Does God Still Speak Through Dreams and Visions? Part One

The Sunday after Easter I began preaching through the book of Acts. This past Sunday marked my seventh straight Sunday in this New Testament book. My text was Acts 2:14-41, Peter's sermon at Pentecost. How ironic that I preached through Peter's sermon at Pentecost on Pentecost Sunday!

Because I covered the whole text in a single sermon, I wasn't able to get into much detail. But something happened after the service that provided a perfect lead-in for this article. A lady approached me after the service and asked to speak with me. We sat down on the first pew, and she told me with tears in her eyes that she had received Christ as her Lord and Savior two days earlier in her kitchen. She had been coming to church with a friend and had come to understand the gospel.

This dear lady proceeded to tell me that the day before she received Christ, she had a dream, and I was in it! She dreamt that we were sitting down on a bench talking about God and the gospel. Now here we were on a pew talking about God and the gospel!

She didn't know what to make of this dream. Quite frankly, I didn't either! Less than an hour before our talk, I had read Peter's quotation of Joel's prophecy:

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,    and your young men shall see visions,    and your old men shall dream dreams....

- Acts 2:14-17; cf. Joel 2:28 

Due to time constraints, I didn't really address this whole matter of dreams and visions. But perhaps now is as good a time as any! Actually, I thought through this whole matter rather carefully a few years ago. I'd like to spend the next few posts sharing my thoughts on the subject. Though I will be presenting this subject in a more technical and academic manner than I do in a typical blog post, I can assure you that I am a simple man and have written this piece with the average reader in mind.

The Issue

Since creation, God has revealed Himself to people in a number of ways.  These have been classified traditionally under two main categories: general revelation and special revelation.  General revelation consists of the witness of creation and conscience.  Special revelation is more specific in nature and, according to Scripture, has consisted of personal encounters with God, mighty acts by God, propositional revelation (i.e., revelation in the form human language), and incarnation (which is really a culmination of the other three types of special revelation).[1]

Traditionally, evangelical Christians have affirmed that which Scripture declares: during the Old and New Testament periods, God on many occasions revealed Himself to people through visions and dreams.[2]  The question that creates controversy is not, “Has God spoken in times past through dreams and visions?” but “Does God still reveal Himself in this manner?”  Since the completion of the canon, does God still communicate through visions and dreams?

                                                                      Positions
The three main positions taken on this particular issue are what I have designated the closed cessationist view, the open continuationist view, and the open cessationist view.[3]

The Closed Cessationist View 

Those who espouse this view believe that God no longer communicates through dreams and visions, now that the canon of Scripture is complete.  This view is summed up well by Richard Gaffin, who sees any “sense of the Spirit’s illumination for today of already revealed truth” that goes beyond “thoughtful reflection and prayerful wrestling prompted by the Spirit, about contemporary circumstances and problems in light of Scripture” as a stance which “unavoidably implies a certain insufficiency in Scripture that needs to be compensated for.” [4]  Closed cessationists equate dreams and other subjective means of spiritual guidance[5] with “extrabiblical ‘prophecies’” and therefore unbiblical - even dangerous.[6]

The Open Continuationist View
Proponents of this view believe that God still communicates today through dreams and visions, so long as such subjective impressions are evaluated in light of Scripture.  A strong and well-known advocate of this view is theologian Wayne Grudem, who associates dreams and visions with the New Testament gift of prophecy. Grudem defines the prophetic gift loosely as “something that God may suddenly bring to mind, or something that God may impress on someone’s consciousness in such a way that the person has a sense that it is from God.”  Grudem goes on to point out that “there may be not only words or ideas that come to mind, but also mental pictures (or ‘visions,’ Acts 2:17) and dreams (Acts 2:17) as well.”[7]  However, because such mental images or impressions are highly subjective, and “our own thoughts or ideas can get mixed into the message we receive,”[8] prophecy can be impure and inaccurate.  It must never be tantamount to Scripture but rather tested in light of Scripture (1 Thes. 5:19-21).  But when the gift of prophecy is correctly exercised and regulated, it is a wonderful means of edification to the church and a sign of God’s blessing upon the church.

Indeed, one continuationist, citing the fulfillment of the Lord’s prophecy through Joel (2:28) and its fulfillment in Acts 2 (esp. v. 17), states that visions and dreams are the ongoing “visual proof” that God has poured out His Spirit on all flesh, and that Moses’ wish that “all the Lord’s people were prophets” (Num. 11:29) has come to fulfillment.  Thus “dreams and visions are assigned a place of honor among the various ways in which God makes his will known to believers”[9] as part of the ongoing gift of New Testament prophecy.

