Jesus' disciples asked Him to teach them to pray.
And He said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come." Luke 11:1-2
I long for sustained, corporate intercession in the House of Prayer so I'm asking Him once again, to teach us to pray.
I see three main points:
1. We need to realize WHO we are addressing in our prayers. Hopefully, the corporate gathering is unified but ultimately, it's not about the people in the room. (Matthew 6:5; Romans 15:5-6)
Our Father wants us to approach Him as a child.
Jesus said, "BLESSED are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven." Who demonstrates this better than children?
Those who become as a child before Him are following Jesus' teaching on prayer.
What would this kind of prayer look like in a corporate meeting? I think this is the first thing people stumble over...who wants to look weak and needy in front of others? Most of the prayer books on my shelf do not start with a childlike cry but theological words. Sometimes the instructions about prayer are so logistical and complicated we might feel disqualified before we even open our mouths. This is not how Jesus taught. Jesus taught that my Father is waiting to hear my voice and THAT REALITY moves my heart to pray in the prayer room.
2. Realize when we "hallow" or "make holy or set apart for use" His name, we are engaging in Kingdom activity. We are agreeing with the sustained corporate prayers of heaven. He is, "HOLY! HOLY! HOLY!"
The proclamation of WHO GOD IS causes a powerful shift on earth reflecting "as it is" in heaven. It is evidence of the Knowledge of God and brings down lesser things when those who say they love God with all their heart, mind, soul and strength reflect His power in their lives with their words, thoughts, actions and lifestyle.(Eph 1:21; Eph 6:12; Rev. 15:4)
Moses proclaimed "I AM" to Pharaoh, Jonah proclaimed "Salvation" to Nineveh, Paul proclaimed "Jesus the Christ" to Jew and Gentile. Proclamation of who He is causes men to repent in the fear of the Lord and whole nations to come into alignment with the Kingdom of God. What a picture of revival!
3. Praying is a foundational key in bringing heaven to earth. The government of the King of Kings brought down to the earth through partnership with mankind.
Prayer releases the Kingdom rule of Christ on the earth (light vs. darkness, righteousness vs. unrighteousness, etc.) One day, Jesus will ask the Father for the nations!
Prayer allows the Kingdom to come near people (heal the sick, cast out demons, etc.)
We bind and loose things in heaven and on earth when we come into agreement. We are legislating the will of the Father, as the Body of Christ when we pray TOGETHER.(Matthew 18:18-20)
Sustained corporate intercessory prayer is impossible without Jesus, who promises, "My house will be called a House of Prayer for all nations". (Isaiah 56:6-7;Matthew 21:13;Mark 11:17;Luke 19:46)
JESUS - BUILD YOUR HOUSE OF PRAYER & TEACH US TO PRAY!
Welcome...
This blog (LGHOP - Life Giving House of Prayer) is dedicated to serve those who are called to prayer at the WPC or at other venues in the greater Colorado Springs area.
Why do we need to get together and actually get to know each other instead of just "doing time" at the WPC?
Could it be that part of the reason we are not seeing more prayer around here is that we are not taking the time to love on those outside our immediate group of prayer-friends or musician-friends?
We've created a Small Group under the New Life umbrella (hence the name Life Giving House of Prayer) with the purpose of being intentional about getting together once a month.
We meet the first Sunday of each month from 1-4pm for food, fellowship, & sharing what the Lord is impressing on each of us. So many of us have been laboring away in solitude or with one or two friends during our prayer time. It is a joy to be in the same room with many people who have the same heart and hear the fascinating things the Lord is doing in each of us.
One of things that came out of a recent meeting is the need for our "community" to know what each of us are up to. So this blog is my attempt at addressing that issue. This blog is for all of us to stay in touch beyond our monthly meeting.
All of us can post and comment and with this blog we can also report anything worthwhile that is happening at our prayer times. And we can see a ongoing schedule of what is happening.
Why do we need to get together and actually get to know each other instead of just "doing time" at the WPC?
Could it be that part of the reason we are not seeing more prayer around here is that we are not taking the time to love on those outside our immediate group of prayer-friends or musician-friends?
We've created a Small Group under the New Life umbrella (hence the name Life Giving House of Prayer) with the purpose of being intentional about getting together once a month.
We meet the first Sunday of each month from 1-4pm for food, fellowship, & sharing what the Lord is impressing on each of us. So many of us have been laboring away in solitude or with one or two friends during our prayer time. It is a joy to be in the same room with many people who have the same heart and hear the fascinating things the Lord is doing in each of us.
One of things that came out of a recent meeting is the need for our "community" to know what each of us are up to. So this blog is my attempt at addressing that issue. This blog is for all of us to stay in touch beyond our monthly meeting.
All of us can post and comment and with this blog we can also report anything worthwhile that is happening at our prayer times. And we can see a ongoing schedule of what is happening.
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