My House Shall be Called a House of Prayer Matt. 21:12-16 Jesus at the Temple 12) Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13) "It is written," he said to them, " 'My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a 'den of robbers." 14) The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15) But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant. 16) "Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, have you never read, From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise?" 17) And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night

Biblical Snapshot of a House of Prayer The first thing Jesus did was to cleanse the temple of impure motives and activities, making it a house of purity (v.12) Sometimes before building a new structure you have to tear down the old one. God say he will not pour new wine in old wineskins. Old wine skins cannot hold the new things. National prayer leader Wes Tullis says: When we invite God to dwell in our midst…it is an invitation for Him to dismantle everything that the Holy Spirit did not initiate.

Isaiah 56:7 7) And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant- 8) these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations."

A House of Prayer Who will come to the house of prayer –Its a place where the broken –The foreigner, the –Eunuch can come and worship A place where you will find acceptance Jesus demonstrated that a praying church is a place of power Paul wrote to the Corinthians (II Cor. 2:4-5) My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

Seven Marks of a Praying Church 1.Most members have a strong devotional prayer life and are committed to praying for others. 2.Church members have a biblical understanding of who God is and how they can relate personally to Him through prayer. 3.Leaders are praying people and set an example of prayer for the congregation. 4.Prayer is a way of life through out the church rather than being seen as an isolated program, prayer permeates every ministry within the church and every outreach of the church.

Seven Marks of a Praying Church 5.Corporate Prayer meetings are given high priority in the lives of the church leadership and congregation. 6.Spending time in the presence of the Lord produces humility, purity, unity, compassion, and Christ likeness in the life of leaders and the congregation. 7.Gods presence fills His house.