The House of Prayer

This week my church here in Harrisburg (Life Center) is launching a 24/7 house of prayer.  24/7.  Day and night worship and prayer.  A place where people come during every hour of the day to carry on continual intercession.  Who even came up with this idea?

More and more my heart is being stirred by the ever present theme of continual prayer and worship in Scripture.  I feel like the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to a message that before, my eyes had always swept over nonchalantly, and now this same message seems to scream at me from every page.  This book that lays over my lap is bursting at the seams with this steady rhythm.
Worship and prayer
Day and night
The house of God
24/7

Every time Scripture references the house of the Lord, the tabernacle or the temple, it is in reality speaking of this idea of a house of prayer.  In the Old Testament, the temple was where the manifest presence of God dwelt.  The shekinah glory of the Lord was contained in the Ark of the Covenant where only the appointed high priest could go and minister before the Lord.  Everything to do with the tabernacle was a model of worship.  From the craftsmanship of the temple to the sacrifices, and from the fire on the altar to the ceremonial washing, it was all a foreshadowing of what God had designed for all of his children for all of eternity.

Then there was David's tabernacle.  Never before had the place of the presence of God been made available for the common man.  It was only ever available to the priests.  But David was a man after God's own heart.  He was the boy who created a secret history with the Lord when no one was watching, worshipping Him with his harp in the fields.  His heart for continual worship started in that place, when he was a little ol' nobody with a life full of nothing looming in front of him.  And it was that same heart of worship that he carried with him into the courts of a king, out onto the bloody battlefield, into the caves and wastelands of a refugee, and eventually up the road that led to Mount Zion where he built a house for God.

(Just had to add a random church pic with the fall colors :) )

David established a house of prayer where he appointed professional musicians and singers to release 24/7 worship through psalms.  This continual worship lasted for 33 years and became a prophetic declaration of what would one day be available to all peoples.  Unhindered, uninhibited, day and night enjoyment of His manifest presence and the permanently clean hands that are required to be lifted up in a response of worship and prayer!  We look at the history of David and the house of God that he built and we marvel at it as some kind of miraculous phenomenon that marked history.  And yet we fail to understand that David only tasted of a reality that is every believer's inheritance and mandate.

Thus enters the Great High Priest.  Hebrews 9 says that through His sacrifice, we are able to enter the Most Holy Place and serve the Living God.  In fact, that is our inheritance!
Why is it that we have locked unending prayer and worship into the realm of eternity?  We picture angels sitting on clouds, playing their hearts and sweetly singing "Holy, Holy, Holy," without ever stopping.  We have safely packaged the idea of 24/7 and placed it into the great unknown of "forever" along with all the other things we cannot sufficiently understand.  However, we are robbing ourselves of the very thing that Jesus paid His life for.

Jesus said in Matthew 21:13, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer.'"  1 Peter 2:5 says, "You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."  2 Corinthians 6:16 says, "For we are the temple of the living God."  You don't have to read between the lines to see it.  It's not an Old Testament history lesson or a future Millennial reality.

So why isn't this happening everywhere?  Well the encouraging news is... that it actually is!  God is moving amongst his people all across the globe.  There is a fresh wave of hunger for the place of prayer and worship, the same hunger that gripped David when he wrote, "For zeal for your house consumes me..." (Psalm 69:9)  This idea of 24/7 is catching like a simple spark takes to a dry forrest floor.  It's not something that can be conjured up or coaxed out of the church congregation.  You cannot make people devote their time to the place of continual prayer and worship and actually sustain it.  If there is not the passion and zeal that David spoke of, the meetings slowly dwindle until they are non-existant.  And yet, houses of prayer are springing up everywhere.  It would seem that during this chapter of history, God is stirring the heart of His children to cry out to Him.  And I truly believe that it is when the heart cries of a people collide with the purposes of God's heart that we will see revival break out in every corner of the world.  Obviously God could pour out His Spirit at any point that He so desired, but He is wanting His children to draw near to Him with desperate hearts of adoration.  And that is exactly what is happening in this hour.

