Presence Pioneers: A Worship, Prayer and Revival Podcast

FREE E-Book on Fasting & Prayer from Jonathan Friz & Matthew Lilley ⚠️

About Gunter Akridge

Gunter Akridge is the founding pastor of The Dwelling Church in Savannah, Georgia and the author of Kill the Dragon : Reclaiming Your Life from the Dark Side of Religion.

Jake Kail on The Secret Place, Hunger for God and Discipline in Prayer (Episode 122)

Wed, 14 Feb 2024 11:00:00 +0000

How can be more consistent and disciplined in our time with God, prayer and reading the Bible? What is the secret of the secret place? And which is more important - raw hunger for God or spiritual discipline (even when we don't feel it)?

In this episode, Matthew Lilley interviews Jake Kail, author of Living from The Secret Place, about his personal journey of waking up early to cultivate a deeper, intimate relationship with the Lord. If you want to grow in prayer and learn practical tips on how to cultivate a more consistent relationship with the Lord, you don't want to miss this conversation!

Key Takeaways

Cultivating a personal life in God requires intentional and consistent time spent in the secret place.
Prayer is both a means of deepening our relationship with God and partnering with Him to see His kingdom come.
The quality of our time with God is influenced by our intentionality, focus, and heart posture.
Consistency in prayer is key, even when we don't feel a strong hunger or have dramatic encounters.
Having a structured prayer routine can help create space for the relationship with God and make prayer more enjoyable.

About the Podcast

Bonus episodes, premium content, books, articles and e-courses 📚

FREE E-Book on Fasting & Prayer from Jonathan Friz & Matthew Lilley ⚠️

About Jake Kail

Jake is the author of multiple books, and he speaks at churches, conferences, retreats, and other events. He preaches and teaches the Word with authority, compassion, and a demonstration of the Holy Spirit's power. His ministry is often marked by encounters with God, healing, and deliverance from demonic oppression.

Announcing... Presence Pioneers Premium!

Wed, 07 Feb 2024 11:00:00 +0000

We are excited to announce the launch of Presence Pioneers Premium, our brand new subscriber community!

Sign up here!

What’s included in PP Premium?

➡️ Get exclusive, premium content such as bonus podcast episodes, exclusive articles, early releases and more (such as part 2 of our recent podcast episode with Robin Dillamore on the Theology of David’s Tabernacle).

➡️We will be launching our first full blown e-course in 2024, with more to come. Paid subscribers will have unlimited access to all future Presence Pioneers e-courses.

➡️Participate in the interactive online community (hosted on Substack). Like & comment on the exclusive content and interact with others who are on this journey with you.

➡️Joining PP Premium allows you to sow generously into our ministry and partner with us to equip the Church with resources related to prayer and revival. Thank you!

Click here to start your free trial today!

P.S. As our PP Premium library of resources grows, we will be increasing the cost to reflect the increasing value. Join now for only $5/month and keep that price forever.

Theology of the Restoration of David's Tabernacle Part 1 w/Robin Dillamore (Episode 121)

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 11:00:00 +0000

⚠️ Watch Part 2 of this interview on Presence Pioneers Premium⚠️

Robin Dillamore wrote his master's thesis on the theology of the tabernacle of David. This obscure topic is vital in helping you understand how God wants you to worship and accomplish the the mission He has given you.

In this episode Matthew Lilley (who wrote a book called David's Tabernacle) discusses with Robin the significance of King David's worship tent and how it should influence New Testament Christian worship. Robin and his wife Claire lead Burn 24-7 UK, a ministry dedicated to raising up furnace of worship and prayer in the United Kingdom.

⚠️ Watch Part 2 of this interview on Presence Pioneers Premium⚠️

About the Podcast

Bonus episodes, premium content, books, articles and e-courses 📚

A Year of 24/7 Prayer & Revival on College Campuses w/Chris Ngai (Episode 120)

Wed, 17 Jan 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Chris Ngai has seen an extraordinary work of God take place at Arizona State University through 24/7 prayer, and now God is launching a year of 24/7 prayer and unity on college campuses across America. In this episode, Matthew Lilley interviews Chris about the incredible revival stories Chris experienced at ASU And the brand new Pray Campus [America] initiative.

Pray Campus America is a united family of revival seeking to host the presence of God for the transformation of college campuses and the awakening of a generation to the purposes of God. They are hosting a year of 24/7 worship and prayer on the 247th year of America. Learn more at praycampus.org

/// About This Podcast ///

The Presence Pioneers Podcast, hosted by Matthew Lilley, exists to help you experience and host God’s presence through worship and prayer. Because God’s presence changes everything. The podcast is produced by Presence Pioneers Media and funded by our generous partners. Support Presence Pioneers & this podcast at fundprayer.com.

Subscribe to the audio podcast, browse our books & other resources from Presence Pioneers Media at media.presencepioneers.org.

Understanding Israel, God's Covenants and The Biblical Narrative w/Andrew Faletti (Episode 119)

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Does God still have a unique purpose for Israel and the Jewish people? How can we understand God's biblical narrative and participate in what He is doing? How should Christians respond to the war in Israel and Gaza?

These are the questions that we address on this episode where Matthew Lilley interviews Andrew Faletti, the prayer room director at Gatecity Church in Atlanta, GA. Gatecity has been hosting 24/7 prayer with live worship for over 15 years. Learn more at https://www.gatecityatl.com

About the Podcast

The Presence Pioneers Podcast, hosted by Matthew Lilley, exists to help you experience and host God’s presence through worship and prayer. Because God’s presence changes everything. This podcast is produced by Presence Pioneers Media and funded by our generous partners. Support Presence Pioneers and this podcast at fundprayer.com.

Books & other resources from Presence Pioneers Media 📚

Free Downloads from Matthew Lilley & Presence Pioneers

Free PDF Guide for Worship Leaders about Prophetic Worship 🎵

Chris Burns on Transitioning from a Prophetic Revivalist to a Megachurch Pastor (Episode 118)

Wed, 03 Jan 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Chris Burns has led revivals on Bourbon Street, hosted worship festivals in San Francisco and built houses of prayer in rural Ohio. Now he's a.... megachurch pastor?

In this episode, Matthew Lilley interviews Chris about his journey over the last few years of serving as a campus pastor of Bethany Church in Louisiana and how this has helped his family. Worship Leaders: Chris also shares about what it means to "host God's presence" with our worship and the value of learning to be a priest before God.

Links from this Episode

About the Podcast

The Presence Pioneers Podcast, hosted by Matthew Lilley, exists to help you experience and host God’s presence through worship and prayer. Because God’s presence changes everything. This podcast is produced by Presence Pioneers Media and funded by our generous partners. Support Presence Pioneers and this podcast at fundprayer.com.

Books & other resources from Presence Pioneers Media 📚

Free Downloads from Matthew Lilley & Presence Pioneers

Living As Priests: Our Eternal Purpose by Matthew Lilley (Episode 117)

Wed, 27 Dec 2023 11:00:00 +0000

What is your eternal and original purpose? God has created humanity to be stewards of His presence and kingdom on the earth. Adam was the first priest and the Garden of Eden was the first temple.

Though our original purpose as a "royal priesthood" was tainted by sin, through Christ we can be restored to our original purpose as a kingdom of priests to God forever.

Today's podcast episode is a teaching by Matthew Lilley recorded at YWAM Boston in the summer of 2023.

About the Podcast

The Presence Pioneers Podcast, hosted by Matthew Lilley, exists to help you experience and host God’s presence through worship and prayer. Because God’s presence changes everything. This podcast is produced by Presence Pioneers Media and funded by our generous partners. Support Presence Pioneers and this podcast at fundprayer.com.

Books & other resources from Presence Pioneers Media 📚

Free Downloads from Matthew Lilley & Presence Pioneers

Hope for The American Church + Building Around The Present-ness of God with Zack Hensley (Episode 116)

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 11:00:00 +0000

Is there hope for the American Church? Zack Hensley thinks so. He has been consulting with pastors and hosting the Beautiful Church podcast, and he is seeing signs of life for revival in the United States.

Zack believes one of the keys for renewal and awakening in the body of Christ is an awareness of the "present-ness" of God. What is the difference between God's presence and His present-ness? Tune in to find out and hear some awesome testimonies of how the Spirit of God is moving across America.

Learn more about Zack and Ephesus Ministries at https://www.zackhensley.com

About the Podcast

The Presence Pioneers Podcast, hosted by Matthew Lilley, exists to help you experience and host God’s presence through worship and prayer. Because God’s presence changes everything. This podcast is produced by Presence Pioneers Media and funded by our generous partners. Support Presence Pioneers and this podcast at fundprayer.com.

Books & other resources from Presence Pioneers Media 📚

Free Downloads from Matthew Lilley & Presence Pioneers

Balancing Creativity, Pastoring People and Administration with Ryan Hall (Episode 115)

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 11:00:00 +0000

Ryan Hall is the co-writer of the song "Worthy of It All" and the director of the Franklin Prayer House, where they host over 70 hours of prayer with live worship every week. In this interview Matthew Lilley interviews Ryan about juggling his creative side, his heart to pastor people and his calling as a leader of a ministry organization.

Ryan also shares some of his journey into ministry and vital lessons learned along the way. If you're a songwriter, creative, worship leader or a ministry leader, you don't want to miss this encouraging, funny and insightful episode!

Links from this Episode

About the Podcast

The Presence Pioneers Podcast, hosted by Matthew Lilley, exists to help you experience and host God’s presence through worship and prayer. Because God’s presence changes everything. This podcast is produced by Presence Pioneers Media and funded by our generous partners. Support Presence Pioneers and this podcast at fundprayer.com.

Books & other resources from Presence Pioneers Media 📚

Free Downloads from Matthew Lilley & Presence Pioneers

Cocaine Addict Turned House of Prayer Director + Introverted Evangelism w/Brandon McKenzie

Wed, 06 Dec 2023 11:00:00 +0000

Hear the incredible of story of the introverted drug addict who became a house of prayer director and bold evangelist! In this episode Matthew Lilley interviews Brandon McKenzie, the director of Harvest House of Prayer in Columbus, Georgia.

Harvest House of Prayer is part of an evangelistic ministry called Take The City, and they are seeing God do incredible miracles in people's lives as prayer, worship and missions flow together to lift up Jesus in their city.

Learn more about Harvest House of Prayer and Take the City.

About the Podcast

The Presence Pioneers Podcast, hosted by Matthew Lilley, exists to help you experience and host God’s presence through worship and prayer. Because God’s presence changes everything. This podcast is produced by Presence Pioneers Media and funded by our generous partners. Support Presence Pioneers and this podcast at fundprayer.com.

Books & other resources from Presence Pioneers Media 📚

Free Downloads from Matthew Lilley & Presence Pioneers

Brian Alarid on Dealing with Unanswered Prayer + Getting God's Heart For Your City (Episode 113)

Wed, 29 Nov 2023 11:00:00 +0000

What happens when God won't answer your own prayers to heal your daughter's health, but He is calling you to launch a global 24/7 prayer initiative? That is the journey of Brian Alarid, the founder of America Prays and World Prays.

In this interview Matthew Lilley interviews Brian about his journey from a local pastor to mobilizing local churches to unite in day and night prayer across cities and regions. With passion and transparency, Brian opens up about his own struggles with unanswered prayer in the midst of leading a global movement.

Links from this Episode

About the Podcast

The Presence Pioneers Podcast, hosted by Matthew Lilley, exists to help you experience and host God’s presence through worship and prayer. Because God’s presence changes everything. This podcast is produced by Presence Pioneers Media and funded by our generous partners. Support Presence Pioneers and this podcast at fundprayer.com.

Books & other resources from Presence Pioneers Media 📚

Free Downloads from Matthew Lilley & Presence Pioneers

12 Hours of Worship in Times Square + Multi-Generational Worship w/ Ryan Delling (Episode 112)

Wed, 22 Nov 2023 11:00:00 +0000

Ryan Delling brings together houses of prayer and worshiping communities in the New York City region for 12+ hours of worship and prayer - sometimes in a tent in Times Square! In this episode Matthew Lilley interviews Ryan about the amazing things God is doing in the New York City area, the importance of humility & unity, and what it will take to bring the generations together in worship.

About Ryan

Ryan founded a ministry called The Altar and is the worship director at Resting Place House of Prayer in New Jersey. Learn more about Ryan and the Altar at https://www.dellingministry.com

About the Podcast

The Presence Pioneers Podcast, hosted by Matthew Lilley, exists to help you experience and host God’s presence through worship and prayer. Because God’s presence changes everything. This podcast is produced by Presence Pioneers Media and funded by our generous partners. Support Presence Pioneers and this podcast at fundprayer.com.

Books & other resources from Presence Pioneers Media 📚

Free Downloads from Matthew Lilley & Presence Pioneers

How to Pray for Israel & Testimonies from the Nations w/Jason Hubbard (Episode 111)

Wed, 08 Nov 2023 11:00:00 +0000

Hear amazing stories of what God is doing with prayer & missions in the nations!

➡️ Hamas terorrists coming to Jesus

➡️100+ 24/7 prayer towers across Indonesia

➡️ An unprecedented harvest of souls among the Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu people

➡️ A historic wave of intercession for the Jewish people to put their faith in Jesus and more!

Jason Hubbard joins Matthew Lilley to share about what is happening with the global day and night prayer movement around the world. Jason is the director of the International Prayer Connect (IPC), a network of prayer networks around the globe that represents hundreds of millions of intercessors.

Along with sharing testimonies of how God is stirring prayer and answering prayer, Jason speaks about the current conflict happening in Israel and Gaza. How should Christians be praying for the Jewish and Arab people in a wise and biblical way?

Links from this Episode

International Prayer Connect

The Presence Pioneers Podcast, hosted by Matthew Lilley, exists to help you experience and host God’s presence through worship and prayer. Because God’s presence changes everything. This podcast is produced by Presence Pioneers Media and funded by our generous partners. Support Presence Pioneers and this podcast at fundprayer.com.

Books & other resources from Presence Pioneers Media 📚

Free Downloads from Matthew Lilley & Presence Pioneers

The Unlikely Story of a Global Movement + Mourning for the Return of Jesus w/Jonathan Friz (Episode 110)

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 18:20:00 +0000

Are you in the midst of a painful or challenging season? Be sure to tune in to today's episode! Matthew Lilley interviews special guest Jonathan Friz about his new book,10 Days: Unlikely Story of a Global Movement Mourning for the Return of Jesus. Jonathan share some encouraging stories of the good and bad seasons of his life.

Get the 10 Days book here: https://www.10days.net/book

About the 10 Days book:

Starting in 2004 with a visionary experience, this account tells both the good and the bad of a journey with God to see a seemingly impossible vision come to pass. The book highlights not only supernatural signs but also tragic mistakes, painful trials, and bewildering pitfalls that lead to what looks like complete failure. Through it all, the incredible faithfulness and miraculous provision of God are on display in some of the least likely situations.

This book will be especially helpful for those who have experienced both a deep passion and love for God as well as significant setbacks that have left them perplexed. It shows how God's faithfulness can operate through human weakness, but also how our growth in wisdom, discernment, and spiritual maturity is essential if God is to fulfill His great and precious promises in us. In a larger sense, it also paints the picture of the growth of a global movement that is filled with longing and expectation for the fulfillment of God's prophetic promises and ultimately the return of Jesus to rule and reign!

Another New Book! Enjoying Prayer by Matthew Lilley is out now. Visit http://enjoyingprayer.com to get a copy of the paperback, e-book or audiobook today.

The Presence Pioneer Podcast, hosted by Matthew Lilley, is helping you experience and host God’s presence through worship and prayer. Because God’s presence changes everything.

Free PDF Guide on David's Tabernacle ⛺

Free E-Book - The House of Prayer & The Praying Church 🏠

https://mailchi.mp/88d890568da2/sing-a-new-song-pdf

Free PDF Guide for Worship Leaders on Spontaneous & Prophetic Worship 🎵

Get Matthew's book, David's Tabernacle: How God's Presence Changes Everything 📚

Watch podcast on Youtube 💻

Support this podcast 🎁

Matthew's website with free worship & prayer resources, 50+ blog posts and more

Overcoming Boredom & Finding Joy in Prayer + Some Exciting Announcements (Episode 109)

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 10:00:00 +0000

If you sometimes find prayer HARD or BORING, this is the episode for you. Special guest host Jonathan Friz interviews Matthew Lilley about his new book, Enjoying Prayer.

