Prayer Leader Training

I. INTRODUCTION OF A PRAYER LEADER

The Prayer Leader within the context of a Harp and Bowl Team or any other expression
of prayer in this House is that of a servant and a facilitator. The Prayer Leader is a Child,
a Servant, a Friend, and a Bride yielding to the prayers of the Holy Spirit. The Prayer
Leader is:
• a worshiper,
• a listener,
• a community builder,
• one who empowers,
• a watchman,
• one who gives focus and re-focuses the room on the target at hand,
• a redeemer of thoughts by adjusting the prayers of the room to be edifying,
• a healer,
• and an ambassador of God.

The Prayer Leader is truly the Lead Vocalist!

It is a key role although the entire team shares the burden. Its purpose is to facilitate
corporate unity, worship and agreement in prayer. And that, in turn, facilitates
blessing/increase upon the emerging Kingdom of Heaven/God here on the earth.

In order to understand the role of a Prayer Leaders, we need to understand that one of the
primary roles of Man on earth is Governmental. The role of Prayer Leader must be seen
through this lens.

Genesis 1: 26-28 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our
likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over
the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and
female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and
multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the
birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Psalm 8:4-6 “What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You
care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with
glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put
all things under his feet”

Psalm 115:16 The heavens are the heavens of the LORD, But the earth He has given to
the sons of men.
As a foreshadowing of what Jesus will do at the consummation of the ages, we choose to
whom we will submit to (agree with), i.e., the father of lies or the Father of Lights. As a
result, corporately, we submit the earth and all of creation to the consequences our
choices.

Romans 8:19-22 “For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing
of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but
because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free
from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together
until now.”

Therefore, when we agree with Father God and each other in prayer, we align our hearts
with His and with the prayer that Jesus taught us in Matthew 6.

“This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your
kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily
bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 'For if you forgive men when they sin
against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men
their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

This has a profound effect upon creation. The sons of God, connected rightly with their
Father, are entirely redemptive. As we align with Father’s assessment (rather than our
own) of what is good and what is evil and we draw from the Tree of Life. Remember the
enticement of the accuser in Genesis 2 & 3:

Genesis 2:15-17 “Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden
to cultivate it and keep it. The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree
of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you
shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."

Genesis 3:4-6 “The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! For God knows
that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,
knowing good and evil." When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and
that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she
took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

We made a decision that usurped God’s assessment of what was good and evil. Now,
because of Jesus as the “New Adam”, we as His Body get a do over! We get to make
things right with Him and through Him and to Him.
Jesus is Lord of The Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this
earth and we are being trained to reign with Him. Together, we impact the kingdoms of
this world. The end result defines the story. It is a story of Love, Grace, Mercy, Blessing,
Redemption and Purpose! Therefore, ALL of our prayers should line up with THIS
intention. We should have nothing to do with the accuser – including accusing!

Daniel 7: 21 "I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and
overpowering them until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of
the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of
the kingdom. "Thus he said: 'The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth,
which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and
tread it down and crush it. 'As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise;
and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will
subdue three kings. He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of
the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will
be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. 'But the court will sit for
judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever.
'Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the
whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His
kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey
Him.”

Revelation 11:15 "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever."

Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the
salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his
Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and
night, has been hurled down.

1 Corinthians 15:20-28 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of
those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the
dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made
alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who
belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the
Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign
until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been
put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything
under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to
him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

In Ephesians 2 we are told where we are positioned in Heaven NOW and it is from this
position that we pray.
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even
when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace
you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the
heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the
surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

And finally, consider this thought in 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 “Or do you not know that the
saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to
constitute the smallest law courts? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How
much more matters of this life?”

Biblical Justice is very different from our own thoughts of bringing down punishment. It
needs to be viewed through the immature picture painted by early Israeli judges and
viewed maturely through the perfect lens of Jesus, the Righteous Judge. It is certainly
expending one’s strength on behalf of the weak and setting things right. However, it is
ultimately agreeing with Father’s assessment of what is good (as Jesus says, “Only God
is Good.”) John 13-15 gives us a great deal of instruction about these ideas. Please take
the time to read these chapters.

