Are you ready for a presence-centered community where you can experience the transformative power of God's presence? In this episode, we explore the biblical examples of presence-centered communities and discuss practical ways to cultivate a community that prioritizes worship, prayer, and ministry to the Lord.
Watch part two of this teaching here:
Key Takeaways
Phrases like “presence-centered community” or “culture of prayer” or “prioritize God’s presence” mean different things to different people. These phrases are not biblical phrases, so we can’t look at biblical definitions. But we can look at biblical examples to demonstrate what we mean.
Three biblical examples of presence-centered communities include the Heavenly Throne Room, David’s Tabernacle and the Church at Antioch.
Revelation 4-5 describes the heavenly scene where everything orients around the One on the throne and the Lamb. Musical, antiphonal, extravagant, day & night praise, worship and prayer are happening constantly.
During his reign, King David revolutionized Israel's worship to reflect the heavenly throne room. He instituted musical, antiphonal, extravagant, day & night praise, worship and prayer around the Ark of the Covenant in his tent in Jerusalem.
Acts 13 describes the believers at Antioch uniquely embracing ministry to the Lord, with fasting and prayer, in an ongoing way. Antioch is the prototype for a mature Christian church in the New Testament, even more so than Jerusalem.
About Matthew Lilley
For over fifteen years, Matthew Lilley has served the body of Christ as a prayer missionary, worship leader, intercessor and Bible teacher. Matthew is the founder and director of Presence Pioneers, a ministry with a vision to build day and night worship and prayer for revival that touches the nations with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is the author of the books David’s Tabernacle and Enjoying Prayer and hosts the Presence Pioneers podcast.
Matthew has helped pioneer three houses of prayer in North Carolina and has previously directed nationwide leadership networks with Burn 24-7 and Awaken the Dawn. He is a graduate of Covenant Theological Seminary (Greenville, NC) and is currently based in eastern North Carolina with his wife Shepard and their four children.
3 Biblical Examples of Presence-Centered Communities