Two Rivers Ministries

The first question— Why 24/7 prayer?

Jesus said the harvest is plentiful, so his disciples should pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers. Traditionally the Church throughout history has sent out missionaries to preach the gospel without first encountering the heart of God through a lifestyle of prayer with fasting. When our hearts deeply experience the love of God in the place of worship and intercession, we are strengthened and empowered to give ourselves to the labor of the work of the Kingdom with greater diligence and authority.

24/7 worship and prayer changes the spiritual atmosphere of the city, thus opening the heavens for more anointed evangelism and unity in the Church. This also allows for encountering God in a personal way that transforms us by intimacy with Jesus. We believe that the Holy Spirit is orchestrating a global prayer strategy far eclipsing any other prayer movement in history resulting in an unprecedented harvest of souls in the nations.  Ministries are arising all over the earth that literally offer supplication night and day before the Lord and function as catalysts for the entire Church becoming a House of Prayer (Isaiah 56:7), causing the work of the harvest to go forth with power and effectiveness. In cities throughout the earth, we believe it will become common to hear of worship and prayer  ministries that continue non-stop 24 hours a day.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What type of ministry is Two Rivers Ministries and the Cairo House of Prayer?
Two Rivers is a prayer and worship based ministry. We are firmly committed to pursuing the exciting dream of seeing a city and region transformed by continual prayer, passion and ministry to Jesus Christ. Activities such as prayer walking, fasting, intercession, spiritual warfare, prophecy, healing ministry, worship and others help define the clear focus of this local prayer ministry - to facilitate 24/7 ministry to God in Cairo, Illinois and beyond!

So, what does it mean to be a ‘house of prayer’?
A house of prayer is a group of believers who are committed and excited about unified and continual prayer, worship and intercession for Cairo and the Southern Illinois region, churches, ministries and the nations. We spend time discovering what God wants us to pray about and then come into agreement with him. Warfare, repentance, brokenness, intercession and prophetic declarations follow as we seek to see God’s dreams come true!
As a house of prayer, we are keenly focused on the primary purpose of ministering to God. We desire to keep the fire burning, white hot! As we continue and advance in intercession, worship and different varieties of prayer, this city and region will catch the fire of God. Out of this furnace of prayer, God will continue to launch lay leaders into their giftings and His plan and purpose for their lives. In this house of prayer, the Lord will expand and develop his dreams through each of us so we can effectively minister to God.

What is a ‘prayer missionary’?
People who participate at Two Rivers are first and foremost ‘prayer missionaries’. They spend time each week deep in the presence of God.
Simply, prayer works. Prayer is the most powerful force in the universe. As we do our job as prayer missionaries, others will have a much easier time running in their various giftings and offices. The harvest will flood into Cairo churches in unprecedented ways.
Additionally, a prayer missionary is a person who desires serve God fasting and prayer. (Luke 2:37). It is a person who’s primary ministry is to fervently serve the Lord in prayer. This is done through a commitment to capture God’s heart in prayer and to enforce His desires. In this type of prayer life God works in a variety of different ways including, but not limited to, a heavy soaking atmosphere, true worship, spiritual warfare, praying without ceasing, deliverance, intercession, healing, prayer walking, prophecy, and focused prayer that strengthens and covers an array of people, organizations, regions, etc.
There is a new paradigm of mission work that God is initiating. For quite some time most ministry work has centered on the Second Commandment; to reach out to the world with the love of God. However, for the work of the Second Commandment to be effective and anointed it should be accomplished by individuals whose hearts are alive and passionate in intimacy through the experiencing the reality of the First Commandment; Love the Lord God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. It is essential that we purpose to restore the First Commandment to first place. With the First Commandment in first place, hearts are energized in love and ministry then becomes a natural overflow of a life that is soaring in intimacy with God. A prayer missionary is one who has committed to prayer and fasting as the first work of ministry with a view to establishing a 24-hour canopy of prayer that will help to make outreach more anointed and effective for the church in the city of Manitou Springs. Prayer missionaries are supported through partner development and financial support. A prayer missionary is the modern day equivalent of a gatekeeper in the Tabernacle of David.
1Ch 9:33 These are the singers… who lodged in the chambers, and were free from other duties; for they were employed in that work day and night.

