Arkansas For Christ Blog

Victory Over Violence Prayer Rally Recap

2017-10-20T08:09:00.002-07:00

Arkansas For Christ organized a city-wide Prayer Rally in War Memorial Stadium in partnership with Victory Over Violence on October 9th, 2017. Victory Over Violence is the cooperative effort of local news stations FOX 16 and KARK along with many local mentoring and community service organizations. The partnership of Arkansas For Christ and Victory Over Violence generated compelling momentum that engaged churches in a city-wide call to action in response to increasing violent crime in Little Rock.

We were honored to be joined by Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and the First Lady, Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola, LRPD Chief Kenton Buckner, representatives of several state offices, more than 60 area Pastors, worship provided by a band representing 6 area churches, and an estimated 600 attendees from Central Arkansas. The response was overwhelmingly positive and we could not have asked for a better night!

We owe a very special thanks to Austin Kellerman and all of the volunteers who spent numerous hours making this event possible. Thank you!

VIDEO CLIPS

Opening Prayer

Debbie Strobel of Moms In Prayer International

Address from Governor Asa Hutchinson

Prayer for City Leaders

Pastor Harry Li of Mosaic Church

Pastor Mark Carter of Immanuel Baptist Church

Prayer for Law Enforcement

Pastor Darryl Wilkins of Second Baptist Church

Pastor Randy Jumper of First Assembly North Little Rock

Prayer for the Courageous Church

Pastor Bill Elliff of the Summit Church

Pastor Mike Jeffrey of Mosaic Church

Prayer for Peace

Pastor Harold Nash of Fellowship North Little Rock

Pastor Bobby Harrison of Fellowship North Little Rock

Prayer for Victims

Pastor Herbert Shirlee of Saint Mark Baptist Church

Pastor Brandon Barnard of Fellowship Bible Church

Prayer for the Unchurched

Pastor Marcus Elliott of New Life Church Downtown Little Rock

Prayer for Revival

Logan Bloom of Arkansas For Christ

WHY A PRAYER RALLY?

"The power of prayer is not in us, but in the One to whom we pray." - Logan Bloom

Prayer is a reminder that we are dependent upon a sovereign God who reigns in the affairs of man. . . Our hope and our trust is in Him. - Governor Asa Hutchinson

Prayer is one of the greatest expressions of faith in action as we put our faith in the perfect leadership of Jesus. Scripture and history attest to the spiritual and social breakthrough that comes through fervent prayer. In times of crisis, the Lord commands His people to pray rather than strive in their own strength. Israel's crisis were often the result of striving to accomplish in their own strength what could only be accomplished through prayer. Prayer is a unifier, an act of humility, and a transformative force for change.

The Victory Over Violence Prayer Rally correctly applied this timeless truth to our present context. Through prayer the impossible becomes possible, for while "with man this is impossible, with God all things are possible." (Matt 19:26)

WHAT IS NEXT?

This Prayer Rally was not the end! Every quarter churches across Central Arkansas gather together to unite in worship and prayer for revival at One Voice! Please make plans to join us on Thursday, November 16th at 7:00 PM at the Church at Rock Creek! You can help us spread the word using our Facebook event.

There will be a special Pastors Luncheon hosted in conjunction with One Voice at 11:30 AM with Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. Pastors can RSVP here!

How to Pray for America Through October 2017: Four Prayer Priorities

2017-10-05T11:45:00.002-07:00

The National Day of Prayer mobilizes unified public prayer for America. Let’s walk in unity by praying for these four priorities in our nation beginning now and continuing through the entire month of October. As you pray, imagine that you are joining with thousands of others standing in agreement in prayer for our nation.

1. Ask God to bring together His Church in America as a witness to the world.

May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me. John 17:21

Lord, regardless of our own preferences or traditions, draw each of Your followers together as a witness of Jesus to the entire world.
Father, use Your Church to serve as the unifying body of people in America.
Holy Spirit, wake up Your Church to spiritual revival, experiencing the manifest presence of God as a people.