Get the paperback, e-book or audiobook at http://enjoyingprayer.com

About the Enjoying Prayer book:

The prophet Isaiah makes a stunning claim that God’s people can find joy in His house of prayer. Yet for many Christians, their experience of prayer is not joy but boredom or frustration. Where is the disconnect? God’s promise of joyful prayer can easily be hijacked by common hindrances such as a wrong view of God, a lack of identity, religiosity, the busyness of life and isolation from Christian community. Enjoying Prayer exposes these hindrances and provides a biblical roadmap for a thriving prayer life. Through keys such as intimacy with God, a foundation of worship, and a praying community, you can begin to enter into the joyful prayer that is promised to every believer. It’s time to start enjoying prayer!

Another new book! Be sure to check out Jonathan Friz's new book, 10 Days: The Unlikely Story of a Global Movement Mourning for the Return of Jesus, published by Presence Pioneers Media at http://10days.net/book

The Presence Pioneer Podcast, hosted by Matthew Lilley, is helping you experience and host God’s presence through worship and prayer. Because God’s presence changes everything.

Free PDF Guide on David's Tabernacle ⛺

Free E-Book - The House of Prayer & The Praying Church 🏠

https://mailchi.mp/88d890568da2/sing-a-new-song-pdf

Free PDF Guide for Worship Leaders on Spontaneous & Prophetic Worship 🎵

Get Matthew's book, David's Tabernacle: How God's Presence Changes Everything 📚

Watch podcast on Youtube 💻

Support Matthew's ministry & this podcast 🎁

Matthew's website with free worship & prayer resources, 50+ blog posts and more

Watch the podcast on Youtube

The Phenomenon of Houses of Prayer & The Need for Real Relationships w/Brad Stroup (Episode 108)

Wed, 11 Oct 2023 13:10:19 +0000

All across the earth, God is raising up communities that are gathering for hours and hours of prayer meetings every week. Why is this happening? And what does it have to do with you? Brad Stroup, the founder of the Prayer Room DFW, returns to the podcast to share an update about the "house of prayer" phenomenon that is happening around the world in the 21st century.

Matthew Lilley interviews Brad about his own journey as a leader, and they discuss a recent house of prayer summit that took place in Dallas. What was God speaking at that gathering? What is the status of the house of prayer movement in the United States? And how does an everyday Christian participate in this exciting move of God? Learn all that and more in this episode. Learn more about Brad's ministry

The Presence Pioneers Podcast, hosted by Matthew Lilley, is helping you experience and host God’s presence through worship and prayer. Because God’s presence changes everything.

Free PDF Guide on David's Tabernacle ⛺

Free E-Book - The House of Prayer & The Praying Church 🏠

Free PDF Guide for Worship Leaders on Spontaneous & Prophetic Worship 🎵

Support this podcast 🎁

A Deep Dive Into David's Tabernacle, True Worship and Bringing Heaven to Earth (Episode 107)

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 10:00:00 +0000

Teaching from Matthew Lilley recorded live at YWAM Boston in June 2023.

The Presence Pioneers Podcast, hosted by Matthew Lilley, is helping you experience and host God’s presence through worship and prayer. Because God’s presence changes everything.

Free PDF Guide on David's Tabernacle ⛺

Free E-Book - The House of Prayer & The Praying Church 🏠

https://mailchi.mp/88d890568da2/sing-a-new-song-pdf

Free PDF Guide for Worship Leaders on Spontaneous & Prophetic Worship 🎵

Get Matthew's book, David's Tabernacle: How God's Presence Changes Everything 📚

Watch podcast on Youtube 💻

Support Matthew's ministry & this podcast 🎁

Matthew's website with free worship & prayer resources, 50+ blog posts and more

Ministering to God As Priests (Episode 106)

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 10:00:00 +0000

This was recorded live for the Cloud Summit on Zoom on April 15, 2023.

The Presence Pioneer Podcast, hosted by Matthew Lilley, is helping you experience and host God’s presence through worship and prayer. Because God’s presence changes everything.

Free PDF Guide on David's Tabernacle ⛺

Free E-Book - The House of Prayer & The Praying Church 🏠

https://mailchi.mp/88d890568da2/sing-a-new-song-pdf

Free PDF Guide for Worship Leaders on Spontaneous & Prophetic Worship 🎵

Get Matthew's book, David's Tabernacle: How God's Presence Changes Everything 📚

Watch podcast on Youtube 💻

Support Matthew's ministry & this podcast 🎁

Matthew's website with free worship & prayer resources, 50+ blog posts and more

The Wisdom of Worship & Singing (Episode 105)

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 10:00:00 +0000

This episode was recorded for a 10 Days (10days.net) teaching class on Zoom on May 27, 2021.

The Presence Pioneer Podcast, hosted by Matthew Lilley, is helping you experience and host God’s presence through worship and prayer. Because God’s presence changes everything.

Free PDF Guide on David's Tabernacle ⛺

Free E-Book - The House of Prayer & The Praying Church 🏠

https://mailchi.mp/88d890568da2/sing-a-new-song-pdf

Free PDF Guide for Worship Leaders on Spontaneous & Prophetic Worship 🎵

Get Matthew's book, David's Tabernacle: How God's Presence Changes Everything 📚

Watch podcast on Youtube 💻

Support Matthew's ministry & this podcast 🎁

Matthew's website with free worship & prayer resources, 50+ blog posts and more

Five Truths About the Power of Fasting (Episode 104)

Thu, 25 May 2023 10:00:00 +0000

Recorded in the Global Family 24/7 virtual prayer room in January 2023.

The Presence Pioneer Podcast, hosted by Matthew Lilley, is helping you experience and host God’s presence through worship and prayer. Because God’s presence changes everything.

Free PDF Guide on David's Tabernacle ⛺

Free E-Book - The House of Prayer & The Praying Church 🏠

https://mailchi.mp/88d890568da2/sing-a-new-song-pdf

Free PDF Guide for Worship Leaders on Spontaneous & Prophetic Worship 🎵

Get Matthew's book, David's Tabernacle: How God's Presence Changes Everything 📚

Watch podcast on Youtube 💻

Support Matthew's ministry & this podcast 🎁

Matthew's website with free worship & prayer resources, 50+ blog posts and more

The Father's Heart, Our Identity & Inner Healing (Episode 103)

Thu, 11 May 2023 16:28:38 +0000

Recorded at Faith Hope Love House of Prayer in Columbus, OH in April 2023.

The Presence Pioneer Podcast, hosted by Matthew Lilley, is helping you experience and host God’s presence through worship and prayer. Because God’s presence changes everything.

Free PDF Guide on David's Tabernacle ⛺

Free E-Book - The House of Prayer & The Praying Church 🏠

https://mailchi.mp/88d890568da2/sing-a-new-song-pdf

Free PDF Guide for Worship Leaders on Spontaneous & Prophetic Worship 🎵

Get Matthew's book, David's Tabernacle: How God's Presence Changes Everything 📚

Watch podcast on Youtube 💻

Support Matthew's ministry & this podcast 🎁

Matthew's website with free worship & prayer resources, 50+ blog posts and more

Building Resting Places for God (Episode 102)

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 10:00:00 +0000

Recorded live at the Awaken the Dawn Leadership Summit in Columbus, OH on April 1, 2023.

The Presence Pioneer podcast exists to help you experience and host God’s presence through worship and prayer. Because God’s presence changes everything.

Free PDF Guide on David's Tabernacle ⛺https://mailchi.mp/66cac506600c/davidstabernacle

Free E-Book - The House of Prayer & The Praying Church 🏠https://mailchi.mp/eb5019d220d1/prayingchurch

Free PDF Guide for Worship Leaders on Spontaneous & Prophetic Worship 🎵

https://mailchi.mp/88d890568da2/sing-a-new-song-pdf

Get Matthew's book, David's Tabernacle: How God's Presence Changes Everything 📚

http://davidstabernacle.com

Subscribe to Audio Podcast 🎙️

https://redcircle.com/shows/a0486a22-9e34-4e08-a03f-5b90a2b5e443

Support Matthew's ministry & this podcast 🎁

http://fundprayer.com

Matthew's website with free worship & prayer resources, 50+ blog posts and more 💻

http://presencepioneer.com

Five Common Lies About Worship & Prayer (Episode 101)

Thu, 13 Apr 2023 10:00:00 +0000

Recorded at Resurgent Church in Atlanta, GA in February 2023.

The Presence Pioneer Podcast, hosted by Matthew Lilley, is helping you experience and host God’s presence through worship and prayer. Because God’s presence changes everything.

Free PDF Guide on David's Tabernacle ⛺

The Presence Pioneer Podcast, hosted by Matthew Lilley, is helping you experience and host God’s presence through worship and prayer. Because God’s presence changes everything.

Free E-Book - The House of Prayer & The Praying Church 🏠

https://mailchi.mp/88d890568da2/sing-a-new-song-pdf

Free PDF Guide for Worship Leaders on Spontaneous & Prophetic Worship 🎵

Get Matthew's book, David's Tabernacle: How God's Presence Changes Everything 📚

Watch podcast on Youtube 💻

Support Matthew's ministry & this podcast 🎁

Matthew's website with free worship & prayer resources, 50+ blog posts and more

Podcast Relaunch... Sort Of

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 17:17:10 +0000

Matthew Lilley here! I'm gently re-activating my personal podcast. As I occasionally travel to teach, I'll be releasing the recordings through the podcast.

A few things....

I've changed the podcast name from "Presence Pioneers" to "Presence Pioneer" (no "s" on the end of pioneer) since the focus will be on sharing my teachings, not interviews.
These will not be released with any regularity. If I go somewhere to teach, and they can get me the recording, then I'll share it with you.
The audio quality may be much more inconsistent than previous PP podcast episodes. This is because I'm uploading the raw recordings without really editing them. In previous years, we had invested a good amount of money to produce the podcast with high quality audio.
These will also be released on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/@PresencePioneerPodcast

The Presence Pioneer podcast exists to help you experience and host God’s presence through worship and prayer. Because God’s presence changes everything.

Free PDF Guide on David's Tabernacle ⛺

https://mailchi.mp/66cac506600c/davidstabernacle

Free E-Book - The House of Prayer & The Praying Church 🏠

https://mailchi.mp/eb5019d220d1/prayingchurch

Free PDF Guide for Worship Leaders on Spontaneous & Prophetic Worship 🎵

https://mailchi.mp/88d890568da2/sing-a-new-song-pdf

Get Matthew's book, David's Tabernacle: How God's Presence Changes Everything 📚

http://davidstabernacle.com

Support Matthew's ministry & this podcast 🎁

http://fundprayer.com

Matthew's website with free worship & prayer resources, 50+ blog posts and more 💻

http://presencepioneer.com

Our Final Episode & A Big Announcement w/David Bradshaw (Episode 100)

Mon, 21 Mar 2022 19:15:00 +0000

Friends of the Presence Pioneers Podcast,

I started this podcast over three years ago with a desire to teach, encourage and equip my friends who were in presence-centered prayer communities around the world. Today we released episode 100, and I am blown away by how God has used the podcast to impact people’s lives. We have averaged 400-500 downloads per episode from dozens of nations around the world.

Despite the success of the podcast, we have decided that episode 100 will be the final episode of the Presence Pioneers podcast for the foreseeable future. After prayer and fasting, my wife and I believe God is leading us to focus our ministry efforts in a few specific places in this season. Our attention will primarily be given to serving in my role with the Awaken the Dawn movement and in helping build a prayer room at our local church here in eastern North Carolina.

Please tune in to the 100th episode on your podcast app or on Youtube for more details. On episode 100 I talk with David Bradshaw, the founder of Awaken the Dawn, and we shared about a brand new podcast we are launching together! The Jesus Movement podcast, presented by ATD, will continue with the long-form conversations and interviews that I have been hosting on the Presence Pioneers podcast. We have already posted interviews with MIsty Edwards (from IHOP-KC) and Michael Miller (from Upperroom Dallas). You can follow the The Jesus Movement podcast at http://jesusmovement.awakenthedawn.com or through the ATD Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/ATDMedia.

Thank you to all who have listened, watched, subscribed, prayed and shared the Presence Pioneers podcast episodes. It’s been a joy to serve you in this way, and I believe the best is yet to come!

Matthew Lilley

Presence Pioneers Podcast host

/////

Hosted by Matthew Lilley, the Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help you and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. We discuss topics such as prophetic worship, intercessory prayer, global missions, unity in the Church, revival and the tabernacle of David.

ORDER MATTHEW’S BOOK, DAVID’S TABERNACLE • http://davidstabernacle.com

FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneer/

FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneer/

How To Discern Specific Prayer Assignments (Episode 99)

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 01:27:46 +0000

Have you ever wondered what God has called you to do? We all have. But have you ever wondered who God has called you to pray for? In this episode, Matthew dives into how to hear that clearly.

Hosted by Matthew Lilley, the Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help you and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. We discuss topics such as prophetic worship, intercessory prayer, global missions, unity in the Church, revival and the tabernacle of David.

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Intercession flows from intimacy. As we lean into God, as we listen to Him, we will inevitably learn what is on His heart. There are all kinds of things we will notice and feel stirred to pray for as we do this, but Matthew believes there are specific prayer "assignments" for each of us. If we can discern what that is, we can actually experience the joy and encouragement that comes from seeing our prayers answered.

The first example of this in the Bible that Matthew discusses here is Jesus. He was fully God, but also fully man. Jesus relied on the power of the Holy Spirit to carry out His purpose on the earth. He understood that accomplishing things on earth required partnering with God. A great example would be John 17, where Jesus invites His disciples to be with Him while He prays. So what did Jesus talk to God about?

He prayed about Himself, and He prayed for His disciples - a pretty standard prayer, right? But then, He began praying for the future Church (us!), that He wouldn't ever get to preach to as a man on the Earth. Matthew believes this was an intercessory assignment from God. There are people that we won't ever get to speak to or see, but perhaps we've been invited to affect their lives in prayer, like Jesus.

Then, we'll look at Paul. In Romans 10:1, we see his main place in prayer - to see the Jewish people be saved. In his everyday life, his ministry, he is obviously called to the Gentiles, but he still carried this burden to pray for his people.

Lou Engle has said "Pay close attention to your tears, because your tears point you to your destiny." As we draw close to God and begin to let Him steer our prayers, something will grip your heart in a way that doesn't even make sense to you - that is likely the intercessory assignment in your life. It can be a justice issue, an unsaved friend or even celebrity, an entire people group, or something else. But getting close to God in prayer is the only way to find that.

If God has given you a burden to pray, it's because He wants to answer that prayer. His desire and ability to do that will create deep joy in our lives, and ripple out to change the world.

The History of 24-7 Prayer: David, Monasteries and Moravians (Episode 98)

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 02:20:28 +0000

In this episode, Matthew discusses what 24-7 prayer has looked like through the ages.

Hosted by Matthew Lilley, the Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help you and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. We discuss topics such as prophetic worship, intercessory prayer, global missions, unity in the Church, revival and the tabernacle of David.

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ORDER MATTHEW’S BOOK, DAVID’S TABERNACLE • http://davidstabernacle.com

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Of course, we have to start with David's Tabernacle. For 33 years of David's reign, he kept day and night worship and prayer going at the temple, and it would seem that Solomon continued that in part. After the destruction of the temple, though, you see what are essentially "revivals" breaking out within the Jewish people where some form of that worship of David's tabernacle is restored for a time.

Another instance is the first Church, waiting for the Holy Spirit in the upper room. Even after the Holy Spirit fell on them, they continued gathering at least daily to pray together. The culture they established was definitely "ongoing" worship and prayer, although it was unlikely 24-7.

Then, you have the development of monasteries and of monks, or those like the "Desert Fathers", where you see this new dedication of radically laying down your life to pursue prayer and worship. It often started as an individual who just desperately wanted more of God, not what the "mainstream" church at the time was offering, and grew into these groups. It was these types of groups that established 24-7 prayer and singing for a time. Amazingly, they often sang the psalms, which were the songs written in David's tabernacle!

From there, you get to the Moravians. In the 1700's, in Herenhut, Germany, a commune put together by Ludwig van Zinzendorf was experiencing some infighting. Zinzendorf prayed for peace, and one night while they took communion, the Holy Spirit broke in. They began 24-7 prayer and worship based on Moses, saying the fire on the altar must not go out. They took one hour shifts and carried it on for 100 years! They sent out many missionaries, and most believe that this is the roots of the modern missions movement.