So I guess that's just a tidbit I wanted to share as I continue to move toward making my life a "house of prayer", so to speak, as well as jumping into the ministry of 24/7 house of prayer.  Basically, to sum it all up, everything within me is jumping up and down like an over ecstatic little 3-year-old, squealing - YES!!  This is what I was made for.
Worship and prayer
Day and night
The house of God
24/7
Unto the purpose of the entire earth being set ablaze with the knowledge the Living God!

Our Burn Family (minus a few)

Some of the beautiful ladies that I am running with in this adventure!

Security of a different kind

Sometimes I feel like I'm crazy.  No, I'm not jumping out of airplanes or chasing tornadoes, seeking the thrill factor.  (At least not at this point.)  No, it's more of a lifestyle that feels crazy because it doesn't fit into the cultural "norm".  In fact, at times I feel as though my lifestyle is pushing in exact opposition of the strong current of our society.  What sort of picture does our society paint of the lifestyle that we need to arrive at in order to be truly happy and successful?

Security.  Everyone strives for this idea.  A life that is completely secure, an education that secures a title, a job that secures all life's needs, friends that secure a social life, insurance that secures protection for your health, car, and home,  investments and savings that secure a perfect retirement?  Sign me up!  Without these securities we feel completely vulnerable to all of life's spiteful calamities.  We build entire empires around ourselves to protect us from the possibility of ending up unsuccessful, unhappy, without a plan and all alone.

By no means am I suggesting that any of these things are inherently "bad".  Scripture is constantly endorsing hard work, diligence, prudence, wisdom, etc...  These are all a part of His plan to extend the Kingdom on the earth!  What I am addressing is the motive.  What happens if the Lord asks us to lay down one of these securities?  Is there a trusting heart that lies within the walls of our empires?  Or will our fear and insecurity be unveiled?

I can be really honest, my heart felt exposed, laid bare, fearful and vulnerable when the Lord asked me if I would give Him the need to have a "secure" life.  He asked me if I could let HIM be my security.  Isaiah 28:16 says, "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic."  Could I live a lifestyle of relying on Jesus as my sure foundation?  Of course any of us would say that our security comes from Jesus, but when it really comes down to it, can we choose to live that way?

A majority of what I am doing right now consists of ministry to the Lord.  Pursuit of His face.  Pouring out myself in the place of worship and prayer.  Discovering the truth of who God is and declaring it back to Him.  Letting His love spill over from the place of worship and into the community.  Partnering with God's heart in contending for revival in the earth, for transformed lives and cities.  And this is my very heartbeat, where I find my passion and purpose colliding.  But still at the back of my mind was this nagging thought.  Is this kind of life actually legitimate?  Isn't this just wasting your time?  You could be out there building your life and your ministry, but instead you are worshipping and praying.  I knew the truth of what God had placed inside of me, but it was like the mainstream voice of society was waging war on what I truly believed.

Then I came upon this verse - Deuteronomy 10:8-9, "At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister to Him and to bless in His name, to this day.  Therefore Levi has no portion nor inheritance with his brethren; the Lord is his inheritance, just as the Lord your God promised him."

Levi was the one tribe out of the 12 tribes of Israel that was chosen to serve as priests who would minister to the Lord.  When the children of Israel crossed into the Promised Land, the land was divided amongst the tribes as their inheritance, except for the tribe of Levi.  They were not given land to toil and occupy.  Their inheritance was to steward the presence of God!

This example has now become a picture of what each of us are called to as children of God.  1 Peter 2:9 says, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."  As priests, each of us are now called to minister to the Lord in the holiness of His presence!  It is our great privilege and our inheritance.

As the Lord revealed this to me, I began to see the great validity of what I am doing.  The actual expression of a life of ministry before the Lord may change over time and with the passing of each season, but at the end of the day I know that my number one calling is to simply love on Jesus.  And for now it looks like the Levites, having His presence as my inheritance instead of pursuing all other inheritances.  I know it looks foolish.  But He seems to like to use the foolish things as opposed to the things that make sense to us.

