HOUSE OF 24-7 PRAYER
OPENING IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
By Mark Ellis
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA (ANS) -- In
the last watches of the night they are there—youthful prayer warriors
interceding on behalf of the nations. They’re gripped with a fever for
prayer and worship that is springing up in 50 other countries around
the globe.
“I saw the Lord opening up a door of opportunity,” says Curtis Jessup,
an associate pastor at Eastside Christian Church in Fullerton. On April
15 he and Josh Engle will officially launch a 24-7 prayer site at a
warehouse in Anaheim. The opening will come just a few weeks before the
National Day of Prayer (May 5) and the Global Day of Prayer (May 15).
Jessup is struck by the convergence of these events. “I have this sense
the Lord is opening this up to prepare the way for these days of
prayer,” he says. He first learned of the 24-7 prayer movement in 1999,
when it caught fire in Kansas City under the leadership of Mike Bickle
and in England under Pete Grieg. There are currently at least 17 houses
of prayer operating throughout the world on a 24 hour, seven-day per
week basis, and many other locations operating part-time.
Only a few years ago Jessup commuted on the Southern California
freeways to a computer consulting job—driving more than an hour each
way. During his commutes, he found himself praying the entire time.
“God was doing something in my heart, because that wasn’t normal,” he
says. More recently, he and a few others started gathering early in the
morning at his church for prayer and worship. “The Lord gave me the
faith to believe this is at the heart of what he’s doing around the
world.”
Then Josh Engle, a 20-year-old student at Hope International University
showed up at his door. They didn’t talk for very long before Jessup’s
eyes lit up and he said: “I’ve been praying for somebody like you.” He
immediately recognized the passion they held in common, as well as
Engle’s leadership abilities.
Engle himself became the object of prayer very early in life, after
doctors determined he was born with a rare heart defect—truncus
arteriosus. While there are four types of this rare condition, in
Engle’s case, his heart had three chambers and the aorta and pulmonary
artery were combined. Engle remembers one year in his childhood when he
was in the hospital every three months.
“There were times they didn’t think I would make it,” Engle recalls.
His church youth group gathered often to lay hands on him and pray, and
he saw the way this seemed to bring the church together. “Through
prayer I somehow made it,” he says. Engle still carries the defect, but
his overall health has markedly improved.
Leading high school prayer groups, Engle was struck by the verse in
Thessalonians telling believers to “pray without ceasing.” As he led
these groups, he saw God work in amazing ways. “I thought to myself,
‘It really does work—God really does hear us.’”
Last December he read “Red Moon Rising” by Peter Grieg, which recounts
the growth of the 24-7 prayer movement in the United Kingdom. After
reading the first chapter he was moved to tears, and felt God leading
him to start such a group in Orange County.
When Jessup and Engle began to spread the word about their intentions,
they were overwhelmed with offers of tangible support. First, a
warehouse space was donated with two months free rent. Then they
received donations of furniture and a computer.
They believe people will be transformed through their gatherings. “When
Jesus comes upon you in a spirit of power and overwhelming love you
will never be the same,” Engle says. “We want to get the Body of Christ
together, with one heart and mind glorifying Jesus,” he says.
The period between May 5—the National Day of Prayer, and May 15—the
Global Day of Prayer, is seen as crucial. “We want people praying
nonstop during those 10 days,” he says. “God is calling us to revival
and revival starts with prayer.”
Mark Ellis is a Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service. He is
also an assistant pastor in Laguna Beach, CA. Contact Ellis at marsalis@fea.net
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