So what's happening now is unprecedented in scale, but not in activity. God has had little pockets of people praying day and night all throughout history, and it often births missions. We're moving now into His grand vision, a more global movement of day and night worship and prayer that everyone is invited to!

Biblical Promises of a Global Prayer & Worship Movement (Episode 97)

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 12:05:00 +0000

There's a movement across the globe right now of day ad night worship and prayer. However, this isn't an unforeseen phenomenon or a trend - in this episode, Matthew lays out 3 promises in the Bible that show this movement is part of God's plan.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Matthew's Book • https://presencepioneer.com/davidstabernacle/

Episode 4 • https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-global-prayer-movement-this-has-never-happened/id1450541029?i=1000430629937

Episode 62 • https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/four-models-of-24-7-prayer-that-went-viral-episode-62/id1450541029?i=1000509670674

Hosted by Matthew Lilley, the Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help you and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. We discuss topics such as prophetic worship, intercessory prayer, global missions, unity in the Church, revival and the tabernacle of David.

SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

ORDER MATTHEW’S BOOK, DAVID’S TABERNACLE • http://davidstabernacle.com

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

None of the verses we discuss today will be really new to anyone following this podcast, but in this talk Matthew wants to tie them together to show "the plan" God has that we are a part of. There's a bigger storyline going on here!

Promise 1 - God's house will be a house of prayer.

Isaiah 56:7 is where God says His house will be a house of prayer to all the nations, and this is the verse Jesus quotes in Matthew 21:13. Matthew compares this house of prayer to IHOP, the International House of Pancakes. If you go to IHOP, you can get pancakes. They sell other things, but pancakes are their specialty. Similarly, God's house should have prayer as its specialty!

Promise 2 - Worship and prayer will be everywhere.

Malachi 1:11 and Isaiah 42 both describe worship and prayer "in every place" or "to the ends of the Earth". (Incense represents prayer in the Bible in many places.) It's unclear what the boundary lines are exactly of "every place", but it indicates that basically no matter where you go, prayer and worship are going up.

Promise 3 - This worship and prayer will be day and night.

Isaiah 62:6-7 and Luke 18 both point towards the unceasing prayer and worship. Before Jesus returns, there will be worship and prayer happening not only in every place, but all the time.

Could what we're seeing now in the prayer movement be connected to these verses? God is inviting us all to be part of His promises to the Earth. We essentially have a "blank check" to worship and pray together whenever, wherever - so if this has been stirring in your heart, here's your sign - just start!

Hearing God's Voice in Prayer: Four Ways He Speaks (Episode 96)

Thu, 27 Jan 2022 11:55:00 +0000

In this quick teaching, Matthew goes through what it means to communicate with God, and also 4 ways to know you're hearing Him.

Hosted by Matthew Lilley, the Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help you and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. We discuss topics such as prophetic worship, intercessory prayer, global missions, unity in the Church, revival and the tabernacle of David.

SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

When you pray, one of the first things to understand is that it's not just one way. Part of communicating with anyone, including God, is listening. That can be hard to discern sometimes in prayer, so Matthew lays out 4 ways that God can speak to us to help you listen for Him.

1 - Through the Bible.

Every word in the Bible is truth, so God will never speak anything to you that contradicts it. Therefore, a solid understanding of His Word helps you to recognize His voice. Often, He will speak while we are reading the Bible, either by highlighting a verse to us or giving us a new revelation about something we've read before.

2 - Through an Impression.

Some people do have encounters where they hear the audible voice of God, but more often it's the Holy Spirit inside of us that "has a thought". Especially if you're in His presence - praying, worshipping, at church, etc - if a sudden thought or feeling comes to you, that doesn't contradict scripture, that's probably God! This one is easy to miss.

3 - Through Wise Counsel.

Sometimes, God will use people close to us - a pastor, a mentor, a parent, a spouse, a friend - to speak to us. Acts 15 is a great example of God getting His point across through people communicating - and the final consensus was simply "it seems good to us in the Holy Spirit". We don't always get a billboard in black and white - sometimes it's simply hearing from someone we trust to be wise and feeling peace about it in our own spirit.

4 - Through Dreams and Visions.

God consistently spoke throughout the Bible in this way. For some people, this is a very dramatic encounter - an "out of body experience". More often, it's a dream that stands out to you, or an image that comes to mind while you're praying. As always, you must hold anything like this up to scripture and be sure it's in line, but if it is, pray about what you saw - God is probably trying to get your attention!

The main point here is that God came to us to create a relationship. In order for us to really be a part of that relationship, we need to know His voice - because He's already speaking.

From Glory to Glory: The Trans[Formative] Power of Worship (Episode 95)

Thu, 13 Jan 2022 14:00:00 +0000

In this episode, Matthew explores why we don't always see the change we're prayig for.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Original Blog Post • https://presencepioneer.com/from-glory-to-glory/

Hosted by Matthew Lilley, the Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help you and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. We discuss topics such as prophetic worship, intercessory prayer, global missions, unity in the Church, revival and the tabernacle of David.

SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Worship is the natural inclination of human beings. Whether we see it or not, we are worshipping something. We don't always realize this, because we've redefined it so narrowly that now it only refers to the part of church when the music plays.

This would more aptly be described as "praise", which David referred to often, and said that's the place God inhabits. But worship goes farther.

The New Testament promises that we will be changed by encountering God, transformed from glory to glory to be like Jesus.

Sometimes, when we're in God's presence, we see instant transformation, such as healings or deliverance. But what about the moments when there is no instant breakthrough?

Often, God changes things more slowly, through the formation that happens inside of us over time spent with Him. This is what makes us more like Christ.

This is where the charismatic church could learn something from our liturgical brothers and sisters. They have learned the value of the ritual and repetition, the ongoing encounter whether you feel it or not. Andrew Wilson calls for a blending of the biblical liturgy and the biblical outpouring of the Holy Spirirt - which he calls "Eucharismatic".

Rick Joyner describes it like this - he only remembers a few great meals in his life, but they all served to keep him alive. He says reading the Bible is the same way - it's feeding our spirit and keeping it alive even when it's not particularly memorable.

There tends to be a focus in the charismatic movement on the exciting, instant transformation. But Matthew has found he can spot a person in that setting who comes from a house of prayer. They have learned to value the long game. Mike Bickle says we should measure the impact of our intercession in decades!

God's presence truly changes everything - whether instantly or over time. In 1 Corinthians we're told that we see only dimly for now - which is why the changes we need are often slow. But it also promises that when Jesus returns, we will see Him fully, and the ultimate instant breakthrough happens - we go from glory to Glory.

God's Relational Presence: The Megatheme of the Bible (Episode 94)

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 10:00:00 +0000

The Bible is a unique collection of 66 books with at least 40 different human authors that were written over the course of 1500 years. This diverse set of writings is compiled for a reason. There must be a primary theme and cohesive narrative throughout the Christian Scriptures. Yet how do we define the center of biblical teaching?

In this episode Matthew shares from his latest blog article titled "God’s Relational Presence: The Megatheme of Scripture" which you can read here: https://presencepioneer.com/gods-relational-presence/

The Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help YOU and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. Hosted by Matthew Lilley, episodes feature short Bible teachings and interviews with key leaders in the prayer & worship movement.

SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

Special Podcast Update: Fall 2021

Fri, 08 Oct 2021 17:53:27 +0000

Matthew Lilley shares a special update on why we will be pausing new podcast episode releases until December. Until we return, you can check out our 90+ episode archive.

Don Rayno on Citywide Prayer & Unity Movements (Episode 93)

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 11:03:23 +0000

In this episode, Matthew chats with Don Rayno, director of Raleigh-Area Concerts of Prayer. They've been bringing hundreds of people together for years to pray, and Matthew refers to him as a "hidden gem" of the prayer movement.

Don started out as a nuclear chemist, for about 20 years. The term "concerts of prayer" actually comes from Jonathan Edwards in the 1700's, when he and another pastor wanted to bring people together for prayer across denominational lines. Don and a friend from work started the Raleigh Concerts of Prayer group, with about 30 people in 1984! Don laughs that they went through "prayer movement growth" from 30 to 3. He was encouraged by a Jonathan Edwards book that said to keep praying regularly for 7 years and then see if God wants you to keep going, so he determined in his heart to power through.

After a couple years, they reached out to local pastors and got 12-15 to join in, and by the time they did another big rally, there were 35 pastors and 1,000 people in attendance! However, one of his mentors told him after the event he needed to do more to get the pastors unified and praying. He put together a one day camp for local pastors to come together, share struggles, and encourage each other. That has continued every year except 2020!

At this point Matthew points out Don's faithfulness in the small things. As Matthew puts it, before you bring an entire city together to pray, you might have to bring together just a handful of people for a long time!

In 1996, Don's friends in Concerts of Prayer asked him about doing this full time and quitting his job. He and his wife talked about it and weren't sure. They were doing more and more prayer events, like traveling around in a bus with local pastors and a police officer to stop and pray over places that needed it the most. Then, Don got his answer - he came home smiling one evening and informed his wife he'd been laid off! This allowed them to really jump in with both feet.

Since then, the focus has been not just building prayer meetings but building prayer in the local churches. They have their big rallies in the fall, but it's never promoted on social media - every church has a coordinator and brings people from their church. This has also led to a great mix of different types of people and churches, across racial and socio-economic lines. They now have about 120 churches involved just in the Raleigh area!

What about the challenges? Don says keeping the differences lower on the agenda than just being "saturated with Jesus" is the way to get around that. He also says that he saw some people early on get discouraged and leave the prayer movement, and then miss out on the growth and excitement.

In the last 5-8 years, Don's biggest encouragement is seeing guys in their 20's and 30's, like him with he started, picking up the baton and leaning into prayer and unity. He says it won't look exactly like it has looked for the last 30 years, but that's okay. To those young people, he says : find a mentor, and prepare to be tested. You'll have to transition through the stages of your life while keeping your commitment to this ministry. God will use all the enthusiasm, but He will also build patience in you.

To end, Don says he always thought revival was coming in his generation, but now gets the sense that they were building to prepare for this upcoming generation, so that revival could finally come. He believes there is a lot to look forward to!

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Jason Hubbard on the Moravians’ 100-Year Prayer Meeting (Episode 92)

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 11:30:29 +0000

In today's episode, Matthew has a conversation with Dr. Jason Hubbard, director of the International Prayer Connect.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

International Prayer Connect • https://www.ipcprayer.org/ipc-home

SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

When Jason began his career as a pastor, he says they had good teaching, but no prayer or discipleship. The Lord confronted him in prayer one day and asked, "Do you think you can do this better than Me?" This led their leadership into establishing a prayer room at their church in 2007, and they saw growth by 1000 people in a year under "this canopy of prayer", as he put it. They began drawing other churches in, and by 2009 there were 30 churches involved!

Now from his international position, with 25 leaders in 17 nations around the world, Matthew asks Jason - what do you see happening with prayer around the world? To start with, the nation they had teach others about prayer at their meeting was Indonesia! They have 100 prayer towers (equivalent of IHOP-KC) going 24-7, including a strong children's prayer network. In 2017, the network saw a shift more towards praying for the unreached and the gospel movement. During Covid, Jason said there's been more connection built between both prayer leaders and gospel-sharing leaders than ever before. He believes this is an historic moment for the world.

Moving to the story of the Moravians, Matthew asks Jason to go into the story and why it impacted him so much. To start with, Jason says Zinzendorf was a young leader. Even at university, he started prayer societies. Then at a museum, he saw a painting of Jesus on the cross and had an encounter that ended with him on his knees. This idea of Jesus as the Lamb was woven through much of his writing and the Moravians' beliefs.

Fast forward to 200-300 people fleeing persecution and landing in Herenhut, nearby where Zinzendorf was from. In the early 1700's, there was a lot of fighting and false teaching pervasive in culture and the church. Zinzendorf goes to these families and pleads with them to forgive those who persecuted them. This led to a "summer of revival", and on August 13th they had an outpouring of the Holy Spirit often called the Moravian Pentecost. But what Jason points out is that the night before this outpouring, it was the children of the village crying out and travailing all night. He believes this children's prayer movement is what brought down the revival.

So on August 13th, they are headed to church for a communion service - still so divided that they walk on different sides of the road from each other. Zinzendorf preaches again on the Cross and forgiveness, then does Communion. And, as Jason puts it, it started with repentance. That church is now called the Church of Reconciliation. A few weeks later, Zinzendorf preached on Revelation, and the idea that Heaven looks like 24-7 prayer, so he though it should be happening on earth too. He had people sign up for one hour to sing and then pray to cover every hour of every day.

This led to a huge missionary outpouring as well. As best as they can figure it, about 5,000 missionary settlements came out of this little village. They also started the idea of being missional in the marketplace.

Jason believes this is what we're seeing today on a global scale. The prayer movement is exploding, but he believes that God is preparing the ground for the remaining harvest of souls through that. He also sees the Moravians reflected in the outpouring of spontaneous songs in the place of encounter now.

As a closing thought, Jason reflects on pastor Andrew Brunson, who was imprisoned in Turkey a few years ago. He says that after 11 months, when he was sentenced to 3 life sentences and there was no hope, he began to sing a song every day in solitary confinement. The title of the song is "You're worthy of my all", and Jason believes it's a message we need to cling to.

My 12 Year Old Daughter Teaches The Lord’s Prayer (Episode 91)

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 10:54:13 +0000

In this episode, Matthew goes over the lessons for how to pray in the Lord's Prayer with his 12 year old.

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MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

1. Praise - "Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name"

This is a space for coming into God's presence with thanksgiving and praise.

2. Intercession - "Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done"

Intercession is praying for others first, before yourself.

3. Petition - "Give us this day our daily bread"

This is where you ask for what you need - in Jesus' example, He has it 3rd in line, even though this is the only type of prayer a lot of people are aware of. It's also not just about physical needs - more often we need some emotional or mental needs met, and He is able to do it!

4. Repentance - "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us"

This is where "if we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive them". This is also a good place to let go of offenses that have piled up!

5. Spiritual Warfare - "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil"

This is where you can take an active role in the spiritual battles happening in your life.

6, Praise (again!) - For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the Glory forever and ever"

This is a space to re-center your heart. it can be more prayers, or it can be music, or some other expression of praise between you and God.

Shiloh's take-away advice is not to worry about exactly what you say - God's happy you're talking to Him! Matthew comments that He likes how Shiloh prays because it's very natural, like talking to a friend, to which Shiloh says "Well, He is a friend."

Ray Hughes on Creative Worship and Discipling Artists (Episode 90)

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 11:42:56 +0000

In today's episode, Matthew gets to interview Ray Hughes, worshiper and teacher for many decades. Ray has inspired many, including Matthew, who first heard of the Tabernacle of David from Ray.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Ray's Website • https://www.rayhughes.org/

SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

To start off, Matthew asks Ray if King David was the first person ever to form a band,sort of as a joke - but of course Ray knows the answer- it was Samuel! He formed what was called a "band of prophets", which would've been a group of musicians, walking in a straight line and worshiping into the atmosphere. David would definitely have been influenced by this set up!

Next, Matthew brings up Ray's book, 107 Things I Forgot to Say the Last Time I Talked About Worship, Creativity, and Music. Ray's first point in the book is "If we change the way the Church thinks about music and worship, we'll change the way the World encounters God". Matthew asks simply, why is that the case? Ray says we've learned everything we know about music from more Greek lineages, instead of Biblical ones. He believes there is a lot we're missing about what David's worship actually looked like. True biblical worship reveals truths about God.

One of the things Ray is known for is his pursuit of Creativity in worship - Matthew quotes this book again, number 34 - "You think you're not creative, but you are. You may not be artistic, but you're creative." So what's the difference? Ray puts it this way - Art is not decoration; art is exploration. He argues that we wrongly believe that perfectionism and excellence are the same thing - but they're not! Everything God created, creates. It's not about what you produce - it's about walking through the process and being in partnership with the Creator.

When it comes to worship and the Church specifically, Matthew wonders if Ray has suggestions for bringing creativity into those environments. Ray says it's about building a sense of community where there can be an authentic and humble atmosphere. As he puts it, we're worshiping God, not tip-toeing through the tithers. It can be a challenge to pastor creative people, he admits, but it's where the Church needs to go.If you see the manifest presence of God, Ray says, I challenge you to go away unchanged!

In Ray's experience, in 50 years of being in church, Matthew asks what is happening now. He sees a lot of it moving in seasons, but warns that worship is NOT seasonal - it's eternal. He sees a tendency to copy and paste cultural truths into our services and beliefs. He points out that the Church is typically 20 years behind the world in creativity, and we need to be more open to trusting the creativity in the Church to take that back. What he warns about happening is the casualness of modern Church, where we forget who God is, and downplay His Holiness and Majesty.