Suffice it to say, as we abide in Jesus, Our Bridegroom-King-Judge our prayers are

aligned to be answered with true justice. Now, if Jesus is perfect love and love casts out
fear because fear involves punishment (1 John 4) and if mercy triumphs over judgment,
(James 2:13) then what sort of judges shall we become? Ones who hurl punishment like
fire (Luke 9:54)? Or ones who intercede in love like God, Our consuming fire? (Hebrews
12:29) Consider this: “A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering (dimly
burning) wick He will not quench, till He brings justice and a just cause to
victory.”(Matthew 12:20)

Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians 1:4-14, reveals our identity in this role as well as our
goal:

“…He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and
blameless before Him In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ
to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His
grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption
through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His
grace, which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the
mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with
a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing
up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also
we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who
works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to
hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to
the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed
in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, Who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with
a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.
In verses 15ff, he then provides us an instructive model for corporate prayer:

“For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you
and your love for all the saints

1. Do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my
prayers;

2. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a
spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.

3. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, SO

4. That you will know what is the hope of His calling,

5. What are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and

6. What is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.

7. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which
He brought about in Christ, when

8. He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the
heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion,
and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to
come.

9. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over
all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in
all.
II. PRAYER PRIMER

Accepting Love . . . by accepting God's love for us, we fall in love with Him and only
then do we have the fuel we need to obey. In exchange for our humility and willingness
to accept the charity of God, we are given a kingdom. And a beggar's kingdom is better
than a proud man's delusion." -Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz

What follows are some basic biblical foundations that, when understood in succession,
ought to release faith for partnered intercessory prayer with God; prayer that is birthed
through the power of love and releases life from the dead. We will begin to believe in this
partnership as we know and believe in our partner and in His love.

Indeed, I tell you truly, the one believing into Me, the works which I do, that one shall do
also, and greater than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you
may ask in My Name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. John
14:12-13

In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not tell you that I will petition the Father
about you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have
believed that I came out from God. John 16:26-27

1. Our God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit is Love. 1John 4:16

2. He fully knows us and loves us. Psalm 139, John 1 & 3:16

3. We didn't start out broken and we don't end up that way either. The universe was made
to reveal God’s incredible goodness (“and the Lord said it was good”). When the Lord
created mankind, He said “very good”. The crowning moment of creation was the woman
exegeted out of ha’adam which is a picture of the relationship between the church and
Christ. (Ephesians 5 & 6) It ultimately points to this: we were made for Love. (see
Colossians 1 & 2) The Lord Jesus Christ, who is Love, is the King of kings and the Lord
of lords and because of Him, we are now a kingdom of priests destined to rule and reign
with Him as a Bride made ready. (Genesis 1 & 2, 1Peter 2, Hebrews 7, Revelation 1:5-6,
17:14, 19, 21)

4. As much as we hate the idea that we could be responsible, we, as a race, not God, are
responsible for bringing sin and suffering into our world because of our agreement with
the father of lies rather than the Father of Lights. "Therefore, just as sin entered the
world through one man, and death through sin, so death spread to everyone, because all
have sinned." Romans 5:12

5. The result of our sin-filled agreement is death and injustice and it affects all of
Creation. Once it was initiated, there was no way we could fix the problem, and no way
to stop its repercussions. So God, who is Love, came to our rescue. He cut us off from the
Tree of Life to protect us from an eternity in this condition until, at just the right moment
in time, He brought all things together in Jesus and came to our rescue; paying the price
Himself for sin in its maturity, and releasing us from its bondage. Jesus saved us and
sanctified us; restoring us to righteousness before the Father. "For He made the One who
knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2
Corinthians 5:21

6. It was THE FATHER who sent His only begotten Son (John 3:16, 5:36). Our Father
loves us and endured the painful tearing of separation; a broken heart if you will; in order
to inflict the full wrath of holiness judging-conquering sin upon His deeply loved Son
instead of us. In that act, He made us sons. That gave Him great pleasure. Isaiah 53:10

(Take the time to hang out with Isaiah 53 and look into Ephesians 1-3. They are crucial passages for us to
consider because they reveal this foundational truth: Jesus took on all of our iniquities, transgressions and
sins. "Iniquities" refer to our nature of perversity; i.e., our downward bent away from God and toward sin.
"Transgressions" refer to our willful rebellion; our choices that say "we will not obey" to God.

In Isaiah 53:10 we are told that the "stroke was to Him". In the King James Version, the word is translated
"stricken" for our transgressions. The word "stricken" is the same word used to describe leprosy. In
essence, He became a leper for our sakes as He took our sins upon Himself.

We're also told that He took upon Himself the iniquities of us all. He endured crucifixion and took the full
blow of judgment; conquering all of our enemies, including sin and death.

