by Jesse Steele
interested in this topic of God’s love also, not just prayer.
Michael: I’m interested in Jesus. You can’t pray to Him unless you love Him.
Hank: They go together… sure.
Michael: Love and prayer are a package.
Hank: I thought this was a prayer ministry, specifically. That’s why I came here. It said something about “prayer” on the sign out front, across from a 24-7 pancake shop. After breakfast, I figured I’d stop in. You have a coffee shop next door. Chairs… Revelation. Now you’re talking about love. What do you specialize in?
Michael: We specialize in facilitating prayer just the same as that pancake place facilitates pancakes.
Hank: …so, you and the pancake shop are similar because you are both… really good and around the clock?
Michael: [pauses to think] …yeah. We’re open 24-7, just like them. And we like that about them. Sometimes we need pancakes at a strange time of the day. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.
Hank: Trust me, I’ve heard some crazy things in my days.
Michael: Including God’s crazy love for you?
Hank: That too. But I want to know the one thing that’s most important to you.
Michael: You mean love or prayer?
Hank: Yes. Which one is more important?
Michael: The two are, actually, one thing. Our focus is facilitating a place for prayer, the house. But, prayer, worship, love… all of us will do those things into eternity and beyond. You can’t separate them any more than you can separate loving God from loving people.
Hank: There’s this one church that talks a lot about social justice.
Michael: We’re all in favor of charity. One of the big things we do here in this ministry is give to the poor…
Hank: Wait, you said you were a House of Prayer!
Michael: And so we are. And the poor are part of God’s family. You can’t pray, worship God, love Him, and not love people.
Hank: But wouldn’t it be better to work with an organization that specializes in that?
Michael: If we start compartmentalizing our walk with the Lord we’ll get corrupted.
Hank: Corrupted?
Michael: Once you say, “Helping the poor is someone else’s responsibility, so I’ll just give them the money and they will do it for me,” that’s when people start stealing money and doing back door deals. Charity is something we should all be involved with.
Hank: So, you shouldn’t have special staff just to help the poor?
Michael: I’m not saying there shouldn’t be staff and volunteers, but every group of believers needs to know that helping the poor as part of their responsibility. The same is true of worshiping the Lord as well as praying for the people we help.
Hank: I know of a lot of non-Christian organizations that help people.
Michael: But think about it, how much of a lasting difference do they make?
Hank: Lasting difference?
Michael: If you volunteered for one of those organizations, would they allow you to preach the gospel?
Hank: Not all of them, but that’s not so important. We shouldn’t give people food and water just so we can try to get them into our little religion.
Michael: I’m not trying to “get people” either. I really believe this stuff. Jesus changed my life. I can’t help someone with food and water and not tell them about the water of Life. That just wouldn’t make sense.
Hank: It makes sense when you say it like that. Charity and Jesus—going together?
Michael: And they go together better when they are part of the local Body of Christ.
Hank: Wait! The local Body of Christ!? Now, what are we talking about!?
Michael: It is. Where do you think the local Body of Christ meets?
Hank: Um… church! Dah.
Michael: Wrong.
Hank: How can you say that?
Michael: Where does Scripture say that Christians should meet in a church? Christians are the Church! You don’t meet in yourself.
Hank: Okay, now you’re going to tell me that I only think Christians should meet in “church” because that’s what history says… “We’ve done it that way because we’ve always done it that way and that’s how we’ve done it and that’s why we’ve always done it the way we’ve always done it…”
Michael: …something like that. Do you know what Scripture says about God’s House?
Hank: God’s Kingdom isn’t here yet? So, it really doesn’t matter where we meet?
Michael: Wrong again. God did explain what His House would be.
Hank: His House? You mean the New Jerusalem?
Michael: That too, but I mean even in the here and now.
Hank: God has a House here and now too?
Michael: Sure. If I asked people in your church fellowship who owns the building you all gather in, what would a lot of them say?
