A house of prayer is built one brick at a time….
When Cyrus, sole King of the Medes-Persian empire issued the decree for the rebuilding of Jerusalem history demonstrated that God is sovereign over all things. Several hundred years before the prophet Isaiah prophesied by name that Cyrus would be raised up by God to be a deliverer for the Jewish people. It is truly an extraordinary prophecy. (Isaiah 44:24-28)
Yet, it took nearly 50 years for what God had determined to do to actually be accomplished. Cyrus did allow a great number to return to Jerusalem, and the building began in earnest, but later bogged down, and even experienced set back. The Lord raised up other prophets (Haggai and Zechariah) as well as Ezra and Nehemiah to see the work through to completion. Prophecy and human cooperation are meant to work together. God declares, but he calls upon us to partner with Him to bring it to pass.
I believe that God gave Lamb of God Fellowship a mandate – raise up a movement of prayer in Essex County. This past Wednesday evening (Feb. 11) we experienced another door open for the Cry for Awakening. Bishop Everett and his church ‘Deliverance Jesus is coming’ welcomed the Cry for Awakening into Irvington. This was our first time in our neighboring community for this prayer meeting. Representatives from at least 10 different churches were present. It was a wonderful time – and I believe something happened that transcends what could be seen with the eyes. A door was opened into a community, and the tent stakes of the movement of prayer which God has called us to lead were extended out a little farther. This is how the house of prayer gets built. One brick at a time.
I believe more than ever that there is a greater glory to be experienced by the church in Essex County, NJ. I believe God is preparing a way for himself, one that will result in a great out pouring of His Spirit. But it may come through great hardship. We are currently experiencing a economic downturn. How bad is it? How long will it last? Will it get much worse? History should tell you that these questions can’t really be answered in any certain way. Is this downturn part of what God is doing to prepare the way for a great harvest of souls? Is it part of what He is doing to purge the church of her incessant love of comfort, security and pleasure? Only time will tell for sure. But there is a way to know…
When John wrote the book of Revelation there were great upheavals taking place in both the Roman empire and in Jerusalem. Trouble was all around, and fearful things were pressing on these 7 churches to whom the book is addressed. John sees the Risen and Glorified Christ standing in the midst of these churches. He is awesome, and the sight of him causes John to faint. Even though things were very difficult – notice in Revelation 2 and 3 Jesus’ entire focus is on the spiritual condition of these churches. In these two chapters Jesus says nothing about Rome or Jerusalem – his focus is directly on the life of these congregations: Ephesus, you have lost your first love; Pergamum, you are tolerating false teaching in your midst; Thyatira, you’ve let a false prophetess in your church; Sardis, you haven’t completed the work I gave you and you think your alive, but your really dead; and Laodicea you have become lukewarm and compromised. Jesus concerns were all about what His people were doing in a time of crisis.
The same is still true. What are we doing in a time of crisis relative to the purposes of God in this generation? There is a work which must be completed – it is the work of prayer which God desires in preparation to pouring out His Holy Spirit. The work is not only prayer, but it is not less than prayer. We have other matters that are of great importance as well. We need to see a great missionary work into our communities, one which will take the gospel to those who need to hear it, but don’t see the traditional church as a place which can offer them much of anything. This will require cooperation, and new wineskins. It will stretch and challenge many leaders to try new things, and to adapt in ways that feel very foreign. But I believe that building a movement of prayer, a house of prayer, if you will is foundational to these other works which God desires to accomplish through his people.
Come and lay the brick to build this house of prayer.