Part 1 Condensed PDF
Part 1 Condensed PDF
Part 1 Condensed PDF
Table of Contents
I Principles of “Harp and Bowl” ........................................................................................ 3
1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 3
2. The Necessity of Intercessory Missionaries........................................................................ 4
3. My Journey in becoming an Intercessory Missionary ......................................................... 8
4. Introducing the IHOP-KC Structure and Model .................................................................. 9
5. The Primary Governing Principle of the Harp and Bowl Model ......................................... 14
6. Why the Harp and Bowl Model ....................................................................................... 20
7. Enjoyable Prayer and 16 Values of the IHOP-KC Model .................................................... 25
II Prayer Formats ............................................................................................................. 38
8. Outline for Intercessory Prayer Format ........................................................................... 38
9. Outline for Prophetic Worship Prayer Format ................................................................. 41
10. Outline for Worship with the Word Prayer Format ........................................................ 43
11. Outline for Devotional Worship Prayer Format .............................................................. 45
III Prayer Outlines and Lists ............................................................................................ 47
12. Key Apostolic Prayers and Prophetic Promises .............................................................. 47
IV Helpful Articles ............................................................................................................ 50
13. Magazine Article “Prayer Furnaces” .............................................................................. 50
14. Friends of the Bridegroom – Forerunner Ministry .......................................................... 57
Introduction
HIDDEN TREASURES
B. Hidden beauty and greatness – our full glory in Jesus is hidden in the heart
of a lovesick God. Each believer has a dynamic story to be told and a
journey of self-discovery.
“For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ
who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
(Col. 3:3-4)
C. The revelation of being the Bride of Christ helps us to discover some of our
beauty and greatness in God. It helps us in our journey to experience God’s
heart.
For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of Hosts is His name; and
your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the
whole earth. (Is. 54:5)
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say,
“Come!” (Rev. 22:17)
D. God gave His people a four-fold promise through Isaiah. Firstly, to not be
silent, that is to speak prophetically to and through His people. Secondly, to
not rest, that is to move in power in and through His people. Thirdly, to
release bright righteousness in our hearts. Fourthly, to cause our ministries
to go forth like a burning lamp.
For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will
not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her
salvation as a lamp that burns. (Is. 62:1)
A. The journey of the IHOP-KC begins with the understanding that God is
sovereignly raising up a worldwide prayer movement. This prayer
movement is a worship movement which is also a prophetic movement. All
three dimensions are expressions of the Holy Spirit’s one river.
C. This strategic plan of the Holy Spirit will reach a crescendo before the Lord
returns, as the bowls of intercession will become full in heaven.
“…the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden
bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (Rev. 5:8)
III. REQUIREMENT OF NIGHT AND DAY PRAYER FOR MISSIONS (LK. 18:7-
8)
A. Parable: the unrighteous judge and the cry for justice (NAS) or vengeance
(NKJ).
“…shall not God bring about JUSTICE for His elect, who cry to Him day
and night…? I tell you that He will bring about JUSTICE FOR THEM
SPEEDILY….” (Luke 18:7-8; NAS)
“…shall God not AVENGE His own elect who cry out day and night to
Him…? I tell you that He will AVENGE THEM SPEEDILY….” (Luke
18:7-8; NKJ)
D. Jesus is the ultimate social reformer and king of justice. Jesus was the first man
to connect the idea of the release of justice and social reform to night and day
prayer. This was a new idea that is unique in the history of social reform.
E. Jesus requires night and day prayer in the cities of the earth as the condition to
release “speedy justice”. Therefore, night and day prayer is a very practical
expression of the commandment to love one another in that it changes the
spiritual atmosphere of a region so that multitudes are blessed and delivered.
A. Jesus will release special grace to establish night and day prayer before His
return.
“I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold
their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep
silent, And give Him no rest till He establishes and… makes Jerusalem a
praise in the earth.” (Isa. 62:6-7)
C. The Holy Spirit is restoring the “Anna’s” before the Second Coming of
Jesus.
E. Square peg in a round hole – there are some in the Body of Christ that
truly love the Church and winning the lost but are frustrated UNTIL they
find their primary life calling in serving the lost through a lifestyle of
worship and intercession.
F. The Lord wants to give you language for your primary passion. You do not
have to apologize for your intensity and passion for prayer and worship.
There is power in knowing who you are before God. Intercessors take
courage – the Man leading the Great Commission (Jesus) is an eternal
intercessor. He loves prayer and will restore it to its rightful place of
dignity and honour in the Church before He returns.
A. Night and day prayer changes the spiritual atmosphere of a city. No power
can stop speedy justice that flows from night and day prayer. God does not
ask anyone’s permission. Religious leaders and demons working together
cannot stop the inevitable move of the Holy Spirit.
C. Bangor, Ireland, in 558 A.D. a Celtic monk named Comgall and his co-
worker Columbanus gathered 3000 monks to a placed called Bangor
(i.e. the High Choir). Night and day worship continued for over 300
years resulting in the thrusting forth of missionaries with apostolic
power that touched all of Europe.
F. Seoul, Korea, over the last 40 years, under the leadership of David Yonggi
Cho. Night and day prayer has been going for over 30 years.
“Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and MAKE THEM JOYFUL in My
house of prayer …for My house shall be called a house of prayer….” (Isa. 56:7)
B. Boring prayer meetings: each staff member of the church was required to
attend at one prayer meeting daily throughout most of the 1980s and 1990s.
This was often a struggle because the prayer meetings were usually boring.
D. Enjoyable prayer is the only prayer that will continue night and day (Lk.
18:8). Our children’s lives depend on enjoyable prayer being established.
E. The Lord is establishing new prayer models across the earth. My goal is not
to see others do exactly what we do at IHOP-KC.
“…I will… make them joyful in My house of prayer …for MY HOUSE SHALL BE
CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER for all nations” (Isa. 56:7)
A. Glorify Jesus – a place to minister to God as we offer Him the praise for
which He is worthy.
E. Healing and deliverance – a place that God’s power heals the sick and
tormented (body/soul).
IHOP-KC has many limitations in our understanding and model of prayer. The
Holy Spirit is orchestrating a global prayer movement that is much bigger than any
one location. Our capacity is too small to contain all Jesus has to give the whole
Body of Christ, therefore, we deeply need the understanding and anointing from
others in the Church.
B. One model called the Harp and Bowl model with 4 different prayer
formats of our model. The two primary leaders in our model are the worship
leader and the prayer leader.
“…the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a HARP,
and GOLDEN BOWLS full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”
(Rev. 5:8)
D. Every ministry has a specific ‘revelation’ for the Lord that expresses a specific
dimension of His personality. That revelation/mandate is not the best or the only
revelation in the Kingdom of God, but it is what a particular ministry is to be
faithful with before God. No one ministry can carry and express every
dimension of God’s personality and should NOT be pressured to by others to try
(insecurity and pride push people to go beyond their God-given mandate).
1. Spiritual goals – entering into the prophetic flow and power of the
Holy Spirit.
G. All music styles are welcome and encouraged. The model does not suggest a
music style nor a certain sound, but is a communication tool that can be
expressed within context to all styles (except spontaneous singing).
Examples: Spontaneous singing is mandated by our model, all our teams must
learn to flow in this greatly neglected dimension in the worship movement today.
Biblical language – we ask that antiphonal singing uses Scriptural terminology
instead of merely what flows from the heart. Known worship songs sang with a
dominant melody line. New worship leaders must not use too much solo type
singing that makes it difficult for the congregation to participate.
For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one
understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. 4 He who speaks in a
tongue edifies himself…5 I wish you all spoke in tongues… 14 For if I pray in a
tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.
15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with
the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the
understanding. 16 If you bless with the spirit, how will…the uninformed say
“Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say? 1 (1
Cor. 14: 2-5, 14-16)
Singing spontaneously releases faith and the intensity to encounter the manifest
presence of God. This opens the human spirit to the Holy Spirit in an enhanced way.
Beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy
Spirit… (Jude 20)
Two ways to sing spontaneously: Firstly, by singing with our spirit in tongues and
secondly, singing with our understanding from Scripture.
“Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and
admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with
grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Col. 3:16)
“Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and
making melody in your heart to the Lord…” (Eph. 5:19)
Rapid Fire prayer incorporates short prayers of a number of intercessors one after another on
the microphone. It allows for participation of intercessors in a non-threatening manner
because the prayers are short. The Rapid-Fire Facilitator will choose a focus and then invites
10-20 intercessors to pray for 10-15 seconds. The Facilitator opens by establishing the prayer
focus by praying 1 to 3 minutes.
A. The primary governing principle in the Harp and Bowl model is developing
a passage by antiphonal praying (singing).
A. Corporate worship songs – The worship leader’s role is to lead the people
into a God-ward focus so the whole room engages in God’s presence in one
accord. Therefore, as a rule, we choose songs that direct us to sing to God
not only about God.
Select worship songs that the majority of the people present are familiar
with. Do not introduce more than one new song per worship set. Make
sure that the words of the new song are displayed so that all can engage
easily.
The purpose of the worship team is to lead so that the whole room engages
with God. Thus, it is important to have simple and basic chord
progressions and in an easy vocal range for non-gifted singers in the
congregation.
The prophetic singers should all engage boldly in order to lead the room.
They should sing long notes in flowing melodies and harmonies instead of
short syncopated notes going quickly up and down the scale. The worship
leader should start with extended lower notes to give the congregation easy
melody lines that help them find their own easy melody lines in their range.
The prayer leader is not to sing on the mic during spontaneous singing.
Because the prayer leader is at a higher sound volume than the prophetic
singers, thus, dominating the voices of the prophetic singers in spontaneous
singing.
I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus…15 from whom the
whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant
you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with
might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell
in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in
love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the
width and length and depth and height…19 to know the love of Christ
which passes knowledge…filled with all the fullness of God.
After reading this then pray it for 1-3 minutes (to get the room into the
flow of that prayer). End this initial part of the prayer by focusing on
the part of the passage you have chosen as the key ‘sentence’ that you
want to develop with the prophetic singers.
c. Develop the phrase with different words that enhance the meaning.
For example, “Strengthen with might through Your Spirit in the inner
man”
a. Sing short songs that stay on the same theme of the isolated phrase
so as to enhance its meaning in order for clear themes to emerge.
The singers must not sing multiple themes in one short song. We
want to unfold the meaning of biblical passages so that we teach
one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs (Col. 3:16).
d. Signal one another by lifting a finger on the hand holding the mic
or humming to signify they have a next song (teams may differ in
using signals).
All the singers must help lead by singing the chorus together boldly to
establish it so all in the room can quickly join in. All the singers should
help carry the melody line in these choruses and avoid all else.
Corporate prayer choruses – that help the whole room intercede with
one voice. For example, choruses like “Send Your Spirit Lord,” or
“We must have more,” or “Let us burn with Your fire” or “Come and
deliver me” or “break through….” etc.
Using the same chorus many times – if a chorus is one that the room
responds to in a strong way, then use it at other times through the entire
prayer meeting. The chorus leader or worship leader may use the same
chorus at several different times throughout the passage.
2. The prayer leader aims at a 1:5-1:10 ratio with the singers, as opposed
to a 1:1-1:2 ratio in the intercessory prayer format.
B. The prayer leader’s main job is to keep the isolated phrase obvious to the
prophetic singers, so they have a big target at which to aim.
C. The prayer leader’s second job is to watch the involvement of the room.
The goal is to see the room in one accord. They watch to see if the
antiphonal singing is inspiring the room to engage with God. If the
antiphonal singing goes too long the room disengages.
A. The prayer leader’s role in the intercessory prayer format is to lead as the
worship leader supports. The prayer leader initiates by speaking the
“biblical sentence” and also “isolating phrases.”
B. The prayer leader adds one additional dimension not used in the worship
prayer formats. They pray the apostolic prayer or prophetic promise for 1-2
minutes to get the room into the flow of the biblical prayer. For example,
they read Eph. 3:16-17, then pray it for 1-2 minutes and, then they isolate a
phrase.
C. The intercessor has the option to use the singers or not. If the prayer
leader wants to involve them, then they simply pause to make room for
them, and then continue to offer short 5-10 second prayers that flow in an
antiphonal way with them. If the prayer leader chooses not to involve the
singers, then they can pray the passage for up to five minutes. The five-
minute limitation is only for the purpose of giving other intercessors the
opportunity to pray on the microphone.
B. Worship cycle – the three activities that worship leaders use in a re-
occurring pattern throughout the 2 hour prayer meeting. They are: 1)
singing corporate worship songs; 2) spontaneous singing; and 3) developing
a theme through antiphonal praying.
E. Isolating a phrase – the prayer leader designates (echoes) one phrase from
the biblical sentence that the singers develop by singing around it.
A. If people understand the values behind the mechanics, then they more easily
embrace the model’s restraints. Loyalty to a model without understanding the
underlying values leads to frustrating formalism. One primary issue is to equip
the heart to be empowered with confidence that overcomes fear.
B. Our desire is to discern the structure that enhances the flow of the Holy Spirit.
The model is designed on the premise that a right structure enhances a creative
expression of the Holy Spirit in the context of a corporate team even more
than in individualistic spontaneous expression.
Without these principles, the form of symphony could not exist. The
governing principles facilitate rather than hinder the creative expression of the
corporate whole.
Paul taught us that only together with all the saints can we experience the ocean of
God’s love. The fullness is only released to the unified Church.
“may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and
depth and height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you
may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:18-19)
The longing for fullness is a foundational heart cry at IHOP-KC. It is the reason we
endure the difficulty of ministry.
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
…It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; FOR
THERE THE LORD COMMANDED THE BLESSING – life forevermore.” (Ps.
133:1-3)
“…he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and GREATER
WORKS THAN THESE HE WILL DO, because I go to My Father.” (John
14:12)
B. Praying in one accord was vital to the release of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.
“These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication.” (Acts
1:14)
“…they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a
sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole
house…” (Acts 2:1-2)
“And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together
was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the
word of God with boldness. Now the multitude of those who believed were
of one heart and one soul… with great power the apostles gave witness to
the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.”
(Acts 4:31-35)
C. Some are not aware of the Divine possibilities available only in unified
anointed prayer.
D. Our vision for IHOP is to enter into the “commanded blessing” of the Lord.
E. There is a ceiling in the spirit until the prayer flows in unity in the Holy Spirit.
“you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by
many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.” (2
Cor. 1:11)
A. Team ministry is necessary between the worship team and the intercessors;
between the singers; and between all in the prayer room.
3. Emotional restraint – flowing together as a team may be more difficult for some
great musicians. To play with restraint so as to bring out the best of the team.
D. The conductor of the symphony must have special abilities to manage the ego
of the stars. We are more committed to the team being great than a few
individuals excelling. Historically, some great stars ego is challenged by
patience to fulfill their individual achievements as they wait on the team to
develop. Being on a great team will bring the best out for all on the team.
1. In light of our global mandate, we must have a model that the ungifted, untrained or
emotionally weak (or just those having a bad day) can function in on a regular basis.
Beginners in the team – team ministry allows for the immediate inclusion of all
beginners. Mal. 4:6 teaches us that the old and young must flow together, mature and
immature, musically seasoned and unseasoned.
2. Our goal is to convince the weak that they are wanted and that they belong on the
team. We must have a model that can reach the weak of the nations, not just the
musically elite.
1. The great missing element in the prayer and worship movement today is
Scripture itself. IHOP-KC is called by God to be a singing seminary, not just a
gathering of church musicians who love music yet do not possess spiritual
depth in the Word. We are to be rejoicing in the language of God’s heart as
opposed to being frustrated by the limitation of biblical language. This creates
an automatic discipleship program.