2. Trust God to turn the leaders of our nation toward His Word and will.

A king’s heart is like channeled water in the Lord’s hand: He directs it wherever he chooses. Proverbs 21:1

Lord Jesus, we ask You to turn the heart of our President, Vice President, and both houses of Congress toward Your Word and Your ways.
Father, we ask You to turn the hearts of all of our political leaders to come together for the good of our nation.
Holy Spirit, we ask You to place God’s armor upon each of our leaders, protecting them and their families in every way.

3. Appeal to God to bring the next Great Spiritual Awakening to America in our generation.

Besides this, since you know the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, because now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. Romans 13:11

Father, we ask that Your sovereign will be for the next Great Spiritual Awakening to occur in our generation.
Lord Jesus, because of Your grace, pour out Your power upon our nation, bringing forth a spiritual awakening that will result in millions coming to faith in Jesus Christ.
Holy Spirit, move Your Church to pray extraordinarily until we see the next Great Spiritual Awakening in our generation.

4. Believe God now with us as we move and work toward the 2018 National Day of Prayer on May 3, 2018.

Ask and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

Lord, we know that You know the things we need before we ask, but we ask You to move churches, denominations, and ministries toward leading and participating in the 2018 National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 3.
Oh God, please call forth and mobilize thousands upon thousands of volunteers to help us lead thousands upon thousands of prayer gatherings across America on Thursday, May 3, 2018.
Holy Spirit of God, we ask You to move people to support the daily and annual ministry of the National Day of Prayer through prayer, service, and giving.

Let’s join together in clear agreement, visible union, and extraordinary prayer for these four prayer priorities in America between now and the end of October.

Now is the Time to Lead and to Pray,

Ronnie W. Floyd

Originally posted on September 25th, 2017 here: http://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/how_to_pray_for_america_through_october_2017_four_prayer_priorities

The Value of Songwriting in the Local Church

2017-09-01T10:47:00.002-07:00

My journey as a musician began in no small part to entertain and impress my friends, but experience has taught me that there is far more to music than entertainment. I could tell stories of my surprise when people were miraculously healed, addictions and oppressions were broken, and atmospheres instantly changes without any sermon or prayer, but at the sound of music. These experiences formed in me a passion to understand God's complete purpose for music and its role in the local church. I do not have all the answers, but if you share my passion I welcome you and your church to my study.

Music is more than entertainment. While music can be entertaining, it is also among the most extraordinary conveyors of thoughts and ideas. thereby bearing far greater significance. Music is a cultural architect. The social trends of culture are often a direct reflection of the music that fills its ears and hearts. I have come to believe that the influence of music is not a product of happenstance, but of God’s design. The human heart was made to respond to music, and be affected by it in conscious and subconscious ways. A fascinating point of study, the Bible explicitly portrays the mental, emotional, and spiritual influence of music, characteristics shared by nature (1 Ch. 16:32-33), humanity (Ps. 84:1-2), and the trinity (Heb. 2:12). Consideration can be made that music is fundamentally spiritual, and the human spirit fundamentally musical. Such considerations bear exciting implications that lend great clarity to many of the following Biblical references.

While the definitions held by a typical churchgoer are often guided by their personal preferences, I do believe there is an absolute metric for "good" music. Scripture does not pinpoint a specific genre, instrument, tempo, volume or any measurement of sound. The most accurate metric for music is the inspiration it reflects. The Lord of unsearchable glory is the ultimate inspiration (Ps 145:1-3). He alone determines the ultimate significance of all things (Col. 1:16-18). Among all of our modern worship conversations on sound, lighting, haze, and cultural relevance, how much of the conversation is being dedicated to maintaining relevance to God or His intention? The center of heaven's music is not an emotion, idea, or sermon series, but a Person. If vibrancy in worship is what you seek, you need look no further than the church's vision for the inexhaustible worth of Jesus. Such conclusions upend our discussions on unceasing worship from unattainable to a bitter limitation.

