House of Prayer for All Nations
by Thurlow J. Switzer
What is the secret for ministry at the local church level? Three great themes emerge that call us to move into the future. Jesus came announcing, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Much later in Jesus’ ministry, in speaking to the essence of corporate ministry and in response to the failure of the Jewish synagogues, he declared, “My house will be called a House of Prayer” (Mt 21:13).
Jesus based this statement on the teaching of the prophet Isaiah (56:6-7) when he spoke to those “who bind themselves to the Lord to serve him, to love the name of the Lord, and to worship him.” To them the promise was, “These I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in My House of Prayer, for my house will be called a House of Prayer For All Nations” (Isa 56:7).
Three themes from these passages guide us to understand three key elements in a local community of faith: “House”–“Prayer”–“Nations".
Jesus based this statement on the teaching of the prophet Isaiah (56:6-7) when he spoke to those “who bind themselves to the Lord to serve him, to love the name of the Lord, and to worship him.” To them the promise was, “These I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in My House of Prayer, for my house will be called a House of Prayer For All Nations” (Isa 56:7).
Three themes from these passages guide us to understand three key elements in a local community of faith: “House”–“Prayer”–“Nations".
House
Rooted in God’s Love
A Community of Mutual
Friendship and Love
Household of Faith
Love One Another
Integrity: Caring One for Another
Matt 28:“Go, make disciples”
Two Aspects:
The body of Christ in true
interactive love
Acts 7:49 – “What kind of house will you build to me?”
A Community of Mutual
Friendship and Love
Household of Faith
Love One Another
Integrity: Caring One for Another
Matt 28:“Go, make disciples”
Two Aspects:
- Small Group Fellowship
- Congregational Community Life
The body of Christ in true
interactive love
Acts 7:49 – “What kind of house will you build to me?”
Family Community Life
Prayer
Reflective of Christ’s Likeness
A Communion of Majestic
Worship and Discipleship
Body-life and Prayer
Love God
Integrity: Living as Disciples
Matt 28: Baptizing, Teaching
Two Aspects:
Growing into the likeness
of Christ Jesus
Acts 7:49b – “Where is the place of my rest?”
A Communion of Majestic
Worship and Discipleship
Body-life and Prayer
Love God
Integrity: Living as Disciples
Matt 28: Baptizing, Teaching
Two Aspects:
- Prophetic Worship;
- Biblical Discipleship
Growing into the likeness
of Christ Jesus
Acts 7:49b – “Where is the place of my rest?”
Spiritual Life and Growth
All Nations
Responsive to the Spirit’s Liberty
A Commission to Mature
Servanthood, Caring and Outreach
Host of Witnesses
Love the Lost
Integrity: Reaching to Unbelievers
Matt 28: Obeying and Reproducing
Two Aspects:
We are the hands and feet of
Christ Jesus on earth
Acts 7:50 –“Has not my hands made all these things?”
A Commission to Mature
Servanthood, Caring and Outreach
Host of Witnesses
Love the Lost
Integrity: Reaching to Unbelievers
Matt 28: Obeying and Reproducing
Two Aspects:
- Evangelistic Outreach
- Multiplied Ministries
We are the hands and feet of
Christ Jesus on earth
Acts 7:50 –“Has not my hands made all these things?”
Caring, Relational Outreach
Jesus’ phrase, “A House of Prayer for all Nations,” is an important key to focus how a congregation understands its mission and vision for congregational ministry and growth. Every local church should seek to be a vibrant growing family of faith and discipleship experiencing God’s transforming grace.
The practical goals for ministry are to produce healthy individuals, healthy marriages and healthy families that receive Christ, love God, walk in His ways, bless others and impact society to the glory of God.
Our mission should be to make disciples who make disciples who are devoted and developing followers of Christ Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
I. HOUSE: Leading People to the Father’s Love
A local congregation is a household of faith. From the base of life together in community, “as we have opportunity, we are to do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal 6:10; Heb 3:4-6). The local church is a house of Christ Jesus.
Rooted in God’s love, the goal is to be a community of mutual friendship and love. As a spiritual family of God’s sons and daughters, we manifest the Body of Christ expressing true, interactive love. (John 13:34-35; 1 John 4:7-8; 4:12-19; I John 4:20-21; Eph 4:1-3; Phil 2:1-4).
