What is a house of prayer?
A house of prayer is a group of Christian believers in a city/geographic region who as a group (not necessarily as individuals) spend a great amount of time worshipping God, thanking Him, enjoying His presence and praying to Him in partnership for the many things on His heart. The house of prayer movement is unusual in that its extravagance is expressed in the passion of prayer, the humility of the prayers, the continuous nature of prayer and worship, and the focus on the Word that undergirds the worship and prayer.

What is “the missions base”?
The Rock Missions Base is a community of urban missionaries being raised up in Haiti. The missions base exists to raise up radical missionaries in the midst of a global, day and night, worship and prayer movement whose hearts are fascinated in intimacy with Jesus Christ as they are empowered to go to the ends of the earth fulfilling the mandate of the Great Commission. We are called to live lives that reflect the first and second commandments. The International House of Prayer in Haiti is the core and heartbeat of the mission’s base. We do nothing apart from the value of day and night prayer and intimacy. We “behold Him and then reveal Him”; we believe the greatest Harvesters will be those who passionately love Him in the place of prayer and intimacy.

What is an “intercessory missionary”?

Intercessory missionaries are, like action missionaries, called to take the Gospel, the testimony of Jesus, to the ends of the earth. But intercessory missionaries are connected to centers of prayer and keep intimacy, devotion, communion, and prayer as the core of all they do. They do nothing apart from the place of prayer.

Where is the concept of the house of prayer found in the Bible?
This is a pretty extensive topic! However, here’s a quick overview. The phrase “house of prayer” is drawn from Isaiah 56:7, where it is used twice:

Even those (foreigners) I will bring to my holy mountain
And make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My a/tar;
For My house will be called a house of prayer for al/ the people.

Jesus refers to this verse when casting the money changers from the temple, as recorded in Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17, and Luke 19:46:

And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written:
‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations?
But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’’’

The heart of the house of prayer is perhaps best captured by David’s heart cry in Psalm 27:

One thing I ask of the Lord this is what I seek, that I may dwell in the house of Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty o/the Lord and to seek him in His temple.

King David actually established one example of a house of prayer, called the “Tabernacle of David”, While referred to in many parts of the Bible, the best description of this biblical house of prayer is found in I Chronicles 16:

(‘1,) And they brought in the ark of God and set inside the tent which David had pitched for it (4,) Moreover, David appointed certain of the Levites as’ ministers before the ark of the Lord, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel. (37,) So David left Asaph and his’ brethren there before the ark of covenant of the Lord to minister continually before the ark as each day required...

While IHOP Haiti is not seeking to exactly recreate the past Tabernacle of David, we believe God is restoring the spirit and type of this expression of worship and prayer in a physical location.
We believe this current expression helps us to “practice for” the future worship scene that is our destiny, as described in the book of Revelation. Indeed, the best picture of what the house of prayer strives for can be found in the book of Revelation, in the many descriptions of the redeemed gathered before the throne of God, such as:

The four living creatures and the twenty-/bur elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers’ of the saints. And they sang a new song:
“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its’ seal, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”
(REVELATION 5.8-9,)

What are some examples of houses of prayer through history up to the present time?

Contemplative and continuous prayer are relatively new concepts for many modern-day Protestants, but they have been fostered in the Catholic church for centuries. Most cities (including Chicago) have at least one Catholic Church that practices “perpetual adoration”, which involves 24/7/365 reverence and prayer before the eucharistic host, usually in a set apart chapel/prayer room. Our house of’ prayer differs somewhat from Catholic perpetual adoration in that it is multi-denominational and involves a concept of team prayer and worship. Three fairly well known examples of this type of house of prayer are the Moravians, Taize, and the Kansas City IHOP

The reformed Moravian community, founded by Count Zinzendorf in Germany in 1727, is well known for two things: a prayer meeting that lasted over 100 years, and the creation of the modern missions movement through the sending of missionaries into nations all around the earth (for more info, see www.countzinzendorf.org/moravians/)

Some Swiss Reformed Protestants founded the community dedicated to reconciliation and prayer that is currently located in Taize, France in 1940. It currently has over 100 brothers from both the protestant and Catholic church who live together and meet for prayer three times every day. Every year, millions of youth from all over Europe and the world who are seeking God visit Taize to participate in the prayer and observe the rule of silence and contemplation (for more info, see www.taize.fr/).

