Is 24/7 Prayer Biblical?

The Father Seeks True Worshipers

For the last 20 years or so, there has been a focus in some circles on establishing “houses of prayer” that schedule people praying and worshiping around the clock in “24/7 prayer.”

Recently there has been a terrible scandal involving one prominent group that has promoted this idea, with the founder and some of the leaders being exposed for serious moral failures, aberrant doctrine, and false and manipulative prophecies. Our hearts go out to those who have been used and abused. Of course, it is appropriate that leaders should be accountable for their actions, and it is very healthy, albeit painful, for the Body of Christ when such sin is exposed.

However, the vision of 24/7 prayer itself should also be examined to test whether or not it is a biblically-sound and healthy practice. That is our purpose here.

The vision of 24/7 prayer itself should be examined to test whether or not it is a biblically-sound and healthy practice.

We will look at:

• What did Paul mean when he said to “pray at all times”?

• What is the place of “houses of prayer” under the New Covenant?

• How should we understand God’s instruction to “keep the fire burning on the altar continually” in Leviticus 6:13?

• When and where did the practice of 24/7 prayer originate?

• What does a healthy lifestyle of continuous prayer look like?

• Should we have vocational musicians and singers as King David did?

• Are there any dangers of 24/7 prayer?

It may seem counter-intuitive to question anything that promotes prayer. Surely the more the better! Yet, as we look closely at 24/7 prayer as it has been practiced and what the New Testament says about prayer and worship, we will see that God has given us a much healthier path of continuous prayer to follow.   

Praying at All Times

… praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints … (Ephesians 6:18)

Paul writes these words near the end of his teaching on the armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-20.

The armor of God consists of six pieces of equipment: three protective (the girdle of Truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the shoes of the Gospel of peace), two defensive (the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation), and one offensive weapons (the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God).

Then Paul comes to prayer. Clothed with God’s armor, we are to pray “at all times.” Thus, we need the full armor of God while we stand in faith and pray. The armor of God is the armor of prayer. We must be securely clothed in all the pieces of armor while we pray.

Elsewhere Paul repeats this same instruction to always pray.

… pray without ceasing … (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. (Colossians 4:2)

… be constant in prayer. (Romans 12:12)

Jesus also exhorted us to pray “always.”

And He told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. … And will not God give justice to His elect, who cry to Him day and night? Will He delay long over them? (Luke 18:1, 7; see also 21:36)

In these exhortations, it is obvious that Paul is not telling us to organize continuous formal prayer meetings. Neither is he suggesting that if we happen to miss a moment of prayer then God’s purposes will be thwarted in some way, or we will be defeated. Rather he is telling us to constantly look at God and talk to God in every moment and in every situation.

Paul says the same thing in different words in Philippians 4:

… do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6)

This instruction to “pray at all times” is not intended to create a legalistic and anxiety-producing pressure on us to try to pray 24 hours a day and seven days a week by dividing up and then covering systematic “prayer slots.” In contrast, Paul’s intention is to encourage us that we can, by the indwelling Spirit, pray at all times in every situation!

This instruction should be life-giving. It is not a rigid assignment that we have to try to somehow live up to. A legalistic approach to impose and enforce continuous prayer will only harm us. If we think we have achieved it, then our hearts will be lifted up in pride and elitism. If we know we have failed to achieve it, then we will be condemned as failures. Either way we lose, and the end result is that we are not people of sincere prayer as God intends.

Paul’s purpose was to nurture life, not to weigh us down with legalistic requirements. He knew his position in Christ – free from the law and empowered by the grace of God – and he wanted us to walk in that same freedom and life. As Jesus said:

“For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30)

Paul’s intention was to bring us into closer union and fellowship with God. By the indwelling Spirit, we can pray at all times and live in continuous union with Christ.

Moreover, we can do that wherever we are. It does not have to be in a “house of prayer.”

Houses of Prayer

The biblical reality is that Jesus’ “house of prayer” is the entire Church worldwide (Isaiah 56:7). The Church as a whole is the temple of God, His dwelling place by His Spirit (Ephesians 2:18-22).

Around the world, there are always a vast number of believers praying and worshiping before God in every time zone. Consequently, 24/7 prayer has already been achieved! It is not dependent on our own group conscripting enough people to fill prayer slots.

