A House of Prayer

Kingdom Movement Sunday Morning Message

INTRODUCTION

I knew what I was going to preach on this Sunday at the beginning of the year, and I believe it will be the most important sermon I’ve preached to this day. 

I know my call is to be revived and to revive the church. 

I prepare these messages, as if there wasn’t going to be a second service, because I believe God is wanting to come down while among us this morning. To believe that something can be birthed in just a few short minutes goes against nature itself. God designed labor to take hours, and even pushing takes longer than a few minutes. For God to birth something in us this morning we have to yield the labor pains.

Share Daniel Kovalenko’s Dream

My message is titled, a House of Prayer

There is a demonic assignment against the church to stop praying. 

I fear that unless we heed this message, we will become a hollow shell of what we once were. We will be charismatic in expression and culture, but the power behind the manifestations will not be present. 

We are a charismatic church, but what once began in the Spirit you can continue in the flesh if there is no prayerful and continual filling of power. 

Prayer is the key to power, because it draws on God Himself. Prayers limit is Gods limit, for prayer can do anything that God can do, because it’s not prayer that does it but God through answering our prayer. 

Dreams

Share my dream about the older and younger generation being distracted and not wanting to pray.

Share Victoria’s dream about the whale

A HOUSE OF PRAYER

Matthew 21:12-14 NASB95

“And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He *said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers’ den.” And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.”

There is a demonic assignment against us, to make us a prayerless house, but we are called to be a house of prayer.

We see here that:

The temple was consecrated; all unholy and distracting things were thrown out

The temple was re-consecrated to be a house of prayer

The temple became a place where the blind and the lame were coming and being healed; both spiritually and physically.

We consecrate ourselves to be a house of prayer! When we do this, the blind and lame of this world will come and be healed. 

Jesus didn’t say that His house will be a house of worship, or the word, or events, programs, but a house of prayer. 

Book of Acts — I wish to go through parts of the book of Acts in order to show you that the early church was a house of prayer.

PENTECOSTAL POWER REQUIRES PENTECOSTAL CONSECRATION AND A PENTECOSTAL PRAYER LIFE

We want an Acts 2 outpouring, where the Spirit falls, believers are emboldened and empowered,  and the lost saved, but are walking in Acts 1 consecration to prayer?

Acts 1:12-14 NASB95

“Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.”

If we preached Acts 1 more often then we would see more Acts 2 outpourings.

They were:

of one mind and

continually devoting themselves to prayer

See Colossians 4:2,

I believe that the power that we belong for, presence that we yearn for, and blessing that we desire will all come when we become a house of prayer. 

Acts 3:1 LSB

Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer.

Peter and John were on their way to a prayer meeting at the temple, when they encountered a man lame from birth, begging by the gate of the temple. Miraculously, they stepped out in faith and healed the man.

Notice that the healing took place on their way to prayer. A prayerful people will walk in miracles.

The Little Pentecost — The Apostles and Church Members

Acts 4:24–31 LSB

And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, “O Master, it is You who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said, ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, And the peoples devise vain things? ‘The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the lord and against His Christ.’ “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur. “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your slaves may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders happen through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed earnestly, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with confidence.

The disciples gathered together and began to have a corporate time of prayer for more boldness and power to preach the word. Then we see a little Pentecost took place where the Spirit shook the place and filled them afresh. 

this only took place after they gathered together to pray. 

The Greek word for prayer here is δεομαι, which is a more earnest word for prayer. It denotes begging and pleading.

God is reviving the corporate prayer meeting. The devil fights them because it’s the biblical key to Pentecostal power. 

Share how we are incorporating prayer meetings with our youth ministry through pre-service prayer, mid-worship prayer, leaders prayer meetings, and youth prayer meetings.

Leaders Devoted to Prayer

Acts 6:1-4 NASB95

“Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.””

The early apostles would free up capacity to be devoted to prayer and the ministry of the word. They did not delegate so that they could be apart of more board meetings or worship nights, but so that they could give themselves to prayer.

The word for “devoted to prayer” is προσκαρτερέω:

to be devoted to (Ac 1:14) to attach oneself to (Ac 8:13)

to attend constantly (Mark 3:9; Ac 10:7)

to be busily engaged in (Acts 6:4) to persist in (Poly 7.2; 8:1)

Saul

Acts 9:11-12 NASB95

“And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.””

Paul was fasting for three days and was devoted to prayer. 

Visions and Prayer

Acts 10:9-10 NASB95

Peter received his groundbreaking vision while spending time in prayer on a rooftop. 

Corporate Late Night Prayer Meetings

Acts 12:1–5 LSB

Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to harm them. And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword. And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now it was during the days of Unleavened Bread. When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people. So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.

The implication of the text is that James wasn’t fervently prayed for by the church and he was martyred. But for Peter prayer was offered, and he was miraculously delivered.

The early church was meeting for hours late into the night to pray for Peter’s deliverance. We know this because they were still praying when Peter came to them late into the night.

Antioch Ministering to the Lord

Acts 13:1-3 NASB95

“Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.”

The “and fasting” in the early church implied prayer.

As they gathered together, fasting and praying, the Holy Spirit would speak and people would be launched into destiny.

A NEED FOR WATCHMEN

Isaiah 62:6-7 NASB95

“On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; All day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind the Lord, take no rest for yourselves; And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”

Every city needs watchmen, as well as every church.

It is a watchmen’s responsibility to spot danger and warn the people.