It’s time for churches to train and release everyone in the congregation to actively listen to and obey, “the presence of Jesus in the people of God for the sake of the world.” This is what it will take to make church a “house of prayer” again.

Before the institutional church pushed aside Christ’s Spirit-led town hall meeting (known as “ekklesia” in Greek) and with the help of Roman Emperor Constantine became the official religious establishment of the empire, gatherings of the body of Christ frequently assembled according to 1 Corinthians 14:26. Those meetings were interactive and allowed anyone present to speak. Overseers in the ekklesia prayerfully watched over the gathering to keep the assembly under the direct control, active Headship, and Divine intervention of the risen Jesus in their midst.

A key to restoring Christ’s ekklesia is for God’s people to raise “their voices together in prayer.” Corporate prayer where everyone present is free to pray out loud as led by the Spirit, is essential. We must move beyond merely repeating memorized words or reading words from a program or listening to a professional pray and speak. It’s time to train and release all the people in a congregation to individually pray out loud as prompted by God’s Spirit and to openly pour out their heart to Him!

Christ doesn’t enter a Christian’s heart so he can be locked down in there. He enters so He can pour out His presence from there. Hearts that are closed down and hiding never know the warmth of staying connected heart-to-heart with the risen Jesus and His followers.

The greatest problem in churches and in present-day Christianity is shut down hearts that hide behind programmed religion. If you are a Christian, the people you know and the people you go to church with need to see Christ alive in you, but if you won’t open wide your heart, they won’t. Christ isn’t in Christians so He can hide behind our shut down hearts. Humbly open your heart to people and let Jesus shine!

The body of Christ should meet together to demonstrate the presence of Jesus, not just to hear a talk about Him. If Christians would open their hearts to one another and let Christ in them come flowing out, they’d experience awe and amazement.

We have enough descriptions and depictions of Jesus but we’re greatly lacking in actual demonstrations of His presence and power. Without the night vision that comes from God’s gift of discernment, Christians will surrender to the darkness of demons and abandon spiritual warfare.

Jesus depictions
Or descriptions
Can’t compare with
Jesus demonstrations!

Inspired by Matthew 24:
During these dark days
We need night vision,
Discernment from God
So that we can see
Beyond deception.
“Watch out that no one
Deceives you.” –Jesus