Moreover, the idea that we must establish specific physical “houses of prayer” is directly contradicted by Jesus’ words to the Samaritan woman in John 4:

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. … the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and truth.” (John 4:21-24)

In the Old Testament, under the Law of Moses, the Tabernacle and then the Temple were the only divinely authorized places of formal worship. But now, Christ is in us!

To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)

Consequently, Jesus said that the time has now come when you will not worship the Father in this or that special place. The days of needing to go to a certain temple or house of prayer to worship God are over. We – the whole Church – are now the temple of the Holy Spirit; we are God’s dwelling place.

… in [Christ] the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:21-22)

We do not have to establish physical “houses of prayer” and we do not have to go somewhere special to pray. We are the temple of God both individually (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and corporately (1 Corinthians 3:17). We can pray all the time, wherever we are, living in inward union with Christ by His Spirit!

The Father is not seeking “factories” of prayer manned by people filling prayer slots. He is seeking true worshipers (John 4:23).

This means that the true role of leaders in the Church is not to build “houses of prayer,” but to build people – people who know God and walk in union with Him – true worshipers. Of course, it is much easier simply to establish a building or a room and then schedule people to faithfully fill their prayer slots, but the true work of building people’s lives is much deeper.

Keeping the Fire Burning on the Altar Continually

There are some who have embraced the relentless pressure of keeping the “fire … burning on the altar continually” by scheduling shifts in a physical prayer room.

Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it shall not go out. (Leviticus 6:13)

Leviticus 6:13 refers to the altar of burnt offering in the Tabernacle of Moses. The altar was located in the courtyard of the Tabernacle, and it was where the priests made sacrifices to God. The fire on this altar was initially directly kindled by God (Leviticus 9:24) and was to be maintained perpetually by the priests.

This “type”¹ was fulfilled in the death of the Lord Jesus. In fact, Jesus fulfills all the types, not us!

At the altar of burnt offering, an unblemished animal was sacrificed and entirely burned up. At the Cross, Jesus, who was perfect in every way, gave His life for our sins. His one sacrifice atoned for sin perfectly and permanently and never needs to be repeated. This is what the perpetual fire on the altar represents.

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God … For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (Hebrews 10:12-14)

Thus, this type is not fulfilled by some group today faithfully maintaining a schedule of 24/7 prayer. The continual fire is not of our own effort but the Lord Jesus Himself fulfilled the type with His death in our place.

While Jesus has fulfilled all the types relevant to Levitical sacrifices, we also understand that in the New Testament we are to give ourselves fully to God.

In Romans 12:1, Paul says to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” He uses the image of the whole body being presented on God’s altar to signify the complete giving of our lives to God.

Moreover, we are to serve before God as a Kingdom of priests, continually offering spiritual sacrifices to Him.

… you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. … But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:5, 9)

However, this does not relate to a man-made regimen of 24/7 prayer. Again, it is much deeper than scheduling people to pray in a room. The New Testament priesthood of every believer means that every day, every part of our lives is to be consecrated to God as we love Him, obey Him, and worship Him in the normal context of our daily lives.

Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His Name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. (Hebrews 13:15-16)

Priestly Intercession

As well as making offerings on the people’s behalf, the Levitical priests also made intercession for them to God. Once again, the great fulfillment of the type of the intercession of the Levitical priests is the High Priestly intercession of the Lord Jesus Himself at the right hand of the Father! Wonderfully, Jesus “always lives to make intercession” for us.

Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25; see also Romans 8:34; Hebrews 9:24)

This fire will never go out!

Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament types found in the Levitical priesthood and then those physical practices were abolished.²

For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace … (Ephesians 2:14-15)

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17)

Consequently, it is not our legalistic duty to pray at all times – rather it is our opportunity, privilege and blessing! We must never allow what should bring life to us to become a legalistic burden.

The Early Church

Significantly, the Early Church never established ongoing 24/7 prayer. When they were under great pressure at certain times, it appears that they may have prayed together around the clock (e.g., Acts 1:14; 12:5, 12). But that was not an ongoing practice, and they certainly never formally organized “shifts” of prayer.

That kind of thing happened much later in church history in the monasteries, emerging sometime between the 5^th and 6^th centuries. Here are some examples of the monks organizing various “prayer shifts”:

• The Life of St. Sabas (c. ad 439-532) by Cyril of Scythopolis: “He (Sabas) divided the brethren into courses to ensure the singing of the psalter, by night and day, without interruption.” This passage from Chapter 57 is documenting the liturgical organization established by Sabas at his monastery to maintain the continuous cycle of psalms being chanted day and night by the monks in shifts.