Last question - Matthew asks Ray what he'd say to himself 45 years ago as a young guy starting out in ministry. Ray says the main thing is that ministry is never about success - it's about sacrifice. If you know that going in, you'll face a lot less disappointment when a dream doesn't come true. But, he says, dreams don't have to come true to be valuable. God will use those dreams to give you hope and sustain you through the dark times. He says he seldom knows what's next, but he knows it starts with him saying yes.

Dick Eastman on Prayer & Missions in the Nations (Episode 89)

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 11:29:11 +0000

In today's episode, Matthew interviews Dick Eastman, international president of Every Home for Christ.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Every Home for Christ • http://everyhome.org

SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

Every Home for Christ actually started in the 1940's in Canada as a radio show! At the time, people were more likely to be handed communist pamphlets than a piece of Christian literature, and this radio show host wanted to change that. Then, on a missions trip in Japan, the founder of Every Home noticed that for every one person they could engage, ten got past them. Seeking God for help, they were pointed to Acts, where the disciples preached the gospel in the temple courtyard and "from house to house" - and their ministry blueprint was set.

Matthew first asks Dick how we should be praying right now, looking at the crisis in Afghanistan. He says first of all, to actually pray! Just thinking about praying isn't enough. He says that we need to pray for the protection of the Christians there, since they are a direct threat to the Taliban's way of thinking. We should pray that God can take this curse and tun it into a blessing. He believes we are in a battle spiritually, and we need to show up and pray.

Next, Matthew asks Dick to share something encouraging from their ministry. Dick says openly that in April 2020, they had to really look at their ministry's supplies and finances and wonder if they would even exist by the end of the year. Covid initially knocked down some of their supporters' businesses, and made it hard to replenish printed supplies. But as time went on, they realized that while most officials we scared to travel and provide transportation, their staff and volunteers were ready to go. They were able to help in practical ways, like transporting medical staff, while also being allowed to share the gospel everywhere they went.

Going from there, Matthew says he's curious to know more about the Prayer Corps that Dick started. In the 60's, as the Jesus Movement was breaking out, Dick was a youth pastor in California. They were seeing growth, and seeing kids get saved, but he felt like there was something else they needed to do. He organized a prayer retreat up in the mountains for any of the youth that were interested. Only 22 signed up, but he went ahead anyway. It started normal and awkward, but God broke through and these 13-17 year olds got caught up in all night intercession! The Prayer Corps was born out of this youth group - the calling was to take a year between high school and college and sustain a year of night and day prayer. The Change the World School that came out of the Prayer Corps went on to touch future leaders like Mike Bickle and Lou Engle!

So looking ahead - Matthew asks "Where do we go from here?" Dick insists that we need to pray consistently, not just count on "crisis prayers". He recalls a time in prayer where he felt burdened by all the things NOT happening in the world because people weren't praying. He decided then he'd memorize all the nations of the world so he could pray for them every day - and he has. His encouragement to those in the prayer movement is to actually pray! And to those not in the prayer movement who have a heart for prayer, he encourages you to find like-minded people to join in with. He also suggests diving into books on prayer, to read the stories of those who have gone before, to "pour gasoline" on your fire.

The Reward in the Secret Place of Prayer (Episode 88)

Thu, 19 Aug 2021 11:07:58 +0000

In this short teaching, Matthew discusses our two options in prayer according to Matthew 6 - to please people, or to please God.

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Something that stands out to Matthew as we look at Matthew 6 and what Jesus says about prayer, is the emphasis on a secret place. He believes that there is a real need (especially for worshipers ) to cultivate intimacy with God through this secret place.

In this passage, Jesus really gets into HOW we should pray. There is a temptation to get prideful and self-righteous if we devote ourselves to prayer - but the correct posture is always humility. The challenge is, simply, that it's hard. We feel weak, or get bored, or get antsy - and that's where our pride starts to die. That's where Jesus can step in and satisfy. There's a promise in Matthew 6 that you will receive your reward when you pray in the secret place, and Matthew believes that reward is the Father Himself.

We may go through seasons where we feel overlooked or abandoned, but when we are finding our joy in the secret place with Jesus, we know that God sees us. He never overlooks us. Think of David, totally alone on the hills in the obscurity of being just another shepherd boy - his own father didn't think of him when Samuel came to anoint the new king! But God had not overlooked him. He was prepared in that season of solitude to step into His very public calling.

When we reach a place of intimacy with God from the secret place, it doesn't matter if anyone ever sees us. We're set free from all other ambition and worry, because we know we're a son or daughter and our Father is pleased.

When Jesus talks about the vain repetition or empty phrases, He's not saying to pray less. He's pointing out that we don't have to earn our way into God's presence. He's made the way for us, and we can simply come in. Trying to earn God's favor through "praying harder" is pride. Jesus does teach us in other passages to press in and be persistent, but that's about spending time with your Father, not getting to Him.

Jesus goes on to say that God knows what we need before we ask, and most people would go from there to say "well, then, we don't need to pray" - but Jesus does the opposite. He goes on to say "therefore, pray like this" - and gives us The Lord's Prayer. When we can come humbly to God like a loved child, we are set free from pride if people exalt us, and pain if they reject us. That's the power of the secret place.

Five SPIRITUAL Benefits of Fasting Regularly (Episode 87)

Thu, 12 Aug 2021 10:32:08 +0000

In today's episode, Matthew goes over 5 benefits of fasting regularly. Fasting is catching on as a way of eating in our culture for health reasons, but Matthew has some spiritual benefits as well.

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For the purposes of this talk, Matthew points out that fasting in the Bible typically means not eating food. There's a place for giving up things like TV or social media, but that wasn't the biblical context. Also, he submits that this is normal Christianity - not just for the extreme people. In Matthew 6, Jesus lumps fasting in with serving and praying, as a typical part of daily life.

So, on to the benefits:

1. Intimacy with God. Fasting is a way of drawing closer to God. It's not just to get breakthrough or answers to prayer (although those are good things and often do happen), it's about gaining intimacy with God as our Father and Jesus as our bridegroom.

2. Hunger for God. Something that happens when you're hungry physically on a fast is that out of that discomfort and dissatisfaction, God can bring comfort and satisfaction that causes us to want more of Him.

3. It Sustains and Prepares Us. Matthew references Anna in Luke 2 as a foreshadowing of the Church. Fasting doesn't earn us the good things that come with it, but it does make space so that we can receive those good things that God's been wanting to give us while our hands were full of less valuable things.

4. It Give us Faith. In Matthew 17, the disciples couldn't get the demon to come out, but Jesus showed up and could do it. He rebuked them with the famous words, "some only come out by prayer and fasting". What this suggests is that Jesus was living a lifestyle of prayer and regular fasting, since He was successful at removing the demon. It links the faith to preform miracles with that lifestyle of fasting.

5. It Helps Launch Us into Our Mission. In Acts 13, they were ministering to God with worship, praying and fasting - and that's where Paul and Barnabas were sent out as the first missionaries. When we fast, God can speak into our hearts and also position our hearts for what He's calling us to.

There are many more benefits, and also lots of practical wisdom Matthew could bring to the table for those interested in fasting as a lifestyle. Definitely reach out if this content was helpful to you and you'd like him to do more teaching on this subject!

Jeremiah Johnson on Pioneering Houses of Glory (Episode 86)

Thu, 05 Aug 2021 10:50:48 +0000

In this episode, Matthew has a chat with Jeremiah Johnson, founder of The Altar Global and well-known prophet.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

The Altar Global • http://www.thealtarglobal.com

Houses of Glory • https://www.amazon.com/Houses-Glory-Prophetic-Strategies-Entering/dp/0768457335

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MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

Jeremiah was raised in a charismatic household with a preacher for a father, so the supernatural was never a weird idea for him. He grew up in that arena and then went on to bible college, starting a church that now has two campuses in Florida, and then moved to the Charlotte, NC area in 2020 and started The Altar Global.

Moving on to Jeremiah's book, Houses of Glory, Matthew asks what prompted this book. It really came out of a burden he feels the Lord gave him for the Church. He began to see the Church being exposed in some weak places, specifically the reliance on leaders instead of God and the celebrity culture that surrounds a lot of pastors and worship leaders. The book is a response to that exposure and what God's solution is.

Next, Matthew asks about King David, and what his significance is to this book and to Jeremiah personally. To Jeremiah, David is a man of one thing. He is a prototype for us. However, what is significant to him is the contrast between David and Saul. Jeremiah sees Saul as a representation of the religious spirit, relying more on his own talent than on God. Within the Church, Jeremiah sees a clear war between the "house of David" and the "house of Saul", which became more heightened during the lockdowns in 2020.

As Jeremiah puts it, Saul had position and David had Presence. And yet, David still had to serve Saul first, before becoming King. There are seasons when a pioneer will have to submit to others, and Jeremiah points out that these seasons are planned by God and are for your good. He urges you to remember that the pain has a purpose, and once you've walked through the pain of a difficult leader, you'll never hurt someone that way when you are the one leading.

So what can a Pioneer do when they're in that "Saul season", when they're still waiting for their vision to be realized? Humility is the name of the game. He submits that the healthiest form of criticism is building something better, instead of tearing down the original. If you don't like the way something is, just focus on what God's given you the grace to build, and let that do the talking.

You also have to build relationships and history in the place you want to pioneer. Reach out to leaders and those who have been in that place for a long time, and just take the first step and go out to lunch or grab coffee. Pioneering is not for the faint of heart, he says, and people may not understand what you're called to, but God will take care of it and you. So instead of being distracted by "Saul", or those who are having success, just lean in to what God has called you to and let Him do what He does.

Lastly, Matthew asks Jeremiah about "upper room DNA". Jeremiah's dad was involved relationally with lots of people who were part of the beginning of IHOP-KC. He remembers family vacations when he was a teenager being going to IHOP and spending time in the prayer room! He believes learning this priestly ministry before the prophetic ministry has helped him through the last season of his life. God is also bringing him "back to his roots" of this priestly lifestyle now. His "prayer movement" friends are the ones who reached out to him when he was under intense scrutiny for the fall out from the 2020 election - as he puts it, his roots reached out to rescue him.

To close, Matthew asks for Jeremiah's thoughts on the focus on Jesus' return in the prayer movement and beyond. Jeremiah's passion for it comes from an encounter in 2018 where he feels God commissioned him to raise up end time leaders, a call he feels he stepped away from when he stepped into politics. Matthew points out that all the scriptures used by the prayer movement to show the necessity of day and night prayer connect that necessity for prayer to the return of Jesus - as he puts it, they're inseparable now. Jeremiah takes it one step farther, that the return of Jesus was at the forefront of everything the original Church did. His vision is that it would be at the forefront of the Church again.

Understanding Spontaneous and Prophetic Worship (Episode 85)

Thu, 29 Jul 2021 10:34:20 +0000

There is a new move on the Earth, with new songs and new connections between Heaven and Earth. In today's episode, Matthew discusses what this spontaneous and prophetic worship really looks like, and what the Bible says about it.

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The Bible uses the word "praise" more often than "worship" to describe what we now call worship, but if you look at the original Hebrew, there are actually 7 different words that all end up translated to the English word "praise".

One of these words is "tehillah" - it means "song", but it has a connotation of a spontaneous song. It's often the word used when you see the phrase "sing a new song" in scripture. In Psalm 40, this is the word used to encourage God's people to sing a new song.

What's interesting is that many verses that indicate that God's presence comes when we praise use this word "Tehillah" - spontaneous songs. This would show that biblically, this singing from your heart, new song type of worship brings God's presence in a unique way. It truly engages your heart in a way that a pre-written songs cannot.

So spontaneous worship is just the outpouring of our own hearts, singing a new song straight to God. Prophetic worship is singing God's heart to someone else. The point is not to try to analyze what's spontaneous versus prophetic, or try to conjure up something new - it's simply aligning with God's heart and singing what He wants to sing. It's opening our hearts and spirits, and then opening our mouths.

In Colossians and Ephesians, Paul encourages believers to sing "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs". Matthew believes that these "spiritual songs" are the "tehillah", or the spontaneous songs. Psalms would be singing the Bible, and the hymns would be any pre-written worship song - old or new.

In Ephesians, Paul says to be filled with the Spirit and sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. In Colossians, he says "let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly", and that will bring the psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. So it's the Word, or the Bible, and the Holy Spirit that fuel this worship. The scripture gives us language, and the Spirit empowers us to sing God's heart.

It's not just a new thing that some charismatic churches invented - this is completely Biblical, Old and New Testament, and it's a way God longs to connect His heart with the hearts of His people.

***More resources for worship leaders, singers and musicians***

The Ultimate Guide to Spontaneous & Prophetic Worship (ARTICLE)

https://presencepioneer.com/spontaneous-and-prophetic-worship/

Sing A New Song: Four Keys to Unlock Spontaneous and Prophetic Worship (PDF)

https://mailchi.mp/88d890568da2/sing-a-new-song-pdf

Spontaneous & Prophetic Worship Workshop (VIDEO)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzh-IvJU6Do

Up, In and Out: Prayer, Missions AND Discipleship (Episode 84)

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 10:35:47 +0000

In this quick episode, Matthew discusses the accusation against the prayer movement that says they are good at ministry, but bad at caring for people. He'll talk about what it looks like to do the ministry part AND love people well.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Discipleship Begins with Beholding • http://amazon.com/Discipleship-Begins-Beholding-Samuel-Whitefield/dp/173534544X/

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To start, Matthew explains the "up, in and out" phrase. The prayer movement primarily focuses on "up", since their focus is prayer and ministry to God. The "in" would be how we relate to each other as believers, such as in a local church setting; the "out", then, refers to missions and evangelism. Healthy Christianity, or a healthy church or ministry, operates in all 3.

So you have this explosion of the prayer movement in 1999, and all these houses of prayer start popping up all over the place, with a primarily "up" focus. Fast forward 10 years, and you begin to see some justice and outreach ministry growing out of the prayer movement, and some unifying with missions organizations as the built their "out" ministry.

Keeping with the 10 year trend, we can look at 2019. In 2018, IHOP-KC held their last One Thing Conference, and Mike Bickle wrote that they were doing this because the Lord had emphasized to them that there was a seat for everyone at the family table. He also said that they needed to take time to forge a new relationship with God and renewed zeal in their love for God and also for each other - that the "vertical" love must flourish, but equally their love for each other should flourish as well. You can hear the heart in this that the "in" ministry has been the weakest in the prayer movement, but that God is moving to make it stronger.

The lines are also blurring between houses of prayer and local churches. 20 years ago, houses of prayer were almost always a separate parachurch ministry. This trend of churches (like the Upper Room in Dallas or IHOP Atlanta)with the "DNA" of worship and prayer being central, but in the context of family and community, is what Matthew believes God is wanting to bring more of in the coming years.

When Jesus says His Church will be a "house of prayer for all the nations", Matthew points out that calling it a house would indicate a "household", or a family. Jesus' desire is a Family that is centered around God's presence, and since it's for all nations there must be an element of missions and sending. That's all 3 - Up, In, and Out in Jesus's vision for His Church.

David Bradshaw on What God’s Doing with Tents (Episode 83)

Thu, 15 Jul 2021 10:11:18 +0000

In this encore of episode 28, Matthew interviews David Bradshaw of Awaken the Dawn. David starts off by reviewing the last episode, leading up to the event on the national mall that launched Awaken The Dawn. David talks about what it means to “disciple America in hosting the presence of God”.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Awaken the Dawn • http://awakenthedawn.com

SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

Lisa Koons on the Convergence of Justice and Prayer (Episode 82)

Thu, 08 Jul 2021 10:29:28 +0000

In this encore of episode 25, Matthew and Lisa Koons discuss more practical tips as well as the on-the-ground work that comes from hosting prayer locally. She dives into the "mission and justice" side of the 24-7 Prayer movement.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

24-7 Prayer USA - http://247prayerusa.com

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/geDMQX

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

This time, Matthew asks Lisa to go into the Mission and Justice part of the mission statement of 247 Prayer.

Prayer is breathing in, Mission and Justice is breathing out. Lisa believes that if we’re spending time in communion with God, we’ll come out of it with a passion for mission and justice because it’s on His heart. For them, it’s a natural progression and prayer is only half the story.