Contemporary musical excellence has produced a constant game of comparison, conforming to the standards of the world's limited understanding. A great irony, music's greatest potential has always been reserved for the church. The spiritual revelation granted exclusively by the Holy Spirit is equally applicable to music, and equally accessible to every believer, not just your staffed worship pastor. Should the church awaken to this reality, the days will come when churches no longer chase the world's sound but instead the world will chase the church's power. If the weakness of God is stronger than the strength of man (1 Co. 1:25), then perhaps even the simplest song written in your children's ministry can change the world. In this way every church is called to be a songwriting church, regardless of your talent or production level (Eph. 5:18-19, Col. 3:16). From a Biblical standpoint, songwriting has always been and will ever be essential to the function of the church.

For instance, music plays an integral role in the task of global evangelism. Isaiah 24:14-16 is just one example of a coming day when songs of worship will fill every corner and every island of the earth. Music was present at the origin of time (Job 38:7), and music perpetuates around the throne of God to this day (Re. 4:10, 5:8). Central to Israel’s history, the Tabernacle of David was equipped with thousands of musicians (1 Ch. 23:4-5) and hundreds of singers (1 Ch. 25:7), all dedicated full-time to unceasing worship and prayer.

King David’s unique understanding is displayed in his instruction to Israel’s thousands of musicians and singers not to play, but to prophesy (1 Ch. 25:1-3). To prophesy is not merely to recite, but to exercise creativity that is inspired by the Spirit of God (1 Co. 14:3, Re. 19:10, 1 Ch. 16:42). This ‘prophetic’ creativity, spiritual receptiveness and expressiveness through music, is beneficial to every church body, and essential to the advancement of the gospel around the world. Prophetic worship is arguably the most powerful cultural and spiritual force given to mankind, sending demons to flight (1 Sa. 16:23, Is. 30:32), transforming the atmosphere (2 Ch. 5:11-14), revealing hidden wisdom (Ps. 49:4), advancing the dominion of God (Ps. 149, Is. 42:10-14), activating spiritual gifts (2 Ki. 3:15), and carrying with it the same power that resurrected Christ from the dead (Ro. 8:11). As it did in the tabernacle of David, unceasing prophetic worship will fill the earth forever and ever (Am 9:11, Ac. 15:16). It is not hard to imagine the salvation of Israel following such a movement as they witness the mandate of unceasing worship to Yahweh fulfilled by followers of Jesus (Ro. 11:11).

Here are a few ways developing prophetic worship dramatically impacts the culture of the local church.

1. It Makes God Our Audience

While most churches understand the value of ministering to people, every church must also have a healthy understanding of ministry that God designated for himself. God’s instruction for the Tabernacles of Moses (Nu. 3) and David (2 Ch. 19:11) were a ministry unto Him, a priestly ministry. The same is true of the New Testament church (Re. 5:10).

Making God our audience both relieves the pressure of pleasing man, but also corrects our metric of success. Formerly, skill would be acquired to impress our fellow man rather than to enable greater expression to God. If God is the source of music and determines its significance, then it is no surprise that God does not judge our music by its sound, but by its heart (Am. 5:23). The songs of a humble and contrite heart are of far greater significance to God than the era’s most talented artist (Is. 66:2, Ec. 2:26).

2. It Gives Permission to Creativity

Undoubtedly, there is always greater potential for creativity patiently awaiting an outlet to surface. The creativity of your congregation is to be celebrated and stewarded as a reflection of our Creator. Without an outlet, hundreds of songs are waiting to be written in your pews. The most powerful force of culture and revelation lies dormant in unwritten songs.

Many of today’s most influential churches and movements have an intentional connection to songwriting. All of them started somewhere, making a conscious decision to be a creative culture. That decision produced intentional outlets for creativity that have turned small groups into global movements. Activating the creativity of your congregation is like beginning to withdraw on an unlimited supply of inspiration. Not only will it strengthen the engagement of your church body, it will create an outlet for the creative callings sitting dormant in our pews.

