One of the teachings that we share with visiting teams at NHOP is about "Becoming a House of Prayer" themselves.

The first and most basic lesson that Rob Parker learned in his earliest weeks in Ottawa back in 2004, was that the Lord wanted to make him into a "House of Prayer" before he would be given a building to use for that purpose.

This meant prayerwalking every day in and around Parliament Hill, developing a lifestyle of intercession. Those formative lessons have become some of the foundation teaching that we seek to impart to each person that spends time with us.

We look at numerous scriptures that reveal this truth, as we share this teaching. For the purposes of this short space we refer you to just a few texts.

"My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations" Jesus declared as he cleansed the temple, quoting from Isaiah's prophecy. The Lord had a new temple in mind and a radical new definition of what He was inaugurating when he explained to the Samaritan woman, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem ... a time is coming, and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks."

Paul understood these implications and reminded the early church, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?" With this in mind Paul modeled and taught the disciples to "pray without ceasing."

The first followers of Jesus understood that the new covenant that they had entered into was not about physical buildings, but about becoming a house of prayer themselves.

As we begin to apply this truth to our lives we remind ourselves of what a temple represented in the old paradigm and how that should be lived out by each of us in the new life we have in Christ.

We explore this around 7 themes.

Holiness - because as those who now "house" the Holy Spirit we are called to be holy as He is.
The Presence of God - which fills His temple with His glory and what it means to live in His presence and let His glory shine through us.
Communion with the Lord - that essential requirement of being intimate with Him.
Constant Worship - or in other words, how to make everything we do an act of worship.
Unceasing Thanksgiving - the first and constant response of a grateful heart.
Continual Prayer - the call to live in a spirit of prayer.
A Resting Place where the Lord of the Heavens can be at rest in the home we make for Him.

Our hope is that by challenging every guest to internalize these truths, that every community in the nation of Canada will be filled with walking, talking, worshipping individuals who personify what it means to be a "House of Prayer."

It is our privilege over the next few days to be hosting many of the key leaders who will be participating at this event that Kenny and Louise Blacksmith are sponsoring in Ottawa.

They write about the covenant they are calling other first peoples to sign, "The Covenant is a spiritual under- taking to make things right with our heavenly Father and with one another. Once this step is taken then we can all be better placed to press in for the healing of the land, and the Lord will hear our cry for our people and our nation."

We encourage your prayers for this summit as they desire to further call First Peoples into a new commitment to the Lord and to each other. We probably don't need to tell you how critical and timely these meetings are, in light of current events in the nation.

If you are able to be in Ottawa for these meetings around the National Aboriginal Days, you will be able to attend adjacent to The Life Centre, at 2224 Innes Rd, during the evenings of June 21-23 at 7:00 PM. Day sessions are reserved for First Peoples only.

For more information please phone 613-724-8180.

1. Pray for the First Peoples' Summit, that it would be protected as a special opportunity for the Spirit of God to powerfully work amongs key aboriginal leaders in our nation. Specifically pray for Kenny and Louise Blacksmith to have all the wisdom and sensitivity that they will need.

2. Pray for our Supreme Court justices as they consider how to rule on the sensitive matter of national security certificates. They need to strike a balance between protection of individual freedoms, the due course of law, and terrorist threats.

3. Pray for Rob and Fran Parker as they spend the weekend down in Cape Breton, that it will be a time of divine connections.

Give us a call is you are interested in having one of our team members minister in your congregation or prayer group. Representing you in Ottawa,

Rob, Fran, Richard and the team at NHOP

email: info@nhop.ca

phone: 613-789-4907

web: http://www.nhop.ca