Lisa said that they’ve experienced a lot of people meeting Jesus for the first time in the prayer rooms! Something about the low-pressure, intimate, creative space makes way for people to open up to Him. They also have mission teams they send out, which you can see on their website.

Lisa says looking at the Bible, her take away is that God says that if we want to be more effective in prayer and in our own life, we need to have a heart for justice - for the marginalized people and the dark places. She said that God’s heart seems to be sending us out to those places that we are praying for! “God’s heart bursts to bring light to places of darkness”

Lisa tells a story of when the prayer room was pretty new, about a year old. She describes it as in between corporate America and the Hood. They decided their first Justice project would be “adopting” this fragile neighborhood - “praying as if it all depended on God and working as if it all depended on us”. They sent out a team of 300 to meet people in the neighborhood, develop relationship, and help where they could. They created a neighborhood association, started bible studies, fixed up people’s houses who couldn’t afford to, and began addressing some of the racial issues in the area as well. They saw salvations, healings, racial reconciliation, crack houses shut down, and transvestite hookers spending time in the prayer room. Basically, God improved the quality of life for everyone in the neighborhood so much that a team from the city who came to study it couldn’t believe the upward trajectory.

So how do you jump in? She encourages anyone to host a temporary prayer room. Set aside a room for a few days/hours and find some friends who want to take an hour shift here and there. There are resources on their website to help you! There are also initiatives on their website for mission and justice that you can sign up for. All the resources are free, and available to help you be the boots on the ground in your city.

They have an event coming up this summer in Portland, Oregon - everyone is invited! It starts July 29th, and tickets are available here

Jonathan Friz on Shutting Down Cities to Pray (Episode 81)

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 11:12:28 +0000

In this encore of episode 16 Matthew Lilley interviews Jonathan Friz, the founder of an initiative called 10 Days, which is mobilizing cities to shut down for united prayer and worship during the Days of Awe. You will hear Jonathan share (amusing, at times) stories of struggles & burnout in his spiritual life and ministry, but you will also hear amazing testimonies of salvation, healing, miracles, revival and unity as God works through the Ten Days of prayer movement in recent years.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

10 Days of Prayer • http://10days.net

SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

"I knew that if I sought Him because I loved Him, then all the other things I wanted to see, in terms of revival, would come as well." - Jonathan Friz

Whether you are wanting to grow in prayer and faith in your personal life, or whether you are a leader desiring to see greater prayer and unity, you will find great encouragement, laughter and wisdom from Jonathan's insights and stories.

David Bradshaw on The Power of a Priestly Lifestyle (Episode 80)

Thu, 24 Jun 2021 10:15:15 +0000

In this encore of episode 27, Matthew interview David Bradshaw of Awaken the Dawn. David did not start out as a “prayer” guy - it wasn’t until a 3 day event of 24/7 prayer(which he was dreading!) that he really saw the value and joy of extended prayer. They eventually planted the Prayer Furnace in 2009 and continued hosting these extended times of prayer, 12-18 hours a day for about 10 years.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Awaken the Dawn • http://awakenthedawn.com

SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Awaken The Dawn is not fundamentally about events for David - it’s a decentralized movement that focuses on family and local impact.

2009 - When planning their yearly young adult gathering, the venue suddenly fell through. David had a dream about being in a huge tent with a guy from NC, and then that same guy called and said he felt like he was supposed to call but didn’t know why. So the young adult tent gathering became a reality for their yearly gatherings! Bob Jones attended the second year and said it’s a new Jesus Movement - “it’ll be portajohns and hotdog stands beyond your wildest imagination”, worship and prayer flowing together and bringing these young adults together. It was a powerful word, but seemed unattainable.

A few years later, people connected to David from all over the country began having dreams about him hosting an east coast event that would affect the nation. David tried to give the calling away, but Lou Engle confirmed for him that he was the one to do it and that The Call would come join in if David would “pull the trigger”. A vision was becoming clearer for worship and prayer happening in 50 tents (one from each state) on the National Mall. When they finally booked it all for 2017, they “accidentally” booked it during the Feast of Tabernacles. The local Police saw crime rates drop dramatically during this time, enough that the chief approached David to let him know! It was an insane and beautiful time of connected, non-stop worship and prayer.

How do you get a storyline? How do you get caught up in God’s story? David goes back to Isaiah 30. So much of life is just the day to day obedience, for months and years. But God makes a promise here that when you’re living what David calls “the adventure of the priestly lifestyle” of staying in God’s presence, there will be a voice telling you where to go.

David believes that God has a specific adventure for everyone in His storyline, and that He’s looking for hearts that are fully His.

Lisa Koons on Enjoyable and Creative Prayer (Episode 79)

Thu, 17 Jun 2021 10:15:19 +0000

In this encore of episode 24, Matthew interview Lisa Books, the USA Director of 24-7 Prayer.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

24-7 Prayer • http://24-7prayer.com

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

Lisa jokes that she got “hoodwinked” into her unique role. She compares her encounter to Paul on the road of Damascus, where she felt God communicate that He wanted to connect with His people and equip them to pray! After that her calling was undeniable - she started a prayer room in Charlotte. Then a friend gave her the book Red Moon Rising, and she could see that God had “hoodwinked” some people overseas to do the same thing. They’ve now been going nonstop for 15 years!

Matthew reads this quote from the 24-7 Prayer website : “International, interdenominational movement of prayer, mission, and justice”

We’re going back to the Moravians on this one! These young people in Charlotte found it difficult to sustain “boring” prayer meetings nonstop, and looked to the Moravians who had done it for 100 years - and also to Pete Grieg’s descriptions in the book Red Moon Rising. They set up what was essentially a closet with worship music, journals, and some interactive components to help people engage. After a few weeks, it was hard to even find a slot for people to come pray! There were healings, salvations, and connections being made. People around the country started engaging, saying they’d take a month at their location until there was a global crew sustaining this 24-7 prayer movement.

What’s the difference between the 24-7 Prayer model and IHOP KC’s? Lisa says at the heart of both is a unifying desire to be presence-centered. One has a primary focus on corporate prayer (IHOP) and the other is more about the encounter that happens one on one, supported by lots of creativity (24-7 Prayer). She says both are needed to fuel the prayer movement as a whole!

So how can you apply these principles and engage more in your own prayer time? Lisa says before you even start praying, turn your heart towards God and draw near to Him - she laughs, “you’d be surprised how many people skip that part!” Pete Grieg says to keep it simple. Don’t pray like someone else because God values who YOU are. They look at it as giving God a “revival” - a unique encounter with your presence. It’s more than the stuff you ask for - it’s communion as much as communication. She also points out that prayer is not normally meant to be a monologue - God DOES want to talk to you too! She suggests going outside while you pray, where your daily to-do list won’t distract you. Even just walking around your neighborhood can clear “the fog” so to speak. She says if God is nothing else, He’s profoundly relational.

Lisa’s friend James uses this analogy - when you’re creating a movie that requires a green screen, the director has to tell the actor what to react to because they just see green. Lisa says this is what prayer can be like - that we just have to trust the voice of the director and at the end we’ll see it all put together and finally see what we were doing in that prayer time.

Jonathan Tremaine Thomas on Proximate Intercession (Episode 78)

Thu, 10 Jun 2021 10:24:50 +0000

In this encore of episode 21, Matthew Lilley interviews, Jonathan Tremaine Thomas, the founder of Civil Righteousness. JT shares of his journey that began in college when God told him that he would be used to "love the guns out of their hands."

In 2014, God led his family to Ferguson, Missouri following the shooting of Michael Brown and into the resulting rioting that broke out throughout the city. A day & night worship & prayer tent was established in the midst of the crisis, and God began to move supernaturally!

"When crisis comes on a land that brings repentance, the glory of God has come on the land... we pray for a great awakening not realizing that the awakening has come in the form of a rude awakening."

God invited their intercession in into the midst of the brokenness of the world to carry God's presence and become the answers to our prayers. He calls this proximate intercession.

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David Fritch on Uniting Churches In A City (Episode 77)

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 10:12:02 +0000

This is an encore of episode 7, where Matthew interviews author, speaker, ministry leader and presence pioneer David Fritch. David shares his journey of pioneering a house of prayer missions base in rural Oklahoma, and their success in gathering multiple churches in their city together for united prayer and worship. Matthew and David also discuss the Tabernacle of David, the theme of David’s book Enthroned: Bringing God’s Kingdom to Earth Through Unceasing Worship & Prayer. What is the restoration of the Tabernacle of David and what does that mean for our everyday lives?

As a third generation revivalist, David Fritch carries a rich heritage for worship, intercession and healing. David is the founder and leader of the Burn 24-7 online school: Field Training. David has been serving Burn 24-7 over 10 years and travels around the world equipping and releasing the church into Intimacy with God, dreaming, the supernatural and the Tabernacle of David. David has a practical and prophetic ministry style and is passionate about seeing people come into emotional wholeness and freedom. He currently resides in Virginia with his wife Heather and their kids.

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INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

The Worship & Prayer Movement in India (Episode 76)

Thu, 27 May 2021 10:01:10 +0000

We have recorded an incredible Presence Pioneers podcast interview with a leader of a Christian prayer movement that is sweeping across the nation of India! God is moving powerfully!

Here you can listen to a short clip of the interview. However, due to the sensitive nature of the work they are doing there, and the potential for persecution from the government, the full podcast episode episode must remain private.

If you would like to view the 40-minute interview and hear about how God is pouring out His Spirit in India, please go here to receive access to this incredible video:

https://media.presencepioneers.org/p/worship-and-prayer-movement-india

David’s Tabernacle : Jesus’ Journey (Episode 75)

Thu, 20 May 2021 12:28:04 +0000

In part 3 of the David's Tabernacle series, Matthew discusses Jesus' journey in relation to the Tabernacle of David, and then what it therefore means to us today.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Matthew's New Book! • https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1951611225/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

The first obvious alignment between David's Tabernacle and Jesus is the fact that they were both on the Earth for 33 years. That, right away, points to a connection.

David's tabernacle was a simple tent near the palace that held the Ark of the Covenant. In 1 Chronicles 17, we see David looking at the tabernacle from his palace and lamenting that God doesn't have a more permanent place. This leads to Psalm 132. David goes to Nathan the prophet to ask about building a permanent temple for God's presence, but God responds by saying that David isn't the one who will do that.

Basically, God tells David that he isn't going to build God a permanent place, God is going to build Israel a permanent place - and that David's offspring will be on the throne. This came to be called the Davidic Covenant. This was partly fulfilled in Solomon, but if you look at this promise, it actually points to Jesus. What was burning in David's heart, even though he didn't fully understand, was God's kingdom coming to earth.

Now Jesus has come, died, resurrected, and ascended to Heaven. His Kingdom is here now in part, but there's more to come. And when you look at His kingdom, the center of it is worship. That's what God has surrounding His throne in Heaven. Jesus is essentially rebuilding the Tabernacle of David through us on the earth. He even said that His house of living stones (us) will be a house of prayer. In Amos and Isaiah, plus Acts 15, the Bible is clear that rebuilding David's Tabernacle, a resting place for God's presence, is part of the endgame.

This is why worship is so important. In episode 58 of the podcast, Matthew shows how from the beginning, we were made to worship. Adam and Eve were put in the garden as priests, to worship God. We were originally designed this way, and that's out ultimate purpose for eternity.

So what David established in part, just in Israel, Jesus is doing in the entire world now. It's Jesus on the throne of David - instead of the Ark, now it's Him. In the days to come, it's only going to advance. Malachi, Isaiah, and many other prophesy about how the building up of worship in every place is what will bring Jesus back to the earth to reign. The Tabernacle of David pointed to all this, and now we get to be part of it. This kingdom activity of souls being saved, revival breaking out, and lives being changed will only build as we get closer to Jesus' return.

Acts 15:16-17 is where James says that God is rebuilding the Tabernacle of David "so that the rest of mankind may see the Lord". That's what it's all about. That's what we're all invited to build with Him.

David’s Tabernacle: King David’s Journey (Episode 74)

Thu, 13 May 2021 10:21:20 +0000

This is part 2 in the David's Tabernacle series, where Matthew will discuss King David's journey into presence - centered worship.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Matthew's New Book • https://www.amazon.com/Davids-Tabernacle-Matthew-Lilley/dp/1951611225/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=matthew+lilley&qid=1620898357&sr=8-1

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FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

Something that Matthew's realized over the years is that growing up in church doesn't necessarily mean you will hear anything about the Tabernacle of David. He certainly didn't! Some people are aware that Israel had the original tabernacle, which is often called Moses' Tabernacle, and they know that Solomon established the Temple - but there's a lot in between.

In 1 Chronicles, you can read the story of this third tabernacle, David's Tabernacle. In the Psalms, you can read through the songbook of this tabernacle. And throughout Israel's history, whenever a king turned back to God, they reinstated the Davidic model of worship. Amos and Isaiah both prophesy about David's tent being restored. In the New Testament, James quotes Amos 9:11 at the very first church council! So the Tabernacle of David is far reaching throughout the Bible.

David was passionate about the presence of God before he became king - so his first act after becoming king was to go get the Ark of the Covenant (or, God's presence) and bring it back. He set up a tent (or tabernacle) for it on a hill called Mount Zion, and then established 30 years of musical worship around God's presence.

One very interesting part of this is that David and the Levites he appointed to be musicians full-time had complete access to the Ark. This was very different from the Tabernacle of Moses, where it stayed hidden behind a veil where only the high priest could go. David's behavior would've been so wild in his time, but it's a foreshadow of our access to God because of Jesus.

Another interesting detail here is the musical worship happening. In the original tabernacle, they gave burnt offerings. David said instead that their musical worship was the offering. Matthew goes deeper into this in his book, because he truthfully wondered how David could get away with that in a time where the law at the time didn't leave room for this intimate, musical worship. But he believed this was what God loved and he hired hundreds of musicians to keep worship going non-stop. By the end of the 33 years of David's Tabernacle, he and the Levites had trained over 4,000 musicians!

This doesn't seem odd to us now, because of the references to "sacrifices of praise" in the New Testament and the music that's involved in our church services. But Matthew believes that Christian worship is Davidic worship, and that David's tabernacle was a glimpse into what was to come. David tapped into heavenly worship, as described in Revelation.

They also went 24-7, which some people think of as a new model. Psalm 134 specifically is for those ministering through the night hours!

The story of Obed-Edom is another part of David's Tabernacle that points towards the gospel. He wasn't a Levite - he wasn't even an Israelite! But David welcomes him in and lets him stand as a gatekeeper and "adopted" Levite. Culturally, this would not ever have happened without some supernatural backing. But it points to heaven, where every tribe, tongue, and nation is worshipping together.

These were the glory days of Israel - this passionate worship was happening non-stop, all 12 tribes were united, and so God made a covenant with David. That covenant is why Jesus is referred to as the Son of David.

There's so much more to what was going on during this season and how it's relevant to our lives today. This quick teaching is really just a highlight! Next week, be sure to check in to catch the third part - David's Tabernacle as it relates to Jesus and to our lives currently.

David’s Tabernacle : My Journey (Episode 73)

Thu, 06 May 2021 10:18:42 +0000

This is the first in a 3 part series on David’s Tabernacle, diving deep into the message in Matthew’s new book.

The book, which comes out May 18th, has the same tagline as the podcast - God’s presence changes everything. Matthew’s broken it down into 3 “tracks” to look at David’s Tabernacle.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Order Matthew's book! • http://www.davidstabernacle.com

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

In 2002, Matthew was at a summer camp, face down on a dirty tile floor in a moment of worship that lasted 3 hours. At this point in the week, Matthew was frustrated that he hadn’t had the encounters everyone had. He was desperate for answers to where he was going next, as all of his best laid plans had already fallen through. God met him in that moment on the floor and began to pour out His love and also His wisdom. This was when Matthew first felt God saying that he was supposed to be “a David”, and realized that he needed to lay all his plans down and follow God’s plan instead.

This sent Matthew down the path of worship ministry - he simply wanted to create a space where people could experience what he experienced. He and a group of friends launched a worship night that happened every Friday night for years. They learned that creating a space for God’s presence meant that God would come and reign - which meant lots of unique encounters, including healing and deliverance from demons. This is where he learned that God’s presence changes everything.

As he went on, he learned more about how this was connected in with David’s tabernacle. And as he learned more about David’s tabernacle, he learned about the connections between that and what’s coming as we get closer to Jesus’ return. Those are the 3 tracks he takes you down in his new book, available now for pre-order. It’s been Matthew’s journey, undoubtedly, but it’s a journey we believe is for everyone.

