One of the most popular models for Christian prayer is the ACTS model (A – adoration, C – confession, T – thanksgiving,  and S – supplication). I’ve used it many times myself as it was how I was instructed to pray when I first came to saving faith in Christ. An internet search on “ACTS prayer model” will show thousands of references, images, charts, etc. But is the ACTS prayer model biblical? The real test of any such model is its alignment with the teachings of the scriptures.

The purpose of this article is a short analysis of ACTS in comparison with the Lord’s prayer.

Bottom Line Up Front

The ACTS model for prayer does not align with the Lord’s prayer. It falls short in two ways: 1) it does not have the same level of detail as the Lord’s prayer, and 2) its missing several key elements absolutely essential to the successful mission of the church.

In my opinion, its time to retire the man made ACTS model for prayer and return to the basics of biblical prayer as the Lord Himself taught us. The Lord’s prayer is our template, not ACTS.

Background – Where Did ACTS Come From?

The earliest reference to the ACTS model that I can find dates back to 1836. The four elements represented by the acronym are mentioned in a book published in 1836 titled “The Principles of Christian Philosophy, Containing the Doctrines, Duties, Admonitions, and Consolations of the Christian Religion“, by a Scottish surgeon and Reverend by the name of John Burns, MD. (The book can be downloaded from Google Play at no cost.)

The book is a scholarly explanation of Christian doctrine and practice. Reverend Burns summarizes the pattern for prayer as follows:

“Generally speaking, prayer may be arranged under the heads of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication.”

Christian Philosophy, Containing The Doctrines, Duties, Admonitions And Consolations Of The Christian Religion, Fifth Edition, JOHN BURNS , M.D. F.R.S., p. 328, London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longman. MDCCCXXXVI.

I don’t know that it was his intent to codify a model for Christian prayer. I believe he was simply trying to explain the basics of biblical prayer, and did a fair job of it over several pages in his book. However, it does miss some things the Lord taught us to pray about. Very important things that may have led to some problems in the church over the last 185 years.

The acronym “ACTS” as the church has come to know it, may have first appeared in a short story published in a periodical called “The Continent” in August,1883 (Harland, Marion. 1883, Volume IV. July-December. JUDITH: A CHRONICLE OF OLD VIRGINIA. p. 171. Philadelphia : Our Continent Pub. Co.
Public Domain, Google-digitized.) If I conducted deeper research, I bet I would find that Rev Burns’ perspective about prayer became taught in the Church of Scotland where he ministered and likely spread throughout the 19th century church, reaching the shores of America where it grew in popularity to what it has become even to this day: adopted in Christian instruction and widely touted as THE model for how to pray.

But how does the ACTS model stack up against biblical teaching about how we are to pray as taught by the Lord in the sermon on the mount? Also, is it necessary to have a man made template for prayer when the Lord has given us His template for how to pray?

A Critique of the ACTS Prayer Model

I realized recently in a personal study of the Lord’s prayer that there are some critical shortfalls in the ACTS model as summarized in the table.

It might be argued that the missing elements are or could be mapped into the ACTS model, but why create the unnecessary layer? Why not simply teach the Lord’s prayer directly as the model Christians should follow?

The Missing Elements

In my experience with using the ACTS model for many years, the missing parts of the Lord’s prayer have not been consistently addressed. For example, there is no “thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. And so the big picture objective of salvation is not a priority or even mentioned in prayer.

We confess the same sins over and over again and ask for forgiveness, but there is no request to be strong in the face of temptation or asking the Lord’s deliverance from evil. We fail to recognize that, in addition to our own sinful inclinations, the supernatural is at work. In not praying for deliverance from supernatural dark forces working against us, we wonder why its difficult to make progress is overcoming sin.

The lack of intercession against spiritual forces of darkness and deception gives them room to operate to disrupt our witness, the unity of the church, and the advancement of the gospel. Without the right target in prayer, we point the finger and accuse each other which violates the intent of the prayer that we seek forgiveness from God as well as from each other. From the enemy’s standpoint, mission accomplished.

Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to hit with a wicked fist.
Fasting like yours this day
will not make your voice to be heard on high.

