In Mk 11:12-24 the author uses a ‘sandwich technique’ to highlight a key teaching. In this technique Mark starts telling a story, then interrupts this story with another, then continues the original story. Hence, it’s like a sandwich with a highlight in the middle!

So in this case Jesus curses a fig tree, then cleanses the Temple, then gives a teaching based on the now withered fig tree. This sandwich technique highlights a number of things but I want to look at three if these:

1.The Church as a Prayer House

The high point of this sandwich technique is the middle which happens to be:

“My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations“ (17a)

So Jesus after cleansing the Temple declares and reaffirms its true calling, to be a house of prayer for all the peoples of the world, to use to pray for the nations.

God has a huge vision for His glory to spread over the earth “as the waters cover the sea”, for all the nations to know Him.

I believe that every local church shares this vision. One if its main functions is to be a prayer house that impacts the nations! For a church to be a powerhouse in the nations, it must transform itself into a regular prayer place.

This is especially relevant today with all the changes happening in the nations, in our own nation and with the current war in the Ukraine, to pray for change.

2.The necessity of a Clean Church

By tying in this key verse with the cleaning of the Temple Jesus shows that to operate as a powerhouse of prayer for the nations it needs to be cleaned out. Cleaned out of what?

Jesus overturned the tables if the money-lenders and quotes Jeremiah 7:12 criticising the Temple as a “den of robbers” (17b) that’s in the original context of idolatry and the wickedness that arises from this.

So when a church focuses more on money and the commercial side, it becomes idolatrous and loses sight of the Lord and also its great mission. It cannot fulfil its purpose. For a church to be a powerhouse in the nations, it needs a cleaning out!! It needs to repent in order to focus on what truly matters.

3.The Prayer of faith

Jesus goes to teach:

“Have faith in God, I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”(11:22-24)

So we have this link of the prayer of faith with a clean church and praying for the nations in a powerful way that even ‘moves mountains’. What is the prayer of faith? It’s when you are praying for something on the Father’s heart, maybe something that at first seems impossible (like moving a mountain), but after a while of wrestling in prayer, you come to the point of believing you have received the answer. Then you don’t ask for it any more but simply declare it by faith.

Such prayer, however impossible the request, Jesus promises, “and it will be yours”. The mountain will be thrown into the sea!

Hence, when an individual or a prayer group at church, gets to this point in prayer, they can literally change history. Your church can be a powerhouse of prayer in the nations.

The practicalities

It’s time for the Church and the local church to wake up, repent and prioritise prayer for the nations.

Practically this may mean transforming a room in your church to be accessible to pray in for the members, maybe 24-7 or at least morning until night.

It will mean training in prayer. It will mean sacrificing time to seek God in prayer and begin praying the prayer of faith that changes situations and nations!!

So let’s begin!