The International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City began praying 18 hours a day in May 1999, and has been 24/7/365 since September 1999. It is well known for its teachings on the “bridal paradigm” of prayer (that prayer and worship arises most effectively from a solid grounding in the favored position that individual believers and the church hold before God as the Bride of Christ) and for the “Harp and Bowl” prayer model, which blends contemporary worship songs with sung and spoken and spontaneous songs.

Is a certain format important?

It’s important for the house of prayer to be organized enough that there is not confusion for leaders and participants (ie. What are we supposed to be doing this right now?) We believe God works through anointed leadership and that this actually allows “freedom in the Spirit”. While He is the Head, He looks to partner with us while we are here on the earth. Before the Lord “in the temple”. Some intercessors just come and go as they participate in our corporate (for revival) or devotional/contemplative (sitting at His feet) prayer times; some choose to volunteer a few hours a week through being trained up as a prayer leader or prayer room assistant. Some choose to come on stall part-time or full-time as an “intercessory missionary” and devote larger chunks of time to the prayer room, Intercessory Missionaries are committed to the Great Commission primarily through intercession and seeking God’s face and from that place going out and touching the poor and lost. Intercessory Missionaries value the lifestyle of living in the prayer room and then reaching out to a dying world. Please see one of the staff or staff leaders for most information. Applications are available on-line.

...Haiti’s musicians?
Opportunities for musicians to be involved on teams are virtually limitless. ..24 hours a day, seven days a week is a lot of time, and the worship is so key to all that we are doing in the house of prayer. The Rock has a place for musicians and musical teams of varying styles, instruments, backgrounds, and time preferences.

...Haiti’s artists?
We value the place of the arts and the whole creative realm in the house of prayer. We believe that a divine atmosphere of continuous prayer, devotion and worship should be a breeding ground for works of beauty in our day, since God is the True Author of inspiration, creativity and beauty. We welcome any artist who longs to worship the Lord in this way. We eventually want to have a section set aside for artists to come and paint under the inspiration of the Lord and for dancers to minister to the Lord in the “beauty of holiness”.

...Haiti’s children, teens, and college students?
We are convinced that it is the youth who will fuel this movement through living radical lives of abandoned worship before Jesus. We want this to be a kid and youth-friendly atmosphere. Already, our young people are playing a major role in what’s happening here. We want to train up kid’s team to minister in the house of prayer through prayer leading, worship leading and singing. College students are encouraged to come and soak or get involved in a few sessions each week.

...Haiti’s civic leaders and politicians’?
We are committed to praying for our governmental leaders in our city and the Nation at large and asking for God’s blessing and wisdom to rest upon them. We hope that the house of prayer becomes a place where they can seek refuge in the midst of their busy schedule.

...Haiti’s businesses and business leaders?
We will pray regularly for Croix Des Bouquet, Port au Prince and the surrounding commerce and their leaders, so that Haiti might be a “Country of refuge” in the days to come. We would like to see the house of prayer supported financially by business leaders in Port Au Prince, Petion Ville, Croix Des Bouquet, Tabarre, Peggie Ville and other surrounding cities.

...non-French & Creole speaking churches?
We invite their participation and leadership. Revelation 7:9 depicts believers “from every nation, tribe, people and language” before the throne. We believe the Haiti International House Of Prayer otherwise known as the ROCK, (The Revelation Of Christ Kingdom), should be filled with varying languages and multi-cultural expressions of worship. We encourage sessions in other languages (ie. French, Creole, English, Spanish).

...Haiti’s poor?
We have a value system that is directly linked to how we posture ourselves with the poor. We want the house of prayer to be a place of “advocacy” in the Spirit for Haiti’s poor and disenfranchised. We want to extravagantly sow into the poor of our region and touch them the same way Jesus would touch them. We don’t want to separate what we are doing here from the poor. We hope to have established resources in this area eventually and be networked with mercy and compassion ministries across the Nation.

...non-Christians?
The Rock is not “inter-faith”, in the sense of encompassing prayer from religious traditions other than Christianity. However, all people regardless of belief are welcome to come to the house of prayer, enjoy the atmosphere created by continual worship and prayer, and receive prayer upon request.

Haiti and houses of prayer

Does Haiti need houses of prayer?