How does a believer grow strong in a house of prayer?
Through continual prayer with fellow believers you will build a sense of community and a greater purpose then you have probably ever known. As you begin this wild race in search for God’s face, you can expect to be fed through ministry to others, personal growth and study, and intimate relationships. If you are in His presence then you can not help but to be filled up. Additionally, we believe it’s healthy for people to connect to a  local church in the region in addition to participating in intercession at the house of prayer. scripture tells us- you will seek me and find me when you search with your whole heart (Jer 29:13) and, Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled (Mat 5:6).

How does a house of prayer fit into the ministry in a city biblically?
We are believers in the ‘city church’.   Our role in the city church is as a house of continual prayer and worship to God. The “house of prayer” is seen Isaiah 56:7-  Even those (foreigners) I will bring to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.
The importance of the house of prayer is witnessed in Psalm 27: One thing I ask of the Lord this is what I seek:  that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in His temple.  King David actually established one example of a house of prayer, called the “Tabernacle of David”.
While referred to in many parts of the Bible, the best description of this biblical house of prayer is found in I Chronicles 16:
(1) And they brought in the ark of God and set inside the tent which David had pitched for it…(4) Moreover, David appointed certain of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the Lord, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel…(37) So David left Asaph and his brethren there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister continually before the ark as each day required…

What are some examples of houses of prayer?
Contemplative and continuous prayer is a relatively new concepts for many modern-day Protestants, but they have been fostered in the church for centuries.  Three fairly well-known examples of this type of house of prayer are the Moravians, Taize, and the Kansas City IHOP.

The reformed Moravian community, founded by Count Zinzendorf in Germany in 1727, is well known for two things: a prayer meeting that lasted over 100 years, and the creation of the modern missions movement through the sending of missionaries into nations all around the earth (for more info. see www.countzinzendorf.org/moravians/).
The community dedicated to reconciliation and prayer that is currently located in Taize, France was founded by some Swiss Reformed Protestants in 1940. It currently has over 100 brothers from both the Protestant and Catholic church who live together and meet for prayer three times every day. Every year, millions of youth from all over Europe and the world who are seeking God visit Taize to participate in the prayer and observe the rule of silence and contemplation (for more info. see www.taize.fr/).

The International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City began praying 18 hours a day in May 1999, and has been 24/7/365 since September 1999. It is well known for its teachings on the “bridal paradigm” of prayer (that prayer and worship arises most effectively from a solid grounding in the favored position that individual believers and the church hold before God as the Bride of Christ) and for the “Harp and Bowl” prayer model, which blends contemporary worship songs with sung and spoken prayers and spontaneous songs (for more info. see www.ihop.org).

Is 24/7 prayer important?
Absolutely! We believe that day and night prayer is non-negotiable. It is near and dear to the Lord’s heart.The only promise in the New Testament of revival in our cities is intricately linked with day and night prayer. In Luke 18, Jesus promises to “speedily send justice (revival)” upon us when there is day and night crying out to Him.
In Isaiah 62, God speaks that He has posted watchmen (intercessors) on the wall (of prayer) who will not cease praying day and night until He makes their city a place of praise in the earth. We believe the spirit of prayer will cover the globe before the Lord’s return. We also know that God is raising up a “counter” to the day and night accusation of the enemy against God and His people. The Lord is raising up those who (instead of cursing and accusing )choose loving and blessing God day and night. It is so necessary. We believe that there is a spiritual dynamic released when a house of prayer reaches 24/7/365, because one of the primary idols in American culture is time, and involvement in continuous prayer directly confronts and challenges this idol.  It should be a matter of embarrassment to the church in America that while there is a plethora of 24/7 institutions of lesser value in our society, burning love expressed in worship and prayer is difficult to find on a 24/7 basis in most cities.
24/7 worship and prayer will change the spiritual atmosphere of the city, thus opening the heavens for more anointed and effective evangelism to the lost and unity in the Church. We believe that the Holy Spirit is orchestrating a global prayer strategy far eclipsing any other prayer movement in history resulting in an unprecedented harvest of souls throughout the earth.

So, what’s the idea of ‘enjoying God’ in prayer?
The emotion probably most commonly associated with prayer is shame. Most people feel ashamed at their own feeling of “spiritual bankruptcy” when they stand before the Father at His throne. The throne of grace looks more to them like a throne of condemnation. This was never the design of the Creator God of Heaven. Shame is a wrong motivation for people to pray more, and a house of prayer built on this foundation will result in quick burnout. Beauty and shame are opposites. The highest expressions of beauty are the beauty of God (Psalm 27:4) and the beauty he imparts to the Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:27, Psalm 149:4). These two realms of beauty provide a  solid foundation and fuel to practice day and night prayer.

