed at Hui [in 2024] is because the enemy is so active. He knows if he can smite the shepherd, the sheep will be scattered. We dream of gospel renewal, but the devil is out to spoil the party.
This is a vital reason why prayer is so important, of course, for all Christians, but right now, I’m specifically referring to pastors and leaders.
In 2024, I was in hospital for what was expected to be a straightforward operation. While the operation went well, my recovery didn’t. The day after the operation, I found myself in a crisis; my body wracked with unbearable pain. The nurses gathered gloomily around my bed had no answers. In desperation, they called my surgeon to come from home, and the anaesthetist was called from another building.
When I was at my very lowest point, I shot a text off to a few friends I knew would pray. I can trace the beginning of my recovery to approximately half an hour after sending off that text. One of the people I sent the message to is a pastor who happened to be in a prayer meeting. He shared my need with his group of prayer warriors, and they all prayed. He called me back later to say they felt I was under spiritual attack and came against the enemy on my behalf.
‘Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the muscle of God’s omnipotence’, said Charles Spurgeon. In my time of need, at that moment and in that space, I was so grateful I had a few people around me I could turn to for prayer. The question I would ask you is – do you? I believe it’s not a question of if you’ll need them but of when. Prayer partners are not just a nice to have. I suggest they’re a necessity for anyone planning to stay long-term in pastoral leadership.
Returning to our passage in Acts 12, we see that the prayer the Jerusalem believers prayed was constant, corporate and courageous. It was also timely prayer!
Herod had arrested Peter during the feast of Passover but, for fear of upsetting the Jews, didn’t bring him immediately for trial. He planned to do it after the feast had ended. If the believers hadn’t prayed while they had a window of opportunity, Peter would have likely been executed. Could I suggest that as a movement it’s time for us to pray. It’s time for us to pray for many reasons, but especially for three matters in particular:
Firstly, for a greater number of people to come to salvation.
There’s nothing quite as exciting as seeing people come to faith, publicly professing their faith through baptism and becoming lifelong followers of Jesus.
Nothing impacts a church as much as people coming under God’s rule and reign and being unleashed to change the world. This is at the very heart of gospel renewal.
Over recent years, especially since Covid, the general trend of the stats for people being baptised has been downward, but the good news is that prayer can turn the tide!
Secondly, that God would raise up a new generation of pastoral leaders in our movement.
It is well known that we are experiencing a shortage of leaders, which is affecting our movement in a significant way. It is being felt especially by Arotahi, Carey and many of our churches. The shortage is not unique to New Zealand Baptists – it’s affecting churches right across the denominational spectrum. The shortage is nothing new; it goes back at least 2000 years. Jesus said in His time, the harvest is great; the labourers are few, then He gave us the solution. He said that we were to pray to the lord of the harvest that He would raise up workers for the harvest field.
Charles has recently launched an exciting new initiative called 30By30, which has great potential for the development and deployment of leaders. This is just one of several initiatives in our denomination. Can I encourage us all to intentionally pray that God will stir the hearts of many people to give themselves in Christian service that we might see God raise up a whole new generation of leaders within our movement.
Thirdly, please pray for two key leadership positions that need to be filled.
Carey Baptist College needs a new principal, and early in 2025, the search for a new national leader commences. Can I ask that we be in prayer for the people of God’s choosing to be found for these vitally important leadership roles.
It’s time to pray! Would you give yourself in a greater way to prayer so that we might see God do many new and exciting things amongst us?
Allan’s prayer
Loving Father, we give You thanks and praise for the encouraging things you are doing in our movement.
We see your hand at work in many wonderful ways, and we are grateful for lives that are being transformed, churches that are being renewed and communities that are being impacted.
Thank you for the privilege of being a part of our Baptist family of churches.
We long to see you at work in an even greater way.
Would you breathe upon us by your Spirit, pour out Your blessing upon us.
May we see a greater measure of gospel renewal in people and places throughout our nation.
We ask for many more people to come to faith in Jesus, publicly professing their faith in baptism.
Would you raise up a new generation of leaders who have a heart to love you, a heart to know you, a heart to serve you, who would give themselves fully to the call you place upon them.
For both the Carey Baptist College and national leader roles, we pray that you will provide the leaders of Your choosing. We believe you are already at work preparing people for these vitally important leadership roles,
We look expectantly to You for the future of our movement. We ask that through your grace and power, Your Spirit will do something fresh and new amongst us. And may we truly become a movement marked out by prayer. In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
Photo: Former Carey Baptist College principal John Tucker receives prayer at the 2024 Baptist Hui in Rangiora. By Mike Crudge.