In this video Sergio Arce and I describe the nature and characteristics of a praying church and steps you can take toward developing prayerful dependence (a prayer culture) in your church.
God’s Definition of a House of Prayer for the Nations: Isaiah 56:1-8
- A place where God’s people keep His covenant and do what is right (vv. 1-6)
- A place where God’s people love, worship, and serve the Lord (v. 6)
- A place of God-given joy (v. 7)
- A place where offerings and sacrifices are accepted (v. 7) (see Matt. 5:23-24, Mark 11:25)
- A place where God’s people have a love like God’s for the nations (v. 7)
- A place where God gathers the exiles of His people back to Himself (v. 8a)
- A place where God gathers a lost world to Himself (v. 8b)
A Working Definition of a House of Prayer for the Nations: A prayer-saturated church where kingdom-focused prayer is such a priority that it permeates everything they do.
8 Steps for Developing Prayerful Dependence in Your Church
- Get right with God and one another.
- Rekindle a first love for Christ, the wounded Savior
- Experience an intimate and personal love relationship with God in prayer.
- Be devoted to prayer with God’s people in every setting possible.
- Make prayer a primary part of your work strategy in every aspect of church life.
- Pray for one another while together with one another. Ask: “How may I pray for you.”
- Tell stories and share the testimonies of answered prayer.
- Pray for God’s assignments to the lost world beginning at home and to the ends of the earth. Then obey the Final Command (Great Commission).
3 Resources to Assist You in Developing Prayerful Dependence
A House of Prayer compiled by John Franklin
Disciple’s Prayer Life: Walking in Fellowship with God by T. W. Hunt and Catherine Walker
Growing Disciples: Pray in Faith by T. W. Hunt and Claude King