My house shall be called a house

of prayer for all peoples. 

Isaiah 56:6

What is the church? 

A building? An institution? A social club? A purveyor of spiritual goods and services? A place to get some life coaching? A place to give your kids some morals? A place to find a spouse? A place to do some networking?

Or is it a God-centered spiritual community

of prayer for all souls?

Through the prophet Isaiah, God tells us exactly what he wants his church to be - a place of prayer. Let’s break it down.

My house….

The Church is His house. Not mine (as a pastor and member), not yours (as an attender or a member), but His. The Church is God’s house.

He sets the agenda, he gives the gifts, he is the God of hospitality that welcomes us to worship, he is the recipient of prayer and worship and he is the one who speaks to us in his Word. He then sets the table to welcome us to a meal of communion in his home.

….Shall be called a house of prayer….

God wants his house to be known as a place of prayer. A place where we sit at his feet together. A place where we pray together; a place where he prays for us.

This is why we have a liturgical service at All Souls. It keeps the focus of the service centered on prayer and worship. It brings us through rhythms of prayer that form us week after week. 

Above all else the Gospel of Jesus creates a spiritual community of prayer. We pray for ourselves, our families, our city, our world, our enemies, the government, the lost and the depressed. We pray prayers of confession and thanksgiving, we pray prayers of repentance and faith. We pray prayers of praise and love and prayers of desperation and lament.

…for all peoples

The praying Church of Jesus is for all souls. Every ethnicity, age, political persuasion, sexual orientation, culture and sub-culture, believers and skeptics, pillars of society and criminals can come to the house of God and pray.

This is why our church is called All Souls. We extend the invitation to pray to all peoples.

So here are some applications for your life. 

1.) Don’t just attend the church, come to the house of prayer ready to pray.

2.) Do your part to ensure that everyone in the room feels welcome to join us in prayer.

3.) Refuse to have a consumeristic relationship with the church.

4.) Approach the church primarily as a place of prayer and Christian spirituality.

5.) Pray for the Word and sacraments to shape you when you come to his house. 

Love y’all,

Pastor Harvey