He demonstrated that Love is not just as strong as death, but stronger than death and because of that, He is
worthy and the only One strong enough to break the seals of Revelation and bring about the redemption of
creation. God is to us a God of deliverances (salvation) and to God belongs escape from death. Psalm
68:20, Song of Songs 8:6-7)

7. This Beautiful One; this Bridegroom-Redeemer loves us so much He always makes

intercession for us, even now. And the Holy Spirit; the comforter, teacher and power of
God in action reveals the truth to us, lives in us and makes intercession with us so we can
be in union with God. Isaiah 52:10, 53:5, Zechariah 12:10, John 3:16, John 1:29 John
14:16, Hebrews 10, Romans 8:26, Revelation 5

8. When Jesus, our forever High Priest, paid fully for our sins, iniquities and
transgressions, He completely clothed us in His righteousness and He has taken away our
shame. He didn't just pay for those sins we committed before our born again encounter,
He also paid for the sins we still struggle with as we work out our salvation. We can
boldly approach the Throne of Grace to find mercy and grace because we are IN Him and
Christ is in us (plural, corporately) the Hope of Glory. John 1:29, Colossians 1, Hebrews
10

9. Our destiny as the Body and Bride is to operate from the same identity as our
Bridegroom-Redeemer, Jesus. Our Adamic DNA (both inherited and perpetuated) carries
a sin bent nature and a destiny of death. In the grace of God, through faith in Jesus, we
get the opportunity of a lifetime so to speak. We are identified with Him in faith and that
original identity is crucified with Him in an event that transcends time and space. We
emerge from that death into His love bent nature and a destiny of eternal life. We are
born anew into/with a new identity. We are a brand new creation. We are clothed with
Him and given His DNA. We are in essence and in truth, completely immersed in His
name/character/identity. (As a matter of meditation, we are actually baptized in the name/
character/ identity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Chew on that one for
awhile.) To be baptized in a name means we are fully immersed in; wet with; clothed
with; covered in . . . in this case God. Therefore, we are called to live and love from this
identity.

But faith coming, we are no longer under a trainer; for you are all sons of God through
faith in Christ Jesus. For as many as were baptized into Christ, you put on Christ. There
cannot be Jew nor Greek, there is no slave nor freeman, there is no male and female; for
you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are of Christ, then you are a seed of Abraham,
even heirs according to promise. Galatians 3:25-29

That the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of revelation that you may know what
is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe which He worked in
Christ when He raised Him and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places He
put all things under His (Jesus as a Man) feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to
the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him Ephesians 1:17-23

Raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ...
Ephesians 2:6

For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. "For this, a man shall
leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one
flesh." Gen. 2:24 The mystery is great, but I speak as to Christ and as to the assembly.
However, you also, everyone, let each one love his wife as himself, and the wife, that she
give deference to the husband. Ephesians 5:30-33

10. God is good. The Hebrew word "good", when describing God's goodness, isn't a
small word or concept. It doesn't mean "nice". It means "wildly good"; tremendously,
extravagantly good. His goodness and lovingkindness is completely full and bent toward
His own. We can rest in that always. . . .

The Lord is good; His loving-kindness endures for ever, and his faithfulness unto all
generations. Psalm 100:5

For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his loving-kindness toward them
that fear him. Psalm 103:11

11. He is unfathomably rich in grace and mercy. We may draw upon the riches of His
grace and mercy every time we turn to Him, even as we struggle with the remnants of our
pre-Christ nature; i.e., our sins, again and again.

12. When we confess our sins and repent, He is incredibly faithful and quick to forgive
us; He is our victory. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word; the kiss if
you will, of our testimony. As a result, we can ascend the hill of the Lord with clean
hands and a pure heart. Ephesians 1-3, 1John 1:9, Psalm 24:4, Revelation 12:11
13. The Father loves us and loves us and loves us . . . . and hears us because of the gift of
righteousness we receive in Jesus. 1Kings 8, 2Chronicles 7:12, Psalm 5:2, John 3:16,
John 11:41-42,1John 3:1

14. We are seated at the right hand of God with Christ Jesus and we can and ought to
pray from that position (Heaven to earth) Ephesians 2:6

15. We are given governmental responsibility for the earth. Genesis 1:27-31,
The heavens are the heavens of the Lord; but the earth He has given to the sons of men.
Psalm 115:16

16. We are made from the fabric of Creation. It has been subjected to futility because of
us until the sons of God are revealed. Creation's destiny is entirely tied into us. Genesis
1- 3, Romans 8:18-23 Walking in our true identity and agreeing with God in prayer
makes all the difference.