The Open Cessationist View

This position allows for the occurrence of dreams and visions as a means of divine guidance for today, while affirming the cessation of all the New Testament revelatory gifts, such as prophecy, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues.  Key proponents of this view would be contemporary theologian Sinclair Ferguson and seventeenth-century theologian John Owen.[10]   Both argue that while some special gifts in the apostolic era are no longer given to the church, some continuing operations of the Spirit are analogous to them.[11]  Says Ferguson,

No right-thinking Christian would deny that God continues to be active in the world, to do wonderful things for his people, and especially to answer their prayers in keeping with his promises . . . .  It would, however, be a mistake to draw the conclusion from this that such events are normative or that in these events individuals are receiving again the coronation gifts of Pentecost.[12]

While the open cessationist would affirm the reality of divine revelation through the avenues of dreams and visions, he would argue that such events are not normative, and that they fall into the category of illumination (i.e. understanding and applying the truth of Scripture).

What are we to make of these three positions? Which one is right? Is there a fourth option? How are dreams and visions best interpreted in light of Scripture? I'll give you my take on this issue in part two of this article, to be posted within a week. In the meantime, think through the issue yourself, using Scripture as your guide. Ask the Holy Spirit to grant you insight regarding this matter. As Stephen Olford used to say,

Where human investigation fails, spiritual illumination prevails.

---

[1] This is a brief summary of notes on “Forms of Revelation” given by Dr. Bruce Ware in Systematic Theology 1 at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in the summer of 2010.

[2] These are similar phenomena, with a vision occurring while a person is awake, and a dream occurring while one is asleep.  (This differentiation may be a bit simplistic, but it is a helpful one nonetheless.)

[3] These are my own designations concerning the primary views regarding dreams and visions.  I am unaware of these designations being used elsewhere.  I have not come across them in my own readings on this subject.

[4] Richard B. Gaffin, Jr.  Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?  Four Views,  ed. Wayne A. Grudem (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), 52.  

[5] Such would include “inner promptings, signs, feelings of peace or uneasiness, strong impressions on the mind, or other similar means.”  John MacArthur, Reckless Faith  (Wheaton, IL:  Crossway Books, 1994): 182.  It should be noted that Richard Gaffin would not take quite as stringent a view as MacArthur, for Gaffin does say, “The Spirit may and ought to be at work in the feelings, intuitions, or hunches that believers have about specific decisions and particular courses of action” (Gaffin, 155).  Nevertheless, Gaffin goes on to indicate his concern regarding “(Spirit-prompted) impulses of a revelatory character,” which others (namely, Robert Saucy, to whom Gaffin is referring) see as “new covenant guidance” not related to miraculous gifts (p. 143). 

[6] Ibid.  See also Gaffin, 53.

[7] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Leicester, England: InterVarsity Press; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994): 1056.

[8] Ibid, 1055.

[9] George Mallone, Those Controversial Spiritual Gifts (Downers Grove, IL:  InterVarsity Press, 1983):  54.

[10] Though neither of these men use the designation “open cessationist,” their writings indicate that they affirm(ed)  this view as I have described it.

[11] Sinclair Ferguson, The Holy Spirit (Leicester, England: InterVarsity Press, 1996): 233.  Ferguson cites John Owen, “A Discourse of Spiritual Gifts” in The Works of John Owen, ed. W.H. Goold (Edinburgh: Johnstone & Hunter, 1850-53), vol. 4, p. 475; cf. p. 454.

[12] Ibid, 234-235.

Are We a Welcoming Church?

In recent months our church has made strides toward making our guests feel more welcome. We formulated a Welcome Team and have worked hard to define our mission and to minister accordingly. 

I love our Welcome Team's missions statement: 

"Extending the love of Christ through genuine hospitality."

That's true incarnational ministry, isn't it?  The changes in the physical lay-out of our church lobby has helped to create a more welcoming atmosphere, but people are the primary catalysts for change.

Recently I came across a helpful article entitled Do Visitors Feel Welcome at Your Church? 5 Practical Tools You Need.  You can read the original article by clicking here. Otherwise, read the following excerpt:

I often wonder why we aren’t more intentional, or why we spend so little time training volunteer greeters. The art of making others feel welcome is about more than getting a few people to volunteer to hand out bulletins each Sunday.