3. It Develops A Flowing Heart

Unpracticed in many churches is the exercise of perceiving, interpreting and expressing the Spirit of God through music, or any other art. Beginning the journey of prophetic worship is like digging a well. In some seasons it may be dry, or overflowing in others. The practice of songwriting and prophetic worship, spontaneous or otherwise, is a spiritual exercise that primes the well of personal revelation.

When was the last time your vocalists were challenged to write a chorus from Sunday’s scripture? Or your drummer to play the rhythm of an idea? That may sound intimidating, but such practices exercise our creativity and develop our personal wells into a flowing heart that can perceive, interpret and express the songs of the Lord (1 Ch. 16:42).

4. It Influences the Deepest Level

Congregations will always remember the songs they sing more than the sermons we preach. Biologically, we were made that way. The human heart was made to respond to music and be influenced by it, for better or worse (1 Co. 10:21-22, Re. 18:21-23). Developing a culture of prophetic worship puts this divine design into action.

Imagine the impact of your congregation putting the revelatory truths of scripture to new songs and releasing them to your city. Songwriting is among the most powerful forces of culture because it accesses the deepest level of the human heart, even bypassing our intellectual understanding and planting seeds of truth that shape our thoughts for decades. In many cases the songs written by a church may be their most recognizable impact because of the unique way they express the heart of God to the deepest places of the heart of man.

5. It Reflects Heaven

The prayer of Jesus for earth to reflect heaven (Mt. 6:10) puts great attention on the heavenly scene. Heaven is the only location where God’s will is accomplished in the absolute absence of sin, without hindrance. Heaven's complete conformity to God's will places upon it the upmost significance.

It is there that we see the glorious depiction of unceasing worship in response to the unceasing revelation of God’s beauty (Re. 4:8). There are members in every church who are called to the occupational ministry of beholding the beauty of God and worshipping in response. Providing for the expression of this calling aligns us closer with the example of heaven and Scripture's depiction of the church at the return of Jesus (Hag. 1-2). This is not a specialized ministry, but a core function of the local church to give expression to the priestly ministry of the body of Christ (2 Ch 29:11, Ne. 13:10-11).

This is Scripture’s depiction of the church at the return of Christ, when the movements of unceasing prayer (Lu. 18:7-8), worship (Mal. 1:11) and discipleship (Mt. 28:19) are combined into one common cause to satisfy the worth of Jesus. The synergy produced by that movement will propel the earth into eternal unity with heaven.

Considering how to begin, start small and simply. Do not be intimidated by comparison with mature songwriting movements. Seek the Lord for where to begin with your church, and start the conversation. Outside training is available. Ignite Worship is an equipping ministry with years of experience specializing in this kind training based in Central Arkansas. Reach out to churches you wish to emulate and hear how they developed in their early days. Most importantly, don't miss this opportunity to have the conversation among your church leadership.

May God inspire you, and the worship of your church.

Urgent Church by Thom S. Rainer

2017-07-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

Article courtesy of thomrainer.com: source link here.

URGENT CHURCH: NINE CHANGES WE MUST MAKE OR DIE

It broke my heart.

Another church closed. This church had unbelievable potential. Indeed, it had its own “glory days,” but only for a season. But, 10 years ago, few would have predicted this church’s closure. Today, it is but another statistic in the ecclesiastical graveyard.

I know. We don’t compromise doctrine. I know. We must never say we will change God’s Word.

But many of our congregations must change. They must change or they will die.

I call these churches “the urgent church.” Time is of the essence. If changes do not happen soon, very soon, these churches will die. The pace of congregational death is accelerating.