• The Spiritual Meadow by John Moschos (c. ad 550-619): “It is the custom for the monks in this celebrated monastery (of St. Sabas in Palestine) never to leave the house of prayer untended, either by night or day, but to share out the psalmody among themselves.” This passage by John Moschos confirms the previous quote regarding the practice established by Sabas in his monastery.

• The Rule of St. Benedict (c. ad 480-547): “At the Night Office, on Sundays, the brethren should take their turns in the order in which they serve at the Work of God and at the Night Office … Let no one be excused from the Night Office or the Day Hours.” This passage from Chapter 8 of The Rule details the instructions for the “Night Office” and outlines the practice of scheduled continuous prayer, Bible readings, psalms and hymns within the monastic community, from which none of the monks were allowed to be exempt.

• The Ecclesiastical History of Evagrius Scholasticus (c. ad 536-600): “The whole year is divided into courses by the monks inhabiting this desert (of Palestine), and they continually succeed one another to preserve an uninterrupted and perpetual course of psalmody.” This passage from Book IV of The Ecclesiastical History is in the context of a discussion of the organization of perpetual liturgy among the desert monasteries, where teams of monks would take shifts year-round to maintain the unceasing chanting and singing of psalms day and night.

Thus, scheduled 24/7 prayer was not a New Testament or Early Church practice, but rather a monastic practice begun hundreds of years later.

Of course, there are always a few people – such as Anna in Luke 2:36-38 – who have a “full-time” intercessory calling and gifting, and who will have the grace from God to personally pray “all the time.” However, they are the exceptions, not the norm.

Nevertheless, all of us can have a lifestyle of continuous union with Christ!

A Lifestyle of Continuous Union with Christ

Paul prayed a great deal himself. His life was one of continuous union with Christ and continuous communication with Him. In addition, he had special times of prayer.³ From that inward spiritual life came his constant prayer for others:

For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. (Romans 1:9-10; see also Acts 16:25; 1 Corinthians 1:4; 14:15, 18; Ephesians 3:14-19; Philippians 1:3-4)

There is obviously some hyperbole in Paul’s statements. Paul says he prays all the time for:

• the Romans (Romans 1:9-10),

• the Ephesians (Ephesians 1:15-16),

• the Colossians (Colossians 1:3, 9),

• the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3; 3:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:11),

• Timothy (2 Timothy 1:3),

• and Philemon (Philemon 4).

While he cannot have prayed literally all the time for each of them, clearly he did pray a lot for them all.

Paul prayed all the time in the sense of living continuously in union with Christ and talking to God continuously about the saints he knew, loved and served. He had a lifestyle of prayer. He lived and breathed prayer.⁴

Moreover, he frequently asked the saints to pray for him:

Brothers, pray for us. (1 Thessalonians 5:25; see also Romans 15:30-32; 2 Corinthians 1:10-11; Ephesians 6:19-20; Philippians 1:19; Colossians 4:2-4; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2; Philemon 22)

Paul knew the great power of prayer and he wanted us to also have lives of continuous prayer.

Praying “in the Spirit”

… praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. … (Ephesians 6:18)

After telling us to pray at all times, Paul adds “in the Spirit” in Ephesians 6:18. This means to pray in union with the Holy Spirit – in fellowship with Him in our hearts, continuously looking at Him, talking with Him, listening to Him, and bringing others before Him in prayer.

Jude also mentions “praying in the Spirit”:

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit … (Jude 20)

Again, this means prayer in union with the Spirit, being led and energized by the Spirit. This includes praying in tongues (1 Corinthians 14:2, 15) and travail in the Spirit (Romans 8:26-27) but should not be limited to that.⁵

Then Paul says we are to pray in the Spirit “with all prayer and supplication.” This means to pray with every kind of prayer – thankfulness, praise, worship, confession of sin, personal requests, intercession for others, and so on. Our prayer lives should be very rich in diversity.

For Paul, prayer was not limited to a few formal prayers or to certain times of prayer, or to prayer in a certain place or with particular people – it was his continuous lifestyle, wherever he was, whatever he was doing.

Keeping Alert

In the second half of the verse, Paul says, “To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints …” (Ephesians 6:18).