First impressions are not just important; they are crucial. Especially when it comes to first-time visitors. One Christian author writes that a person decides within the first three to eight minutes whether they will return.

How can we make the people in our church feel welcome?

1. Avoid questions like, “Are you new?” or “Is this your first Sunday?” 

If you are not new, then things get rather awkward. If you are new, you probably don’t want to feel like the spotlight is on you or that you stick out like a sore thumb. Instead, say, “Hi! I don’t believe I’ve met you yet. My name is ________.”

2. If you find out that someone you are talking to is new (which will usually reveal itself early in the conversation), personally escort them and their children to each class. 

Don’t just tell them where to go; show them.

3. If at all possible, introduce new people to others. 

For example, if you are showing a new child to a classroom, introduce him or her to another child you know in the classroom. You might say, “I’d like you to meet my special friend Elizabeth. She is in your class this hour and _________.”

4. Make an intentional effort to remember people’s names. 

Some of us come by this easier than others, but for those of who struggle there are techniques to improve our recall. For example, say someone’s name several times in the course of your first conversation. The more times you say a name the more likely you are to remember it. (For more tips see: How to Remember a Person’s Name or Seven Ways to Remember Any Name).

5. As visitors are leaving, make sure to smile and thank them for coming. 

You might ask them how they enjoyed the service, or go the extra mile and ask them to join you for lunch. My parents visited a church while on vacation and raved for weeks about how they were taken out to lunch after the service by one of the elders.

Developing relationships isn’t always easy, but it is worth it!

Do you have any other insights or recommendations you would like to share? If so, leave a comment. We'd love to get your thoughts.

On Second Thought

Recently I made a decision that I regretted almost immediately. I can't share the details for the sake of confidentiality, but suffice to say, I spoke before I thought. I committed to doing something that compromised my conscience, and I felt uneasy about it.

I couldn't get the matter off my mind throughout the evening, and made it a matter of prayer. The next morning in my regular devotional reading, I came across the following verse:

Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things.

- Hebrews 13:18

My heart's desire was to honor God in all things -- and it is for this very reason that I did not have a clear conscience regarding my current situation.

So I dealt with it. 

I did what I had to do. But it resulted in some folks being disappointed. In a very real sense I was disappointed too.

But there's a difference between feeling bad and feeling guilty. Better to be sad emotionally than to sin intentionally.

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
- James 4:17

Sometimes our mouth gets us into trouble. We speak before we think. We get ourselves into a fix that violates our conscience. When we get into that sort of situation, we need to get out of it asap. Scripture provides a good example of this in the case of finances:

My child, if you have put up security for a friend’s debt or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger—2 if you have trapped yourself by your agreement and are caught by what you said—3 follow my advice and save yourself, for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy. Now swallow your pride; go and beg to have your name erased.4  Don’t put it off; do it now! Don’t rest until you do.

- Proverbs 6:1-4 NLT

How easy it is to get ourselves in a bind! We put ourselves in a predicament that is either blatantly sinful or blurs the line between right and wrong! Whenever that happens, we should repent and do what is right. Isn't this what Jesus taught?

“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did what his father wanted? “The first,” they answered.

- Matthew 21:28-31

Jesus assured them that they had answered correctly. Then he went on to confront them about their failure to change their minds even after they saw the truth.

Don't make the same mistake.

Of course it's better not to get yourself into such a predicament in the first place. My own recent experience taught me a good lesson in that regard. But I'm so glad that my conscience is now clear.

Is yours?

During last Sunday's sermon I emphasized how Scripture informs and adds substance to our prayers. To illustrate this point, I shared the example of the 19^th century minister George Mueller, who cared 

for 10,000 orphans over his lifetime.  He also established 117 schools that offered Christian education to over 120,000 children, many of whom were orphans.  

How was Mueller able to do so much good for so many people?  Through prayer.  But George Mueller never prayed for a thing just because he wanted it, or even because he felt it was greatly needed for God’s work.  Whenever he was inclined to pray for something, he would search Scripture to see if there was a promise connected to that kind of situation.  Sometimes he would search for days before presenting his request to God.  Then when he found the promise, he would pray with his Bible open.  He would place his finger on that promise, would plead that promise, and would receive what he asked.  He always prayed with an open Bible before him. 

Below is, in Mueller's own words, the fuller explanation of how Scripture strengthened his prayers, in terms of both their content and his confidence.  To see the original post, click here.

