When it comes to prayer, all roads do not lead to Rome, as they say. Jesus declared definitively that He alone is “the way, the truth, and the life.” “No one can come to the Father except through me,” He said in John14:6. That’s why the foundation of any “house of prayer” has to be Jesus Christ Himself.
So, the first question to ask ourselves as we’re thinking about building our own houses of prayer is:
- Do I have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ?
If the answer to that is not a resounding yes, then that’s the place to start!
The apostle Paul wrote, If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved“ (Rom. 10:9). What we commonly call “salvation” –being reconciled to God and being relieved of the condemnation of our sin–is as simple as that. However, it is a transaction we have to make in order to receive it. When we do, it is the foundation of an eternal relationship with God and the opportunity to walk and talk with Him through prayer.
Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. (Eph. 2:20, NLT)
The Frame – God’s Word
If you love me, obey my commandments. (John 14:15)
Framing, in construction, is the fitting together of pieces to give a structure support and shape. When a house is being framed, there are certain principles of physics and engineering that must be in place to create a structure that will bear the weight of the building.
Framing materials are usually wood or structural steel. The alternative to framed construction is mass wall construction, which is made from horizontal layers of stacked materials such as logs, masonry, adobe, etc. Whatever the method, the principle is the same: the building must have a form of structural support or the whole thing will collapse.
Another question to ask ourselves as we build a house of prayer is:
- Is Jesus the foundation of my life and home in practice (action), not just in theory?
God has given us His Word as the framework for our life. It provides the strong structure and support we need to build our lives on and around. When we violate it, we can expect the same results a builder might expect if he doesn’t follow the architect’s blueprints for a house. At some point, the weakness will be exposed and the whole thing will collapse—or, at least, be damaged in some way.
The Roof – Spiritual Authority
(Roman centurion) “Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” (Luke 7:7-9)
Just as there are principles of physics and engineering that govern the building of physical structures, there are spiritual principles that govern the building of spiritual structures. One of these principles in God’s Kingdom is authority.
Some questions to ask yourself when it comes to “authority”:
- Do I understand how spiritual authority works in the Kingdom of God?
- Am I confident in the spiritual authority I have as a follower of Jesus?
- Do I exercise it?
- Am I committed to God’s authority structure through a local church?
- Is God’s authority structure for the family evident in my home and life?
If the answer to any of the above is “no,” then that might indicate a growth area for you that , if you are willing to address it, will help you build your house of prayer and make it stronger. It is beyond the scope of this blog post to comprehensively explain spiritual authority. For now, I will just point out that if you are a committed follower of Jesus, you share Jesus’ ability to exercise authority, and also His responsibility (and example) to submit to authority. It’s a coverage and protection on your house of prayer that you can’t do without!
Next post: Building Your House of Prayer—Part 3: Atmosphere
(c) 2017 Arlyn Lawrence. All Rights Reserved.
If you love me, obey my commandments.
John 14:15
Framing, in construction, is the fitting together of pieces to give a structure support and shape. When a house is being framed, there are certain principles of physics and engineering that must be in place to create a structure that will bear the weight of the building.
Framing materials are usually wood or structural steel. The alternative to framed construction is mass wall construction, which is made from horizontal layers of stacked materials such as logs, masonry, adobe, etc. Whatever the method, the principle is the same: the building must have a form of structural support or the whole thing will collapse.
God has given us His Word as the framework for our life. It provides the strong structure and support we need to build our lives on and around. When we violate it, we can expect the same results a builder might expect if he doesn’t follow the architect’s blueprints for a house. At some point, the weakness will be exposed and the whole thing will collapse—or, at least, be damaged in some way.
So, the second question to ask ourselves as we build a house of prayer is:
- Is Jesus the foundation of my life and home in practice (action), not just in theory?
The Roof – Spiritual Authority
(Roman centurion) “Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!”
Luke 7:7-9
Just as there are principles of physics and engineering that govern the building of physical structures, there are spiritual principles that govern the building of spiritual structures. One of these principles in God’s Kingdom is that of authority.
It is beyond the scope of this blog post to comprehensively explain spiritual authority. For now, I will just point out that if you are a committed follower of Jesus, you share Jesus’ ability to exercise authority, and also His responsibility (and example) to submit to authority. Some questions to ask yourself in this regard:
- Do I understand how spiritual authority works in the Kingdom of God?
- Am I confident in the spiritual authority I have as a follower of Jesus?
- Do I exercise it?
- Am I committed to God’s authority structure through a local church?
- Is God’s authority structure for the family evident in my home and life?
If the answer to any of the above is “no,” then that would indicate a growth area for you that , if you are willing to address it, will help you build your house of prayer and make it stronger.
Next post: Building Your House of Prayer—Part 3: Atmosphere
Intercession Ignited 