Some might say, "With so many different ministries around, where is the need for a house of prayer?" Maybe if we turn that question around, we should really be asking, "With so many ministries around, how can we do without a house of prayer?" So the real question is, "What is the difference between a house of prayer and any other ministry and why should you want to get involved?" I will attempt to answer that question in this article.
A House of Prayer is a place of intercession, plain and simple. It is not meant to be, nor should be, a replacement or copy-cat of any other ministry. It is not a Church, a Christian music gig, a podium for preachers, or a small-group bible study. It is not a stage for Christian entertainment or for anyone seeking to be recognized. A House of Prayer should have an atmosphere that respects and welcomes the intimate presence of Holy Spirit, to partner with Him in prayer and worship. There are currently thousands of Houses of Prayer around the globe, in just about every city and nation, all contending in prayer and supplication for acts of mercy and justice.
Houses of Prayer are not (or at least should not be) in competition with local Churches. In fact, Churches should use their local HOP as a place of common interest (prayer) to connect with other Churches. The local Prayer Room should be a place where Pastors can comfortably encourage their members to attend without feeling like they will be indoctrinated or proselytized. Prayer and intercession should be a common factor that every Christian ministry encourages and unites with.
A misconception is that every HOP is, or is trying to be, open 24/7. While God will sustain some to engage in prayer and worship 24/7, other smaller HOP's join together all over the globe in 2 hr prayer watches, thus there is always the prayers of intercessors rising to heavens ears 24/7, just not all in one place. Opposed to common knowledge, the majority of HOP's are very small compared to other ministries, in fact, most are held in living rooms of homes or utilize a small room within a local hosting Church. I believe the main reason for this is that their true passion is not to "build a ministry", it is to "be a ministry". I used to tell our core group at IHOP-NOLA, this room or building is not "The Prayer Room", YOU are the Prayer Room. It's not about hype or an emotional rush that entices one to partner with a HOP in a humble atmosphere, it's about passion to draw near to an audience of One.
So, let's talk about the difference between a house of prayer and a Church. A house of prayer should not be a Church, but a Church can have a house of prayer (or a scheduled prayer watch) within it's organizational structure. When my wife Erin and I started the prayer room in New Orleans, we never stopped being actively involved in our local Church, and we encouraged everyone who came through the prayer room doors to do the same. A house of prayer should be a place where you do just that, pray, pray, pray, and pray more. It should not be for preaching, entertainment, or any other function (at least during the prayer watch), this is what Church is for. When a house of prayer tries to take the place of Church, it eventually becomes a Church, and then out of necessity, it must function as a Church in order to be the community God calls a Church to be. It must then either shorten it's prayer watch to insert preaching, announcements, and other ministry functions normally performed in a Church service, or it eventually just becomes a Church and is no longer really a house of prayer. Yes, it would be great (and I'm believing it is highly possible) if all true Churches had a prayer watch held weekly for it's members, or better yet, a separate prayer room with worshipers and prayer leaders assigned to intercede for the nations.
I attended a leadership conference about 3 years ago at the "Atlanta House of Prayer". There were many house of prayer directors there, but there were also pastors, who became passionate for prayer and basically turned their Churches into "Praying Churches". Some of these pastors lost more than half of their members when they made this decision to bring prayer back as a foundational part of their services, some even lost their buildings, having to start over as "A Praying Church". If every Church would include a prayer watch within it's weakly schedule, there would be no need for so many separate houses of prayer, but unfortunately that is currently not the case. This is why God is raising up a house of prayer in almost every city and nation on the globe. This is not man's movement, it's "God moving" and simply asking us to listen to and follow Holy Spirit.
There is a big difference between Christian entertainment and heartfelt worship. I can enjoy listening to a good Christian contemporary band, worship team, or CD and be blessed, but worship that is not intended for the listeners entertainment is what should be found within a house of prayer. The purpose of the worshipers and musicians is to prophecy with their instruments and voices, ministering to an audience of One while the Beloved are blessed as they join together in worship and prayer combined. There is a combination of memorized songs and spontaneous prophetic songs, leaving the traditional format of contemporary worship and entering into a dimension of "worshipful intercession". The bible and prayer become the song-book and the instruments become a symphony controlled by the passion of the prayer topic. If you have never experienced this kind of worship, this alone is worth a visit to a house of prayer that follows a "harp-and-bowl" type format.
A house of prayer is not a podium for preachers and should not be used as such (and I am specifically speaking about during the prayer watch). When someone comes to a typical prayer watch, they are expecting and desiring to enter into an atmosphere of intercession, prayer, and worship. The worshipers and prayer leaders are the ministers within a house of prayer, without a spotlight on any one person. The Beloved attending become the preachers, teachers, apostles, prophets, and evangelists to each other if Holy Spirit moves in that direction during personal prayer. The personality of a prayer watch should be such that an individual can choose their participation based on their current need, desire, or gifting. If they want to kneel the entire time, walk around, sit, or stand. If they want to participate and engage in corporate intercession, or if they want to just listen to Gods voice in contemplative prayer. The idea is that they are not expected to, nor are enticed to, be diverted from an attitude of prayer. Church is for preaching, teaching, discipleship, and community service. God has appointed Deacons and Elders to assist in leadership in Churches to assure that pastoral leadership is accountable and that "In a multitude of counselors there is safety".
Houses of prayer do host teachings as well as conferences that include teachings, but they should always be outside of their usual prayer watch, encouraging Believers from other ministries to unit with them for special events or services and never with a proselytizing motive.
In closing; "Why should you want to get involved in your local house of prayer?" My answers to you are multiple;
1. To draw close to the lover of your soul, "JESUS", The God Man Himself.
2. To learn how to listen to Gods voice.
3. To participate in regular corporate intercession for your community and the nations.
4. To align your heart with the heart of God, in partnership and purpose.
5. To equip you to be a better servant and participant in your Church.
6. To fellowship in corporate prayer with people from other Churches and ministries. This helps break down the barriers of division among the Beloved.
I pray this article has educated some of you if you have been wandering just what a House of Prayer should look like. As with anything, my advise is always the same, "let His Spirit within you be the discerning party." So if your community or city has a HOP, go check it out and see if the shoe fits!