Food For the Inner Man – George Mueller

by George Mueller (1805-1898)

While I was staying at Nailsworth, it pleased the Lord to teach me a truth, irrespective of human instrumentality, as far as I know, the benefit of which I have not lost, though now…more than forty years have since passed away.

The point is this: I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day, to have MY SOUL HAPPY IN THE LORD. The first thing to be concerned about was not, how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished. For I might seek to set the truth before the unconverted, I might seek to benefit believers, I might seek to behave myself as it becomes a child of God in this world; and yet, not being happy in the Lord, and not being nourished and strengthened in my inner man day by day, all this might not be attended to in a right spirit.

Before this time my practice had been, at least for ten years previously, as a habitual thing, to give myself to prayer, after having dressed in the morning. Now I saw, that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God and to meditation on it, that thus my heart may be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed; and that thus, whilst meditating, my heart might be brought into experimental communion with the Lord. I began therefore, to meditate on the New Testament, from the beginning, early in the morning.

The first thing I did, after having asked in a few words the Lord’s blessing upon His precious Word, was to begin to meditate on the Word of God; searching, as it were, into every verse, to get blessings out of it; not for the sake of the public ministry of the Word; not for the sake of preaching on what I had meditated upon; but for the sake of obtaining food for my own soul.. The result I have found to be almost invariably this, that after a very few minutes my soul has been led to confession, or to thanksgiving, or to intercession, or to supplication; so that though I did not, as it were, give myself to prayer, but to meditation, yet it turned almost immediately more or less into prayer.

When thus I have been for awhile making confession, or intercession, or supplication, or have given thanks, I go on to the next words or verse, turning all, as I go on, into prayer for myself or others, as the Word may lead to it; but still continually keeping before me, that food for my own soul is the object of my meditation. The result of this is, that there is always a good deal of confession, invariably is even sensibly nourished and strengthened and that by breakfast time, with rare exceptions, I am in a peaceful if not happy state of heart. Thus also the Lord is pleased to communicate unto me that which, very soon after, I have found to become food for other believers, though it was not for the sake of the public ministry of the Word that I gave myself to meditation, but for the profit of my own inner man.

The difference between my former practice and my present one is this. Formerly, when I rose, I began to pray as soon as possible, and generally spent all my time till breakfast in prayer, or almost all the time. At all events I almost invariably began with prayer. But what was the result? I often spent a quarter of an hour, or even an hour on my knees, before being conscious to myself of having derived comfort, encouragement, humbling of soul, etc.; and often after having suffered much from wandering of mind of the first ten minutes, or a quarter of an hour, or even half an hour, I only then began really to pray.

I scarcely ever suffer now in this way. For my heart being nourished by the truth, being brought into experimental fellowship with God, I speak to my Father, and to my Friend (vile though I am, and unworthy of it!) about the things that He has brought before me in His precious Word.

It often now astonishes me that I did not sooner see this. In no book did I ever read about it. No public ministry ever brought the matter before me. No private intercourse with a brother stirred me up to this matter. And yet now, since God has taught me this point, it is a plain to me as anything that the first thing the child of God has to do morning by morning is to obtain food for his inner man.

As the outward man is not fit for work for any length of time, except we take food, and as this is one of the first things we do in the morning, so it should be with the inner man. We should take food for that, as every one must allow. Now what is the food for the inner man: not prayer, but the Word of God: and here again not the simple reading of the Word of God, so that it only passes through our minds, just as water runs through a pipe, but considering what we read, pondering over it, and applying it to our hearts.

I dwell so particularly on this point because of the immense spiritual profit and refreshment I am conscious of having derived from it myself, and I affectionately and solemnly beseech all my fellow-believers to ponder this matter. By the blessing of God I ascribe to this mode the help and strength which I have had from God to pass in peace through deeper trials in various ways than I had ever had before; and after having now above forty years tried this way, I can most fully, in the fear of God, commend it. How different when the soul is refreshed and made happy early in the morning, from what it is when, without spiritual preparation, the service, the trials and the temptations of the day come upon one! – George Mueller

Fight to Pray

While discussing persistence in prayer with our small group last evening, an illustration came to mind. It was written by J. Sidlow Baxter, a 20th century pastor who ministered in England and Scotland. Like many a Christian, Baxter struggled to make prayer a priority. The creative way in which he shared his story has resonated with countless Christians, whose resolve has been strengthened by Baxter's own experience. May this account encourage us all to persist in prayer.