Singing in the Slums

Autumn is gracefully beginning to trim the edges of this Pennsylvania city.  Hints of reds and golds are set against the backdrop of dazzling blue skies.  Crisp mornings are accompanied with hot teas, the crunch of leaves underfoot, and the satisfaction of being caught up in such a lovely life.  I always dreamt of being on the east coast to witness the transformation of summer to fall.  I never thought that such a thing would happen in all seriousness, but apparently Jesus wanted me to experience that dream!  This morning I was on a walk with Jesus and I couldn't help throwing my head back and laughing at the sky.  I just love living life, walking alongside of Him.  He always leads me into good things.  Sometimes it's a nerve wrecking journey of uncertainty but the point never was the outcome, it has always been doing life together.  And what I have already been able to be a part of here in Harrisburg has been worth all of the trusting and following.

This past week our Burn family split up into groups and went to different street corners in our neighborhood to do worship and minister to anyone nearby.  Let me paint a picture of the neighborhood we live in, Allison Hill...

Known in Harrisburg as the roughest neighborhood in the city, Allison Hill is home to mostly low-income families and individuals.  It is basically the slums of Harrisburg.  Every street is covered in trash.  Almost every building is run down and covered in graffiti.  People aimlessly wander the streets and alleys, having really no where to go and nothing to do.  Poverty lies like a heavy blanket over the area, providing absolutely no escape routes.  Outside my window I can daily hear the sound of sirens flying by.  Crime is like a disease in this neighborhood.  Most days, drug deals take place right out in the open.  Theft, murder and prostitution are all normal.

I see the little kids running down our alley, just babies, and this is the only world that they know.  Just yesterday we drove by a drug deal taking place around the block and one of the guys had his 2-year old son with him, holding his hand.  This is normal here.  From the day these kids are born, they don't have a chance.  How can they?  This is their reality.

Throughout the week many of the kids will play in our yard as we have a nice big spot of grass perfect for games.  I see the light in their eyes as they get chased around by one of our guys or hear their laughter coming in joyful bursts as we give them piggy-back rides and spin them around 'til they are completely dizzy.  And I know that Jesus wants to give these little ones a hope filled future.  Jesus wants to bring transformation to this community.  Jesus wants to restore broken families.  Honestly, Jesus wants to be out on the streets picking up the trash.  Wasn't that what He came to do?  Didn't he come to pick up all the billions of scattered pieces... one by one?

Anyway, back to my story of our worship time...  My team went to a little park 3 blocks from our house.  It was this beautiful, little, garden-like park that I assume belongs to the church across the street, because all the fences have verses and proclamations of hope and transformation painted on them.  We were stoked to find instruments that had actually been built into the park - xylophones, bongos, chimes, etc...  So with our guitar, percussion instruments and voices we released a sound over our community.  Joyful songs of celebration.  Clapping, stamping, spinning, dancing.  Drum beats of freedom.  Melodies of hope.  Laughter in the face of such great poverty.  Laughter because it's a new day!

If anything it was so much fun.  There we were standing amongst the rubble of a community plagued by a dark and oppressive spirit, a neighborhood that locals warn us against living in, and we were celebrating the reality of the Kingdom we are a part of.  Romans 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."

People might wonder, "Why are you living there?"  "What is that really accomplishing?"  But during that little, unorganized worship time where people looked on at us as they walked by on the streets, I felt something flutter in my heart.  It wasn't a bolt of lightening, but the beginning of a strong "knowing" in my spirit.  This is my land.  I live here because Holy Spirit called me here and therefore it is my spiritual territory.  I want to occupy this land and take back all the Enemy has stolen.  I have come to realize that the culture in me is greater than the culture around me.  Even if I am stepping into the darkest, Hell-struck city in the whole world, the Kingdom of Heaven is inside of me!  Whether it be through intercession, worship sets, praying for people on the streets or picking up trash, by living in this neighborhood and occupying the land, light will invade the darkness!

I am so excited to partner with Holy Spirit as well as with my family here in Harrisburg to see transformation in Allison Hill.  We are going to continue to hit the streets, doing worship sets, evangelism, and whatever the Lord leads us to do.  We want to continue to love on the kids in the neighborhood and see them encounter Jesus.  There is also a girls group that we are starting up for a handful of teenage girls that some of the girls in the house already have relationship with.  And who knows what else will come out of this house.  We are a community that believes Jesus when He tells us to pray, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  














(Photos found on http://photos.pennlive.com/pennlivecom_photo_essays/2012/08/culturally_diverse.html#photo-11421644)