What, then, are some of the key changes churches must make? Allow me to give you a fair warning. None of them are easy. Indeed, they are only possible in God’s power. Here are nine of them:

We must stop bemoaning the death of cultural Christianity. Such whining does us no good. Easy growth is simply not a reality for many churches. People no longer come to a church because they believe they must do so to be culturally accepted. The next time a church member says, “They know where we are; they can come here if they want to,” rebuke him. Great Commission Christianity is about going; it’s not “y’all come.”
We must cease seeing the church as a place of comfort and stability in the midst of rapid change. Certainly, God’s truth is unchanging. So we do find comfort and stability in that reality. But don’t look to your church not to change methods, approaches, and human-made traditions. Indeed, we must learn to be uncomfortable in the world if we are to make a difference. “We’ve never done it that way before,” is a death declaration.
We must abandon the entitlement mentality. Your church is not a country club where you pay dues to get your perks and privileges. It is a gospel outpost where you are to put yourself last. Don’t seek to get your way with the music, temperature, and length of sermons. Here is a simple guideline: Be willing to die for the sake of the gospel. That’s the opposite of the entitlement mentality.
We must start doing. Most of us like the idea of evangelism more than we like doing evangelism. Try a simple prayer and ask God to give you gospel opportunities. You may be surprised how He will use you.
We must stop using biblical words in unbiblical ways. “Discipleship” does not mean caretaking. “Fellowship” does not mean entertainment.
We must stop focusing on minors. Satan must delight when a church spends six months wrangling over a bylaw change. That’s six months of gospel negligence.
We must stop shooting our own. This tragedy is related to the entitlement mentality. If we don’t get our way, we will go after the pastor, the staff member, or the church member who has a different perspective than our own. We will even go after their families. Don’t let bullies and perpetual critics control the church. Don’t shoot our own. It’s not friendly fire.
We must stop wasting time in unproductive meetings, committees, and business sessions. Wouldn’t it be nice if every church member could only ask one question or make one comment in a meeting for every time he or she has shared his or her faith the past week?
We must become houses of prayer. Stated simply, we are doing too much in our own power. We are really busy, but we are not doing the business of God.

Around 200 churches will close this week, maybe more. The pace will accelerate unless our congregations make some dramatic changes. The need is urgent.

Hear me well, church leaders and church members. For many of your churches the choice is simple: change or die.

Time is running out. Please, for the sake of the gospel, forsake yourself and make the changes in God’s power.

10 Steps to Becoming a Praying Church by Fred Leonard

2017-07-05T09:29:00.003-07:00

Article courtesy of Church Prayer Leaders Network: Source link here.

HOW TO DISCIPLE YOUR CHURCH TOWARD PRAYER

By Fred Leonard

I love the picture in Revelation 4 of John entering into the throne room and the presence of God. When he comes in, he finds himself in a scene of incredible, loud, radical worship of the Lord God on His throne.

When I pray, I picture myself entering the throne room of God through the open door in heaven. I can come in only because of the gospel of Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, who died for me and paid the penalty for my sin. I am covered in the blood of Jesus. As I enter in, in my mind I picture Jesus looking at me as one for whom He died. I picture the angels and 24 elders and the four living beings listening as I worship and present my requests to God—my act of prayer. It is an honor and privilege to enter into His presence through prayer.

With this reality, wouldn’t it make sense that everyone would want to rush in and talk with God? Sadly, this is often not the case. Some people can hardly pray privately, much less corporately. Our prayer meetings are not overflowing with people crying out to God. In fact prayer is one of the most difficult ministries to lead in the church.

Living in the Tension

One reason this ministry is difficult to lead is that followers of Christ live with the tension of God’s Kingdom already here among us—and not yet fully realized. In other words, we still sin and rebel against God’s rule in our lives. When we are not walking in submission to God’s leadership, we are resisting the Holy Spirit. Unless we repent, we cannot be in right relationship with God, and we won’t long to be praying and worshiping in the throne room.

Furthermore, if we are living in unforgiveness, our broken relationship with God keeps us from entering the throne room—and we certainly don’t want to enter with those who have hurt us! You can still teach Sunday school or be an usher or greeter while you are living in rebellion (though you shouldn’t be), but rebellion will greatly hinder your prayer life.