Kelanie Webb on Releasing Your Song (Episode 72)

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 10:20:37 +0000

In today’s episode, Matthew has a conversation with worship leader and songwriter Kelanie Webb. They discuss her story, and the connection between prophetic worship and the prayer movement.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Access Worship International • https://www.accessworshipinternational.com/

Facing the Wall • https://amzn.to/3vtjW1y

The Reset • https://amzn.to/3xsEB7L

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

Kelanie has been leading worship for about 25 years now, and has developed a passion for teaching others along the way. Matthew first discovered her at Morningstar in the early 2000’s, where she led worship regularly. She connected with them in college, when her roommate brought back a CD of Don Potter’s worship and it struck a chord with her. She went to a conference and loved how they ended a song but kept the music going in a prophetic atmosphere. She initially went back home to be the worship pastor at her parents’ church, but eventually took the leap and moved to Fort Mill, South Carolina and took a job as a waitress just to be able to be in the atmosphere of worship that Morningstar provided.

Matthew focuses in for a minute on a couple that Kelanie mentioned that took her to her first Morningstar conference, and asks about how that works. In order for the worship movement to continue, people who have been doing it for a while will have to reach back and pour into those just starting. Kelanie says not to underestimate what just taking a moment can do - taking a moment to point out something you see in a young person that God is doing or is drawing them to can change their whole life!

Next, Matthew asks her about her time at Morningstar, and what she learned from that season. She says some of it just got naturally deposited without her realizing it. At that time, the rule for the students was that you could only lead songs you had written, which stretched everyone to write more. She recalls that it was never competitive between the students, and they always cheered each other on. She credits that to the leaders there, and the culture they built.

After her time at Morningstar, Kelanie moved to Nashville , thinking she would help launching a worship school.The timing was not right for that, and she ended up at New Life Church in Jacksonville, Florida in 2004, where she still is now.

Matthew asks about the connection between the prophetic worship movement and the prayer movement, since Morningstar really pioneered a lot of things in the worship movement that are commonplace now in the prayer movement. She discovered Mike Bickle initially through a book in class at Morningstar, and then was given a tape of one of his teachings about harp and bowl. As she learned about harp and bowl, she recognized bits of it from her time at Morningstar but now had language and explanations for it. She began teaching about it at her church, and then was invited to teach about it at Jacksonville House of Prayer as well.

They are obviously very different expressions - Morningstar is known for being “wide open”, and using the harp and bowl model is quite structured. Kelanie says that in her experience, having the structure in place gives people freedom to be more wide open. It’s very useful to teach people who are totally new to the prayer room or to leading worship.

Next, Matthew asks Kelanie about the idea of ministering to the Lord. Leading worship at a house of prayer is a lot different than at a big conference! Kelanie said it really helped to re-center her focus to be in a prayer room with 5 or 10 people. She had to work through her fear of being forgotten. Bottom line, she says, it helped her reconnect with the idea of sitting at the feet of Jesus. Her advice to worship leaders in this ministry celebrity culture is to keep their gaze on Jesus. She believes we’re in a season of God drawing us back to Him, and drawing us back to just worshipping together. There’s a sense of getting back to the basics and letting God deal with our hearts.

Kelanie’s current project is Access Worship International, a training school for worshippers. They do a free webinar once a month where they bring in worship leaders to teach as well as online curriculum. There’s a school coming in June called The Whole Hearted Worshipper that she’s really excited about, so definitely check it out! Her heart for teaching and mothering the next generation of worshippers really comes through the entire interview.

Jonathan Friz on A Global Family of 24/7 Prayer (Episode 71)

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 10:18:31 +0000

In this episode, Matthew talks with Jonathan Friz about The Global Family- a worldwide, 24-7 online prayer room.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

The Aquaduct Project • https://www.aqueductproject.org/

Global Family • https://globalfamily24-7prayer.org/

10 Days • https://www.10days.net/

Jonathan's first Podacst appearance • http://www.presencepioneers.org/episode16/

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

Episode 16 was the first time Jonathan was on the podcast with Matthew. They talked then about his ministry called 10 days, which was a plan to “shut cities down” to pray. His goal was 120 cities. They joke that 2020 technically shut down more than that! But there was a big mobilization using technology because of the pandemic, and by the time his 10 days event came about, they were able to include over 150 churches - surpassing their goal. Through 2020, people not only felt a stronger need for prayer, but also had less on their plate with things shut down, so they saw an increase in participation - Jonathan jokes again that “Covid was good for the prayer business”!

Jonathan was approached in 2019 by a friend with the idea of doing 24-7 prayer on Zoom, but he’s not really a technology guy. Then, in a meeting with another friend, Jason Hubbard, he felt confirmation that God was wanting to build something sustained online. They went for it in 2019, before Covid. The response was powerful! People felt a strong sense of unity with others all over the world in prayer. People were spontaneously healed, and people were saved every single day of the event.

They felt that the next one, in 2020, should be around Pentecost (which usually falls a few weeks after Easter). When Covid hit in March, Jonathan says his thought was “Wow, God, that was a good idea!” They were able to go ahead with it when everything else was shutting down. They saw a huge increase in participation! They did another 10 Days on Zoom in the Fall and had a similar response. There seemed to be a team forming around it naturally, and more and more people were wanting it to go beyond 10 Days. It really seemed like God was building something.

On January 1st, they launched Global Family online. They have 45 countries and over 20 languages participating, filling all 168 hours in a week. He and Jason have done prayer rooms in the past, so they were prepared for some “bumps”, but it’s actually been pretty smooth sailing. There obviously hasn’t been training for everyone involved, there are some language barriers, but Jonathan credits his team for keeping it going so well. They don’t use a format for people, so every hour is a bit different. They provide resources for those who want them, but some people like to roll with what they’re sensing that day, and it’s okay. They have an hour a week that they come together to pray, and another hour of teaching where many of those involved come together.

Matthew asks why, if 24-7 prayer is hard, is Jonathan doing it? First and foremost, Jonathan says Jesus is worthy. It’s the culture of Heaven. Plus, if we can have 7/11’s open 24 hours for convenience, he points out, surely Jesus deserves more.

So how can people participate? Jonathan says you can fill out some information on their website to join into any prayer meeting, any time. They have a schedule that includes what language it’s in. Jonathan and his team made a commitment to keep this going for the duration of 2021, but he gets the sense that this type of thing will carry on from now on. The technology is there for sure, and the desire is growing!

As far as 10 Days goes, they’re looking at a window of time in September of 2021. They are looking now for people to represent their city and bring together groups in their city for the event. So if you’re interested, definitely reach out and sign up! They have lots of different groups collaborating this time.

Jonathan and Matthew are also working together on a group for mentoring emerging house of prayer leaders online. These new leaders are hungry for wisdom and encouragement, and it gives Matthew and Jonathan hope for the future of the prayer movement. They joke that Jesus had a good ministry plan, choosing a small group of people to pour into deeply instead of focusing on crowds!

The overall takeaway from their talk is a respect for those who came before and a hope for those coming in now. The prayer movement is truly becoming a global family.

Aaron Kennedy on Pastors, Prophets, and Prayer (Episode 70)

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 10:36:23 +0000

In this episode, Matthew sits down with his pastor, Aaron Kennedy, to discuss the friction between pastors and parachurch ministries.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Opendoor Church • https://opendoorchurch.com/

SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH=

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

Aaron has been the pastor at Opendoor Church in Winterville, NC for 6 years now. His father started it 37 years ago, and "passed the baton" to Aaron and his wife Lauren. This is the church that Matthew attended as a child, where he was baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit, and where he learned how to play guitar and start leading worship in the youth band. They're coming at this topic with roots that are connected, but from different sides of the coin now.

Matthew starts by asking Aaron how those in the prayer movement could better relate to their local pastors. Aaron's really candid here by saying that honestly, sometimes those prophetic/intercessor types can make pastors a bit nervous. Their church was birthed in the 90's, in the midst of all the incredible revivals happening, so everything was very spirit-filled. He vividly remembers services going on for 3 hours as a kid! But then, he says, in the 2000's, they and many other churches swung the other way. He believes that it's healthy now to have this tension, where those more interested in the prophetic side of things can join in with local churches and help push the pendulum back to the center.

He also points out that there's different giftings in the Body, and that the church needs them all - even with the tension they bring. He encourages you not to draw back from the local church when the tension arises, but to bring your gifts to the table.

Aaron says the conversations are important - but Matthew wants to know what NOT to do when approaching their pastor. Aaron says that pastors can sometimes feel like they need to be defensive, which can then come across as corrective - but that when Matthew came to him, he was open to input and that made all the difference. Humility on both sides is imperative! He says our preferences shouldn't be what guides us. A pastor's heart isn't just about the final result - they want to not lose sheep on the journey, and that it helps when those who have an end goal in mind can remember where the pastor's coming from.

Next, Matthew asks for Aaron's perspective on this season. Aaron says that 2020 was probably the healthiest and hardest year for them. They shut down in-person services for 12 weeks for Covid, and Aaron was coming off taking 6 weeks to grieve after losing his father unexpectedly. So he returned to an empty room and preached to a camera. That season, he says, shifted something in him. He fell in love with what he does and Who he does it for. It made it easier to settle in his heart that it was for Jesus, not people. At at the same time, this shift happened in the worship team.

So 2020 was a massive reset for the Church as a whole, and Aaron believes we'll look back on it as an important year for the Church. There's been some purifying and change in perspective that will be lasting. When the doors reopened, Aaron had the revelation that for the first time in his life, he'd be preaching to a room of people that really wanted to be there. There's also a group, Aaron says, that will never come back to church. He believes that there will be a shift in the Church's mode of operation from just gathering to really discipling.

Matthew brings up the importance of being in a local church, and specifically being in person together. Aaron says there's something supernatural about gathering all together, and that the parachurch groups are a part of that. He views the ones they support as an extension of Opendoor, not competition. Life, he says, isn't about what you're called to, but who you're called to. Sometimes people separate from the people to go after the thing, which isn't healthy. And he admits that not all pastors feel the way he does! But the unity is biblical and necessary. The gift that you have is meant to be used in the world and also in the Body.

It's part of being in a family - we can't pull away from those who are different. Matthew says that you can receive teaching and inspiration from leaders all over the world now, but being plugged into your local church brings health and stability. Nobody's perfect, but we're all necessary and loved by our Father.

Uniting A City Through Prayerwalking with Kurt Wilson (Episode 69)

Thu, 08 Apr 2021 11:40:23 +0000

In this episode, Matthew chats with Kurt Wilson, founder of Pray for the Lou. They discuss what prayerwalking really is and how it can change a city.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Pray for the Lou • https://www.prayforthelou.org/

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

Kurt is St. Louis born and raised, and has always had a heart for his city. He tried for a long time to get prayer meetings going, and jokes that he learned a lot more about what wouldn't work than what would work. After a solid year of trying with no success, God reminded him of Joshua and Caleb "walking the land", and he remembered praying walking on mission trips years before. He and two friends broke the city up into 79 neighborhoods and started prayerwalking in 5 a week.

But what really is prayerwalking? Kurt defines it simply as praying "on site, in sight". He says you pray differently when you're seeing the need with your own eyes. It's also made outreach more effective, because there is often a breakdown in communication between churches and local ministries with who's helping where, with what. Being on the ground in the neighborhoods means that they can actually see what's needed and address it, instead of guessing from inside their four walls.

Going back to that year of what seemed like failure after failure, Matthew asks Kurt what he thinks God was doing in his heart. Kurt believes God was stretching and testing his perseverance. He had to look at whether he felt the same passion to show up and pray on week 52 that he felt in week 1. And he's now hearing testimonies from those "awkward" Facebook live prayer meetings of people who have been impacted that he had no idea were watching!

It's also built trust with local pastors. They can look at Kurt and see that he's as invested in the city as they are. Pastors are always inundated with people wanting to start things or asking for money or volunteers for their own thing, and Kurt went in to serve instead. He saw this during his time in Mozambique, where they would go into a village and honor the chief, and it would open doors to share the gospel where it had been slammed shut before. So he joined in with what other churches and ministries were doing, honoring their vision, and it opened doors for him to build relationship with these leaders.

The first Pray for the Lou event was actually on March 14, 2020 - the day before their city shut down for Covid-19! They had between 700 and 800 people from many local churches out prayerwalking in all 79 neighborhoods, and then came together on a football field that lays on what used to be the racial dividing line in the city. This year, they went from 1 day to 8! They had prayer meetings every night hosted by different churches, and Kurt was blown away by the engagement of the pastors. He didn't have to facilitate much, because they have the vision and have relationship with each other and can come together. They went out every day together to put feet on the ground in these neighborhoods and pray for their city.

Next, Matthew asks Kurt what the struggles have been during this process - and Kurt jokes that it's all been a struggle! He initially didn't want to start a new thing because he knew how hard it would be. He often looked at what was in front of him and just wondered if it was possible and also if it even mattered. He credits his ability to hang in there to his friends - friends who were willing to tell him to hang in there, and point out to him that the "win" isn't succeeding, it's his obedience.

Kurt's encouraged by the Pray for the Lou event this year, and is looking forward to what God will do over the next year. If you want to keep up with what they're doing there or get inspired for your city, you can go to the Pray for the Lou link above. And if God's stirring your heart for your city, Kurt says don't overthink it - just go where He says to and pray what He says to.

The Beauty of Extravagant Worship (Episode 68)

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 10:31:08 +0000

Have you ever felt weird or misunderstood for having a heart for worshipping God? Or have you seen someone worship extravagantly and not "gotten it"? In this quick teaching, Matthew gives some encouragement and biblical foundation.

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

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One of the first bible characters that comes to mind when you think of extravagant worship is King David. He spent years worshipping and desiring God's presence before He ever became king, so when he was finally made king, he made it a pillar of his nation as well. He went to get the Ark of the Covenant, which was God's presence, and bring it back. The Levites carried the Ark up to Jerusalem in a huge worship parade, and they stopped every six steps to offer a sacrifice - they did this for ten miles!

David took off his kingly robe and put on a priestly robe, mixed in with the crowd, and worshipped "wildly" - singing, dancing, playing music, even spinning. His pushback came from his wife, Michal, who the bible says "despised him in her heart". This isn't uncommon - as Matthew puts it, extravagant worship stirs things up.

Maybe you've been the extravagant worshipper, and maybe you've been the one judging it from the other side. When David gets home, his wife tries to shame him for his behavior, and his response is this : " I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes." And Michal, because of her bitterness about David's worship, is barren for the rest of her life. God affirms clearly who was in the right.

Another example would be Mary and Martha. Mary sits at Jesus' feet, and Martha is working to prepare the food and house for everyone who is there. When Martha asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her, He instead says that only one thing is needed, and Mary chose that thing.

In Matthew 26, we have the story of the woman who breaks the perfume over Jesus' feet, and His own disciples are angry about the "waste" of her extravagance - and once again, Jesus comes to the defense of the worshipper. He says that she has "done a beautiful thing" for Him.

Maybe you're a David or a Mary. Maybe you just have a stirring in your heart and are unsure. The hope of this episode would be that you'd hear the affirmation of God on that stirring. Maybe you've tried, and have felt the pushback - either in your own mind or from other people. But when the world looks and says, "why this waste?", we know Jesus says that only one thing is needed, and you've chosen that thing. Jesus comes to the defense of the extravagant worshipper. He's on your side.

Finding God’s Blueprint for Your City w/ Cheryl Allen (Episode 67)

Thu, 25 Mar 2021 10:51:56 +0000

In this episode Matthew chats with Cheryl Allen, founder of Pasadena House of Prayer. They discuss what it looks like to find God's blueprint for you, even if it looks different from what other people are doing.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

PIHOP • https://www.pihop.com/

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneer/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneer/

Cheryl's journey started at The Call DC in 2000, where Lou Engle reached out to mentor her. Soon after, she went with her mom to a conference to celebrate the one year anniversary of IHOP, and was blown away by what she experienced there. She still didn't believe she was going to be the one to start a house of prayer, but after Lou moved to DC and she was unsure of her next step in Pasadena. She felt God tell her He would give her dreams to be the blueprint for her next step - and He did. One of her main takeaways from them was the value of intimacy.

