Upper Room Theology
Upper Room Theology
It was February 16, in the year of our Lord 1989, Armin Gesswein wrote this letter that cuts to the heart of his upper room theology:
“The New Testament prayer meeting reveals the master plan of Jesus. The last thing Jesus did on earth was to build that prayer meeting, and it is the only thing He left behind on planet Earth when He ascended to heaven. With this He unfolded His master plan for His Church, for true Christian unity, for evangelism, for spiritual awakening and revival, for dynamic church growth, for birthing and battling, for the fulfillment of Acts 1:8.”
“We must never get away from the fact that when Jesus built His Church He built a prayer meeting. Everything He did led to it, and everything then came out of it, much as a mighty oak tree comes out of a tiny acorn. The prayer meeting embodies the embryonic secret of the New Testament Church. Strangely, it is the best kept secret of the new Testament. Stranger still, it is the most open secret. Jesus opens it up to our view more fully than any other secret. The wonder is not that we do not see it, but that we could fail to see it. So the problem is with our eyes. It is one of vision.”
“It is something which is so old that, when we discover it, it is new. This at once tells us that it is a secret which has not changed. We must find our way back to it. We must rediscover Christ’s organic way of doing it. And when we do, we will see wonderful awakening in our churches.”
This letter became the vision from which the College of Prayer was born. Today the College of Prayer has served indigenous churches in building more than 8 million (as of Dec 2022) upper rooms of prayer around the world.
Father God, give us this vision for the Upper Room. Open our eyes to Your heart and Your plan to awaken revival in our churches, for Jesus Christ’s sake.
YEAR ON FIRE
© Fred A. Hartley, III
All rights reserved
Unless otherwise indicated, the English Standard Bible (ESV) is used.
This daily Christ-encountering, fire-starter is not intended to replace your daily Bible reading and prayer time, but rather to motivate you to spend extended time in His presence.
It was February 16, in the year of our Lord 1989, Armin Gesswein wrote this letter that cuts to the heart of his upper room theology:
“The New Testament prayer meeting reveals the master plan of Jesus. The last thing Jesus did on earth was to build that prayer meeting, and it is the only thing He left behind on planet Earth when He ascended to heaven. With this He unfolded His master plan for His Church, for true Christian unity, for evangelism, for spiritual awakening and revival, for dynamic church growth, for birthing and battling, for the fulfillment of Acts 1:8.”
“We must never get away from the fact that when Jesus built His Church He built a prayer meeting. Everything He did led to it, and everything then came out of it, much as a mighty oak tree comes out of a tiny acorn. The prayer meeting embodies the embryonic secret of the New Testament Church. Strangely, it is the best kept secret of the new Testament. Stranger still, it is the most open secret. Jesus opens it up to our view more fully than any other secret. The wonder is not that we do not see it, but that we could fail to see it. So the problem is with our eyes. It is one of vision.”
“It is something which is so old that, when we discover it, it is new. This at once tells us that it is a secret which has not changed. We must find our way back to it. We must rediscover Christ’s organic way of doing it. And when we do, we will see wonderful awakening in our churches.”
This letter became the vision from which the College of Prayer was born. Today the College of Prayer has served indigenous churches in building more than 8 million (as of Dec 2022) upper rooms of prayer around the world.
Father God, give us this vision for the Upper Room. Open our eyes to Your heart and Your plan to awaken revival in our churches, for Jesus Christ’s sake.
YEAR ON FIRE
© Fred A. Hartley, III
All rights reserved
Unless otherwise indicated, the English Standard Bible (ESV) is used.
This daily Christ-encountering, fire-starter is not intended to replace your daily Bible reading and prayer time, but rather to motivate you to spend extended time in His presence.
Posted in Year on Fire
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