A house of prayer is not “required” in Haiti...but it is highly to be desired. We believe it is the wisdom of God to raise up locations where the Body of Christ can in a focused manner come together as one voice to cry out to Him. Having set-aside places devoted centrally to prayer and worship where at any time, anyone who worships Jesus may come and pray and seek His face, is a winning strategy for our Country. ~Most churches are closed throughout the week and are open only 1-2 times throughout the week. A house of prayer allows the many intercessors to have a place to gather throughout the week as “watchmen” for the city, yet does not take away from their commitment to their local church.

Wouldn’t a house of prayer essentially be a local church?

No. We in no way want to take the place of the local church or try to be like one; we require that all participants be involved in a local church and giving of themselves there regularly. We are seeking to be a service arm to the local churches of our city and to be a partnership of churches committed to prayer, worship and fasting until Jesus returns.

Local churches seek to meet the spiritual and community needs of those who attend, while the house of prayer is set up to primarily minister directly to God.

Do all houses of prayer function or look the same?

No. There is no franchise on this movement. Each city and geographic region has a different “flavor” and needs that to affect the expression of the house of prayer. The house of prayer in each region will be different, according to the will of God, the character of the church in that region, and the “personality” of the city itself. The key is to find out what God has for your particular region, while adapting the many models out there that make sense and make life in the house of prayer more enjoyable.

What is the relationship between the Rock and...

...Haiti’s local churches and ministries?
We don’t want to do this apart from the involvement of local churches and ministries in our city. Local churches find this a safe place to send “their sheep”. We encourage local churches to participate in the House of Prayer by providing teams to fill two-hour worship/prayer time slots, asking their congregants to consider coming at least once a week to a session and through financial sponsorship of the house of prayer.

...Pastors and ministry leaders?
One of our main values is unity in the Body of Christ. We are here to be a resource, not a burden, to already busy church leaders in the city. We are friends and champions of the men and women leading the Body of Christ in this region and are here to be a support to them. Pastors are welcome to he involved at the Rock activities as their schedules and inclinations allow. As the house of prayer matures, we hope it becomes something of a retreat for pastors where they know they can study, write, seek God through prayer, and be prayed for.

...Haiti’s Intercessors?
The House provides many different opportunities for intercessors to be involved, whether individually or with teams. It is one place for the Annas and Mary of Bethanies in our city to fulfill their calling to be regularly.

What will the eventual Schedule/format for the IHOP Haiti look like?
The eventual schedule will be 84 two-hour weekly prayer/worship meetings led by worship leaders, prayer leaders and worship teams. Most teams will incorporate the “Harp and Bowl” model of worship songs, spontaneous singing, and singing/praying the Word of God. Most sessions involve some type of small group prayer (praying for the sick, praying for a nation, etc.). Sessions are either corporate (entire room participating, open microphone) or Devotional (closed microphone, time to sit at His feet, soak or study) in nature. Corporate meetings usually focus on revival for that region or a specific focus or passage of scripture.
I) Devotional Sessions create an anointed environment that is conducive to “acquiring oil in our lamps”, with those in attendance expected to engage personally (in private prayer, journaling, rest, etc.) rather than engage publicly and corporately.

What does the “Harp and Bowl” model of prayer look like?
Its values are based on the following:
• Team prayer ministry—emphasis on many short prayers from different team members, rather than a focus on a single leader
• Blending singing and praying—the music never stops, and the prayers are prayed by intercessors and then sung by the singers
• Praying scriptural prayers—praying the prayers that are found in Scripture, a devotion to the Word, such as praying from the Book of Revelation, Psalms, and the prayers of Jesus and Paul.
• Spontaneous singing—singing prayers or responses to Clod from the heart spontaneously, as “new songs”

A typical Harp and Bowl cycle might look like this:
• The worship leaders leads out 2-3 worship songs
• Everyone participates in spontaneous singing, by lifting up your voice with a new song to the Lord
• The prayer leader, worship leader and designated singers pray and sing through a scriptural prayer (such as Eph. 1:17-19)
• The Worship leader returns to the original worship song and then proceeds to a new cycle.
• Intercessors from the room can then be invited to come up and pray related prayers based on Scripture. One team usually leads 4-5 of these cycles in a two-hour session.

