Armin Gesswein’s legacy

It was late in the afternoon when Armin Gesswein stopped by to say hello. “Have you seen our upper room?” I asked. We had just remodeled an area in our building, which became a place for prayer and board meetings. “No, but I want to see it now,” he said. So we made our way up the stairs to the upper room. The furniture had been pushed over into a corner, but Armin pulled out a chair and sat down. There was a note of urgency in his voice, which in retrospect makes me wonder if he was not delivering his soul and that I as a younger disciple had better hear.

Armin said, “When Christ ascended into heaven all He left behind was a prayer meeting. The early Church didn’t have a prayer meeting; the early Church was the prayer meeting. In fact, in the early Church every Christian was a prayer-meeting Christian.”

While some churches recognize the great power of prayer, having Prayer Dawns and prayer conferences; others, however, seem to focus on programs, entertainment and outreach.

Jesus, however, recognized that only two or three people form a powerful unit that comes against the forces of darkness in prayer. In fact, He promised to join with them with His presence. “Again I say to you,” He told them, “if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:19-20, ESV).

Don’t bemoan the fact that others don’t pray. Invite two friends to join you as you have coffee or meet together in your home, and expect Jesus to be present. He will! What more could you ask?

Used with permission from Guidelines International Ministries. To learn more about Guidelines and the ministry, send an e-mail to [email protected]. You may also visit http://www.guidelines.org.