A. The God of the big target. The Lord makes Himself easy to find instead of
boasting in people who claim to be so finely tuned into God. I am not a good
learner, but Jesus is a great teacher. I am not a good follower, but Jesus is a
great leader.
B. The gentle dove? The God of infinite patience is not an insecure dove who
easily gets offended and driven away. Yes the Holy Spirit can be grieved, but
even in that He draws back in order to awaken more hunger in us. The
drawing back itself is redemptive.
C. De-mystifying the process – the model must clarify the spiritual dynamics in
order to be inclusive. To value inclusiveness is to help undermine spiritual
pride.
D. The Gnostic paradigm of the flesh is that our humanity is evil and must be
escaped, resisted and overcome. However, the incarnation of Jesus is our
example of the divine operating within the human context, and is in opposition
to the Gnostic error (1 Cor. 12-14; 1 John 1-5). It is the value of humanity
operating in the fullness of the anointing without contradiction of righteousness.
E. We are seeking to create a model that can flow even when people are in a bad
mood are tired and are spiritually dull.
B. Therefore, we must learn ways to empower the heart with confidence in God that
overcomes fear (and thus pride). A primary hindrance to flowing in the anointing
of the Holy Spirit is fear. It takes on many forms and expressions, but its deadly
poison is seen in all that it touches. It shuts down the heart of God’s people.
C. The IHOP-KC prayer model is based on values that seek to dismantle fear in
our intercessors, singers and musicians, etc. so that we can flow with creativity
in God. Only as our fears begin to be subdued can we soar together as a
team.
D. The struggle and discomfort (fear) of being out of our comfort zone is not the
same as quenching the Holy Spirit. It is awkward to flow at an intimate heart
level with human beings we don’t know very well.
A. The fear of the unfamiliar. Swimming against the current of unfamiliarity and
the awkwardness of learning new dynamics. I compare new heart experiences
to someone who swims against the current for a season, and then eventually the
time comes when the current changes as we get familiar. Then we enjoy
swimming with the current. Unfamiliar things are difficult.
B. The fear of rejection – serving with people who have different personalities,
histories, doctrines, paradigms of God and expectations, etc.
C. The fear of not being wanted on the team – not being good enough.
F. The fear of failure – shame. The fear of failing in front of others is a major
struggle. The fear of performing poorly in our skills and abilities hinders us.
It is awkward to flow at an intimate heart level with God in front of some who
can do it better than us.
H. The fear of missing God – quenching the Holy Spirit. The fear of failing
God or of being disqualified spiritually.
“Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the LORD…to love the name of the
LORD…EVEN THEM I will bring to My holy mountain, and MAKE THEM JOYFUL in
My house of prayer.” (Isa. 56:6-7)
A. The Lord will release enjoyable prayer to His church. It is the only type of prayer that
will continue night and day. Anointed enjoyable prayer is for everyone. “Even them”
– Isaiah referred to the idolatrous barbaric nations around Israel as being invited to
enjoy God in prayer.
B. Significant passages describing enjoyable prayer – Isa. 56; 62; Ps. 149; Rev. 4-5.
C. The most significant passage related to enjoyable prayer outlines the beauty of God in
context to the heavenly worship around the Throne (Rev. 4-5). God’s beauty
fascinates the heart and makes prayer enjoyable.
“ONE THING I HAVE DESIRED OF THE LORD, that will I seek:…all the days
of my life, TO BEHOLD THE BEAUTY OF THE LORD….” (Ps. 27:4)
1. King David taught the people to enjoy God. In place of the word
rejoice or joyful think of the word enjoy.
“Let Israel rejoice (enjoy) in their Maker; let the children of Zion be
joyful (enjoy) in their King.” (Ps. 149:2)
“For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the
humble with salvation.” (Ps. 149:4)
C. The first Person of the Trinity is a tender Father, and the second Person of
the Trinity is a passionate Bridegroom. The subjects of God the Father and
Jesus the Bridegroom God are vital to the end-time prayer movement. I
cannot over-emphasize the value of the Song of Solomon and the doctrine
of the Bride of Christ.
“You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD will
name. You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a
royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no longer be termed
Forsaken, nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; but you shall
be called Hephzibah…for the LORD delights in you… For as a young
man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you; and as the
bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. I
have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold
their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not
keep silent,” (Isa. 62:2-6)
“The twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a HARP, AND
GOLDEN BOWLS full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (Rev. 5:8)
A. The harp speaks of music and songs of worship to God. The bowls speak
of prayers to God. Around the throne worship and intercession flow
together.
Two ways to sing spontaneously: Singing with our spirit in tongues and singing with
our understanding from the Scriptures.
“…I will sing WITH THE SPIRIT, and I will also sing WITH THE
UNDERSTANDING.” (1 Cor. 14:14-15)
B. Around the throne of God, the saints and angels experience the anointing of
the Spirit in music and singing as they worship. The combination of
anointed preaching with anointed music brings new dimensions. Even
100,000 in a stadium can enter into the same depth of emotion together,
feeling the same thing together for hours at a time with the combination of
anointed music with anointed truths.
C. King David invested great amounts of time and money into cultivating
anointed music and singers.
1. He did this because this dimension in the Spirit does not come
automatically. It comes through much intentional training and
impartation. You need singers who operate in a prophetic spirit and
who have a spontaneous spirit. This is critical to cultivating a vibrant
spiritual atmosphere in the Church.
D. Elisha the prophet asked for a musician to release the anointing of the
Spirit.
E. The trumpets and harps are prominent in God’s end-time strategy as seen in
the book of Revelation. God releases His judgments on the earth through
the music of Divine trumpets (Rev 8:13; 9:14). They were also important
in King David’s prayer ministry (2 Sam. 6:15; 1 Chr. 13:8; 1 Chr. 15:24,
28; 16:6, 42; 2 Chr. 5:13; 7:6; 13:12, 14; 15:14; 20:28; 23:13; 29:26-27;
Neh. 4:20; 12:35, 41).
A. The harp and bowl model is built around antiphonal praying (singing) of
the Word. This involves functioning in team ministry in the Holy Spirit in
the realm of worship and prayer. It is a dynamic way to provide diversity
that helps to sustain long hours of worship and prayer with greater intensity,
experiencing more of the flow of the Spirit. This is another principle
important for a corporate model of enjoyable prayer.
B. Antiphonal singing is the model of God’s choice around the Throne where
there are five different groups breaking forth in a heavenly crescendo as
they minister to God together as one team.
“Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the
twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and
golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And
they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, and to
open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your
blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have
made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.’
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne,
the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten
thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a
loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and
riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!’ And
every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth
and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:
‘Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the
throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’ Then the four living
creatures said, ‘Amen!’ And the twenty-four elders fell down and
worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.” (Rev. 5:8-14)
4. The four living creatures cry out in a chorus of “amen” in Rev. 5:14.
A. Prayer that comes from God’s heart is the kind upon which the Holy Spirit releases
Divine authority. Understanding God’s heart helps us in different ways to enjoy
intimacy with Jesus.
“Most assuredly, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you …Ask,
and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” (John 16:23-24)
B. Inspired prayer that comes from communion with the Holy Spirit results in answered
prayer that makes our joy full.
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and
it will be done for you.” (John 15:7)
C. Informed intercession.
b. Asking questions about the history of a people or area will lead us to pray
strategically with informed hearts.
D. Discerning the social and spiritual dynamics at work in a specific geographic area
helps the intercessors to sustain fervency in prayer. It enhances our understanding of
what God desires to release by His Spirit. Two things that help sustain concentrated
and focused intercession are progressive revelation and clear provable results.
People are motivated by gaining new info as the Divine drama in prophetic prayer
unfolds.