What things are prayed for on a consistent basis in your meetings?
While the leaders of any session have freedom to pray as the Spirit and their hearts lead, the following are areas that we are consistently contending for at the rock:
Pastors and local churches in the city
Praying for the sick
Requests up on the prayer board in the prayer room
The nations and the persecuted church
Revival and renewal
City and State government
The Youth
Transformation of our Geographic Region
Unity in the Body of Christ

How can I participate in the house of prayer?
Anyone can come to the house of prayer at any time. You can pop in and out as you need to. You are not bound by time requirements here and can come and go as you please. We would only ask for your sensitivity to the leadership offered by those staffing the house of prayer at that given time. If you desire to become more involved or be a part of the staff, we have special needs for:

Local churches and pastors —Raising awareness of the opportunity to go to the house of prayer
Local church worship teams—Filling a regular time slot to lead worship/prayer sessions
Intercessors—Can come and pray corporately or silently, or join a team for team ministry
Musicians—We need you! Various teams at different times have needs for musicians
Sound Techs—We really need you, since there are no sound checks between sessions
(We will train you!)
Financial supporter—There are monthly pledge cards on the info, table, every cheerful giver is much appreciated!
Researchers—those who will keep us abreast of what’s happening in our nation and in the nations for strategic intercession, also those who can “uncap” the wells of revival in this region
Greeters—Creating a warm welcome for teams and visitors to the house of prayer; a rewarding job!

It is important for us to stress that your involvement here be an overflow, not a replacement for, your ongoing service in your local church community.

What is appropriate when I’m in the house of prayer?
You will have a lot of joy and freedom as you participate in various prayer sessions. When you come to the house of prayer, you might join in a worship song, and then retire to the back to read Scripture, then come forward to prayer for the city, then join in on more worship. There are different styles of leadership and different types of sessions in the house of prayer—what’s important is to be sensitive to the requests and direction of the leaders, and to prefer your neighbor. Common activities in the Prayer Furnace (besides active engagement with the current prayer session) include: reading, silent prayer, small group prayer (when directed by leaders), meditation and contemplation, resting/soaking, writing, journaling, Bible study, drawing, painting, sculpting, dancing and even working on your laptop computer.

What is inappropriate when I’m in the house of prayer?
? Distracting conversations (there’s a back lounge where you can fellowship.)
? Cell phones and pagers (please turn them off.)
? Pulling the room’s attention away from the Lord and onto yourself as the center (we’re each responsible
to administrate our conduct in a way that keeps the room’s focus on pursuit of Jesus, while maintaining lots of freedom.)
? Eating; no food please.
? Drinking is fine if you have a lid, no open containers please.)
? Sleeping (we want to stay engaged, even in devotion here.)

How does music and singing fit into a house of prayer?

We are in the midst of a global worship movement. This movement has everything to do with prayer and intimacy. We believe that part of prayer becoming enjoyable has everything to do with a spirit of devotion being mixed with worship and prayer. Many of us have tried “rock-pile” prayer meetings, where we just feel like we’re chipping away little by little at the resistance around us with very little anointing and power. Suddenly, when worship and song becomes a part of our prayers, life erupts corporately’ in those meetings. This is by God’s sovereign design. Music awakens the heart to beauty, and since God is a musical Being and we have been created in His very image, we’ve been made with a musical spirit. Almost every person finds solace, comfort or expression in music. Again, this is God’s design. In Heaven, music and verbal expression (prayer) are never separated from one another. We base most of our prayer meetings in the house of prayer upon this concept and value. King David upon instituting the Tabernacle knew that worship and devotion were major components of day and night intimacy and prayer. Deep revelation must have come to him of “how heaven hoists ~ prayer meeting.” We are seeking this heavenly model, found in Rev. 5:8. We call this particular model: Harp’ and Bowl.

HARP AND BOWL
Revelation 5:8 “...the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one having a harp and a golden bowl full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song...” The harp stands for the worship or music of God and the bowls are the intercession of the saints. In heaven, there is a marriage between prayer and worship. Our cry is, “So let it be on earth.”

The apostle Paul spoke to the early church in Colosse to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Colossians 4:16) Worship was never a separate, compartmentalized, pre-teaching, warm-up time. It was intricate in their walks with the Lord. How do we encourage one another today with “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs”? We believe that the singing of psalms is the’ singing of the literal word of God, and that the singing of hymns stand for our modern day worship songs, and spiritual songs are spontaneous new songs that arise from our hearts of worship. We seek to apply these three elements into our prayer meetings: the singing of worship songs, singing spontaneously, and singing and ministering the Word of God.

How can I learn more about the house of prayer?

There is really no substitute for experiencing a house of prayer. It is best “caught” by going and checking it out. We encourage you to come and sit at the feet of Jesus add see what life in the house of prayer is like.