... My time for prayer was getting crowded out and my periods of study with the Bible were getting scarcer.

That was bad enough, but it was worse when I began to get used to it. And then I began excusing myself. My prayer life became a case of sinning and repenting. Every time I got down to pray I had to start weeping and asking the Lord’s forgiveness. I had to repent that I hadn’t prayed more and ask Him to help me to do better in the future. All such things really take the pleasure out of praying!

Then it all came to crisis. At a certain time one morning I looked at my watch. According to my plan, for I was still bravely persevering, I was to withdraw for an hour of prayer.I looked at my watch and it said: “Time for prayer, Sid.”

But I looked at my desk and there was a miniature mountain of correspondence. And conscience said, “You ought to answer those letters.” So, as we say in Scotland, I swithered. I vacillated. Shall it be prayer? Shall it be letters? Yes, no. Yes, no. Yes, no. And while I was swithering a velvety little voice began to speak in my inner consciousness: “Look here, Sid, what’s all this bother? You know very well what you should do. The practical thing is to get those letters answered. You can’t afford the time for prayer this morning. Get those letters answered.”

But I still swithered, and the voice began to reinforce what it had said. It said, “Look here, Sid, don’t you think the Lord knows all the busy occupations which are taking your time? You’re converted, you’re born again and you’re in the ministry. People are crowding in; you’re having conversions. Doesn’t that show that God is pleased with you? And even if you can’t pray, don’t worry too much about it. Look, Sid, you’d better face up to it. You’re not one of the spiritual ones!”

Ouch!

I don’t want to use extravagant phrases, but if you had plunged a dagger into my boson it couldn’t have hurt me more. “Sid, you are not one of the spiritual ones.”

I’m not the introspective type, but that morning I took a good look into Sidlow Baxter. And I found that there was an area of me that did not want to pray. I had to admit it. It didn’t want to pray. But I looked more closely and I found that there was a part of me that did. The part that didn’t was the emotions and the part that did was the intellect and the will.

Suddenly I found myself asking Sidlow Baxter: “Are you going to let your will be dragged about by your changeful emotions?”

And I said to my will: “Will, are you ready for prayer?”

And Will said, “Here I am, I’m ready.”

So Will and I set off to pray. But the minute we turned our footsteps to go and pray all my emotions began to talk: “We’re not coming, we’re not coming.”

And I said to Will, “Will, can you stick it?”

And Will said, “Yes, if you can.”

So Will and I, we dragged off those wretched emotions and we went to pray and stayed an hour in prayer.

It was a fight all the way.

If you had asked me afterwards, “Did you have a good time?” do think I could have said yes? A good time? No, it was a fight all the way!

What I would have done without the companionship of Will, I don’t know. In the middle of the most earnest intercessions I suddenly found one of the principal emotions way out on the golf course, playing golf. And I had to run to the golf course and say, “Come back.” And a few minutes later I found another of the emotions; it had traveled one and a half days in advance and it was in the pulpit preaching a sermon I had not even yet prepared. And I had to say, “Come back.”

I certainly couldn’t have said we had a good time. It was exhausting, but we did it.

The next morning came. I looked at my watch and it was time. I said to Will, “Come on, Will, it’s time for prayer.” And all the emotions began to pull the other way and I said, “Will, can you stick it?” And Will said, “Yes, in fact I think I’m stronger after the struggle yesterday morning.” So Will and I went in again.

The same thing happened. Rebellious, tumultuous, uncooperative emotions. If you had asked me, “Have you had a good time?” I would have had to tell you with tears, “No, the heavens were like brass. It was a job to concentrate. I had an awful time with the emotions.”

Then the change…

This went on for about two and a half weeks. But Will and I stuck it out. Then one morning during that third week I looked at my watch and I said, “Will it’s time for prayer.  Are you ready?” And Will Said, “Yes, I’m ready.”

And just as we were going in, I heard one of my chief emotions say to the others, “Come on, fellows, there’s no use wearing ourselves out: they’ll go on whatever we do.”

That morning we didn’t have any hilarious experience of wonderful visions with heavenly voices and raptures. But Will and I were able with less distraction to get on with praying. And that went on for another two or three weeks. In fact, Will and I had begun to forget the emotions. I would say, “Will, are you ready for prayer?” And Will replied, “Yes, I’m always ready.”

