Chain Letter, Prayer Chain What's the Difference

There is another form of the "chain letter" that is present in the church.

The expression of a "chain" is the "prayer chain."

I see nothing in the Scriptures that describes this "prayer chain" that many churches have adopted.

When we add to the Bible by implementing human ideas to God's Word has it's pitfalls.

There are those who will place pressure on others to engage in something that has no basis in the Word of God. This pressure alone is legalism, when we have expectations of others that God never mandated, then we are walking in legalism.

There was a prayer chain in which I was involved, that placed so much burden on others to avoid "gossip" by requiring the person who heard the request to repeat back the exact words that were mandated by the elders. If there was any deviation from those words on any level the person who changed the wording was chastised for not following the rules.

I changed two words in a prayer request on that prayer chain, was chastised by someone half my age, while treated as though I did something terrible by not obeying the elders.

I do not condemn the "prayer chain", I condemn the legalism of pressure on others to participate and the staunchness of the leadership of the elders to demean someone who expresses themselves without the permission of the elders.

Needless to say, I have declined to be a part of any "prayer chain." If someone wants me to pray for them or others they know then please, by all means come to ask me to pray, I would be happy to do that, but do not place me on any list laden with rules on how the Holy Spirit should operate in me, the Holy Spirit will tell me how to pray and when to pray.

Too often man tries to dictate things to people that belong only to the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that leads in these things, when man begins to dictate their own rules, they are usurping the authority of the Holy Spirit.

Those who lack faith must make rules to dominate others. If we believe the Holy Spirit can lead others, then we feel no need to pressure them to follow unBiblical rules.

John 16:13-14 "13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you."

Matthew 23:6 "They love the places of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues,"

Luke 20:46
"Beware of the scribes. They like to walk around in long robes, and they love the greetings in the marketplaces, the chief seats in the synagogues, and the places of honor at banquets."