17. Now, considering the fact that WE are ZION, (“But You are come to Mount Zion . . .
to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are enrolled in Heaven.”
Hebrews 12:22-23 also, see Malachi 3) read Psalm 110 and note our relationship in the
exercise of this government

The Lord shall send the rod of Thy strength out of Zion: rule in the midst of your
enemies. Psalm 110:2

18. We engage in that responsibility with authority by agreement with God and each
other in prayer Matthew 17:21,18:20, John 17, James 5:17, Revelation 8:3

19. This responsibility is rightly released through love/justice/humility. What does the
Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your
God. Micah 6:8; also see Luke 11: 2-1318. John 15-17, Isaiah 66, John 1:47-51

20. Power/authority in Christ is directly related to “Sonship”. John 1:12-13, Gal. 3:26-
4:7 The sons of God are identified as "the peace makers". Matthew 5:9 We become
"peace makers" as we embrace our identity in "the Prince of Peace" Isaiah 9:6 and are
conformed to His image as the image bearers. Genesis 1:27,Romans 8:29

21. Jesus taught us that as "peace makers" we could choose to love our enemies, and pray
for those that persecute us; so that we may be sons of our Father who is in heaven: for he
makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.
Matthew 5:44-45. That means, through the gift of prayer in love, we don't have to expend
useless energy maintaining our anger, our bitter wounds and the chains of un-forgiveness.
What a relief! And, as we forgive, we are forgiven. As we are merciful, we receive
mercy. It's the sowing/reaping model of Kingdom living.

22. Love and prayer are intimately connected. Prayer is one our love languages. It is how
we engage with God throughout our day; how God helps us with our choices; and how
we release love/justice; transforming the scenarios we face. More than that . . . love can
be prayed into people and situations. And this is my prayer that your love will keep on
growing more and more in full knowledge and perfect insight. Philippians 1:9

23. Our hearts are softened in prayer. (That is at least one reason that we are called to
pray for our enemies - so that they won't be our enemies anymore. One less thing to
worry about.)

24. Revelation and salvation for the world comes through prayer (See the progression of
John 14, 15 & 17)

25. God likes prayer. Prayers are incense (a pleasing smell) before the Lord. The elders
around God's Throne have harps and gold bowls filled with the prayers of the saints. Our
prayers are mixed with the fire on the altar and hurled toward the earth with the purposes
of God directing them. Psalm 18, Revelation 5:8, 8:1-5

26. God receives thanksgiving and praise because of answered prayer and through that
our joy is made complete. Until now you asked nothing in My name; ask, and you will
receive, so that your joy may be full. John 16:24, also see Philippians 4:6

27. One final note: Our Father's House is Jesus in us and all of us in Christ (see “Christ in
us, the hope of glory” & the abiding of John 15 & Revelation 19-21). HE said that it is to
be a House of Prayer and in the House of Prayer we will find joy. Isaiah 56:7, Matthew
21:13

The Prayer of Love

"I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His
Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I
pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the
saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know
this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the
fullness of God." Ephesians 3
III. THE PRACTICAL FUNCTION OF A PRAYER LEADER:

A. The Launching Pad

Psalm 144:1-2 “Blessed be the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle. My lovingkindness and my fortress, my high tower and
my deliverer, my shield, and He in whom I take refuge, who subdues my people
under me.”

This passage describes a crucial posture for the Prayer Leader and the entire
Team. It is The Lord who trains us and we cannot rely upon our own “wisdom”.
His ways are much higher than ours and we are engaging in an arena that requires
complete dependence upon Him. All that we engage in as worshiping intercessors
is both a training event and the real deal all at the same time.

First, consider the opening word “Blessed”. It implies kneeling on our behalf and
setting our thoughts in honor toward Him. It is the place we set out from. The
Lord is entirely Happy and at Peace. He is the One with true wisdom and “The
Commander in Chief.”

Understanding that God always relates in Lovingkindess toward us encourages us

to stay in the shadow of His protection. Abiding in the One whom we take refuge
in is not an intellectual exercise but the frame of mind and heart that we must not
step away from. As such, the picture it creates is a novice protected by Abba’s
giant Father figure. His shield is in front of us defending us as He moves us
forward with Him teaching us to battle our enemies. It also implies an honor and
authority that is released upon us from the people we serve. The instruction is
simple. Stay inside Papa’s love.

