The Prayer of the Recovered Church

At the beginning of each of the epistles to the seven churches in Revelation, the Lord tells us what kind of person He is, according to the condition of the church revealed in that particular epistle.  For instance, to the church in Sardis the Lord reveals Himself as the One who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars.  He is the One who is able to make the “dead” church in Sardis intensely living and intensely shining.

How does the Lord reveal Himself to the church in Philadelphia, the recovered church?  Revelation 3:7 says:

And to the messenger of the church in Philadelphia write: These things says the Holy One, the true One, the One who has the key of David, the One who opens and no one will shut, and shuts and no one opens.

Footnote 1 in Revelation 3:8 is enlightening and instructive:

“As the One who has the key of David and who opens and no one will shut, the Lord has given the recovered church an open door, which no one can shut.  Since the recovery of the proper church life began, in the early part of the nineteenth century, until now, a door has always been opened wide to the Lord’s recovery.  The more organized Christianity tries to shut the door, the wider it is opened.  In spite of much opposition, today the door is open worldwide.  The key is in the hand of the Head of the church; it is not in the hand of the opposers.”

At a recent prayer meeting of the church in Los Angeles, the praying saints were freshly inspired by the above verse and footnote, using it as a basis for strategic prayers for GTCA.  The saints had the full assurance that our Christ has given the recovery an open door throughout North America.  The door is wide open in Santa Barbara, Cincinnati, Richmond, and in city after city throughout this continent for the recovery of the proper church life.  How we all need a fresh reminder that the Christ we enjoy in the recovered church — the church in Philadelphia — is the One who has the key of David and who opens the door that no opposition can shut!

We encourage you to continue praying in these specific areas:

• Pray for the brooding Spirit to prepare the ground in the hearts of the people in the 30 cities targeted for the upcoming gospel trips in early 2011
• Pray that many discontented Christians will receive the ministry of the age and be brought into the experience of Christ and the church life
• Pray for the Lord of the harvest to thrust out workers into His harvest

How is the church in your locality praying for GTCA?  It would be encouraging to hear reports from localities or small groups on how the Lord is freshly inspiring us and reminding us to beseech Him in these crucial weeks leading into 2011.  Please feel free to leave a comment or submit a testimony to encourage all to pray.