Fascination: The heart of man was designed to be fascinated with who God is and what He looks like, never to be dull and lifeless. Part of our journey is rediscovering how amazingly beautiful and fascinating He is.
Confidence: As we begin to understand how amazingly beautiful He is, we also begin to understand that He has passed on to us His own beauty. We stand confident in His love and grace, sustained in affection, not shame or fleshly motivations. Pleasure and joy are indispensable to the house of prayer. He assured us through the prophet Isaiah that He would give us joy in the place of prayer (Is. 56:7). The psalmist said that “at His right hand are pleasures forevermore”.

In the house of prayer, we are operating under a paradigm of a God who is beautiful, fascinating and full of delightful pleasures. These qualities are inexhaustible on this side of eternity and are a worthy and wise pursuit for the human heart.

How can I participate?
As we continue to develop this house of prayer, our primary time of connection is on Friday nights.  We would like to invite you to join us and experience the flow of worship, intercession, teaching and personal ministry at Two Rivers and CHOP.

The prayer room is also open from 8am—2pm Tuesday through Saturday with corporate prayer and worship session on:
Wednesday 8-10am (Devotional Focus)  Thursday 8-10am (Intercession Focus)  Friday 7-9pm (Warfare Focus)
For those who are interested in serving the ministry on worship teams, outreach and compassion ministries there are several different levels of involvement.

Do you currently have corporate prayer 24 hours a day?
Not yet! Prayer watches will eventually cover the entire day and night with intercessors devoted to prayer in our city. If you would like to to be a part of seeing this happen please contact us. 

What are the different designations of involvement?
Full Time Staff:  This is a prayer missionary who has committed to serving the Lord through 40 hours of prayer room, outreach, ministry and administrative work.  Staff members are required to complete a minimal training course to receive Staff designation.
Associate Staff: This is an intercessory missionary who has committed to serving the Lord through 20 hours of prayer room, outreach, ministry and administrative work.
Interns and Short Term: This is a prayer missionary who has committed to serving the Lord through 40 hours of prayer room, outreach, ministry and administrative work for 1-3 months.  Interns and volunteers are required to complete a minimal training course to receive this designation.
Two Rivers Family: These are individuals who regularly attend and are involved in the prayer room, outreach, ministry, Uprising services and administration. This includes spouses of full time staff members.
Transformation Partners: These are individuals who are not able to be involved directly with the mission base but partner with us through financial and prayer support.
What’s appropriate when I’m in the house of prayer?
You will have a lot of joy and freedom as you participate in various prayer sessions. When you come to the house of prayer, you might join in a worship song, then retire to the back to read Scripture, then come forward to pray for the city, then join in on more worship.  Common activities in the Prayer Room (besides active engagement with the current prayer session) include: reading, silent prayer, small group prayer, meditation and contemplation, resting/soaking, writing, journaling, Bible study, drawing, painting, dancing and even working on your laptop computer.

What is ‘harp and bowl’ worship?
Its values are based on the following:
Team prayer ministry-emphasis on many short prayers from different team members, rather than a focus on a single leader Blending singing and praying-the music never stops, and the prayers are prayed by intercessors and then sung by the singers
Praying scriptural prayers-praying the prayers that are found in Scripture, a devotion to the Word, such as praying from the Book of Revelation, Psalms, and the prayers of Jesus and Paul.
Spontaneous singing-singing prayers or responses to God from the heart spontaneously, as “new songs”

Are you affiliated with any denomination or organization?
Two Rivers is a non-denominational ministry, though we are also part of the ‘city church’. We highly value accountability and relationships with other pastors and churches in this region and beyond.

What do you want from me?
We want you to enjoy God with us! We are also excited about your opportunity to build a deeper intimacy with God and to minister to Him with all your heart, mind, and soul. To take up your cross and follow after Him (Mat 10:37). To serve in this mission to take a city for God. This can be done by joining in on our weekly prayer times, participating with prayer walks and strategic prayer around the city, helping with compassion ministries or by joining our staff as a short term volunteer, intern, associate or full time staff.
How do I learn more about Two Rivers and the Cairo House of Prayer?

There is no substitute for visiting one of our prayer times or Friday night Uprising. We have witnessed that when maturing people who hunger for God come and enter into His presence, that the Holy Spirit moves in and begins to encourage lengthy prayer and a personal relationship with our Savior that consumes their life.