Posts tagged ‘Small Group Prayer’

Last month I wrote about our first house of prayer. Before we could schedule our first visit to her home for prayer she tried to commit suicide again. She was at the beach with her son and took a bottle of pills (I don’t know the number) and drank a bottle of vodka to wash them down. She was lying on the floor nearly incoherent when she heard her five-year old son say, “Don’t go to sleep yet mommy. I’m asking Jesus not to let you go to sleep.”

Jesus answered her son’s prayer! We’re thankful to God for that.

She invited several people to her son’s birthday party, including one of our team members and his family. It was a very good time for the team member to get to know her family. There was a pastor there from some kind of church too. After everyone else left he spoke to her. He heaped guilt and condemnation upon her for all that she had ever done wrong. He will answer to God for that one day! This woman needs restoration, not condemnation. She needs mercy and grace!

She has kept the door open for us to enter her home and pray with her. Please pray for Lady V.

A second house has opened for prayer. This woman has a similar story, but we’re very glad that she hasn’t tried to commit suicide. She is finding hope and encouragement in prayer. She has also come to one of our home based Bible studies – it is a safe environment! Sadly, many institutional churches are not safe environments for people who have destroyed lives.

Our Houses of Prayer Ministry has two more members. One of them, a young lady who grew up in an institutional church, visited with these ladies and prayed with them recently. It was her first time to go. She visited with Lady V and prayed with her. When she left the home she was physically shaken. After visiting with in the second home and praying this young lady was physically sick. She is not yet accustomed to entering the world of those who do not know Jesus Christ.

We would appreciate your prayers for both of these homes – that God would bring salvation and restoration to these families.

Also, please pray for our team. A few more families have expressed an interest in having us come and pray with them. We are entering into homes in which only God knows what we will encounter. Also, we may be adding some new team members in another part of the city. So, please pray that God will direct us as these team relationships develop.

Later this week we’ll be launching a new aspect of our ministry here in Joinville. We’ll be asking people to open their homes for teams to come and pray with them. In many places in the world, houses of prayer play a very important role in house church networks. I have not done any research to learn what exactly those houses of prayer entail. In fact, I had heard about two different places using houses of prayer. I thought, “That’s there. That isn’t here.” And, I did not pursue the idea.

After I had let the idea slip into the back of my mind (actually, I had completely forgotten about it), God brought the idea back to my mind. That’s when I knew it was God’s time for houses of prayer here. I didn’t know when, where or how we would start houses of prayer. That’s where it is good to have team members. God was giving those answers to members of our team.

A few years ago, when I was on staff at a church in the US I had a small group that met for prayer. Our prayer time there was developed from a prayer group in which I participated in Bulgaria. The houses of prayer that we begin here will be based on both of those prayer ministries, though it will not be a copy of either. “Prayer is learned by praying.” I do not recall who wrote that sentence, but it is true. So, we want to teach people to pray through houses of prayer.

I’m adding an article to the “Articles” page here on the blog. I wrote it in 2002 and never put it online. However, I’m making it available now so you can understand a little better what I hope God does through houses of prayer. Please read “How Our Small Group Prays” on the articles page or by clicking this link How Our Small Group Prays.

Blessings – Stan