After further development in scripture, we find that our weapons are not carnal at
all but are the alignment of all things with the Truth of Christ.

Compare Psalm 144:1-2 to Ephesians 6:10-18 and 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of
God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our
struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so
that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and
after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth
buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and
with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In
addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish
all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all
occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and
always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I
open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known
the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I
may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The
weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they
have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every
pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive
every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish
every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete

All of this is a necessary prelude to engaging effectively in prayer as a community

and a leader under the overall Leadership of God.

The Prayer Leader and the team do not engage in criticism of the Body of Christ
or even of the world. We instead align our thoughts and hearts with God’s
Lovingkindness. We are ministers of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the
new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through
Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the
world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has
committed to us the message of reconciliation.

B. The Bridge
The Prayer Leader serves as a bridge between focused worship and focused
prayer by

2. Identifying/declaring the object or intention of the prayer cycle,

3. The passage of scripture being prayed and then

4. Narrowing the biblical passage/prayer to an isolated phrase of

roughly 3-5 words that can be meditated upon by the antiphonal
singers and the larger community.

They also serve as a coordinator for the room so prayer can either be engaged in
as a whole, in small groups, individually, in ministry to one another or in leading
a “rapid fire succession” as 15-30 second prayers that are targeted and released
specifically upon the identified focus.
As the coordinator, the Prayer Leader:

1. Establishes prayer focus

2. Communicates prayer direction by reading through the prayer

3. Prays the main burden 1-2 min

4. Isolates a phrase (to 3-5 words) Choose phrases that are easy to
express our heart responses to God

5. Keeps the phrase before the team and the people

6. May continue to contribute 5 –10 sec. prayers within flow of HS

7. Keeps each developed theme to 1-2 minutes only unless there is

unction on it Usually use one Stanza and 1-3 isolated phrases
within the stanza per cycle - 5 Min of antiphonal tops

8. Engages the room by orchestrating corporate, individual, small

group or rapid fire prayer

A. The Collective Journey

The Prayer Leader, during the praying segment of Harp and Bowl, facilitates and
directs the musicians/singers and the worshipers/intercessors in the room; helping
us navigate the journey together. It should never be an audience for musical
expressions or “impressive” prayers. The entire community is a team serving the
needs of the whole and preferring one another individually and corporately. The
Prayer Leader and Worship Leader partner together so that, we, i.e., the entire
room:

9. Engage in God’s Beauty

10. Minister to the Lord in song, dance, other arts

11. Meditate on the Lord and His “Word”

12. Pray in the Spirit and with our minds

13. Add agreement to the prayer focus with our thoughts and
emotions

14. Lead/participate in small group prayer & ministry to individuals

15. Becomes the battering ram of prayer in the rapid fire sequences

16. Cultivates thankful hearts; blessing God and His Kingdom

IV. MECHANICS OF HARP & BOWL: A CYCLICAL PATTERN

A. Corporate Worship (2-3 songs)

B. Spontaneous Singing: Devotional, Scriptural, in the Spirit

C. Development of a Biblical passage through prayer and antiphonal singing

D. Spontaneous Choruses & Name of the Lord (“Jesus, Come”) closes it

1) Worship Cycle – 3 Parts

(WL= Worship Leader, PL= Prayer Leader)

Worship Cycle # 1: 30-40 minutes

a) Worship songs: for 20 minutes to give the team and the room time to focus
on the Lord
b) Spontaneous singing: for 5 minutes (feel free to go longer if there is life on
it)
c) Develop a Biblical passage (antiphonal singing): 10-15 minutes (longer or
shorter)