As she set out to start this house of prayer that she never intended to, she felt impressed to write down Isaiah 56:7. When she did, she realized the numbers when in order (5, 6, 7) and felt God tell her that there is an order to things, and a house of prayer in Pasadena will look different than a house of prayer in Kansas City or anywhere else. She liked the singing part the most out of that passage, so she was discouraged by the order of the verses. But God said if she went in order, He'd build it. So they started by opening up to pray for people instead of focusing on training worship leaders, and God delivered on His promise. They're now going from 8am to midnight every day, and have over 500 people a week coming in for prayer and healing.

What's it like to do this as a single woman? At first, she tried everything she could to give it away. She wasn't sure what it looked like to lead something like this. The first year, she wanted to give up and move to Kansas City. But God clarified for her over and over that she wasn't just called to a house of prayer in general, she was called specifically to Pasadena. And because she leaned into her city and drew from locals instead of bringing in prayer experts from other houses of prayer, she has pioneered that model and can help train people all over the world how to do that where they are.

She's even gotten support from local churches, which she attributes to them being closed on Sundays and encouraging people in the prayer room to find a local church. They've built a strong partnership with churches in the area, instead of being in constant tension and competition. It's given them the ability to reach and serve the entire region!

With all this outreach and healing, how does she keep worship and prayer central? She says there's certainly a pull. They do try to reinforce that the prayer room is the main focus - ministry to God is the center, and then all the other parts flow out of it.

Looking back on the last 20myears of the prayer movement, Matthew asks what Cheryl thinks God is doing and saying for the future. Cheryl says the house of prayer movement has certainly been tested, but that it's been good to help those who are really in it to send down deep roots. She believes there is a lot of favor coming on the movement, and that from the current reduction is humbling us to prepare us for glory. It's all on the Holy Spirit - we can't make it happen! So if you're jumping into it now, she says you're jumping in at a beautiful time.

Seven Ways to Ruin A Prayer Meeting (Episode 66)

Thu, 18 Mar 2021 10:24:22 +0000

In this episode, Matthew gives a short but packed out teaching on ways to ruin your prayer meeting - and how to fix it! If you've ever sat through a bad prayer meeting, or tried to engage in prayer unsuccessfully, or want to host a prayer meeting that everyone enjoys, give yourself 20 minutes to listen to this one.

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneer/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneer/

Most people who think of the phrase "prayer meeting" envision something awkward, or boring. Matthew's definitely experienced some like that as well! But no matter what the size of your meeting, he's got some tips on how to ruin it - and how to enjoy it.

1 - Don't start on time.

It's hard enough to get people to a prayer meeting, but if you start late each time, people will show up late, and it'll lose value.

2 - Skip the prayer part of the meeting.

In some instances, it simply gets cancelled. It's lower priority than other church functions, so it gets pushed back fairly often. Or, it turns into "fellowship" time instead and no praying (or very little praying) actually happens.

3 - Have no plan and no leader (or, just "show up and see what happens")

If you think about all the other activities that take place at church, lots of planning takes place and someone is in charge to make sure it's working. Think though what you'll be praying for. Think through who will be directing the prayer times, how long people should be praying, and whether it's more intercessory or worshipful. Having a plan beforehand can really give people a direction.

4 - Just pray what comes to mind (have no focus)

People have a hard time engaging when the prayers are all over the place and random. Coming into agreement is what gives prayer power, and we shut that off when we bounce all around. Having a focus we can all agree on together brings unity and power to the prayer meeting.

5 - Be loud and dominate the meeting

There is definitely biblical merit for loud, passionate prayers, but in a group setting it can occasionally be distracting or make someone else feel like their prayers are less important. Praying too long can also shut it down quickly; more than a few minutes and people are checking out and looking at the door.

6 - Leave your Bible at home

Praying the Bible is a powerful way to host a prayer meeting. It's very easy to get in your feelings and pray something unbiblical, which obviously God will not answer! It also brings unity to pray the Bible, as even with different churches and denominations we can generally agree in the Bible being truth.

7 - Don't sing or worship

When you look at the throne room in Heaven in Revelation 4 and 5, you see the bowl full of incense, which is the prayers of the saints, AND you see the harp worshiping. Starting with music can be an excellent way to get everyone engaged and focused. It doesn't have to be a full band doing the IHOP model (although that's great) - even in your personal prayer time or with a small group you can simply play some worship music on your phone while you pray.

8 (bonus tip!) - Don't teach or train anyone about prayer

If you look at the example of Jesus and His disciples, they didn't ask to be taught how to do miracles or walk on water - they asked Him to teach them how to pray. And yet, most Christians don't have a clear understanding of what prayer can look like or how it should sound. This goes back to being intentional - just a few minutes of biblical and practical training at the beginning can make all the difference.

So, next time you're hosting or just going to a prayer meeting, try applying some of these ideas. Share them with someone who wants to host prayer. It could be the catalyst to build a community of believers around your that really LOVE their prayer meetings!

A Resting Place in New York City with Torrey Harper (Episode 65)

Thu, 11 Mar 2021 10:58:42 +0000

In this episode, Matthew chats with Torrey Harper, director of The Global Prayer Room in New York City. They talk about what it means to have God's heart for your city.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Global Prayer Room • http://www.globalprayernyc.org/

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RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

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Torrey's journey into the prayer movement started 5 years ago, with a prophetic word that he'd lead a prayer room. He realized very quickly that other people were actually praying day and night, and discovered helpful teachings from leaders like Mike Bickle, as well as the story of the Moravians, that gave him hope and fuel to get started. He jokes that he said yes before he realized the cost of Manhattan real estate! They started small, once a week in a dance studio, and now it's been 5 years of prayer and worship in the heart of Manhattan.

New York is definitely known for being individualistic, and being in a hurry. Torrey has felt God's heart for his city is specific - to cultivate family, and to learn to rest in Him. This was especially challenging in the midst of 2020, with the pandemic and the racial tensions that were building, but they pressed into Jesus and were able to even have an internship for 4 weeks that impacted the hearts of everyone involved!

That's at the heart of Torrey's message - every city has a specific destiny, and God has a specific dream for every place, so just listen first to God's dream for your city. Lean into His heart for where you're living right now. Also, his advice to those starting out is to NOT try to figure out how to make it happen yourself. He says to leave the promise in His Presence, and wait on God's timing.

Matthew asks if there are any scriptures that have been impactful for Torrey on this journey, since sometimes that's all there is to hang on to! Psalm 27:4, he says, has been his pillar, but his favorite is Psalm 132 - that's the cry of his heart, to build a home for the Lord. It's even affected some of the language they use in their prayer meetings, to be sure their hearts are tuned in the right way.

What is God doing now? Torrey feels that 2021 will be a year of revelation. There's a lot of noise happening, but he believes that there are some who will have their eyes opened and see what's really going on. There's also an invitation, he feels, to stop being distracted and walk with God again. He believes God is drawing us back to intimacy, back to the Table with Him. Everything else is being shaken, but we can focus our eyes on Jesus and stay secure.

Watchmen On The Walls (Episode 64)

Thu, 04 Mar 2021 11:36:03 +0000

In this episode, Matthew gives a short teaching on Isaiah 62, and what the Bible promises about the prayer, worship, and missions that will explode before Jesus returns.

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In verse 6 of Isaiah 62, the term "watchmen on the walls" is used - who are these watchmen? In a practical sense, watchmen were the ones posted on the walls of the city, keeping guard all the time. Isaiah uses this image to compare to intercessors - those who "keep guard" day and night. When Jesus was in the garden, He asks His friends to "watch and pray" (Mark 14:38). In Ephesians 6, when talking about prayer, the term "watchful to the end" is used. Peter uses it also, saying to be "watchful in prayer" - basically, Jesus' return should keep us on alert.

So there's a sense of not just praying, but being alert, listening, and discerning. The watchmen stay focused and pay attention to what's going on.

Right now, there is an unprecedented prayer movement exploding in the earth. This is what Isaiah was prophesying! This is what has to happen before Jesus returns. The watchmen will be on the wall and waiting.

God is the one who sets these watchmen on the wall, according to this verse in Isaiah. And since it's meant to be 24/7, that means you can't be a watchman all by yourself! So God is setting people into communities and families who will watch together.

How does He bring us into this? Matthew looks at verse 5 here. Right before the idea of watchmen is introduced, the idea of God as our bridegroom is introduced. He's drawing us into intimacy first, out of His unbelievable love for us. And when we draw close to Him, we can't ignore what's in His heart, what His plans are for the earth. These watchmen are those who have partnered with Jesus in this way.

So these intercessors are not angry, but full of joy. They are set in families who are running after Jesus just because He's good and they love Him. And the invitation is open to all of us! It will look different for different people, but God is drawing us all. Then, you can look at passages like Isaiah 62 and see yourself in this prophecy coming alive!

Make The Great Commission Great Again with R.A. Martinez (Episode 63)

Thu, 25 Feb 2021 12:18:47 +0000

In this episode, Matthew chats with R.A. Martinez, a return guest to the podcast, about the Great Commission. A recent stat shows that 81% of church-going Christians in America could not define what "The Great Commission" is - Matthew and R.A. discuss why this is and what can be done.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

MAPS Global • https://www.mapsglobal.org/

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RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneer/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneer/

Matthew starts by asking RA to go into what their communities at MAPS Global are like, since they didn't get into in the last episode. RA says that they are presence centered communities, focusing on worship and prayer together, but that in the place of encountering Jesus, they are seeing more and more people sent out for missions.

This is based in Matthew 9, where Jesus commands them to pray earnestly for laborers, and that He'll send them out. Something grips us when we spend time in prayer! RA says specifically, there are 3 things that will grab hold of us:

1- The Worth of Jesus

2- His Compassion

3- The Anointing to be sent out

This should be pretty encouraging, due to the global prayer movement happening right now, but Matthew asks - what about those praying communities that aren't sending out missionaries? RA says some of it is the language used(it can tend to be a little monastic), but the real issue is that we haven't let God define the output of the prayer movement. Some people will stay and pray, but they should be in families that are sending some out.

To get to that place, you really have to understand the Great Commission. RA believes that it's been "diluted" some in the last 20 years to include just living your life as a Christian. That really takes priority away from those who haven't heard the gospel! The language used in the Great Commission is "ethnos", which means tribes and families - it has nothing to do with having political influence.

Nationalism is a huge hurdle for the Great Commission. Politics have become a major distraction, even in church, when 81% of Christians surveyed couldn't tell you what the Great Commission is! If we're focused on the prosperity of our own nation, we simply don't care about other nations hearing the gospel.

They tie it in here to the Church in Jerusalem. 500 believers go from seeing Jesus' ascension to pray and wait in Jerusalem, and by the time Pentecost happens, their numbers have dwindled to 120. After Pentecost, revival breaks out, but no one leaves for 10 years. Eventually, issues creep in like racism - seen in the story of the widows not being taken care of equally. After that, persecution begins and the Church is scattered to the nations. RA believes the nationalism/racism issue in the early church is what kept them from sharing the gospel to other nations. That's the problem with the melding of "God and country" - it makes enemies of our nation an enemy of the Church in our minds.

Then you throw in the "prosperity gospel" that's so pervasive in America, and the idea of leaving your comfort zone to live sacrificially and endure suffering for missions seems ludicrous. But if you read the Bible, Jesus guarantees suffering for following Him!

But RA believes the turmoil of persecution is what caused the first Church to be sent out, and that we're in the beginning stages of some turmoil in America that will end in some "scattering". God wants us to be part of His plan for the earth, and sometimes we won't listen until there's turmoil. RA takes it as encouragement, not something to be scared of.

So our job, then, is to pay attention. Look outside ourselves, ask God to give us His heart for the nations, and then to serve the Great Commission in whatever way He tells us to.

Four Models of 24-7 Prayer That Went Viral (Episode 62)

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 11:56:18 +0000

All across the earth God is raising up day and night worship and prayer! There are an estimated 20,000 groups praying 24-7 right now. The last 20 years has seen an unprecedented explosion of prayer and davidic worship in the body of Christ around the world.

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The global, Spirit-led prayer movement has taken many forms and expressions, but there are a few models of day & night prayer that have spread at an unusually “viral” pace. The only explanation is that God is breathing on some of these models of prayer to help bring the Church into its function as a house of prayer for all nations (Isaiah 56:7).

There may be many more models of 24-7 prayer, but Matthew Lilley shares about four that he has noticed that seem to have virality.

1) The Harp & Bowl Model

The harp & bowl was developed by the International House of Prayer in Kansas City to sustain their 24-7 prayer and live worship since 1999. This model utilizes live worship music for 2-hour “sets” that serve as either devotional or intercessory prayer meetings. The term harp & bowl describes the combination of prayer and music that reflects the harps and bowls in God’s throne room (see Revelation 5:8). Many communities and prayer ministries around the world have adapted a version of “harp & bowl” in their worship & prayer meetings. It seems that most or all of the communities that have been able to sustain 24-7-365 prayer with live worship have been inspired by IHOP-KC. You can learn more about this model in Mike Bickle’s Harp & Bowl Handbook.

Get the Harp & Bowl Handbook here: https://amzn.to/3smmJbO

2) The Burn Model

Communities around the world have gathered for “Burns” of 12 to 24 to 100+ hours of non-stop worship and prayer. This model focuses on gathering local worship teams to take 1-2 slots of worship. Rather than using a unified worship model (like harp & bowl), burn events allow local worship teams to bring their unique expression and style of worship & prayer for their time slots. Many of the leaders hosting “burn” events have coalesced around the Burn 24-7 movement that was founded by Sean Feucht. However, like the “house of prayer” model developed by IHOP-KC, you will find many people hosting “burns” who are not associated with the Burn 24-7 movement at all. In podcast episode 32 we discussed hosting a virtual 168-hour Burn during the initial COVID-19 lockdown.

3) The 24-7 Prayer Model

The 24-7 prayer movement in the UK started accidentally with a week of 24-7 prayer in England. Their model of prayer is focused on individuals taking hours of prayer in a 24-7 prayer room rather than corporate prayer times. Usually churches or communities will set up a temporary 24-7 prayer for a week or more. These prayer rooms are creative, multi-sensory and full of interactive “prayer stations” to guide people through their time with the Lord. You can learn more about this model in the 24-7 Prayer Manual from Pete Greig. You can also check out podcast episodes 24 and 25 with Lisa Koons, the USA Director of the 24-7 Prayer movement.

Get the 24-7 Prayer Manual here: https://amzn.to/3nD68wU

4) The One Church, One Day Model

In the podcast I refer to this as the “America Prays” model. One of the more recent models of 24-7 prayer that has emerged focuses on empowering local churches to adopt one day of 24-hour prayer each month. When enough churches in a city commit to a day of prayer, they can collectively cover a citywide 24-7-365 prayer calendar. One of the benefits of this model is that local churches can host their 24 hours in whatever format that suits their congregation. This empowers local churches to host day & night prayer, but it also unites them to a citywide vision. We talked more about this model and its impact in Austin, Texas on podcast episode 53 with Trey Kent.

Discipling the NextGen in Prayer with Trace Vining (Episode 61)

Thu, 11 Feb 2021 11:52:40 +0000

In today's episode, Matthew talks to Trace Vining, a young prayer house leader from Starkville, Mississippi.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Trace @ New Horizon • http://www.newhorizonsworship.com/trace_vining.html

Trace on Instagram • https://www.instagram.com/tracevining/?hl=en

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RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

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FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneer/

Trace's journey as a prayer leader began when he was in the 9th grade! In his personal prayer time, he was struck with the revelation " When we pray, He comes" - and so he decided they should be praying more. He and a few friends from youth group started meeting at the church after school and praying for hours. He had no paradigm for understanding what he was doing(neither did his church leaders at the time!), but felt strongly that it was what God wanted.

He eventually discovered places like IHOP-KC and realized he wasn't alone! He took this with him when he left for college and carried a vision for more and more prayer - starting at 72 hours once a month, and building from there.

They have a great discussion about the "sleeping giant" of traditional churches in the U.S., about facing resistance when branching out in something new like Spirit-filled prayer. But they also both feel a shift happening, and believe God is doing something in those churches. If you find yourself in one of those churches, keep praying for them!

Psalm 139 has been very impactful for Trace. It brought real encouragement during this Covid season, when many leaders have struggled with the decision to keep gathering or not. It lifted him up to consider the character of God in Psalm 139, that coming together to pray meant talking face to face with a God who knows us better than anyone. As Matthew points out, many house of prayer leaders start these prayer ministries for revival, but eventually they all realize that the real prize is just God's presence, and revival is simply a byproduct.

