The Lord Jesus said His house should be a house of prayer for all the nations (Mark 11:17). God calls every local church to be a house of prayer for all the nations. So what does that look like?

There must be at least 4 foundational pillars and 12 building stones. The 4 foundational pillars sustain the entire structure.The 4 foundational pillars are:

• the glory of God,
• the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom,
• the Gospel, and
• a divine desperation.

The primary pillar is the glory of God. Everything must be for His glory (1 Cor. 10:13). Psalm 96:3 states, “Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.” A praying church will be a church revealing and proclaiming the glory and majesty of God.

The second pillar is the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom. Christ’s will is that His Kingdom may be known on the earth, [His] salvation among all nations (Psalm 67:2). The gates of hell shall not prevail again the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom on this earth (Mt 16:18). We advance Christ’s Kingdom on our knees, corporately and individually.

The great glories of God and the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom on this earth strangely do not depend on our great programs or our new ideas, but on the prayers of the saints. E. M. Bounds said,

What the church needs today is not more or better machinery, not new organizations or more novel methods. She needs men [and women] whom the Holy Spirit can use – men [and women] of prayer, men [and women] mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not flow through methods, but through men [and women] …. He does not anoint plans, but men [and women] – men [and women] of prayer!

Will you be that man or woman that help to make your Church into a house of prayer for all the nations?

This is the second post of a continuing series.

Special thanks to Dr. Henry Krabbendam & Rev. Al Baker for the ideas of the foundational pillars and building stones above.