By Jonathan Graf

Many leaders use the term “house of prayer” to describe what they want their churches to become. Most of them mean that they want more prayer to take place or that prayer should to be central to their ministries. But what does the phrase mean biblically?

In Matthew 21, Jesus cast the money changers out of the Temple. “‘It is written,’ he said to them, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers’” (v. 13). After this, “The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them” (v. 14). That is a picture of what a house of prayer really is.

While some may use the story to teach that we shouldn’t sell CDs and tapes in church, that’s probably not what Jesus was getting at. The money changers were charging exorbitant rates for sacrificial animals, implying that the animals brought by the people were not good enough. They had people over a barrel, keeping some from worshiping.

That’s why Jesus quoted Isaiah 56 when he threw out the money changers. Throughout the passage, outcasts of Hebrew society (eunuchs and foreigners) were able to freely worship in God’s Temple: “‘Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’” (v. 7). A house of prayer is a place of acceptance--a church that will welcome everyone and will shun no one. The house of prayer has no barriers to prevent people from seeking of God.

That’s easier said than done. No matter how free from prejudice we may appear, we tend to feel more comfortable in churches with people who are like us--in the same socioeconomic class, race or season of life. Usually, we choose which church to attend by asking, “How is it going to meet my needs?” When that happens, we can’t help but give off “not-for-you” vibes to anyone who is different.

The only way for a church to overcome its exclusivity is for its people to learn about God’s heart and to look at things through His eyes. No one can understand the Father’s heart without prayer! A prayerless person or church cannot and will not see things through God’s eyes. It’s impossible to act in God’s love and power without knowing His heart.

As churches and individuals, we need to consistently increase our levels of prayer and allow Jesus to infuse His life and heart within us. Prayer causes us to draw more freely from the vine. Remember: “‘If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. . . . If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you’” (John 15:5, 7).

So if you want the label, "House of Prayer," look at how open your people are to those not like them. Are they welcome in worship? Will people talk with them warmly when they come? Pray for God's heart to help you get past those hidden prejudices.

Jonathan Graf is the president of the Church Prayer Leaders Network. He is also the author of The Power of Personal Prayer (NavPress). You can reach him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .