HomeMeeting with God
If the church is indeed a place where we enter into the presence of God, then it would only be natural that we would want to communicate with Him. Just as A.J. Gordon was remiss that he missed the opportunity to speak with His Lord, so also we should regret when we do not meet God when we go to church.
The difference between us and Gordon is that so often we do not come to church with the expectation that He is there, and that we can meet, and converse with Him.
God’s View of Church
The Lord declares, in Isaiah 56, “My house will be called a house of prayer.” Jesus quotes the prophet in righteous anger when He sees that the Temple has been distracted from its main purpose—meeting with and reconciling with God. They had corrupted it as a place of commerce, rather than worship; they made it a common place, rather than a holy place.
We too, are in very real danger of getting side-tracked from the main purpose of the church.
It is interesting, isn’t it, that the Lord calls His house, a “house of prayer”? Not “a house of preaching,” or “a house of singing,” or “a house of fellowship” or any other important function of the church. His house—His church—will be called a house of prayer. And the Lord Himself is zealously defending this purpose of His house.
What Are We Known For?
Many churches are known for their preaching, for their music, or for their programs, but few are known for their prayer.
I once heard a man say about one particular Spanish-speaking church that “the people in that church know how to pray.” The description was so intriguing, it made me want to go—language barriers aside—just to see what an authentic praying church looks like.
Most churches do not have prayer meetings. Many that still do have ‘prayer meetings’ have turned the meetings to teaching or fellowship times. But we need churches with prayer.
Most churches talk about prayer, read books on prayer and study it; but how many churches in America are really praying churches? Peter Deyneka, late missionary statesman, used to say this apt phrase: “Much prayer, much power. Little prayer, little power.” If our churches are not houses of prayer, they will not be places of the power of the Lord.
The Power of the Church
How would it look if our churches were houses of prayer? We get a description of what would happen in 2 Chronicles 7:14, which reads, “And if My people who are called by My Name would humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” What a marvelous description and promise that the people of God have. The Lord will hear (and therefore act). The Lord will bring about forgiveness. And the Lord will heal the land.
In other words, the impact of the church of Jesus Christ will begin to break through the walls into the heart of the community. There will be power emanating from the church— not power manufactured by clever campaigns and programs, but power from the Almighty God! It is not by might, nor by power, that the church is established, but by the Spirit of God (Zechariah 3:6). Therefore, prayer must be the bedrock of the church.
Next: Devoted Gatherings: Making our gathering together purposeful
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