For the purpose of “praying at all times” we must “keep alert.” We are in a constant battle. Our enemy never sleeps. We must stay spiritually awake and alert. We must “watch and pray.”

“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41; see also Colossians 4:2)

This is to be our lifelong practice of continuous prayer in the Spirit.

Paul continually prayed for the believers he knew and served, and we should too. This does not mean a general, “God bless all the missionaries” kind of prayer but specific prayers for those with whom we are connected – talking to God about them, thanking Him for them, and asking Him to meet their needs.

Our lives should be lived in continuous, inward union with Christ – looking at Him, loving Him and praying for His people.

In Ephesians 6:18, Paul uses the word “all” four times in one verse: “praying at all times … with all prayer and supplication. … with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.”

He wants our lives to be consumed in prayer – in a lifestyle of continuous union with Christ, looking at Him, worshiping Him, depending on Him for everything in our own lives and in the lives of those we know and serve.

This is our privilege and joy – to pray at all times! When we do this, we will experience the life, joy and blessing of God.

Such a lifestyle stands in marked contrast to the practices of 24/7 prayer with their attendant dangers. One such danger relates to the practice of vocational musicians and singers in houses of prayer.

The Tabernacle of David

Some have promoted the idea that God is currently restoring the “tabernacle of David” as prophesied in Amos 9:

“In that day I will raise up the booth [or tabernacle] of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old, that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by My Name,” declares the Lord who does this. (Amos 9:11-12)

Consequently, they say there should be a group of people who are vocational musicians and singers as there was in David’s time. David established a highly organized system for musicians and singers, dividing the Levites into different groups, each responsible for various aspects of worship (1 Chronicles 23-25). Therefore, some have said, we should now have these professional musicians and singers who are organized and scheduled.⁶

Such an interpretation of Amos 9:11-12 has no biblical support whatsoever.

First, the tabernacle of David symbolizes the restoration of the Davidic dynasty that was “fallen” after David’s lifetime when Israel was divided, then declined and ultimately was destroyed. Amos points to the future time when God will restore the kingdom to glory, uniting the people under the true “Son of David,” the Messiah. This will happen at Jesus’ return.

Second, God, in Amos 9:12, mentions “all the nations who are called by My Name,” indicating that the restored kingdom will not only consist of Israel but will also include Gentiles who have turned to God (see Ephesians 2:11-22). James, in Acts 15, refers to this prophecy as support for the apostles’ position that Gentiles will be saved along with Jews:

Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for His Name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, “‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My Name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’” (Acts 15:14-18)

Nowhere in the New Testament is there any indication that Amos’ prophecy should be interpreted to mean that the specific forms of Davidic worship – or any other form of Old Testament worship – should be restored in the Church today. On the contrary, as we have seen in John 4:21-24, Jesus has established an entirely new approach to worship.

In fact, to establish full-time professional musicians and singers in the Church is quite unhealthy as we will now see.

The Dangers of 24/7 Prayer

God has created specific angelic beings to worship Him non-stop.

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” (Isaiah 6:1-3)

But when He created man, He put him in the garden to work.

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (Genesis 2:15)

God’s purpose for man to work is so important that it was one of the key instructions that Paul gave to the new Thessalonian church when he first established it:

For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. (2 Thessalonians 3:10)

With very few exceptions (such as Anna in Luke 2:36-37), all of us are called to live normal lives with jobs, families, relationships, and responsibilities, and in the context of those normal lives, to pray to God, worship Him and serve Him. It is in this way that we will grow to know Jesus and bring Him glory – this is the ultimate purpose of God for us all.

In reality, it is very unhealthy for people to withdraw from normal life into a spiritual bubble. From the New Testament epistles, we see that no one was participating in an artificial prayer and worship “house.” All of the instructions are to love one another and serve one another. There are more than 60 “one anothers” in the New Testament and all of them are in the context of normal, daily life.

Living in an artificial bubble is especially damaging for impressionable and idealistic young people, who are usually the ones targeted by “24/7 prayer visionaries.” Instead of withdrawing from normal life and responsibilities, young people need to build their families, relationships, and their own personal capacities and experience. They need to build their lives during their critical, formational years of youth – not withdraw to an isolated and artificial environment.

Moreover, the elitism that accompanies such ill-advised spiritual strategies is extremely harmful to young people. The last thing they need is to be told that they are the “key generation” at the epicenter of a “global movement” that is going to experience the greatest move of God in history, change the very definition of Christianity and bring back the Lord Jesus!