So who has stepped in and helped as a mentor for this very young leader? Local pastors. There was a church in his home state of Alabama that was very helpful and supportive that launched a campus in Mississippi as Trace was moving there for college, and then after getting married the local church was actually able to host their prayer room. Just regular pastors being willing to say yes to a young guy with big vision, and also showing up and praying alongside him.

Matthew asks Trace to speak to those older ones in the church - how can those of us that are beyond the college/young adult phase of life help pour into what's happening in the generations behind us? Trace says that showing up and praying with these younger kids is a lot more impactful than you probably realize. It may look different than it looked when you were in that season, but Trace says it's about honoring each generation.

And what about the younger ones? Trace says sometimes you have to just wait. They had a vision for a prayer room in 2015 but didn't see it until 2017. He also says you have to be willing to change your mind, pay attention to what's happening, and be humble enough to learn. Don't be afraid to ask for spiritual mothers and fathers - don't be afraid to be the one to reach out.

What about the struggles? For Trace, hosting on a college campus means losing people every time someone graduates. It's hard to pour in so hard, and then watch the seasons shift in ways beyond your control. But Trace goes back to Psalm 139 - it's about God, and He doesn't change.

So what's ahead for their crew? Trace says they felt like God wanted them to go back to their roots - those small living room gatherings. They didn't totally understand, but then Covid hit and suddenly it made sense! They want to reach out to more small towns, to people that may feel like hosting prayer isn't something that could happen where they live, and some alongside and equip those people. And Trace is doing more worship, hoping to travel some with that in the future.

But their heartbeat, he says, is that ongoing prayer.

Keys to Persistent Prayer (Episode 60)

Thu, 04 Feb 2021 12:05:55 +0000

In this quick teaching, Matthew goes through Luke 18 to find the keys Jesus gives us to be faithful in prayer.

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"We won't pray until we hear His word, and He won't delay when He hears our prayers."

When you look at this story in Luke 18, you first have to understand that this isn't a comparison - it's a contrast. He's saying that if a widow can get a judge who is openly unjust to grant her justice, how much more will God, our Good Father, answer our prayers? It's important to understand that we are approaching a loving Father, and not an angry judge, when we pray. In Luke 11, He touches on this again contrasting earthly fathers and our Heavenly Father.

So the secret here would appear to be that when it comes to prayer, it's not understanding prayer itself that matters as much as understanding Who we're praying to.

We also have to pay attention to who God says we are - we aren't coming as a widow, or a slave, but as a son or daughter. We have a relationship with God that gives us access to come close to Him and lay out our requests.

Then, He connects consistent prayer to having faith. You can also catch that thought in Romans 10:17 - the idea that faith is being aligned with His Word. What that means is, we're reading the Bible and and believing it, so we are praying it - and that builds faith. Who God is, who we are, and what He wants to do on the Earth are what we find in the Bible that we have faith in. So that's what we pray and how we pray.

What is God's justice that it says He'll pour out? It's His kingdom coming down. As He comes, He will confront evil and injustice in the world and in our own hearts. Now, God could do all of this by Himself in an instant, but He loves to work in partnership with humanity to bring His kingdom. That happens through prayer and intercession.

The ultimate culmination of this will be Jesus coming back, which is the end goal of every prayer. That's what the Bible points us to, and that's where our hearts can find hope to keep praying.

Pioneering a 24-7 House of Prayer with Brad Stroup (Episode 59)

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 12:15:52 +0000

In today's episode, Matthew connects with Brad Stroup, a prayer leader from the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. They discuss Brad's story and what it's like to sustain daily prayer meetings, nonstop, for 15 years!

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

The Prayer Room DFW • http://www.theprayerroomdfw.com/

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EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Brad actually started out as a missionary in North Africa, but felt called away from that - so he stepped away, not knowing for sure what was next. In an encounter with the Holy Spirit, he heard very clearly that he was to start a 5 am prayer meeting the NEXT DAY and not stop until Jesus came back. He laughs that he had no idea what he was saying yes to, but said yes anyway. The next morning, he and a group of young adults started this prayer meeting at his home, and they've gone every day for the last 15 years! It's gone from just that 5 am meeting to an extended group of sets, now from 5 am to 1 am, every single day.

It started as a drive for revival for Brad, but as he went along, he felt more and more that it was simply because Jesus is worthy. It's about rallying a group of people to express their love to God. And, he says, it's how God gets His kingdom done!

They started this prayer meeting not knowing why or what to pray. So, Brad says, they prayed 2 things : first, for more people (he jokes that they grew from 11 people to 3 people very quickly). And people started showing up! Random connections started occurring that led to their numbers actually going up instead of down. Second, they prayed for more houses of prayer to open up all over their area. Brad says they weren't even sure why they prayed this, but they had to pray something. They started getting phone calls months later from the people starting these houses of prayer in these specific locations they'd prayed for, and eventually there were 30 houses of prayer in their city!

Matthew then asks Brad to share the bible verses that have encouraged and sustained him over the years in this calling. His daily Bible reading plan the day they started was 2 Samuel 24, where David bought the dirt that would later be where the tabernacle was built. David refuses gifts from another man to use as sacrifices, making a profound statement : "I will not offer sacrifices to the Lord that cost me nothing." This was encouragement to Brad, who was struggling with this brand new calling that didn't look like the missions work he wanted to do. He accepted that this would be a sacrifice, and that sacrifices have a cost. Giving of time and resources to God, he says, can't always come out of the abundance - sometimes it has to come out of lack. Just like the widow with the 2 mites, the tiniest offering that really is all we've got left is often the most touching to God's heart.

So what have been the hardest parts of this journey? For Brad, it's been the transience of people in the prayer room. Of course, they'd prefer to have people be in it for life, but more often than not people are there for a season and then it's time for them to move on. It's hard to be the guy left over with the calling when everyone else gets to shift in and out sometimes! But it's important, Brad says, to love people well in the transitions.

Lastly, Matthew asks Brad about the importance of consistency. Brad says it's all about the schedule. The single most important administrative role in the prayer movement is creating a schedule that people can stick to. It's a lot of communicating, and shuffling, and readjusting. He compares it to WalMart - the only reason you can decide to go to WalMart anytime is because someone put together a schedule so that someone will always be there! They use the term "sacred trust" for the time commitment a person makes. They choose a 2 hour block somewhere within the prayer room's schedule and commit to be there every week. It's simple, but it lets people get in the door and experience it.

Want to engage? Check out their internship! You can check out their live stream, but of course Brad encourages us to come on down and get in the room.

Every Christian’s Ministry – Ministry to the Lord (Episode 58)

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 12:00:38 +0000

In this episode, Matthew shares a teaching from Facebook Live that he gave for Cassidy Campbell, a leader in Texas. He saved that video so that he could share it with the Presence Pioneers community as well!

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Cassidy on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/cassidyshawna.campbell

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EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Cassidy starts by asking, what is the deal with ministering to God? Does Jesus even need to be ministered to? Matthew quotes Kirk Bennett as saying that not only is it important, it's the most important thing we should do! A lot of people think that you have to be called into ministry, but if you look at Acts 13:1-3, it says that they were all ministering to the Lord, and then Paul and Barnabas got called out to go. That would indicate that everyone ministers, not just those who are called "Ministers".

But does God need ministry? That takes a shift in what we consider ministry. We don't help God or give Him something He doesn't have when we minister to Him. However, when we worship Him, we give Him something He loves. 1 Peter 2:9 says that we are a "royal priesthood" - every believer. So what do priests do? They interact with God, they worship and they offer sacrifices.

That was how ministry to God worked in the Old Testament. Now we are to offer "spiritual sacrifices" like these, as His priests:

Romans 12:1 says that we offer our bodies as sacrifices. This would be laying down our hearts and lives for Him.

Hebrews 13:15 says to offer the sacrifice of praise - that's where our worship comes in. Worship is not for us - it's not about enjoying the music or the moment - it's for God.

Revelation 5:8 says that the elders are offering incense to God, and that incense is the prayers of the saints. So our prayers are a "pleasing aroma" to God that actually brings Him delight!

So when you worship and pray, Matthew says to literally imagine Jesus there - because He is - and know that He is smiling! Cassidy jumps in to point out that this is similar to how we interact with our kids. A parent does not need their child, but they bring so much joy and delight. As Matthew puts it, while this is our duty to minister to God, it is also our Joy. God is a good Father who designed our duty to be the thing that brings us the greatest fulfillment.

Intimacy with Jesus should also be our starting point for everything, but we often skip it because we're chasing our vision and other ministries. And yet, this is where all the power comes from for all those other callings! It's how Jesus started the Church - He told them to go and tarry and pray until the Holy Spirit came, and once the power came, they could rush out with power.

It can feel silly, to be sure. Sitting in a room alone singing and praying doesn't seem like a great use of our time. But if we can understand that we are ministering straight to God's heart and bringing Him Joy when we do that, it'll change everything. As Mike Bickle puts it, there are lovers and workers - and the lovers get way more done than the workers do.

In the garden, in the very beginning, Adam and Eve were put there to be priests and kings. Genesis 2:15 says He put man there to "tend and keep it". But when you realize that Moses wrote Genesis, in the middle of the Israelites caring for the Tabernacle, it jumps out that the phrase "tend and keep it" actually refers to priestly work in the sanctuary. So it would be more accurate to call the Garden of Eden a tabernacle or a sanctuary! The people of Israel, who Moses was writing for, would've read it as a priests job, not a gardener's. God literally created humans to fill the earth with worship from the beginning! So when we minister to Him, we are connecting in with God's original vision for humanity, and our calling from the beginning of time.

The 24-7 Worship Tent in Washington DC with Jason Hershey (Episode 57)

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 12:19:18 +0000

In this episode, Matthew interviews Jason Hershey, the founder of David's Tent DC. They go into the history, the victories, and the struggles.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

David's Tent • http://davidstentdc.org

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Matthew starts by asking Jason for his backstory - how on earth did he end up hosting a 24/7 worship tent on the National Mall for 5 years (and counting)? Jason started out in Lancaster, PA with a Mennonite pastor/dairy farmer for a father, working on the farm with his family. He feels he truly accepted Jesus after his brother came back from a mission trip to Asia, when Jason was 19. It was his first introduction to Grace. At 22, he joined YWAM and hoped to go to the nations full time, but he realized God was calling him to intercede for the U.S. This meant he moved his young family to DC, and began connecting with groups like JHOP, led by Lou Engle. In 2009 and 2010, he went through what he calls a "pruning season", where his entire team left him and his wife there in DC and he had to lean into what God had said. He just started going to any prayer meeting he could find! In 2011, he did a 72 day fast with Lou Engle and the Circuit Rider Movement, and what was birthed out of that was David's Tent. They went to the parks service to find a spot for 40 days to start, hoping to find a side park to set up, and they suggested them setting up on the Ellipse instead, in view of the White House. So they did 40 days in 2012 and 2013, 50 days in 2014, and on September 11th, 2015 (in honor of Amos 9:11), they began the 24/7 model that's still going today.

Matthew then asks him to expound on that pruning season - it's a pretty common setback for people with big vision. So what did Jason learn in that season? He calls it "the dark night of the soul". His advice is simply Isaiah 35 - Be strong, fear not, your God will come. It's tempting to believe what's happening is your fault, but he insists that if you can trust God, you will come out of the wilderness "leaning on your Beloved", with deeper intimacy. God isn't pruning the ministry, He's pruning us.

Looking back at David's Tent over the last 9 years, Jason recalls the cookie jar. They have a prayer request cookie jar in the tent, where anyone passing through can write down a prayer request and then the staff will pray over it for 2 weeks. They've averaged 400-700 prayer requests in that cookie jar EVERY MONTH! Most of the time, there are 3-10 people in the tent, not huge crowds. It's actually random people off the street - joggers will stop in, write it down, and jog out. Jason believes this proves that people are hungry for God. One woman flew back to DC from Georgia just to tell them that her daughter had been healed of depression after she put it in the cookie jar!

That's one of the special things about the tent setup - people can just wander in and experience what God's doing. Committing to 24/7 prayer is "weird" enough, but committing to do it outdoors takes it to another level. Jason definitely got ostracized a bit for wanting to do prayer "instead of" missions, but he's watched them converge at David's Tent in a powerful way.

So what are some of the challenges of sustaining this for years? Basically, he says, prayer doesn't END the conflict - it starts it. You're poking at things that the enemy wants left alone, and that will lead to attack. Often, it's through relationships that he attacks, which can be heartbreaking. The other challenge is the nightwatch - he jokes that people are into the nightwatch for about 2 weeks tops. There's also been a rise in issues with the homeless, since Covid has shut down the shelters. But Jason says the solution is to rejoice, and be glad that you can see the big picture.

The team there believes in building from the Father's House - He must be the strength of the house. They must be going deeper on a heart level, and not just powering through. It can't just be in the tent - it must be in our lives.

Why Is God Always On A Mountain in the Bible? (Episode 56)

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 12:07:51 +0000

In this episode, Matthew discusses the significance of mountains in scripture and how they relate to our access to God's presence. There's even a little pyramid/Babel talk in there. It's a short teaching, so give it a quick listen!

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EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Matthew starts in the Garden of Eden, where many scholars believe there actually was a mountain. In Ezekiel 28, there seems to be a hint at that - "you were in Eden...you were on the holy mountain of God". This would indicate that God had a mountain in Eden where He dwelt. It makes sense, then, that soon after humanity was kicked out of this garden, that in order to be like God they tried building the tower of Babel! In their experience, mountaintop heights were synonymous with God's presence. Matthew believes that's why in ancient history, people built pyramids and ziggurats to get closer to their gods.

Moving forward in scripture, we look at the first time the word worship is used - and it's Abraham taking Isaac up the mountain as a sacrifice. Later, when God is bringing His people out of Egypt, He says it's so they can worship - and He brings them to Mt. Sinai. That's where Moses has the incredible encounter with His presence where He calls them a kingdom of priests! It's almost like God wanted to remind them of the access Adam and Eve had to Him in the garden, and to restore that access to His people. They didn't get it in fullness, but that seems like what was in God's heart.

The next moment would be on Mount Zion - where David established his tent. Then, when the temple was established, it was on Mt. Moriah. Christian tradition even leans towards Jesus being crucified on a hill (although it doesn't specifically say that in scriptures).

So when God says He wants to manifest His presence, it seems to include mountains very often in scripture. Psalm 24:3 asks, "Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place?" This shows a link between ascending a hill or mountain and then being in God's holy place.

Looking more closely at Mount Zion, Matthew points out that while it's a very important mountain in scripture, the only structure even built on it was David's tent. Zion grows in its meaning as scripture progresses, sometimes meaning the actual mountain, sometimes Jerusalem, and sometimes meaning the entire nation of Israel. It became used as a place of worship AND of government.

Psalm 9:11 says to sing to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion. Isaiah 56 shows God saying that He will "bring them to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer". There are dozens of scriptures connecting God's presence to mountains, specifically Zion!

But we worship a King - Psalm 110 says He's ruling out of Zion. So it's not just a place of worship, but of authority and rule. Psalm 48 calls Zion the city of the Great King.

In Hebrews 12, the writer brings up Mt. Zion to say that because of Jesus we have access again. This is where "Zion" changes to meaning a heavenly place. We don't have to be in Jerusalem anymore to ascend the hill. We have access, through Jesus, to God's presence where we are.

And God calls us to be a generation of priests - so His heart is that we use that access He's provided us, through giving up His Son, to come be in His presence. We are called to advance His kingdom on the earth for His glory, as his priests.

Heart of a Presence Pioneer, Part 2 (Episode 55)

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 13:03:07 +0000

In this encore of episode 2, Matthew Lilley continues in Psalm 132 and asks the question... What does it look like for God’s glory [manifest presence] to rest upon a region?

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EPISODE DESCRIPTION

King David’s vision was not primarily about his personal breakthrough. He was longing for something to impact his city and nation. He was longing for corporate breakthrough and revival. He wanted the entire nation to experience what he had personally experienced through his personal relationship with God.

This vision caused David to to make a radical vow before God to avoid sleep until God's presence rested in his city. David was saying that he would do anything that he could to see God’s presence among His people. This is the heart of a presence pioneer.

Heart of a Presence Pioneer, Part 1 (Episode 54)

Thu, 24 Dec 2020 12:01:54 +0000

In this first Presence Pioneers podcast episode, Matthew Lilley teaches part one on the heart of a Presence Pioneer. After briefly discussing the history of the term “presence pioneers”, Matthew dives into Psalm 132 to explore how Presence Pioneers have connected to the zeal of Jesus and it has caused them to be zealous for His presence in their lives and on the earth.

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