This is the same motivation that makes a person listen intensely to a great story. Each
detail draws them in with great attention as they understand more. They begin to see
the where the end of the story is going. There is a clear sense of momentum when
new information is discerned and new breakthroughs occur. The revelation that
progressively unfolds more information contributes to sustained fervency and
effectual prayer.
E. See George Otis’ book – Informed Intercession and Lou Engle’s book – Digging the
Wells of Revival.
B. The joy of God’s heart is imparted to the angels and the church when the
lost are saved.
“Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God
over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10)
“…describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to
all the brethren.” (Acts 15:3)
“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in
the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our
glory and joy.” (1 Thess. 2:19 -20)
C. The joy of God’s heart is imparted to the church as we partner with Him in
serving the poor.
“We make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of
Macedonia: …the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty
abounded in …their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their
ability…they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we
would receive the gift… ministering to the saints.” (2 Cor 8:1-4)
E. Anna the intercessor was the first evangelist in the New Testament (Luke
2:37-38). Jesus the evangelist called for diligent prayer for anointed
evangelists to be released in the harvest (Luke 10:2).
VIII. PATH TO FULLNESS – JOY IN LOVING & NEEDING THE WHOLE BODY
A. Loving the whole church in all nations and from all denominations.
“may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and
length and depth and height” (Eph. 3:18)
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together
in unity!…for there the LORD commanded the blessing….” (Ps. 133:1-
3)
“fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one
accord, of one mind.” (Phil. 2:2)
B. We emphasize our need of the Church. Paul had a revelation of his need of
others knowing that there is a ceiling in the spirit in his personal prayer life
until the others in the church helped him in prayer. Paul pleads for help in
prayer from others weaker in faith, so that he may overcome the counter
attack of the enemy and have a more effective ministry to the church.
“Now I beg you, brethren…through the love of the Spirit, THAT YOU
STRIVE TOGETHER WITH ME IN PRAYERS TO GOD FOR ME, that
I may be delivered from those in Judea…and that my service for
Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,” (Rom. 15:30-31)
“you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by
many persons …for the gift granted to us….” (2 Cor. 1:11)
C. Paul knows that his deliverance from persecution and his anointing for
boldness was released in part from the prayers of the saints.
“For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your
prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ...” (Phil. 1:19)
D. The International House of Prayer is not the effort of one local church. It
belongs to the whole church in the city.
4. Healing prayer is coming into agreement with God’s heart for healing
and breaking our agreement with sickness.
5. Serving is coming into agreement with the servant heart of Jesus and
breaking our agreement with selfish pride.
D. God-ward prayers – the intercessory prayers in the Scripture are all God-
centered. All of the approximately 25-30 New Testament apostolic prayers
are directed to God instead of sin or the devil. Therefore, our primary
focus is God-centered prayers instead of demon-centered or sin-focused
ones. On specific occasions the Holy Spirit may lead the church to war
against a principality in a direct way. This is a governmental function that
requires unity with the Holy Spirit.
A. Biblical prayers are the actual prayer and worship texts from the
Scripture. Locating the actual prayer verses of the Bible is not the same as
merely praying Bible verses that are not prayers. Biblical prayers are the
language of God’s heart. They are such a valuable gift to the Church
because they originated in God’s burning heart for His people.
C. New Testament prayers are positive prayers. In other words, they focus
on asking God to release good qualities instead of asking Him to remove
negative ones. For example, Paul prayed for the releasing of love, faith,
unity, peace, righteousness and power instead of asking the Lord to remove
hate, unbelief, division, fear or sin.
1. The positive focus of New Testament prayers helps people connect with
God and His people. This focus was designed by God to help weak
people soar in the Spirit with a heart of unity and love. Biblical prayers
are not designed to make it easier for God to hear us, but to make it
easier for us to be united with one another and experience God. God
answers many negative prayers. God can sort through the confusing
negative preaching prayers to answer the cry of our heart.
A. Using the Scripture as we learn to flow in the Holy Spirit to draw attention
to Jesus and not to people on the platform.
B. The Holy Spirit’s zeal to exhibit Jesus, not the servants of Jesus.
“He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to
you.” (John 16:14)
“And there is no one who calls on Your name, who stirs himself up to take hold
of You; for You have hidden Your face from us…” (Isa. 64:7)
“praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to
this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Eph. 6:18)
A. Cultivating a militant spirit with bold faith will result in greater blessing
being released. Boldness to stand against demonic activity in those we pray
for will often make a significant difference. Sometimes the difference
between life and death.
“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that HE MIGHT
DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL.” (1 John 3:8)
“…that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Eph.
6:11)
“…taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the
fiery darts of the wicked one.” (Eph. 6:16)
“from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven
suffers violence, and THE VIOLENT TAKE IT BY FORCE” (Matt.
11:12)
A. When the conviction of revival runs high, then faith for night and day
prayer runs high. Believing God for the big things He has promised is
essential fuel for night and day prayer ministries. Therefore, we will not
draw back with religious timidity and false humility, which is unbelief.
B. Bold agreement with God is essential for the breakthrough of revival. The
zealous pursuit of a historic breakthrough of the Spirit is a value at IHOP-
KC.
C. Paul Cain’s word – the stadiums will be filled with nameless and faceless
ministries doing greater works and leading multitudes to Jesus (John
14:12).
D. A word from the Lord given to Mike Bickle in Cairo, Egypt, (Sept. 1982).
A. The end-time judgments of God (Lk. 17:22-37) was the context that Jesus
used to call His people to night and day prayer for the release of “speedy”
justice in the earth (Lk. 18:1-8).
“‘As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of
Man: Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they
bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went
out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed
them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left.’
And they answered and said to Him, ‘Where, Lord?’ So He said to them,
‘Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.’ Then
He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose
heart….” (Lk. 17:22-18:1)
A. We are seeking a model that combines both structure and spontaneity and
reflects the worship around the Throne in the heavenly symphony (Rev. 4-
5).
B. The Harp and Bowl model is a prophetic liturgy. Our desire is to worship
God with spontaneity (prophetic); therefore, we have structure (liturgy).
We are seeking to receive revelation from God concerning ways to move forward
in our journey to establish a new model of Harp and Bowl spiritual warfare. We
want to learn how to enjoy Jesus as we combine God-centered worship and
intercession with musical prophetic anointing that reaches the lost and loves the
whole church. Ways that focus on intimacy with God in the beauty realm and yet,
are aggressive and bold with zeal to destroy the works of the devil as Jesus is
magnified in all the nations of the earth.
Some traditional models of prayer today are not seeking these values.
At this time, the prayer leader invites people to bring a biblical prayer or prophetic promise
(and/or decree) to pray on the mic. Invite them to sit on the front row so that we know that
they are ready. Let them know that they can pray as short as 1 minute or as long as 5 minutes
and that they have the option to involve the singers or not. If they chose to then they just
need to pause to make room for them to sing.
Worship Cycles 3-7: 5-7 Minutes - different intercessors from the room
A) 3-5 Min. Worship songs with option of spontaneous singing (worship time proportionate to
intercession time)
B) 3-5 Min. - 1-2 prayers offered consecutively (if several intercessors have come forth)
Worship Cycle 10: 12 Minutes – Voluntary Small group prayer (prayer leader responsible)
A) 5 Min. of Worship
B) 5-7 Min. Voluntary Small group prayer
(pray for any prayer burden – i.e. the lost, sick, upcoming ministry trip or a visiting ministry)
(The worship team continues softly with corporate worship songs)
A. Pray through a biblical sentence from a biblical prayer (2-4 verse passage).
Pray for up to 5 minutes without singers if you want. Go longer if others are not in
line to pray.
B. Isolating a phrase – pray for 1-2 minutes before exercising the option to give
room for the singers to develop the isolated phrase antiphonally. The prayer leader
isolates a phrase by clearly designating (echoing) one key phrase from the biblical
sentence that the singers may develop by singing around it.