Hank: Well, the accountant would say that the 501c(3) owns it, but most people would say that it’s God’s House… wait. That’s what I said. The church building is God’s House.
Michael: You’re getting there. First, I just want you to see that God has a house in the here and now, even before Jesus gets back. That “house” houses or hosts our activities as His children… in His Household. It helps us keep warm in the winter so we can do stuff… and keep our stuff dry from the rain… and stuff like that. We need a building for stuff. That building is “God’s House”.
Hank: Okay. But it seems like we’re splitting hairs. We all know about the building… usually a church… which is “God’s House” for gathering. Where were you going with all this?
Michael: Isaiah 5… 6… 7…
Hank: Three chapters?
Michael: No, I just wanted you to remember. Isaiah 56:7. “…My House shall be called a House of Prayer for all people.” God has a name He wants us to use for that building we meet in: House of Prayer.
Hank: Okay. I get it now. This is the local Body of Christ and you call the building a House of Prayer. So, actually, this place is like a church?
Michael: No, there’s only one Church—the Church of Jesus Christ. We are a House of Prayer for the Church in our locality.
Hank: Locality?
Michael: The location. The place we are in.
Hank: So what are you called?
Michael: The House of Prayer.
Hank: That’s it?
Michael: We’re the House of Prayer in our city.
Hank: Other people can’t build more houses of prayer in this city?
Michael: They can build more buildings and we’d love to help them. But there’s only one community of Believers in the area. We can meet in this building or that building.
Hank: That sounds okay. Do you teach here also?
Michael: We are Christians and this is God’s House. We do everything Christians do.
Hank: So, can I join? I mean, that would be cool to be a member here.
Michael: Well, you are.
Hank: I am?
Michael: You’re Christian, right?
Hank: Yeah, but I mean actually join, yah know.
Michael: We’re hiring staff if that’s what you mean.
Hank: No, I just mean participate. I was thinking about resigning as pastor… maybe… and I was wondering where I would go. See, my old church, God love ‘em… I think they don’t want to listen to what I say. So the best thing for me to do is to love and leave. I may need a new church family.
Michael: So, what are you trying to ask me?
Hank: How do I become a member here?
Michael: You are one. You’re Christian. And there’s only one Church in the world.
Hank: But I mean, after I put in my papers with them, explaining that I’m not with them anymore. Then I can begin the process of joining here, going to the classes, signing, promising to give money…
Michael: You can give money wherever God tells you and our classes are for anyone. The way you use the word “member” is a little different from how we do.
To us, “member” doesn’t mean that you can’t participate with your other Christian friends in their fellowships.
Hank: But where I come from, it’s a problem if people start getting mixed-up about where to tithe their money and all.
Michael: That’s if we are building mankind’s kingdom. There is only one Body of Christ. If we have any structure—even an administrative structure or financial structure—which keeps people from having Christian fellowship as the Lord leads, then that structure isn’t from God. He doesn’t contradict Himself and a House divided against itself won’t stand.
Hank: What are you talking about? The Church has to stand. The Bible says that the Church won’t fall, but that it will prevail against the Gates of Hell. So, anything that destroys a Christian fellowship is God’s enemy. One of the greatest works of Satan is all the churches he destroys with Christians blending their fellowship time across different congregations.
Michael: You and I can’t destroy the Church. When a so-called “church” collapses, it’s not really God’s Church, though it may have been a temporary structure God used in the past. When we hang on to something God only used for a season of time, it becomes a human construct—an empty shell… a house with no love. God’s true household isn’t against itself. Human constructs, however, tend to get territorial.
Hank: Human constructs?
Michael: It happens over and over. God does something, then people build a monument to it. The Lord does a new work and people cling to their old way of doing things. They miss out on all the Goodness the Lord offers. Finally, they let go of the past and accept God’s new work—usually after many tears. They finally enjoy the new work God wanted to offer them years before, thinking that He restored a mess someone else made—when they actually made the mess by clinging to the past. Then, when it’s time