Isaiah 58:4

Each aspect of the Lord’s prayer is critically important in a world which has become dark and filled with evil and deception. The Lord taught us to pray a certain way to ensure all aspects of His will were addressed. If we choose some other man made procedure for prayer, then at the very least, key requests are missed and at worst, we run the risk of offending the Lord as if we think our model for prayer is better than His.

If we apply ACTS, at least in my experience, our intercession is often incomplete. Critically important things that desperately need our intercession don’t even get mentioned in our prayer. Instead, our prayer tends to become focused only on our immediate temporal needs.

A Practical Application of The Lord’s Prayer

How can we make better practical application of the Lord’s prayer as we have done with the ACTS model? Most Christians know the Lord’s prayer so we have a starting point. Perhaps in Christian training, we should instruct people not only in praying the Lord’s prayer as is, but how to use it as a template to guide our prayer time. What if we started with each phrase of the prayer and then elaborated with our own words or other words from scripture.

Here are some suggestions for using the Lord’s prayer as a template (instead of ACTS):

Our Father in heaven, Holy is your name. Start with this phrase and the add your own words of worship. Spend some time praising the Father and the Son, thanking them for all they’ve done through the cross and resurrection. Thank them for your personal salvation and for their Word which is truth. Thank the Holy Spirit for guidance and strength in applying the Word of God to your personal walk of faith. Pray that you can honor and serve them with all your heart and that you can conduct yourself in righteousness and truth.

Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done. Pray for God’s Kingdom to be realized upon the earth in your own words. Are you longing for His Kingdom? Pray for the advancement of the gospel around the world that God’s coming Kingdom would be filled with people from every tongue and tribe and nation. Pray that people would become discipled as mature followers of Christ and that people would keep their mind and hearts set upon the soon coming Kingdom of Christ upon the earth.

Give us this day our daily bread. Here is where you can add your temporal needs (finances, health, family, shelter, etc). Also, there is an aspect here of spiritual “bread”, daily sustenance in the Word of God. Ask God for understanding according to His Word and a hunger for His Word that would lead to more in depth study and consistent daily reading (as an example).

The Lord’s prayer can be considered a community prayer. The word “us” and “our” means to include the needs of others. This is helpful to turn our attention outward instead of focusing on ourselves. Its also an indication that the prayer is meant to pray together with other believers, which can enhance our intercession and our own ability to pray more biblically.

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Again, a sense of a community of faith praying together and confession of sins to one another and forgiving each other as we are called to do. Here is where we can let go of the wrongs against us from others so that we ourselves can be released through the power of forgiveness from both God and men.

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Pray that you may stand against the deceptions of the evil one and avoid falling into sin. Pray for God’s deliverance from the forces of evil active in the world today. Thank the Lord that He keeps you from being tempted beyond what you can bear and that He always provides a way out. Pray for strength and wisdom to take the way out that He gives you.

The Take-Away

I believe Rev. Burns originated the ACTS model back in the 1830 time frame. I don’t know if he invented the acronym and advanced it as the prayer model it apparently became by the mid 19th century. What is surprising is the pervasiveness and longevity of the model even to this day. It has indeed become a tradition that has eclipsed the Lord’s prayer as the template we should use to guide our prayers.

Local churches should use the bible as the sole basis for instruction. As the scriptures say:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

So then, why do we employ man made models? Christian authors are helpful in supplementing our own personal study and research, but using sources other than the bible in the context of church instruction and training can lead us gradually away from what the Lord has said in His Word.

Models such as ACTS, when implemented in our churches and taught to new believers over periods of time, tend to become tradition. Traditions tend to become sacred, unquestioned, even though they may possibly nullify the Word of God. I don’t think Christian authors generally intend to subvert the scriptures with their own teachings. However, this can happen over time, if church leadership is not diligent and careful about how believers under their care are instructed. Church leaders need to carefully conduct critical reviews of instructional material to ensure compliance in every way with the bible, without regard for the position or prestige of a person or long standing models that we may have used and continue to use because “that’s the way we’ve always done it”.

Conclusion

Prayer is a critical practice of Christian faith. In this day, in this time, there has never been a more critical need for biblically compliant prayer that covers all aspects the Lord has taught us.

With all due respect to those who teach and use the ACTS model, the church does not need man made models for prayer. We have our model, given by the Lord. He expects us to use it. Let this prayer, our prayer, be the template and model for teaching the church to pray.

May we honor Him by complying with His instructions to us.