Although discipling a church in prayer is difficult, we don’t give up. We know the heart of God is to communicate with us. And—with determination and vision—we want to lead the church into this truth. Here is our top ten list of ways a church can become a house of prayer for all nations:

10. Develop a strategic plan—or nothing will change. To grow in prayer, be honest about your church’s current status as a house of prayer. Take a look at what is working. Be willing to keep changing. And work to develop a strategic plan that will move you toward your goal. Without an honest evaluation of your current reality and a plan that looks toward the vision God has given you for your future, nothing will change.

9. Offer many “on ramps” at different speeds to help people begin praying. Developing a prayer culture in our churches requires talking about prayer at all levels. This means providing many different on ramps for people to learn to pray personally and corporately. At our church people can grow in prayer by spending time alone in the prayer room—learning to pray for lost people or using the various prayer prompts we make available. This way they can practice prayer skills privately and then use them in a corporate setting.

Our corporate on ramps include a weekly missions prayer gathering, pre-service prayer, prayer during one of our services, or serving as a “prayer usher” (praying with people to help usher them into a fresh experience of Christ’s presence). Each of our ministries (such as youth, recovery, and worship), also offers a pre-meeting prayer opportunity.

Another on ramp is our strategic teaching on prayer. We teach and encourage spiritual disciplines, offering a monthly prayer workshop and a Love to Pray study once a year, using prayer book studies through our prayer meetings. Our church is also committed to hosting prayer conferences. To be a healthy, praying church, prayer should saturate everything. Beyond the teaching opportunities, we also encourage times of church-wide prayer. For example, we hold an Ash Wednesday service to begin the Lenten season of 40 days of prayer and fasting. Each year we have a month of special church-wide prayer for revival. We join with other churches and host the Global Day of Prayer, the National Day of Prayer, and city-wide prayer events. We participate in and help lead weekly prayer meetings for pastors. The list continues on with many prayer initiatives.

Prayer is not a ministry we do; it has become who we are.

8. Make sure the prayer meeting is awesome! When a prayer meeting is boring, poorly led, and people- or need-centered, people won’t likely keep coming. Our church offers workshops for our prayer leaders, teaching them how to lead corporate prayer. Our prayer meetings are characterized by four L’s: Lively, Learning, Loving, and well-Led.

When people leave a well-led, God-centered, Kingdom-focused prayer meeting, they will know they have met with God. And they will appreciate even more their love relationship with Him.

7. Weave prayer throughout the fabric of everything you do. Keep learning and trying new things. Prayer must be at the core of a pastor and prayer leader’s life and be woven into the fabric of the church. We don’t “silo” prayer into a separate ministry. We are a house of prayer that includes every “room” of the church. Prayer remains at the top of our list in everything we do. We may not get through all the business in every meeting, but you can be sure we have prayed. We might restructure our weekend services for a special event, but we will not disrupt our prayer ushers’ ability to minister to people during the service, and we won’t eliminate a prayer response at the end. Prayer is never simply an add-on.

It is also important to push the prayer envelope and try new things. We have offered prophecy training and now have prophecy appointments after the Sunday morning service every few months. We have healing services on Sundays, too. It’s good to offer these things during the week, as well, but we find that when we offer them on the weekend, God opens doors for a fresh, forward movement in prayer. Experiencing the blessing of Spirit-led corporate prayer encourages people to discover that reality in their own lives.

6. Find the right leader for your prayer ministry. Appoint a teacher who is passionate about prayer and joyfully submitted to pastoral leadership.

It is crucial to have an equipper/teacher who has a heart for prayer and can release people into the ministry of prayer. This person, who needs to have learned through experience and struggles, also needs to have the gifting and ability to expand the ministry by training others.