Committed to be a reciprocal ministry of love and care for one another, believers exist in covenant community as Christ’s body of which He is head. The Word of God calls for humility and unselfishness (Phil 2:1-4).
The HOUSE strategy for any local congregation is to grow and build a visible, vibrant community of interactive fellowship as a spiritual family, walking together in covenant. It is important to practice reciprocity in relationships. If some reaches out to you, reach back to them soon.
When people invite you to their home for a meal or for fellowship, in turn, invite people to your house. Call two or three different people each week and show love and concern for them. Greet four or five people that you know the least of all, each Sunday. Show a natural and light-hearted greeting and friendship to visitors, including the first several Sundays they attend. Become “stranger” friendly.
The HOUSE concept has to do with being a covenant community. Common life in community involves three things: (1) as GOD-FEAR-ERS; “love God with all one’s heart, mind, soul, and strength. (2) As GOD-BUILDERS, be committed to “love one another.” And, (3) as GOD-SERVERS, be committed to “love unbelievers” and all who are around us, needy in the world.
II. PRAYER: Growing People to Christ’s Likeness
The goal of all ministry and discipleship is to grow people in the likeness of Christ Jesus. Every local church as a worshipping communion seeks to magnify Christ Jesus as Lord. Spiritual life development is the essence of discipleship. A true disciple is one who takes on the disciplines of the heart of Christ (Col 1:27-28). The goal is Christlikeness (2:6-7) and full maturity (Eph 4:12-13). Each one should make spiritual choices to grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
PRAYER strategy involves touching and changing lives in the power of the Spirit. This involves interactive faith and faithfulness, as believers gather together week-by-week before God. For instance, one’s relationship with God (vertical) should be so abundant that it overflows into relationships with one another (horizontal).
God’s love feeds the believer’s love. Love is the self-emptying of all the negative in one’s self, especially pride and self-centered-ness in favor of the affirming of one another. Be committed to growing as disciples in Christ’s likeness. Be committed to the Lordship of Christ as evidenced by an authentic lifestyle.
The world is demanding of those who profess Christ as Lord that they exhibit integrity of living as disciples of Christ. Every congregation should seek to be a church of powerful worship and preaching of the Word of God, enjoying the communion of majestic worship that manifests both faith and faithfulness. Seek to grow in the likeness of Christ.
Members of a local church enjoy strong public services of praise, worship and thanksgiving. Seek to arrive on time, be visitor friendly, participate strongly in praise, prophecy and brokenness before God. Those who seek the Lord will be found of him.
III. NATIONS: Touching People in the Spirit’s Liberty
Believers are the hands and feet of Christ Jesus in the world. All believers in Christ are called to touch the nations and win all ethnics to the Lord. People of every nation may live in the cosmopolitan blend of your neighborhood.
The church has an outreaching commission: to touch others under Christ’s hand. The basic strategy of outreach is neighborly love, service and caring (Eph 4:15-16). The apostle Paul urges believers to live a life of sweet-smelling aroma and being the light of the Lord (Eph 5:1-2, 8-9).
Unbelievers live at our doorstep. Going to the nations begins at our neighborhood as we touch people at their doorstep (Isa 52:10). Isa 54:2-3 raised a vision for expansion. God is calling the church to prayerfully and expectantly reach out in friendship with Christ’s love to neighbors, friends and close associates.
The NATIONS strategy is to reach out and impact one’s city and county for Christ. This is done neighborhood by neighborhood. As we touch people through interactive friendliness, we connect with outsiders and unbelievers. Where each of us live and where our local church exists is our Jerusalem.
Believers exist to reach people in their given location, in their context of life. In local church life, size is not the issue; appearance is not the issue, and religious order is not the issue. Christ is the issue and people’s relationship with Him. The reason for the church’s existence is to reach people and introduce them to the kingdom of God.
Reach out to people with sacrificial love. Embrace the unchurched and unreached with a commission of mature servanthood and caring witness. Become conveyors of hope to the hopeless.
Let’s touch the nations, the various ethnic groups and unsaved neighbors, right in the neighborhood. Be committed to an active stewardship of gifts, talents and servanthood to others in both inward and outward ministry: (1) spreading the gospel; (2) serving people’s needs, and (3) expanding the kingdom.