The last thing young people need is to be told that they are the “key generation” at the epicenter of a “global movement” that is going to experience the greatest move of God in history, change the very definition of Christianity and bring back the Lord Jesus!

Instead, young people need to be staying small in their own eyes, and learning a trade or going to university, getting a job, getting married and starting a family, and so forth – and, in those contexts, learning how to walk with God, daily putting off the old life and putting on the new, embracing accountability and humility, growing in God, loving and serving others, reaching out to the lost, and finding God in an authentic way in the midst of the normal pains, joys, pressures, struggles and responsibilities of life. This is true spirituality. This is true worship.

Finally, the practice of 24/7 prayer encourages an unhealthy sacred-secular distinction between “spiritual” work and “worldly” work, by implying that those in the prayer house are the truly spiritual ones doing the things that really count before God in contrast to those who merely have normal jobs. It is almost as if God is disappointed with those who are not sufficiently consecrated to be full-time in the house of prayer.

This deeply unbiblical distinction relegates most Christians to an inferior status and encourages them to look down on what they do compared to those who are considered to be “serving God full-time.” In reality, we are all serving God full-time! In whatever vocation we are in, we are serving God. Paul says this directly to the Ephesians and Colossians:

Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. (Ephesians 6:5-8)

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:23-24)

Paul could not be clearer! The bondservants were not serving man, but God. And it is the same for the masters. They also are serving God and will one day give an account to Him for how they treated their bondservants.

Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. (Colossians 4:1)

Our work is holy, spiritual and sacred – whatever it is that God has called us to do. Our work is an act of love and service to Him, and it must be conducted accordingly, with dependence on God and with a high ethical standard. It is in that context that we love God, walk with God, worship God and pray continuously.

… do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6)

In Summary

• The New Testament encourages us to pray at all times, but this does not refer to organized formal prayer meetings. Continuous prayer is a lifestyle of continuous union with Christ – a life-giving blessing – not a legalistic requirement to fill a schedule of prayer slots.

• The idea of physical “houses of prayer” is directly contradicted by Jesus’ words to the Samaritan woman (John 4:21-24). The Church as a whole is the temple of God, His dwelling place by His Spirit (Ephesians 2:18-22). Around the world, there are always a vast number of believers praying and worshiping before God in every time zone. Consequently, 24/7 prayer has already been achieved!

• Leviticus 6:13 (“Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually”) refers to the fire on the altar of burnt offering in the Tabernacle of Moses that was to be maintained perpetually by the priests. This was fulfilled in the death of the Lord Jesus. His one sacrifice atoned for sin perfectly and permanently and never needs to be repeated (Hebrews 10:12-14).

• Scheduled 24/7 prayer was not a New Testament or Early Church practice, but rather a monastic practice begun hundreds of years later.

• Nowhere in the New Testament is there any indication that Amos’ prophecy of the restoration of “David’s Tabernacle” means that the specific forms of Davidic worship – or any other form of Old Testament worship – should be restored in the Church today. On the contrary, Jesus has established an entirely new approach to worship (John 4:21-24).

• The dangers associated with 24/7 prayer include encouraging people (especially youth) to withdraw from normal daily life and responsibilities, promoting elitism and an unhealthy sacred-secular distinction, and potentially damaging young people’s formative years.

May God deliver His people from unbiblical and legalistic spirituality and restore us all to true life in Him – to lives of true worship and true prayer!

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1. A biblical type is a prophetic symbol in the Old Testament that foreshadows a greater spiritual reality that is fulfilled in the New Testament, especially in the Person and work of Jesus. For example, the Passover sacrifice was a type of Jesus’ death on the Cross (John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7).

2. For more on the believer’s relationship to the Law of Moses, please see The Christian and the Law by Malcolm Webber.

3. See Acts 9:11; 13:1-3; 14:23; 16:25; 20:36; 21:5; 22:17.

4. Jesus lived the same way. He lived in continuous union and fellowship with His Father (John 5:19; 14:10), He had special times of prayer (e.g., Luke 6:12), and He regularly prayed for His disciples (e.g., John 17:9). And He did all of that in the context of very busy and demanding ministry work.

5. For more on praying in tongues, please see The Gifts of the Holy Spirit of 1 Corinthians 12 by Malcolm Webber.

6. One man has called such people “intercessory missionaries.”