Furthermore, he or she must be someone who is praying in support of the pastoral direction of the church. The pastor has God’s authority to lead, and the prayer leader must support the pastor in prayer, words, and actions. Those in the prayer ministry should never pray against the pastor or work to change the leadership. Such actions cause division, disunity, offense, and bitterness—and they are an open door to the work of the devil. The prayer leader needs to be the greatest supporter and encourager of the pastor and of the vision the Lord has given to the leaders.

5.Train prayer ushers to minister to others. We train people to usher others into the presence of Jesus and to minister to them through prayer. One of the greatest mistakes some churches make is to assume that people know how to pray, even if no one has taught them. What happens when a prayer usher meets a person in a prayer encounter and discovers the person needs to repent or surrender—or needs to experience healing or deliverance? Do your prayer leaders know what to do?

Training a group of prayer ushers who pray under the empowerment of the Holy Spirit is a crucial part of church life.

4. Make prayer training the foundation of discipleship. Some churches struggle in the area of discipleship as much as they struggle in evangelism. It is a challenge to see people experience both salvation and the transformation of “becoming like Jesus.” We can track evangelism, but how do we track discipleship? I believe the best way is through prayer training.

We have created a prayer training class that encompasses much of what we need to know to walk with Jesus. We train people how to pray for such areas as evangelism, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, forgiveness, using spiritual gifts, prophecy, listening prayer, healing, repentance, surrender, and freedom from sexual sins. As they pray through these components in their own lives, they learn to pray with others as well. They’re intentionally being discipled to be like Jesus.

3. Remember that prayer always leads to evangelism. When prayer is moving as it should, it will always lead to God’s heart for the lost. Prayer does not become an end in itself but instead always leads to evangelism. Prayer for God’s glory is the goal. And we know God receives more and more glory when people come to know Jesus as their Savior (2 Cor. 4:15).

Prayer has to move us to care for, reach out to, and love the lost. Prayer is not self-serving. In fact, it should be listed under the gift of helps. There is no way we can help others more than to pray for them.

2. Encourage the pastor to set the table and invite people to the banquet. It is impossible for the church to move forward into prayer if the pastor is not on board and leading the staff and church in prayer. The pastor has to be championing prayer, attending prayer meetings, and spending time in the prayer room if he or she is to lead others.

Furthermore, as the pastor is leading and encouraging prayer, the staff and leadership also need to be on board—as people who pray, serve as prayer ushers, attend prayer events, pray in the prayer room, and participate in a prayer group each week. It is impossible to call people to do what we are not doing ourselves.

1. Pray and ask God to pour out His Holy Spirit. The number one key to becoming a house of prayer for all nations is to be always praying and asking God to pour out His Holy Spirit upon you and to fill your church with His presence. Apart from the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we will never see that vision become a reality. In order for a movement of prayer to take place, we need to intercede for our churches, asking God for the filling of the Spirit.

This is not a program or a strategy. It is a miracle of God to bring your church into His presence. In this way, your church will bring glory to His name.

FRED LEONARD is the lead pastor of Mountain View Community Church in Fresno, CA. His wife Esther is the prayer ministry leader of the church.

Building a Culture of Prayer

2017-06-15T09:25:00.001-07:00

In an open letter titled Urgent Church: Nine Changes We Must Make Or Die, Thom S. Rainer, President and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources and founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism, details the decline of the church in America and outlines actions we must take to survive. Included in his list is this plea: “We must become houses of prayer. Stated simply, we are doing too much in our own power. We are really busy, but we are not doing the business of God.”

This escalating crisis is producing the greatest revival of prayer in history. Since the 1980’s when it was estimated that only 25 locations hosted continual prayer, now more than 10,000 locations have been documented around the world. Missiologists attribute the current acceleration in global evangelism to the rapid expansion of this culture of prayer. This revival of prayer boldly reflects Jesus’ declaration, “My house shall be called a house of prayer” (Matthew 21:13 NKJV). If this truly is the last stand for the church in America, then it truly is time that our churches embrace a culture of prayer. Here are some of its characteristics.

