History of Prayer Houses
A House of Prayer in Medway. For some years some Christians in the Medway area have been talking about and praying into a House of Prayer in Medway. It is now operating based in the House of Prayer room located at the Emmaus Christian Centre, Clover Street, Chatham
A House of Prayer? A House of Prayer is simply a room or rooms set aside for prayer and worship, open ideally 24/7/52, but as close to that as is feasible. It is open to all Christians to come and pray.
Is This from God? Scripture says definitely
yes;
The
Taberrnacle fire (a symbol of prayer)
must never go out. (Leviticus 6:12)
The
Temple was to be ‘a House of Prayer for all nations.’ (Isaiah 56:7
Anna
was praying, worshipping and fasting in the Temple day and night. (Luke
2:36-38)
Jesus
was angry that the House of Prayer, the Temple, had been turned into a
commercial rip-off. (Luke 19:45,46)
The
Disciples were in constant prayer after Jesus’ ascension and before the Day of
Pentecost. (Acts 1:!4)
And
St Paul advises “Pray constantly…this is the will of God.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17,18)
The
early church also had many continual prayer-initiatives.
The Herrnhut; the First Modern House of Prayer. The Herrnhut (The Lord’s Watch) was a 24/7/52 prayer meeting that lasted over 100 years; 1729 – around1843.
The Emmaus Christian Centre , formerly Ebenezer Congregational Church
(an extract from a history of the church)
Contemporary Houses of Prayer. In 1999, but quite separately, two Houses of Prayer were set up; the Boiler Room in Winchester and the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. Since then, Houses of Prayer have sprung up globally.
Do they only pray? Whilst the main and basic reason for a House of Prayer is worship and intercession, many Houses of Prayer are involved in ministering justice, help for the poor and Salvation. The Herrnhut sent out 226 missionaries from one small German village. However, these ministries seem to grow organically out of prayer, rather than being set up.
Does
Constant Prayer Bring Results? Certainly it did in Acts 1.
It
certainly did through the Herrnhut.
Constant
prayer is changing things through contemporary prayer-houses.
Constant
prayer will change things through a Medway prayer-house.
Will a House of Prayer
replace or supplant other prayer-initiatives?
Certainly not! – Hopefully a central House of Prayer
will help and encourage both current prayer-meetings, and excite new
prayer-initiatives.
What do Other People Think? “I am more and more convinced of the centrality of (houses of prayer.)” (Justin Welby)
“ The 24/7 Prayer Movement is all about justice and all about Jesus. It helps people fall in love with God and do something about the stuff that’s wrong in the world. So join God’s revolution and become part of the (prayer) movement.” (Shane Claiborne, The Simple Way, Philadelphia.)
“God does nothing except in answer to prayer.” (John Wesley.)
What do you think?