13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
-Matthew 21;13-
When Jesus rebuked the people who turned the temple into a local merchandise mart, He cried out in defiance, “My house will be called a house of prayer” (Matthew 21:13). Was Jesus setting a standard with which to evaluate the spiritual life of the church today? Should churches be house of prayer? Should prayer be the identifying mark of a group of be-lievers?
Is there a relationship between the lack of corporate prayer (include in your considera-tion individual prayer of members) in churches and the spiritual impotence which is preva-lent today? The story is told that once Thomas Aquinas was shown the Vatican treasury, the Pope said, “Well, Thomas, no longer can we say, ‘Silver and gold have we none.’” “Yes,” re-plied Thomas, “and no more can we say, ‘In the name of Jesus, rise up and walk.
Some churches, however, have not missed the connection between prayer and power. Whenever you find spiritual awakening today, you will find people who pray.
Dr. Billy Kim is a pastor of the large Central Baptist Church in Suwon, South Korea. When Billy met another pastor at the door for their new church to show him the new facility, he said, “Follow me.” He didn’t take him into the large sanctuary. Instead, he showed him some twenty small rooms just large enough for a person to kneel and pray in. “This,” said Pastor Billy, “is the secret of our church.” These were prayer closets where people pray twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
Is there a relationship between the growth of the Korean church and prayer? It is no coincidence that almost every Korean Church, regardless of denomination, has an early morning prayer meeting every day. Throughout the land men and women of God , young and old, spend early hours of the day praying, often kneeling on concrete floors.
“But that wouldn’t work here!”
Don’t believe that voice for a moment. God’s Spirit is calling men and women, old and young to prayer. A prayer movement is touching the lives of churches and study groups, revitalizing them, giving them spiritual vigor and power.
If Jesus really meant that His house should be a house of prayer, and if our churches are known for anything but prayer, we’ve fallen short of what Jesus expects.
13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
Prayerfully yours,
Pastor Gideon Gallo