C. Develop the themes through antiphonal praying (singing) (5 mins.) – the singers
and prayer leader seek to develop themes from the isolated phrase. The singers sing
short (5-10 seconds) songs to enhance the theme of the isolated phrase.
Prayer leader invites (without pressure) all who want to participate in a small group of
4-5 to stand to indicate their desire to participate. They pray for any burden on their
heart.
This is voluntary group prayer. Let the people know that it is okay to remain seated
and to remain engaged in individual prayer. Encourage participants to walk across the
room to gather in groups of 4-5. The worship leader continues for the entire 5-7
minutes with worship songs. Keep the volume lower than usual so they can easily
hear each other.
Select one theme plus a Bible passage with a prophetic focus (i.e. prayer, decree or
promise).
ii) Sorceries – occult groups, human sacrifice, false religions and cults, demon
worship, witchcraft, etc.
6. Economic issues – anointing and wisdom for business, and deliverance from
economic crisis.
7. Family issues – youth issues, marriages, divorce, the elderly, orphans, widows, the
disabled, etc.
The intercessor develops the warfare theme in two ways. First, by proclaiming
God’s victory (by agreeing with the supremacy of Jesus, declaring prophetic decrees
and reminding God of His promises) and second, by denouncing the enemy (by
confessing sin, resisting Satan and renouncing the works of darkness).
Use prophetic decrees like Job 22:28; Jer. 31:7; Isa. 45:11; Ps. 2:7, etc., or entire
prophetic passages like Ps. 2; 149; Rev. 17-19. We can also declare the supremacy of
Jesus by declaring who we are in Christ (i.e., we are children of light, sons of God,
Bride of Christ, etc.).
Victory refrains – consist of two distinct choruses that use refrains that proclaim YES/NO.
For example, the worship leader sings, “we say ‘YES’ to life” then the chorus leader sings;
“we say ‘NO’ to death.” The music style in victory refrains uses minor keys with a militant
beat. The keyboard should be played with strong repetitive notes. Having a driving militant
bass and a trumpet in prophetic intercession is vital.
Sing victory refrains in conjunction with the Hallel chorus (the Lord is good, His mercy
endures forever). Use victory refrains for each of the 12 words (used in the hymns of
Revelation) – Glory, Dominion, Honor, Power, Might, Salvation, Riches, Wisdom, Strength,
Blessing, Thanksgiving, Holy or use any of the five words describing God’s activities – True,
Righteous, Great, Marvelous, Just.
A. “Pray (sing) through a biblical sentence” that is formed from a passage of 2-4 Bible
verses. Psalms is the place from which we most commonly select the passages. All
singers can introduce and pray through a biblical sentence. They will sing a biblical
sentence from one passage and end the sentence with a name of God. They signify that
they have a passage by holding their Bible up in their hands during the spontaneous
singing. They wait until the worship leader brings the volume of the music down before
beginning to pray (sing) through the biblical sentence. They do it nearly word for word,
omitting any phrases that are difficult to sing and/or that make the sentence too long.
The worship team members should only develop a passage as they feel led. Sensing
God’s presence in the worship is a good indicator for the timing to sing through the
biblical sentence. We do not press this dimension of prophetic worship in the same way
that we press spontaneous singing.
B. “Isolating a phrase” – the prayer leader clearly designates (echoes) one key phrase from
the biblical sentence that the singers sing around it.
C. “Develop themes through antiphonal praying (singing)” – the singers seek to develop
themes from the isolated phrase by singing short (5-10 seconds) songs to enhance the
theme of the isolated phrase. Usually we will not spend more than 1-2 minutes on any
one isolated phrase unless the Holy Spirit is moving on it in a special way. If the Lord is
blessing, then the prayer leader may move on by isolating another key phrase within that
passage. Even in a good flow, we should only isolate 2-3 different phrases per worship
cycle due to time. Usually after about 5 minutes of antiphonal singing the congregation
begins to disengage. More choruses can help keep the congregation engaged a little
longer.
D. The prayer leader’s role is very different in worship prayer formats (Prophetic Worship,
Worship with the Word and Devotional Worship) from the intercessory prayer format.
Usually, the prayer leader must not speak more than 3-5 words using strong short
proclamations. The purpose here is to subtly support the flow in worship by creating a
subtle contrast with the music and singing.
Chorus and worship leaders may use the same chorus at several different times
throughout the passage. Occasionally establish contrasting choruses. Limit to two
choruses at one time.
F. Ministry time – the prayer leader initiates this anytime. The automatic isolated phrase is
“Lord, release Your power, mercy or healing” unless the prayer leader uses a specific
passage and therefore, prays through a biblical sentence.
4. To provide an anointed atmosphere that others in the room may be blessed as they
study.
Usually we will sing systematically through large portions of Scripture. As a rule we will
sing through a worship outline that will cover an entire chapter of Scripture (occasionally we
will develop worship outlines along themes). In this, we function as a singing seminary as we
sing a chapter from the Psalms, Song of Solomon (use interpretive language from IHOP’s
Song of Solomon outline) or other chapters easily singable. Most often we will choose a
psalm.
There are only 3 parts to the worship cycle in this prayer format: worship songs; spontaneous
singing; and, developing a theme through antiphonal singing. We repeat this three-part
worship cycle throughout the two-hour worship set. Suggestion – in spontaneous singing,
sing from the Psalm that your team is focusing on during that meeting.
Worship Cycle 2-6 20-30 Minutes each (feel free to go longer if there is life on it)
A) Worship songs: for 5-10 minutes
B) Spontaneous singing: for 5 minutes (feel free to go longer if there is life on it)
C) Develop a Biblical passage (antiphonal singing): about 10-15 minutes
We aim for approximately 4-6 worship cycles. As a rule, we finish a cycle by developing a
passage with antiphonal singing, then we begin another cycle by singing a worship song.
However if the antiphonal singing is flowing in a strong theme and you think you will lose
momentum by changing the music, then occasionally you may choose to start the new
worship cycle with a spontaneous chorus instead of a regular worship song and then follow
by spontaneous singing.
The worship leader has the primary responsibility to lead this set and to choose the chapter
and make worship outlines. They may delegate this to another as they invite partnership from
any on the team. They will print the verses on the outline so that all have the same translation
(IHOP recommend the NKJV) and they will edit out the phrases that are hard to sing. Aim at
fitting it on one page.
On it, break the chapter down into 5-7 cycles with titles (the cycles may not all be used, but
are available). The worship leader determines the order in which the verses are sung when
making the outline, going through the chapter in any order. For example in Ps. 24 you may
start with v. 8 “Who is this King of glory?” then go to v. 1-3 in one of the following cycles.
The team may use the same outline for several weeks and will also study that chapter
together. The prayer leader may announce the psalm so that the room can follow.
A. Sing through a biblical sentence that is established from 1-3 verses of scripture
primarily using the wording of the text. Feel free to add an additional sentence using
your own language to flow better with the text. For example, when singing Rev. 4:8,
“Holy, Holy, Holy…” we may add “You alone are the holy God, who we adore”.
Select biblical sentences with phrases that are easy to express heart responses to God.
Omit phrases that are difficult to sing.
End the biblical sentence with a name of God ( “Oh God”, or “Lord God almighty”,
etc.). The worship leader sings through the first biblical sentence, followed by singer
#1, then singer #2, etc. unless otherwise assigned by the worship leader (the prayer
leader does not introduce a passage). The singer lifts their Bible during spontaneous
singing to indicate they are ready. Oracles can be sung by singing the biblical
sentence with a declarative style.
B. Isolating a phrase – the prayer leader clearly designates (echoes) one key phrase
from the biblical sentence that the singers may develop by singing around it. The
prayer leader’s goal is to make one phrase obvious as the phrase from which to
develop a theme. They isolate only 3-7 words from the biblical sentence. This makes
an easy target for the singers so that we reach a crescendo in singing the Word.
