"these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
Isaiah 56:7
The vision of H.O.P.E. Community Church can be summarized in the following three phrases:
"A House of Prayer"
- We firmly believe that the most fundamental call and responsibility of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ is to become a corporate “house of prayer“.
- The phrase “shall be called” indicates that the most fundamental identity of the church is a “house of prayer”.
- The reference to “house of prayer” shows that what is primarily in view is corporate not individual prayer.
- The statement “but you make it a den of robbers” in Matthew 21:13 functions to show two things:
- First, it shows that the natural tendency is to make the church something else other than a house of prayer.
- Second, it shows that when a church fails to become "a house of prayer", it necessarily becomes a “a den of robbers” so that there are only two options: A church either becomes a “house of prayer” or a “den of robbers”.
- We firmly believe that to be a house of prayer means to passionately pursue the heart of Christ as our primary calling as a church for the purpose of sharing in God’s great compassion and mercy for His Church and the world through the intercession ministry of the Spirit.
- We firmly believe that there are at least three reasons why God has ordained the exercise of corporate prayer as foundational for the church.
- Corporate prayer is the God ordained means to most effectively cultivate and produce corporate dependence on God.
- Corporate prayer is the God ordained means to most effectively cultivate and produce true spiritual unity and fellowship in the church.
- Corporate prayer is the God ordained means to most effectively bring about the manifestation of God’s kingdom and glory here on earth.
"And Exultation"
"Exultation" refers to a feeling or expression of great joy, triumph, or jubilation often associated with celebrating a victory, achievement, or something deeply satisfying. The phrase "A House of Prayer and Exultation" is meant to capture the Lord's promise in Isaiah 56:7 is to "make them joyful in my house of prayer". It is a recognition that joy matters in the House of God. The overflowing corporate joy of the Lord is one of the great promises of becoming a House of Prayer.
"For the Joy of all Peoples"
The prophet Isaiah said that God's house shall be called a house of prayer "for all peoples". So that the aim and focus of a House of Prayer is ultimately outward for the spiritual benefit and blessing of other peoples that the Lord is going to gather into His House: Isaiah 56:8 — "The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, “I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.”