The House of Prayer
Introduction: Jim Cymballa, pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle, told his small congregation that “if they called upon the Lord, He had promised in His word to answer, to bring the unsaved to Himself, and to pour out His Spirit among them. If they did not call upon the Lord, He had promised them nothing.” What a powerful primes behind the practice of prayer. If we pray God’s power will be manifested in and through our life and ministry, but if we do not it will not. This is not because God can not act if we do not pray, rather it is that God will act through another if we do not pray.
We may be the most orthodox in belief; we may be the most inspirational in our music, but with out prayer we have no power. Pastor Cymbala said it best when he told his congregation, “No matter what I preach or what we claim to believe in our heads, the future will depend upon our times in prayer. Prayer will be the engine that drives the church.” In other words if we have no prayer life as a church we have no fuel to accomplish the task God has called us to.
“The condition of the church may be very accurately gauged by its prayer meetings. So is the prayer meeting a grace-o-meter, and from it we may judge the amount of divine working among a people. If God be near a church, it must pray. And if He be not there, one of the first tokens of His absence will be a slothfulness in prayer.”
“The church, therefore, is behooved to pray. The most important lesson that the church can learn is not only how to pray – but to pray!” Let us explore some principles of pray. (Source of Quotes: Prayer – The Greater Work: A Step-by-Step Approach for Implementing a Church Prayer Ministry, Evangelism Department State Board of Missions Alabama Baptist Convention.)
The Purpose of the House.
What is the purpose of the House of God? Why did God have the Tabernacle built? Why did God allow Solomon to build Him a temple? God answers that question for us in His glorious word. We find written in Exodus the purpose of the Tabernacle when the Lord said; “This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet you to speak with you. And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by My glory (Exodus 29.42-43 KJV).” The Tabernacle was a place where God meet with His people. God said the Tabernacle was the place where He would meet His people to “speak” with them. How do we speak with or communicate with God? We communicate with God through prayer. Thus, the tabernacle was a place of prayer. And so it was with the House of the Lord built by Solomon.
Jesus confirms this for us when He cleansed the temple of the money changers. As He ran the money changers out He said, “It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer (Matthew 21.13a KJV).” This He quoted from the prophet Isaiah speaking of those “strangers” to Israel who would join themselves to the Lord: “Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer (Isaiah 5.7 KJV).”
Clearly we see from scripture that the Purpose of the House of God is to be a place of communication between God and man. This is accomplished primarily though pray and the study of His Holy Word. As it was then so it is now a meeting place for God to commune with His people both individually and corporately. The question is how are we doing in fulfilling God’s purpose for His House?
The Problem in the House.
As I scan the vast sea of the Christian culture in America I think that we have missed the boat on the purpose of God’s House. I believe we are much like the money changers of Jesus’ day. Jesus as He ran them out of the House of God, told them that they had “made it a den of thieves (Matthew 21.13b)”, because of their robbing the people who came to convert their money to by sacrifices. They had turn the House into something other than what it was intended to be. We may not have turned the House of God in to a den of thieves, but many of us have turned it into something it was not intended to be.
Today, many Houses of Worship are nothing more than production houses for modern religious entertainment. Many churches today are nothing more than social meeting places where men, women, boys, and girls come to socialize and have a good time. Many of today’s, churches have become the fast food restaurants of religion where we can come and get our weekly spiritual fix with out disrupting the important events of life. Rather than meet God at His House today we go through empty ritual and call it worship. When God looks down at the church today He must surely say, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me (Matthew 15.8 KJV).”
What ever the church is today it is for the most part not what is should be. We prance, we primp, we perform, and patronize, but we neglect the most important element of our coming together – prayer. The problem with the House of God today is that we do not pray. So, what must we do?
The Prescription for the House.
What is the Prescription for the lack of prayer in the House of God? In a word it is Prayer. If we want to see the power of the Spirit fall in our lives and in our church we must become a people of prayer and we must make God’s House a House of Prayer. As Hosea said, “it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you (Hosea 10.12 KJV).” It is time for the people of God to fall on their knees before God and seek His face. We must learn the heart of Moses who asked God to let Him see His Glory. We must pant for God just as the deer pants for the water brook. If we want to see the lost saved, the sick healed, the hungry fed, and the world changed then we must pray.
Isn’t that what 2 Chronicles 7.14 says: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land (KJV).” The power of God is unleashed when the people of God humble themselves and pray. If you want to see your neighbor or neighborhood changed then pray. If you want to see the lost saved then pray. If you want your family changed then pray. The single most important activity we as believers can do to effect change in our lives is to Pray! When we pray God promises to respond.
The Promise to the House.
When we pray God will act. Don’t get me wrong He can act whether or not we pray, but when we pray He has promised to respond to the sincere fervent prayer of faith. I want to share some of those promises with you from God’s Word:
1. Deuteronomy 4.29: “But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul (KJV).”
2. Matthew 21.21-22: “Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. (KJV).”
3. Luke 11.9-10: “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened (KJV).”
4. Isaiah 5.24: “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear (KJV).”
God has promised that the fervent prayer of a righteous man will accomplish much. If we pray God’s power will fall upon our situation. Countless times in the Word we can find examples of the power of prayer manifested in the life of those who pray. If we long for the power of God we must learn to pray to God.
The Power of the House.
When we learn to pray we will once again sense the power of God being manifested in our lives. As the Psalmist says: “Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore (Psalm 105.4 KJV).” When we seek the Lord we will find His strength. If you are spiritually weak then pray. If you are spiritually hungry then pray. If you are tired of being complacent in you walk with the Lord then pray. If you and I will earnestly and fervently seek the Lord with all of our soul, our mind, and our strength God will manifest Himself in ways we have never dreamed of before. How do I know He will? I know because He said He would. The Lord through Jeremiah the prophets said, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. (Jeremiah 33.3 KJV).” God has not only promised to hear us when we pray, but He has promised to show us things we have never seen before when we pray. When we pray God will do wonderful and marvelous things just as He did in the days of the early church.
These passages from the book of Acts illustrate the power of God as it is unleashed through the lives of a praying church.
“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved (Acts 2.42-47 KJV).” When God’s people commit themselves to prayer God will unleash His power. When God unleashes His power He “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us (Ephesians 3.20 KJV).” “To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen (Ephesians 3.21 KJV).”
What God did for the saints of the first centrury church He can do for the saints of the 21st century church.
Conclusion: Let me close with this powerful quote from Charles Haddon Spurgeon:
“All of Hell is vanquished when the believer bows his knee in prayer. Beloved brethren, Let us pray. We can not all argue, but we can all pray. We can not all be leaders, but we can all be pleaders. We can not all be mighty in rhetoric, but we can all be prevalent in prayer. I would rather have you eloquent be for God than eloquent before men. Prayer brings us into communion with the Eternal, Omnipotent, and Infinite, hence prayer is our chief resort … Make sure you are close to God and you can be sure God is close to you.”