As a rule, pray for the sick as the team continues with worship.
A. Develop a story line continuing for 3 to 30 minutes or longer. Only the worship
leader sings the story from a longer bible passage. This may include different types of
singing modes (oracles, ballads etc.). The worship leader may use many spontaneous
choruses and selahs at any time during the story.
The worship leader signals the story line by beginning with a sentence that begins
with “there”. (For example, There is a God, a throne, a man, city, etc; There was a
man, a woman, a time, etc.; There will be a people, a city, etc.; If the team misses it
then repeat by singing, There is a God etc., I say to you, there is a God). The worship
leader signals to the prayer leader when the team is to begin to sing antiphonally by
singing Yeshua. At this time, the prayer leader isolates a phrase recently used by the
worship leader. The singers only sing antiphonally after the prayer leader isolates a
phrase. The singers function in a support role with the worship leader singing the
majority (antiphonal songs).
Singing Dialogues occurs any time the worship leader asks a question. It is only
answered by one singer (the first to answer it with subtle support from the prayer
leader) who begins a singing dialogue with the worship leader. The singers answer
from a different voice from the question asked by the worship leader. For example if
the worship leader asks a question from God’s voice (or viewpoint) then it is
answered from the Church’s voice. Go back and forth until either ends it by singing a
name of God. The worship leader follows it by a worship song, chorus or with
spontaneous singing.
B. Singing an oracle. (1-2 minutes): after giving the oracle sign and the worship
leader okays its timing. The oracle may be sung after the spontaneous singing or
antiphonal singing or the story line. We limit each session to 2-3 oracles (1 Cor.
14:17-19).
IHOP devotionals have liberty to have longer times of developing passages and longer selahs plus a story line.
In the past, many devos lacked direction becoming sometimes aimless with long uncreative selahs with
disengaged singers without worship songs. It is not ‘less-than’ to sing worship songs, which are effective in
getting the room engaged. Selahs are creative musical expressions with engaging music. Antiphonal singing can
only go so long before it goes flat.
That the Father of glory, may give to you the SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND REVELATION in
the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may
KNOW what is the HOPE OF HIS CALLING, what are the riches of the glory of HIS
INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS, and what is the exceeding greatness of HIS POWER
TOWARD US who believe, according to the working of His mighty power… (Eph. 1:17-19).
THAT He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be STRENGTHENED
WITH MIGHT through His Spirit in the inner man, THAT Christ may DWELL IN YOUR
HEARTS through faith; THAT you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be ABLE TO
COMPREHEND with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—TO
KNOW the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may BE FILLED with all the
fullness of God. (Eph. 3:16-19)
That your LOVE MAY ABOUND still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that
you may APPROVE THE THINGS THAT ARE EXCELLENT, that you may be sincere and
without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness… (Phil. 1:9-
11)
4. Prayer to know God’s will, to be fruitful in ministry and strengthened by intimacy with
God.
That you may be filled with the KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WILL in all wisdom and spiritual
understanding; that you may have a WALK WORTHY OF THE LORD, fully pleasing Him,
being FRUITFUL in every good work and increasing in the KNOWLEDGE OF GOD;
STRENGTHENED WITH ALL MIGHT, according to His glorious power, for all patience and
longsuffering with joy… (Col. 1:9-11)
5. Prayer for unity in the church and to be filled with supernatural joy, peace and hope.
May the God of patience and comfort grant you to be LIKE-MINDED toward one another…
that you may with ONE MIND and one mouth glorify the… Father… May the God of hope
FILL YOU WITH ALL JOY AND PEACE in believing, that you may ABOUND IN HOPE by
the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 15:5-6, 13)
6. To be enriched by all the gifts of the Spirit including powerful preaching and prophetic
revelation.
That you were ENRICHED IN EVERYTHING by Him in all UTTERANCE and all
KNOWLEDGE, even as the testimony of Christ was CONFIRMED in you, so that you COME
SHORT IN NO GIFT, eagerly waiting for the revelation of… Jesus Christ, who will also
CONFIRM you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1
Cor. 1:5-8)
7. For the release of grace to bring the Church to maturity especially to abound in love and
holiness.
Praying exceedingly that… PERFECT WHAT IS LACKING in your faith? Now may our God
and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, DIRECT OUR WAY TO YOU. And may the
Lord make you INCREASE AND ABOUND IN LOVE to one another and to all… that He may
establish your hearts BLAMELESS IN HOLINESS before our God and Father. (1 Thes.
3:10-13)
We pray always for you that God would COUNT YOU WORTHY OF THIS CALLING, and
fulfill all the GOOD PLEASURE OF HIS GOODNESS and the WORK OF FAITH WITH
POWER, that the name of… Jesus may be GLORIFIED IN YOU, and YOU IN HIM,
according to the grace of our God. (2 Thes. 1:11-12)
9. That the Word will increase its influence in the city as God releases His power on it.
Pray for us, that the WORD OF THE LORD MAY RUN SWIFTLY and be GLORIFIED, just
as it is with you… The Lord is faithful, who will ESTABLISH you and GUARD YOU from the
evil one… May the Lord DIRECT YOUR HEARTS into the love of God and into the patience
of Christ. (2 Thes. 3:1-5)
Lord… grant to your servants that with ALL BOLDNESS they may speak Your word, BY
STRETCHING OUT YOUR HAND TO HEAL, and that SIGNS AND WONDERS may be done
through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus, And when they had prayed, the place where
they were assembled together was shaken; and they were ALL FILLED WITH THE HOLY
SPIRIT, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:29-31)
11. Release of God’s promise to be endued with power for all who tarry for breakthrough.
Behold I send the PROMISE OF MY FATHER UPON YOU: but tarry in the city of Jerusalem
until you are ENDUED WITH POWER from on high. (Lk. 24:49). YOU SHALL RECEIVE
POWER when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in
Jerusalem… and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:8)
12. For the Lord to release His zeal for His people and for His manifest presence to shake
all that resists Him.
Look down… and see from Your habitation, holy and glorious. Where are YOUR ZEAL and
YOUR STRENGTH, the YEARNING OF YOUR HEART and YOUR MERCIES toward me?...
You, O Lord, are our Father; Our Redeemer from everlasting is Your name… Oh that You
would REND THE HEAVENS! That You would COME DOWN! That the mountains might
shake at Your presence—as fire burns brushwood, as fire causes water to boil – to MAKE
YOUR NAME KNOWN to Your adversaries, that the NATIONS MAY TREMBLE AT YOUR
PRESENCE! When You did awesome things for which we did not look… Since the beginning
of the world men have not heard… nor has the eye seen any God besides You, WHO ACTS
for the one who WAITS FOR HIM. You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, who
remembers You in Your ways. (Isa. 63:15-16; 64:1-7)
13. For the release of God’s promise to pour out His Spirit and release dreams, visions and
prophecy.
In the last days, says God, that I will POUR OUT OF MY SPIRIT on all flesh; Your sons and
your daughters SHALL PROPHESY, Your young men SHALL SEE VISIONS, your old men
shall DREAM DREAMS. On My menservants and My maidservants I will POUR OUT MY
SPIRIT in those days; and they SHALL PROPHESY. I will show WONDERS in heaven above
and SIGNS in the earth beneath: blood, fire and vapour of smoke. The sun shall be turned
into darkness, and the moon into blood, BEFORE the coming of the great and awesome day
of the Lord. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord SHALL BE SAVED. (Acts 2:17-21)
14. Prayer for Israel to be saved and the release of the prophetic anointing, miracles and
righteousness.
My heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is THAT THEY MAY BE SAVED.” (Rom.
10:1).