Worship Cycle # 2: 20-30 minutes each (feel free to go longer if there is life on it)
a) Worship songs: for 20 minutes to give the team and the room time to focus
on the Lord
b) Spontaneous singing: for 5 minutes (feel free to go longer if there is life on
it)
c) Develop a Biblical passage (antiphonal singing): 10-15 minutes (longer or
shorter)
1. We aim for 4-6 worship cycles (you may do more or less). As a
rule, we finish a worship cycle by developing a passage with
antiphonal singing and then we begin another worship cycle by
singing a worship song. (However, if the antiphonal singing is
flowing in a strong theme and you think you will lose momentum
by changing the music to sing a new worship song, then
occasionally you may choose to start the new worship cycle with a
spontaneous chorus instead of a regular worship song and then you
can move into spontaneous singing from there.)
2. The WL has the primary responsibility to lead this set and to
choose the chapter and make worship outlines. The WL may
delegate this to another as the WL invites partnership from any on
the team. The WL will print the verses on the outline so that all
have the same translation and so they can edit out phrases that are
too hard to sing. (Aim at fitting it on one page.)
3. On the outline, break the chapter down into 5-7 cycles. You may
not use them all, but have them ready. Give each cycle a title. The
WL determines the order in which the verses are sung when
 making the outline; going through the chapter in any order. (For
example, in Psalm 24 you may start with v.8 “Who is this King of
glory?” and then go to v. 1-3 in one of the following cycles.) The
team may use the same outline for several weeks (or as long as you
want) and will also study that chapter together. Note: the PL
should announce the Psalm so that the room can follow.

2) Developing a Passage – 4 Parts

a) “Sing through a biblical sentence”: that is established from 1-3 verses of
Scripture. When singing through the biblical sentence, we will primarily use the
wording of the text.
i) Feel free to add an additional sentence using your own language to flow better
with the text. (For example, when singing Rev. 4:8, “Holy, Holy, Holy . . .”
we may add, “You alone are the Holy God, who we adore.”} Select biblical
sentences with phrases that are easy to express heart responses to God. Omit
phrases that are difficult to sing.
ii) End the biblical sentence with a name of God (ex. “Oh God” or “Lord God
Almighty”, etc.)
iii) The WL sings through the first biblical sentence, followed by singer #1, then
singer #2, etc. unless otherwise assigned by the WL. (The PL does not
introduce a passage.) The singer lifts their bible during spontaneous singing to
indicate they are ready. We can learn to sing oracles by singing the biblical
sentence with a “declarative style.”

b) “Isolating a phrase”: the PL clearly designates (echoes) one key phrase from the
biblical sentence that the prophetic singers may develop by singing “around it.”
The PL’s goal is to make one phrase obvious to the prophetic singers as the
phrase from which to develop a theme. The PL isolates only 3-7 words from the
biblical sentence. This makes an easy target for the singers so that we reach a
“swell” or “crescendo” in singing the Word.

c) “Developing themes through antiphonal singing”: (10-15 minutes unless there is

life on it.) The PL is to speak only short phrases (3-7 words), not sentences and
paragraphs. The PL may isolate phrases that cause us to “branch out” into other
themes within the cycle. They may emphasize this by exactly repeating a phrase
that a singer just sang, or by repeating their own phrase twice or by saying “In the
name of Jesus” before a phrase. Often there will be more energy in the worship
cycle if we would not linger to long in developing a passage.

d) “Spontaneous Choruses”: the chorus leader/ WL establish “spontaneous choruses”

for all to sing (8-10 times so the room catches onto the chorus) at anytime.
Choruses are the most effective way to engage a room in any prayer format. Sing
one of God’s names to signal the last time a chorus is to be sung.

Additional Personal Notes:

V. RIGHT OF WAY/SEQUENCE OF SINGING

A. Worship Leader

B. Associate Worship Leader

C. Chorus leader/Singer #1 (Nearest to the Prayer Leader)

D. Singer# 2, etc. down the line

E. Singers on Instruments

F. Prayer Leader is last

G. Additional notes for “the Room” (from the KC prayer manual)

The power to engage in night and day prayer is found in having a heart that enjoys
God. Encountering God’s beauty and desire for us is where we most enjoy our
primary reward, which is God Himself.

Our primary reward is not the breakthrough of revival. Revival is fantastic, but it
is our secondary reward. Jesus Himself is our primary reward. We carry this
reward inside our hearts. In other words, we live with a fascinated heart as we
drink deeply of God’s beauty and desire for us. That is our joy. Here are some tips
to engage:

2. Ask God to reveal His beauty to you

3. Read the Word, turning it into dialogue with God.

a. When we dialogue with God about His Word, we invite Him to

tell us about who He is and we open our hearts to the very
nature and therefore, beauty, of God.