Suddenly one day while Will and I were pressing our case at the throne of the heavenly glory one of the chief emotions shouted, “Hallelujah!” and all the other emotions suddenly shouted, “Amen!” For the first time the whole territory of James Sidlow Baxter was happily coordinated in the exercise of prayer and God suddenly became real and heaven was wide open and Christ was there and the Holy Spirit was moving and I knew that all the time God had been listening.

The point is this: the validity and the effectuality of prayer are not determined or even affected by the subjective psychological condition of the one who prays. The thing that makes prayer valid and vital and moving and operative is, “My faith takes hold of God’s truth.”

Brothers and sisters, soon now we shall be meeting Him. When you meet Him, and I speak reverently, when you feel His arms around you and when you embrace as well as adore Him, don’t you want to be able to look into that wonderful face and say, “Lord, at last I’m seeing face-to-face the One I have for years known heart to heart.”

Why don’t you resolve that from this time on you will be a praying Christian? You will never, never, never regret it!  Never!

Great Tips for Group Prayer

Last Sunday I preached part one of a two-part sermon entitled Why Bother to Pray as a Church? Acts 1:12-26 gives us three good reasons:

1. Prayer unites the people of God.
2. Prayer sheds light on the Word of God.
3. Prayer invites direction from God.

While exploring the first point, we saw that corporate prayer throughout Scripture is God's people seeking God's face as one body in one voice about one thing. Prayer unites the people of God! Prayer rallies the church around the will of God. Such was the experience of the early church, and the same can be our experience today.

Here are some practical suggestions for participating in corporate prayer:

1. Come prepared to pray by stirring up your faith. "No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you..." (Isa. 64:7). This verse describes those who are spiritually dead. Christians, on the other hand, should be marked by an attitude that says, "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?" (Ps. 42:1-2). Nothing primes the pump of prayer like Scripture. So stir up your faith by feasting on the Word of God (cf. Rom. 10:17).
2. Sit together. It's hard to be united in prayer when we're sitting far apart.
3. Speak up! Others cannot agree with or affirm what they cannot hear.
4. Pray simply and conversationally. Avoid "preachy" praying and ministerial, unnatural tones. You're talking to God. Therefore your goal should be to express your heart, not to impress others.
5. Keep prayers concise, clear, and to the point. Long-winded, rambling prayers make prayer meetings boring, dull, and downright frustrating.
6. Don't read long passages of Scripture. As a general rule, limit your reading to a few verses that express praise, iterate a promise, or emphasize a certain truth highlighted in your prayer.
7. Don't pray through your personal prayer list. You can do that during your daily quiet time. Corporate prayer unites God's people as they seek God's face together as one body in one voice about one thing.
8. Ask God; don't explain things to him. Don't waste time telling God what he already knows. Prayer is not supposed to be a commentary but an expression of our dependence on God. "And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Luke 11:9).
9. Avoid addressing others in the room under pretense of prayer. Corporate prayer is no substitute for personal conversation or confrontation, so don't make it one.
10. Once you have prayed, wait for other people to pray before praying again. Allow the Spirit of God to prompt others to pray. This adds beauty and balance to corporate praying.
11. When in doubt about what to pray, ask for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on your church and city. No doubt this is what occurred when the fledgling church "went to the upper room ... [and] with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer" (Acts 1:13-14).
12. Try not to pray too big or too small. Don't pray for anything outlandish and out of line with God's purposes. At the same time, avoid puny prayers that require no real dependence on God. Pray for things the group can "get its faith around." 
13. Don't be afraid of silence. It's sometimes golden. There is "a time to keep silence, and a time to speak" (Eccl. 3:7). The wise person appreciates the benefits of both, knowing the Spirit of God may be speaking even when we aren't.
14. Listen to, agree with, and affirm each pray-er. That's assuming, of course, that the prayer is scripturally based. Verbal expressions such as "amen," or "yes, Lord," encourage the person praying, keeps the group engaged, and expresses our solidarity before the throne of grace.
15. Submit to pastoral guidelines. For various functional or logistical reasons, the spiritual leaders of your church may ask the church to follow certain guidelines during corporate prayer. Don't buck your leaders; obey them. The church will be built up, and you will be blessed.

The above list was adapted from an article by Eddie Smith in the Jan/Feb 1999 issue of Pray! magazine. If you'd like more practical suggestions, check out Ligon Duncan's "Thirty Two Principles for Public Prayer."