All Israel will be saved… the Deliverer will come out of Zion. He will turn away ungodliness
from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins. (Rom. 11:26-27)
For Zion’s sake I will NOT HOLD MY PEACE, and for Jerusalem’s sake I WILL NOT REST,
until her RIGHTEOUSNESS GOES FORTH AS BRIGHTNESS, and her salvation as a LAMP
THAT BURNS. (Isa 62:1)
By Mike Bickle
The Holy Spirit is orchestrating a global prayer strategy in these very days. It will far eclipse
any other prayer movement in Church history. The Holy Spirit is equipping the Church to
partner with Jesus’ intercessory prayer ministry at the right hand of the Father. The end
result is the Great Harvest of souls being added to the Kingdom of God. The number of
people coming to Jesus at the present hour across the nations is unprecedented in history. I
believe this will continue to increase numerically and in both power and intensity. Jesus is
not coming back to a prayerless Church rather to one enjoying mature Bridal partnership with
Him in intercession for the Great Harvest. The Church will complete the Great Commission
reaching to all nations in the power of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 24:14).
There are several primary aspects to the Great Commission – preaching, mercy deeds and
prayer, etc. 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 fully come together.
“My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 56:7). Isaiah the prophet
had a lot to say about this global prayer movement. He described a time when God’s people
worldwide will experience unusual grace and authority in prayer. He summarized this by
declaring, God will name His Church a “House of Prayer.” This prophetic naming is in itself
a promise of functioning in grace empowered prayer. Imagine God naming the Church a
“praying Church.” All over the earth, it will become common to hear of intercessory worship
ministries that continue non-stop, 24 hours a day. God has established in the genetic code a
passion to reach all nations. It will result in bringing the outcasts of the earth to Jesus (Isaiah
56:8). These 24-hour-a-day prayer ministries are vital to reaching the cities in the 10/40
Window.
Isaiah also prophesied of a totally new paradigm of prayer characterized by joy. The Lord
promised, “I will make you joyful in My house of prayer” (Isaiah 56:7). The Church will be
surprised by joy. In other words, God will fill the Church with enjoyable prayer that is
refreshing and invigorating. Imagine the implications of a paradigm of enjoyable prayer.
The climate within the body of Christ worldwide will be different because of deep
partnership in prayer with the Eternal Intercessor who is our Bridegroom God. If prayer is
not enjoyable it will not happen 24 hours a day. Historically, prayer has been hard and thus
greatly neglected but new days of refreshing prayer are breaking forth even now.
I believe this global prayer movement will operate in the spirit of the Tabernacle of David.
What will it look like? I do not claim to have complete answers to this often asked question.
It speaks of the restoration of the throne of David to Israel including David's prayer ministry.
Historically, King David built a special tent (tabernacle) in Jerusalem to house the Ark of the
Covenant (1 Chr. 15:1; 16:1). The glory of God rested on the top of the Ark that was housed
within a small tent that was only about 10 or 15 feet high and long. In the Tabernacle of
Moses the glory that rested on the Ark was hidden in the Holy of Holies behind a thick veil.
The significance of David’s tent was that there was no veil to keep the people from seeing the
glory of God. In an unprecedented way, David set the Ark of the Covenant in open view!! In
place of the veil that Moses used, David put musicians and singers before the Ark. David
organized 4,000 musicians and 288 singers to minister to God in shifts that continued 24
hours a day (1 Chr. 6:31-33; 15:16-22: 23: 4-6). In fact, David financially released them that
they might worship and pray as their full-time occupation (1 Chr. 9:33; 25:7). Being full-
time, they had the opportunity to develop in skill and grace. Skillful singers who sang the
Song of the Lord before the Ark of God became the norm (1 Chr. 25:1, 7; 2 Chr. 29:27). For
more on the priestly dimension of the Tabernacle of David see 1 Chr. 13; 15-16; 23; 25; 2
Chr. 29; Neh. 12.
Why did David put singers before the Ark? David taught that God inhabits or is enthroned
upon the praise of His people (Ps. 22:3). David understood that the people of God upon the
earth through worship would enter into spiritual agreement with the Heavenly symphony
around God’s Throne. This voluntary agreement (worship) is the vehicle that God ordained
to release His life and power (Ps. 8:1-2). He manifests His life through the highways of
praise. When Satan’s accusations against God lodge in our hearts, it disconnects us from
experiencing more of God’s life. The opposite of accusation is agreement with God. This
agreement is called praise. Praise is not an ego boost for God. Praise brings the created order
into agreement with Him releasing His life on behalf of His creation.
John the apostle had unusual understanding into how God desires to be worshiped. He
described some of this in Revelation 4-5, which is a magnificent passage on the Heavenly
Symphony that continues non-stop in God’s presence. No place in Scripture gives more
insight into the beauty that surrounds God’s Throne. The jasper, sardius, emerald glory is
only a hint of the splendor of God’s beauty being displayed. I like to speak of this as the
beauty realm of God. Oh to live fascinated with God’s beauty. Those nearest Him are filled
with marvel, awe and wonder. To touch this reality in even a beginning way is to live
exhilarated with God. Oh to live on earth as lovesick worshippers awestruck with God. The
fascinating God wants His people to live fascinated with Him.
The beauty realm of God is a vital foundation to intercessory worship in the spirit of the
Tabernacle of David. As we feast on God’s beauty our spirit becomes fascinated and
exhilarated. (Note – fasting in the grace of God is a divine catalyst that enhances our
capacity to freely receive more heart revelation of God’s beauty). Oh! the wisdom of a fasted
lifestyle gazing on the beauty of God.
One chronic disease in the kingdom of God in the western world is spiritual boredom. It is so
unnecessary to live spiritually bored with our God of transcendent beauty. When our hearts
are fascinated, we worship and obey Jesus in a deeper way. I call this happy holiness because
it flows out of holy lovesickness.
In other words, holiness that is motivated by the discovery of God’s beauty and the
exhilaration of love. Legalistic cranky holiness does not touch our hearts strings and cannot
empower us for the intercessory worship set forth in the Tabernacle of David. The ideal
model of worship in spirit and truth is found around the Throne (Rev. 4-5). Jesus taught us to
prayer that God’s will be done “on earth like it is in Heaven (Matt. 6:10).”
The book of Revelation gives some insights to the church on how to worship God on earth
like they do in heaven. This divine pattern of worship is something David undoubtedly had
great passion for. God entrusted a measure of insight to him on this. God has hidden some
of this in the Psalms and in the order of worship that David established in his tabernacle. We
are focused on understanding the heavenly model of worship of which David’s Tabernacle
only points the way offering us significant Divine hints.
When Jesus had taken the scroll the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp,
and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. (Rev. 5:8) The
heavenly elders and the four living creatures came to Jesus with two things, a harp and a
bowl. The harp speaks of God’s music and worship songs; the bowl speaks of intercession.
In other words, the worship around the Throne incorporates God’s music, God’s songs and
God’s prayers flowing together. This is a key to the “enjoyable prayer” that Isaiah
prophesied about. When the Harp comes together with the Bowl then a spiritual dynamic
occurs. God ordained that the worship music around the Throne flow in an interactive
relationship with intercession.
In the book of Revelation worship often flows with prayer in what I refer to intercessory
worship. The spirit of worship gives wings to prayer. We call this the “Harp and Bowl
model of intercessory worship”. I believe it is integral to the present worldwide prayer
movement. These intercessory prayer furnaces will burn 24 hours a day fueled by love songs
to God. As praise is joined with intercession that presents the needs of others before the
Throne, great spiritual benefits are released on earth. Worship that has the element of
intercession present in it is dynamic. David was the first man to put together into one context
the worship singers, musicians and intercessors. Many of the intercessory psalms were
written on site in David’s tabernacle.
In principle, we are seeking to understand how worship music can flow together with
intercession in an interactive relationship like it is in Heaven. Intercessory prayer joined with
anointed music unlocks a part of our heart and unifies the intercessors, aiding us in our desire
to pray with one heart.