4. Pray in the Spirit and sing spontaneously

“I will SING WITH THE SPIRIT, and I will also SING WITH
THE UNDERSTANDING.”(1 Cor. 14:14-15)
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching
and admonishing one another IN PSALMS AND HYMNS AND
SPIRITUAL SONGS, SINGING WTH GRACE IN YOUR HEARTS
TO THE LORD.”(Col. 3:16)
“Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
SINGING AND MAKING MELODY IN YOUR HEART TO THE
LORD.”(Eph. 5:19)

a. Our personal prayer language edifies us by renewing our inner

man, or, charging our “spiritual battery.” It tenderizes our spirit
with the knowledge of God. Praying in the Spirit makes us
sensitive to small fragments of divine information. The Lord
imparts divine information about whom He is and how to pray.
 b. Singing spontaneously releases both the faith and intensity to
encounter the manifest presence of God. This opens the human
spirit to the Holy Spirit in an enhanced way.

c. The Benefits of Praying and Singing in Tongues:

1. It is a universal benefit. It is not just reserved for those
with a special calling.
2. It is easy to operate in tongues. It does not require special
training.
3. It is a free gift to all without the need to earn anything.
Therefore, there is no pride of attainment.
4. It unifies intercessors instead of isolating them in
individual prayer.
5. It inspires our spirit rather than leaving us with spiritual
dullness before God.
6. It focuses our spirit on God rather than requiring the
need for constant creative language.
7. It has a deep impact reaching the inner man and not just
our intellect.
8. It expands our capacity in the Lord. In other words, when
our spirit is engaged, our mind can still receive from God
and others.
9. It gives us the ability to continue long hours in prayer
without being limited by our human language and
affection.
10. It is a springboard into other spiritual gifts.

5. Experience God’s desire

This means to understand and sense, or feel, what God wants do in us, in
others and in the events of human history on the earth and into eternity.
When the Holy Spirit reveals this information to us, we can actually feel
the emotions of God’s heart inside of us. It is an exhilarating sensation
that energizes and frees us from wrong mindsets. How do we experience
God’s desire?

a. Pray the prayers of Scripture.

Praying the prayers that come from God’s heart enhances the
enjoyment of our intimacy with Jesus. Apostolic prayers are
prayers that the apostles prayed. The chief apostle is Jesus, and the
twelve apostles have prayers recorded in the New Testament.
These apostolic prayers are God’s very prayers, or desires.

b. Practice Praying Positive Prayers.

When we pray positive prayers, we enter into the delight of asking
for the things that bring pleasure to God. This is a gateway into
 feeling His desire in our inner man. New Testament Biblical
prayers focus on releasing God’s grace instead of hindering or
removing negative realities like sin or demons. There is a positive
focus on the impartation of good instead of a negative focus on
removing the realities of sin. The New Testament focus usually
flows along themes of joy, thankfulness and victory.
* We do incorporate the negative dimensions of prayer that target confessing,
repenting, etc. However, we recognize that they are not the major focus of the
New Testament model of praying.

c. Tips to Support Positive Prayer

1. Pray to God instead of talking to people when you pray
corporately. Focus on “asking” instead of “explaining.”
2. Speak directly to God – be more conscious that He is
watching and listening than that others are watching and
listening. This will prompt you to direct your heart toward
Him in love and partnership.
3. Lift specific promises of Scripture up to God and ask for
their fulfillment in our present day context.
4. Ask for the in-breaking of positive things rather than the
removal of negative things.

Example:
• Negative Prayer: “Father, I ask that You would
remove darkness and deception from the church on
Long Island!”
• Positive Prayer: “Father, I ask that Your light and
truth would break in upon the church on Long
Island!”

*Note: God hears, cares about and discerns all prayer, whether positive or negative.
Because of our natural human tendency to become weary and discouraged, praying
positive prayer enables us to maintain prayer day by day; helping us engage in joyful
supplication rather than trying to bear the emotional weight of negative realities
expressed through negative prayer. This is especially relevant in a 24-7 prayer ministry
such as IHOP. It is because of both the Biblical model and human dynamics that we
encourage positive prayer.

6. Pray on the microphone

Everyone is welcomed and encouraged to pray on the microphone.
Praying on the microphone is in no way mandated, but encouraged as a
way to engage your heart in intercession and to help lead the prayer
meeting. Anyone can do this, no matter what his or her personality,
style, or disposition. When you pray on the microphone, you are helping
to lead a prayer meeting. The goal is to serve the room. The following
are IHOP values that are important to remember when praying on the
microphone:
• Team ministry – we go farther together
• Inclusiveness – everyone can participate
• The centrality of the scripture – God’s language unifies our heart
with His and others.

a. If you wish to pray on the microphone, make your way toward

the prayer leader.