We do offer training times throughout the year for those interested in learning in greater detail about the values of The Rock in Haiti. We also offer a several four month intensive internship program (Sept-Jan; Feb-May; June-Aug) for those wanting in-depth training on the ‘theology of the house of prayer movement and the practical running of a house of prayer. Starting in the Fall of 2005, we will offer a weekly two-hour clinic for those just wanting to learn more about house of prayer values and to be trained in the harp and bowl model. We also encourage you to visit the International House of Prayer in Kansas City (www.fotb.com) to see the bigger picture of what this lifestyle can look like.
Every house of prayer in every city functions somewhat differently from the others and usually takes on the “flavor” of the region for which they are contending.

The format envisioned at the Rock is 84 two-hour weekly prayer and worship sessions. Most of our sessions will use the “Harp and Bowl” model (the combination of worship and prayer), but some will have their own expressions apart from this. In all of our sessions, we are committed to praying the Word as our basis.

Is a building or single location important for a house of prayer?

It would be difficult for a retreat center or outreach to the poor to exist without a building to facilitate its ministry. Similarly, we believe it’s necessary to have a “command central”, a common location in which to pray. We believe it actually helps facilitate unity because of the cross-church relationships of the prayer teams coming and going. There is a comfort for both believers and non-believers to know a place is always open where they can always go to and participate in and receive prayer. A single location is also a powerful statement of multi-church unity in a city.

Could there be more than one location for a house of prayer in the city?

Of course! We envision houses of prayer everywhere in Haiti. A house of prayer within reasonable driving distance for every family is our goal. The Haiti International desired to plant several houses of prayer over the next few years around a Haiti.

Is 24/7/365 day and night prayer important?

Absolutely! We believe that day and night prayer is non-negotiable. It is near and dear to the Lord’s heart. The only promise in the New Testament of revival in our cities is ‘intricately linked with day and night prayer. In Luke 18, Jesus promises to “speedily send justice (revival)” upon us when there is day and night crying out to Him. In Isaiah 62, God speaks that He has posted watchmen (intercessors). On the wall (of prayer) who will not cease praying day and night until He makes their city a place of praise in the earth. We believe the spirit of prayer will cover the globe before the Lord’s return. We also know that God, is raising up a “counter” to the day and night accusation of the enemy against God and His people. The Lord is raising up those who (instead of cursing and accusing) choose loving and blessing God day and night. It is so necessary. We believe that at least in the USA there is a spiritual dynamic released when a house of prayer reaches 24/7/365, because one of the primary idols in American culture is time, and involvement in continuous prayer directly confronts and challenges this idol. Visitors to the IHOP in Kansas City consistently comment, “It’s so comforting even when we’re not at IHOP to realize that at any moment of the day or night someone there is worshiping God and praying for the city.” It should be a matter of embarrassment to the church in America that while there is a plethora of 24/7 institutions of lesser value in our society, burning love expressed in worship and prayer is difficult to find on a 24/7 basis in most cities.

Why are the concepts of “beauty”and “enjoyable prayer” important for the house of prayer?

The emotion probably most commonly associated with prayer is shame. Most people feel ashamed at their own feeling of “spiritual bankruptcy” when they stand before the Father at His throne. The throne of grace looks more to them like a throne of condemnation. This was never the design of the Creator God of Heaven. Shame is a wrong motivation for people to pray more, and a house of prayer built on this, foundation will result in quick burnout. Beauty and shame are opposites. The highest expressions of beauty are the beauty of God (Psalm 27:4) and the beauty he imparts to the Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:27, Psalm 149:4). These two realms of beauty provide a solid foundation and fuel to practice day and night prayer.

Fascination: The heart of man was designed to be fascinated with who God is and what He looks like, never to be dull and lifeless. Part of our journey is rediscovering how amazingly beautiful and
Fascinating, He is. Confidence.’ As we begin to understand how amazingly beautiful He is we also begin to understand He has passed on to us His own beauty. We stand confident in His love and grace, sustained in affection, not shame or fleshly motivations.

Pleasure and joy are indispensable to the house of prayer. He assured us through the prophet Isaiah that He would give us joy in the place of prayer (Is. 56:7). The psalmist said, “At His right hand are pleasures forevermore”. In the house of prayer, we are operating under a paradigm of a God who is beautiful, fascinating and full of delightful pleasures. These qualities are inexhaustible on this side of eternity and are a worthy and wise pursuit for the human heart.

...Haiti’s children, teens, and college students?

...non-Christians?