If you’ve never experienced a Minnesota winter, you might not completely understand how brutally cold it is! It is no wonder that in the early days of Bethany, those who met to pray daily gathered in a furnace room to keep warm. This furnace room became a place of encounter and intercession.

Any lasting move of God starts in the place of prayer. From the desperate cry for holiness in 1956 that prompted all nights of prayer to the desire to see 24/7 prayer established for power and protection for ministry around the world – Bethany’s history is rich with the desire to commune with Jesus and seek His face.

As John Piper wrote, “Missions exists because worship doesn’t.” At Bethany, the mission ahead of us is not an easy task. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to take the church to where it is not.

Like the furnace of our early days, the embers of our hearts are fueled when we meet with God in the place of prayer and worship.

The Furnace Prayer Room goes back to the fire and culture of prayer that fueled dedication to seeing Jesus being worshipped in every tribe, tongue, and nation. Through that culture and commitment, we will see the Gospel go forth in power to reach the unreached.

Let’s go back to the furnace.

 

This article comes from the Spring 2018 Issue of coMission Magazine.