Missionaries Who Pray

There are 3 different dimensions of missions work and spiritual warfare necessary to restore the Church and to give a witness of the gospel to all the nations (Mt. 24:14).

1. Preaching (words) - This includes apostolic preaching and church planting, etc., as God's way to evangelize the lost.

2. Mercy Deeds (deeds) - This includes servant evangelism, providing food and clothing for the needy, building hospitals, orphanages and schools.

3. Intercession (prayer) - Changes the spiritual atmosphere of the region where preaching and mercy deeds are done.

Historically, the prayer side of the Great Commission has been neglected. This in turn has hindered effectiveness in our preaching. The preaching and the prayer side of the Great Harvest will soon fully come together as in the days of the early Church when "they gave themselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the Word (preaching)" (Acts 6:4). We see the result of this only 3 verses later in Acts 6:7 "Then the Word of God spread, and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith."

Through the mouth of the Prophet Isaiah, the Lord spoke about His Church and defined her in a very specific way. In Isaiah 56:7, he says, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations." It is Jesus himself who uses this same prophecy about His Church in Matt. 21:13. He names His Church a "House of Prayer". This prophetic naming is in itself a promise of functioning in grace empowered prayer. Jesus is beginning to pour out a spirit of prayer (Zach. 12:10) on the Church worldwide. When all is said and done His house shall be called a "house of prayer". It won't be called a "house of evangelism", a "house of teaching", or a "house of prophecy". All those are good, necessary and desirable, but at the end of the day God Himself, through the Prophet Isaiah and again His Son, said "My house shall be called a house of prayer". What Jesus is saying is that the evangelism, teaching, prophecy etc., will come out of the praying church! This is his divine method for the Great Commission.

Thus, we've given ourselves unto this end; to restore the ministry of prayer in context to the great commission. Like missionaries who travel over seas to bring the Gospel and labor in mercy deeds, we missionaries give ourselves to prayer. We are intercessory missionaries who are laboring in the place of prayer in Kansas City, yet our prayers travel the world and effect the spiritual atmosphere of the nations bringing power to the preaching of the Word of God and anointing to the mercy deeds done in love. We are intercessory missionaries. Missionaries who pray. We love extravagantly yet live simple fulfilling the mandate of the Great Commission.

-Daniel & Autumn