b. Be prepared to wait for your turn since the prayer meeting is

intermingled with worship and other prayer focuses.

c. Select a New Testament prayer or Old Testament

psalm/prophetic decree to pray out of. The “key apostolic
prayers” list is a great place to start.

d. Please hold the microphone VERY close to your mouth (to

prevent sound feedback in the room).

e. Please do not shout on the microphone, rather speak at a

moderate volume level.

f. You have the option to pray with the singers or not. If you
pause, the singers on the platform will begin singing
spontaneous prayers. Within every 2-3 short songs, you may
interject more short prayerful phrases. In this way, we are
going back and forth in team ministry in intercession.

g. When you are finished, feel free to simply set the microphone
down and walk away.

7. Dynamics on the Microphone

a. Volume
Though it is necessary to hold the microphone very close to your
mouth and to speak clearly, there is no need to shout on the
microphone. A moderate volume level is encouraged. The room is
not engaged by continual shouting, but rather by dramatic
contrasts. Authority is not manifested by volume, but by Divine
activity.

b. Clarity
This means that it is clear to the room what your prayer focus is.
Your main points are clearly defined and prayed through and they
 follow each other in a logical way. Repeating key phrases and
using concise statements creates clarity.

c. Topic
Is your prayer focus one that the majority will be eager excited to
partner with you on? Praying for the Church on Long Island/NYC,
or the government of our nation, etc., are examples of focal points
that the majority can join with you in.

Note: Praying for a friend or relative, especially those not known

to the corporate meeting, may cause disengagement of others
However, that does not imply that there is no opportunity to pray
for them on the microphone. They are certainly important!!! There
are designated times as well as Spirit led times where the Prayer
Leader will turn our attention toward that as a community and then
we will do that corporately in small groups or in a “rapid fire”
context. Please feel free to quietly pray individually or with a
friend somewhere more private in the room at any time. Again, we
pray on the microphone to lead and serve the room in intercession.
Praying on the microphone does not make our prayer any more
important to God; rather, it is a tool that helps us join together in
prayer.

d. Enthusiasm
This does not mean shouting or exaggerating your emotions. This
means being aware that others are hearing you and your role is to
bring them along with you in intercession.

e. Length of Prayer
2-3 minutes is a pretty good length; 5-7 when you engage the
singers and musicians. Any longer, often the room will lose
interest and disengage. Also, there are usually others waiting to
pray after you.

f. Timing
You may want to add little 2-3 second phrases in between the
singers’ singing – not during their singing – to reiterate your point
to the room. Please do not shout over the choruses. Also, it is
helpful to read the room in terms of when to begin warring in the
spirit.

8. Engage in any form of artistic worship you would like, but please
do not do so in the front/center of the room so the community
stays focused upon the Lord rather than the activities around
them.
9. Rapid Fire Prayer
Rapid Fire Prayer is a series of short prayers, prayed on the microphone
one after the other, interspersed by choruses from the prophetic singers.
Rapid Fire Prayer provides an opportunity for more people to pray on
the microphone per intercession set and it also can bring energy to a
prayer meeting because of the energizing dynamic of the short “bursts of
prayer” from several different voices.

How does a Rapid Fire Prayer cycle work?

a. The prayer leader will announce a rapid-fire cycle

b. He or she will announce what the prayer focus is and will

invite 10 – 15 people (anyone who wants to) to come up and
pray a ten to fifteen second prayer on the microphone.

c. The Rapid Fire cycle leader will start by praying a one or two
minute prayer.

d. After that prayer, the singers will sing a chorus.

e. Then one by one, those in line will pray a ten to fifteen second
prayer.

f. In between every few intercessors’ prayers, the singers will

sing a chorus.

g. Then, the next person will pray and so on until everyone in line
has prayed.

10. Small Group Prayer

What is small group prayer? Small group prayer is the gathering together
of a small number of people to pray for a particular people group, nation,
event, etc. It is an opportunity to connect our heart with others as we
agree together in prayer. This connectivity strengthens us in community
and love for one another and also gives us energy in continuing in
prayer.

How does small group prayer work?

a. The prayer leader will announce a small group prayer time

b. He or she will invite anyone so desiring to gather into small

groups of 4-5, all over the room, to engage in prayer over any
burden the group would like to intercede for together. Do not
wait to be invited into a group; simply approach and join a
group.
11. Ministry Time

A format similar to the small group prayer but the room will be engaged
in prayers for individuals; usually with the focus of healing