The First Commandment in First Place

Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 22:35-40 NKJV

There is a divine design ordered to the ministry of the church. Too often the burnout of a minister or decline of a church can be attributed to the exchange of the First and Second Commandments. Nearly forgotten in the western church expression is the value of ministry unto God as a primary function of the church. The work of ministry to others, while critical, cannot be accomplished at the expense of the church’s heavenly inheritance as priest. We must recapture the vision of ministry from an overflowing heart of intimacy with God.

Building a culture of prayer involves realigning the First Commandment to first place. Prayer must become the foundation of every endeavor of the church. Personal and corporate prayer are core functions that cannot be marginalized. Such reorientation has proven to accelerate the work of ministry to others despite the reallocation of time and energy to prayer.

Beholding and Becoming

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. – 2 Corinthians 3:18

Humanity is continually being transformed into that which captivates us. This eternal truth is evident in both healthy and destructive social trends throughout history. We become what we behold, whether by the glorification of evil or the rediscovery of God’s majesty, society always response to what it beholds. We are subconsciously being transformed by what we see, hear and give our attention.

Building a culture of prayer sets our attention on the intrinsic beauty of God. Persistent prayer becomes transformative as we become what we behold. This progressive transformation matures into a culture of righteousness, honor and love that reflects the very nature of God.

On Earth as it is in Heaven

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. – Matthew 6:9-10 NKJV

“For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations,” Says the Lord of hosts.

– Malachi 1:11 NKJV

The opening of the Lord’s Prayer prioritizes heaven for its complete conformity to the will of the Father. Scripture depicts heaven filled with continual declarations of worship in response to the glory of God. The example of heaven is one of continual worship compelled only by God’s intrinsic worth. Malachi prophesies the fulfillment of this prayer as the eventuality of global evangelism.

Building a culture of prayer conforms the church to the Father’s will, that in our churches adoration will ascend as a priestly offering in heaven. As the Elders laid their crowns before the Throne, we must lay down our preferences and embrace a culture reflective of heaven. Doing so positions the church for the rapid expansion of God’s kingdom.

A Transformative Force

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. – 2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV

And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:7-8 NKJV

There is no force more powerful than prayer because there is no force more powerful than our God. Exclusive to Christianity is the God who hears and acts on the prayers of His people. Prayer is the vehicle by which humanity is invited to rule and reign with God. The transformative force of prayer knows no boundaries, applying to issues of family, business, government, education and media alike.

A praying church is the most transformative force in creation. By building a culture of prayer we assume our position before the Throne of God and enter into partnership with Him. Tracing prayers to corresponding change our churches can easily witness the miraculous effectiveness of prayer. Only through persistent prayer will the earth be filled with faith.

Rebuilding David’s Tent

After this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up; so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord who does all these things.– Acts 15: 16-17 NKJV

Just as the Lord designated an entire tribe of Israel to minister before Him, the Lord has called the church to the ministry of prayer and worship before God. The rise of more than 10,000 locations of continual worship and prayer is evidence of this resurgence. The church’s heavenly role as priest is rapidly finding its expression in environments of extended worship and prayer.

Building a culture of prayer extends into sustained environments of ministry to God in worship and prayer, whether through a specific prayer room or special services. The local church expression of prayer will reflect more and more the extended worship and prayer of the tabernacle of David, propelling the global harvest and preparing the earth for Jesus’ return.

Scripture concludes that building a culture of prayer pertains to the core function of the church. Prayer is neither a fad nor means to an end, but an eternal intention allowing creation to commune with its Creator. By recognizing the urgency of our dependence, the season of our hour in history and the glorious inheritance of the saints in prayer we apprise ourselves of the fullness of God’s purpose. Let us then join our voices with the many forms of prayer throughout history and the eternal songs ascending to the Throne at this moment. Let us orient our churches rightly, reclaim our priesthood and make prayer the foundation of every endeavor.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. – Ephesians 3:20-21