In his tabernacle, King David valued the prophetic spirit resting on the singers and musicians
(1 Chr. 25:1-3). So also in our prayer meetings, it important to learn how the prophetic spirit
can flow more freely on the musicians, singers and on the intercession in an interactive
relationship. David also emphasized responsive singers and the antiphonal choirs that sang
and then answered one another (Ezra 3:11; Neh. 11:23-24).
King David described three responses of people who are fully possessed by God. They
tremble, rejoice, and kiss the heart of God (Ps. 2:9-12). These words speak of three primary
focuses of intercessory worship that are coming together. First, it is worship that causes us to
tremble before God as we focus on His majesty. Second, it is worship that celebrates with
rejoicing as we focus on the benefits of redemption. Third, it is worship that kisses the heart
of God as we seek greater intimacy with Jesus.
Historically, it is common for different parts of the Body of Christ, to only emphasize one of
these three dimensions of grace. However, the Holy Spirit is bringing them all together, to
equip the Church to experience enjoyable prayer. Intercessory worship in the spirit of the
Tabernacle of David emphasizes trembling before His majesty, celebrating the benefits of
redemption and kissing the heart of God in intimacy. All three elements must be present to
worship on earth as they do in Heaven.
The apostle James, at the Jerusalem council confronted a crisis related to the Gentiles being
saved by faith without the laws of Moses. In the midst of this, James quoted an obscure
prophesy from Amos 9:11, about God’s promise to rebuild the tabernacle of David which
was fallen down (Acts 15:14-18). Though James’ primary point concerned salvation by faith,
his secondary points are significant for us today.
His secondary points speak of God's glory being restored to Israel including the reality of
David’s insight into the heavenly order of intercessory worship being vital in the gospel
impacting all the nations of the earth. “ ‘I will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has
fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up; So that the rest of mankind may seek
the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by My name,’ says the Lord who does all these
things.” (Acts 15:16-17). God has chosen to restore the Tabernacle of David as one essential
element in releasing the fullness of revival in the nations. The intercessory worship ministry
of the tabernacle of David will be restored that the Great Commission will be completed. We
can be assured of the success knowing that every tribe, tongue and nation will be present on
the last day (Rev. 7: 9-10; 5:9; 14:6; 15:4; Matt. 24:14).
What is the restoration of the tabernacle of David? There is both a priestly and kingly
dimension. It includes much more than a priestly worship and prayer ministry reflecting
some of the principles of David’s tabernacle from the days of old. I believe it speaks of a
kingly (apostolic and political) dimension, which includes God's glory visiting Israel as well
a unified victorious Church reaching to all nations and successfully reaping the Great Harvest
and walking in mature love, etc.
In other words, this restoration speaks of more than the intercessory worship ministries that
function in a priestly dimension of the Tabernacle of David. This article is limited in that we
are only considering the priestly dimension. The kingly dimension that exercises God’s
government and authority to fulfill His purposes on earth is a grand subject that equally
captures my heart.
Isaiah prophesied that intercession would continue 24 hour a day (Isaiah 62:6-7). The first
24-hour-a-day intercessory worship ministry in history was led by King David. I believe that
intercessory worship will continue 24 hours a day in many cities of the earth before the Lord
returns. This is part of God’s answer to Satan who accuses the Church night and day (Rev.
12:10). Anna is a picture of this radical commitment as she served God with fasting and
prayers night and day (Luke 2:37). The Apostle Paul unashamedly called the widows of his
day to this (1 Tim. 5:5).
In May 1983, our church hosted a citywide, 21-day time of prayer and fasting for revival.
We interceded for the Church to break forth in power. In the midst of this, the Lord spoke to
us in a dramatic way. He told us that one day He would establish in our midst a 24-hour-a-
day prayer ministry in spirit of the Tabernacle of David.
Of course, then and now we are not sure what all this means in fullness. Over the last sixteen
years, we posted this promise on the wall in our church prayer room. Our first response was
to begin to just be faithful in the small beginnings of this promise. The Lord graciously
helped us to establish a public intercessory ministry that has continued 3-5 hours a day for the
16 years of waiting until eventually worship teams would lead the intercessory worship 24
hours a day. For sixteen years, we waited anxiously and expectantly for the releasing of a 24-
hour-a-day schedule to be established.
On May 7, 1999, we signed a lease on a 200 seat building about one mile from our church.
We began with 13 hours a day of intercession all led by worship teams. Then four months
later on September 19, began 24 hours a day.
I regularly emphasize that what we are doing is admittedly embryonic. I tell the worship
teams not to be discouraged in these early days of building and training, knowing that what
we are doing is little, rough and ugly. However, God often chooses to birth His purposes in
rough little Bethlehem stables. I urge all who want to pursue this type of ministry, to brace
themselves for the Bethlehem stable years that are a necessary part of God’s way.
We are seeking to see singers, musicians and intercessors flow in what we call the “harp and
bowl” model in this interactive relationship with one another. For example, one intercessor
prays for a few moments then one of the singers will paraphrase the same prayer in song for a
few moments. Then the intercessor continues to add to the prayer then pauses and allows the
singers to echo the prayer back again.
We do this with 7-10 singers and musicians on a worship team while using New Testament
apostolic prayers, the hymns of Revelation and the Psalms as foundational in our model. We
do this 24 hours a day. We have 84 prayer meetings a week, each one lasting two hours.
Each one is lead by a worship team that works together with intercessors. We have four
types of prayer meetings.
The first is intercessory worship in which we engage in spiritual warfare for revival for the
cities of the earth (see Anna in the temple – Luke 2:37). The second type consists of
devotional prayer meetings that provide an anointed atmosphere to sit at the feet of Jesus (see
Mary of Bethany Luke 10:38-42). Prophetic worship and what we call Worship with the
Word is singing the Psalms in a corporate antiphonal way like Israel has for generations (see
King David). We also sing the Song of Solomon. We are in the early development of
antiphonal choirs that responsively answer each as part of the worship model. There were
two types of antiphonal choirs each making a different impact, the small responsive choirs
and the large thanksgiving choirs (Neh. 12:23, 24, 31, 38, 40; Ezra 3:11). We have posted
much of our present structure and principles on our website (www.ihopkc.com).
At present, we have been continuing 24 hours a day for over thirteen years. We have several
hundred people who have raised their own financial support as “intercessory missionaries.”
They serve 50 hours a week. Most of them are musicians and singers. I have raised several
hundred thousand dollars a year for the annual budget. Part of this helps some singers raise
their support while paying for the building, etc. It is essential for a core of musicians and
singers to do this full time and to receive financial support as commanded by God through
King David. With financial support they have an opportunity to go deep in God and learn to
flow in the Spirit with team unity. It takes time to do this and it takes money to give them the
necessary time to be wholly devoted to this ministry as intercessory missionaries. The
benefits of this for the Church are dramatic.
It is well worth the financial price necessary to release them full time. We have visitors from
many different places across the world. It is typical to have visitors from 4-5 different cities
each week. They come in groups and usually stay 3-4 days across the street in apartment
accommodations that we have made available to host them. They come to see this in person.
Many leave inspired to go back home to establish a similar type ministry in their own city.
We have a number of training programs for those who want to give themselves to this in an
intensive way. All details are on the website.
I was the senior pastor of Metro Christian Fellowship (a 3,000 member congregation) for 18
years in Kansas City. I resigned the senior pastor position to give myself full-time to leading
this citywide prayer ministry. The International House of Prayer of Kansas City is not under
our local congregation, but it is under a network of churches in the area. Our congregation
birthed this ministry with the people and financial resources; however, we have felt strongly
from the beginning that such a ministry must belong to the whole city. We have about 20
congregations involved with us presently. However, we have a plan to involve many more.
May the Lord help all with a heart for the Great Harvest to participate in intercessory worship
in the spirit of the Tabernacle of David.
1). God will release an unprecedented measure of His glory across the earth to revive His
Church to receive a harvest of over one billion souls.