East Gate

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 Year
A Year to Break Unholy Alliances

2026 Prophetic Invitations
- A Year of Suddenlies
- A Year of Greater Intimacy
- A Radical Year
- A Building Year

King Jesus was Coming to Inspect His House
- Jesus cares deeply about His dwelling place
- He expects His House to be a House of Prayer

We are a House of Prayer
Jesus called His house a House of Prayer. We assemble to seek the heart of the Father and partner with Him in faith, inquiry, intercession, supplication, petition, lament, and thanksgiving. We contend for mercy, righteousness, healing, and justice, believing that God transforms lives, cities, and nations through a praying Church.[Matthew 21:12-13, Isaiah 56:7, Mark 11:15-17, Luke 19:46, Acts 2:42, 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Ephesians 6:18, Colossians 4:2, James 5:16, Romans 12:12, Revelation 5:8]

1: A House of Prayer is Where Jesus Rules as King
Jesus Entered Jerusalem as King, and Went Straight to the Temple
- A King enters a city, not to wander, but to RULE
- Where does a person go in DC after being received as President?
- Jesus didn’t head to Rome, or Herod’s Royal Palace in Jerusalem
- King Jesus begins with His TEMPLE, because He rules from His TEMPLE
- When Jesus enters a city, He enters to rule from His CHURCH, not the government, media, etc.

- His Presence - My Holy Mountain, My House of Prayer, My Temple [Holiness = Wholly His]
- His People - Eunuchs/foreigners who keep His Sabbath days holy, choose to please and commit themselves Him, who hold fast to His covenant
- His Purposes - Sabbath days, covenant, just and fair, right and good, burnt offerings and sacrifices

Jesus Expected to Find a House of Prayer, but Called the Temple a Den of Thieves
- Jeremiah tells us exactly why Jesus called the Temple a den of thieves

- It wasn’t because of the business, it was because of the hypocrisy
- The people were living wickedly all week and pretending to be holy in the Temple

Instead of Finding a House of Prayer that Prioritized His Presence, People, & Purpose
Jesus found a Den of Thieves that prioritized their flesh, facades and false gods

A House of Prayer is More than Just the Building Where We Encounter God
- It is the BODY of Christ, purchased on the cross at Calvary
- Our lives, our household, East Gate and even nations are ALL expected to be a House of Prayer
- Jesus paid WAY TOO HIGH a price for us to do or be anything else

Like the People of Jerusalem, We often Put More Effort into Welcoming King Jesus into an Event than We Do Into Our Lives
- The people of Jerusalem welcomed King Jesus into the city, but couldn’t keep Him in the city
- The way they welcomed King Jesus into Jerusalem, is the same way we will steward His Presence

1. Build His House Upon His Word (Logos & Rhema)
We are People of the Word
The foundation of our faith is the Holy Bible. We hold fast to the inerrant and timeless Word of God. We believe the Holy Scriptures are to be read individually, read and discussed corporately, and walked out as a community.
[Matthew 4:4, John 8:31-32, Psalm 119:11, Joshua 1:8, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, James 1:22-25, Colossians 3:16, Hebrews 4:12, 1 Peter 2:2, Psalm 1:1-2, Matthew 7:24-27, Revelation 1:3, Proverbs 4:20-22]

LOGOS - A House of Prayer MUST be Built Upon the Foundation of the Written Scriptures
- Scripture must form and inform our beliefs, lifestyles and rhythms
- If Jesus conformed His beliefs, lifestyle, and practices to scripture, how much more should we?
- You will not SURVIVE if your life is not built upon the firm foundation of God’s WORD

Even the worship of the people was rooted in Scripture as Jesus entered Jerusalem

RHEMA - A House of Prayer MUST Steward Prophetic Words
- This took place to fulfill the prophecy [Prophetic word over hundreds of years old]
- Jesus sent His disciples confidently to take a donkey they didn’t own because of a PROPHETIC WORD
- The disciples experienced this sudden provision because they stewarded Jesus’ prophetic word

We are Presence Driven
Holy Spirit is God Himself living in us. He transforms us, guides us, and empowers us to supernaturally impact our surroundings. Holy Spirit still speaks today. We follow wherever and whenever He leads. We are Spirit-led and unashamed.
[Romans 8:14, Galatians 5:16, John 14:16-17, Acts 1:8, Romans 8:26-27, John 16:13, Galatians 5:25, Ezekiel 36:27, 2 Corinthians 3:17, Acts 2:17-18, 1 John 2:27, Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 2:12-13, Luke 4:1]

A House of Prayer is READY to Receive, Worship and Submit to Jesus as King
- A House of Prayer remains ready to RECEIVE King Jesus

- A House of Prayer is FULL of Presence Centered Worship
-Jesus was at the center of the procession and worship of the people
- Worship is not just about the songs we sing, but the life we live
- Is Jesus at the center of everything you do?
- Is Jesus at the center of everywhere you’re heading?
- If we are truly to be His House of Prayer then He doesn’t just visit our lives, He sits at their center

A House of Prayer is Submitted to King Jesus

1. A House of Prayer Has a City-Wide Impact
- The entire city was in an uproar, Why?
- If King Jesus is in the city, there is not one iota of it that He is not declaring, “MINE!”
- His Temple was made Wholly His
- Jesus drove out the people buying AND selling animals for sacrifice
- Jesus has NO tolerance for fleshly, convenient, cross-less, Christianity
- Jesus has NO tolerance for facades: religion that prioritizes personal gain over God’s Presence
Jesus has NO tolerance for false gods and idols!
- The blind and lame came to Him in the Temple and He healed them
-A House of Prayer is a place for those struggling to see and walk rightly
- Come eunuchs and foreigners, commit to Him, rest in Him, do what is right in His sight
-He will fill you with JOY in His House of Prayer for the nations!

2. A House of Prayer Experiences Sabbath Rest with the Lord of the Sabbath
Sabbath
If the Lord doesn’t build it, we labor in vain, that means we work when He works, and rest when He rests. We sabbath weekly, not out of necessity, but out of honor and obedience.
[Psalm 127:1, Matthew 11:28-30, Exodus 20:8-10, Genesis 2:2-3, Hebrews 4:9-10, Isaiah 40:29-31, John 5:17, Mark 6:31, Matthew 6:33, 2 Corinthians 6:1]

A House of Prayer is a place of rest for the Lord of the Sabbath

- Jesus chose NOT to stay in Jerusalem, but instead returned and remained overnight in Bethany
- The Temple was not YET His Resting Place
- Jesus refused to rest in a house that was not aligned with HIM
- If our lives are not aligned with Jesus, we will NOT experience His rest
- What does it feel like if Jesus is not resting in your House? [Constant anxiety, worry, & fear]

Jesus is Coming Again for a House of Prayer
This Time He Will Examine a People and Expect to Find His House of Prayer
- What will He find in your life?
- Are you building and stewarding His House of Prayer? [Palms & Garments]