Presence Pioneers: A Worship, Prayer and Revival Podcast

Burn 24-7 recently hosted a 168-hour Global Virtual Burn from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday – “From Hosanna To Hallelujah.” This unique episode is a discussion with some of the #VirtualBurn team that helped organize this innovative online event. The team shares some of the testimonies of how God used this to reach hundreds of thousands of people, some of the challenges of pioneering this kind of digital worship initiative and an inside look at the technology used to pull it all off.

/// Podcast Description

The Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help YOU and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. Hosted by Matthew Lilley, episodes feature short Bible teachings and interviews with key leaders in the prayer & worship movement.

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/geDMQX

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

/// Panelists For This Episode

Panelists for this episode are Joe Sinanan, director of Burn 24-7 Canada; Liam Bernhard, a USA regional director based in Oklahoma City; Dan Lee, director of Burn 24-7 Durham, England (UK) and our podcast host Matthew Lilley, the Burn 24-7 USA National Director.

/// Virtual Burn Recap

The global #VirtualBurn was 168 hours of non-stop worship with over 130 worship leaders representing 14 nations and 5 continents. There were 15,000+ Views on Youtube, 143,000+ Views on Facebook and over 800,000 people saw the videos in their Facebook feed. As far as we know, nothing quite like this has ever happened before! You can check out some of the 168-hour #VirtualBurn Archive Videos on Facebook.

Worship leaders were recruited from Burn 24-7 communities around the world such as India, Germany, South Africa and Bahrain. The Burn 24-7 movement has a few hundreds communities called “furnaces” that regularly unite their cities around God’s presence with Burn gatherings of 12-24+ hours of non-stop worship and prayer.

/// Scripture from This Episode

And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation” Revelation 5:9

From the rising of the sun to its going down The Lord’s name is to be praised. Psalm 113:3

/// Live Streaming & Audio Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Live Worship Music on Zoom – Best Practices (Tutorial Video) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxtB6gFrhHk

iRig Stream audio interface - https://amzn.to/3cTUucb

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 audio Interface - https://amzn.to/2Yr5EBl

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 – interface w/microphone - https://amzn.to/2W5z3y8

Reaper – free digital audio workspace (DAW) - https://www.reaper.fm/

/// Technology Used for the #VirtualBurn

Zoom Video Conferencing – Worship leaders logged in to a private Zoom meeting (paid plan) lead their sets. Zoom meetings time out at 24 hours. So we scheduled 7 recurring 24-hour meetings on Zoom to cover the 168 hours.

Calendly – Calendly was used for scheduling worship leaders and sending automatic email responses with the Zoom login and other important information

Castr – The worship was streamed directly from Zoom to Castr (paid plan) which allowed us to stream to both Youtube and Facebook simultaneously

Youtube – The Youtube stream ran non-stop for 168 hours and was embedded onto the front page of the Burn 24-7 website.

Facebook – Facebook live streams time out at 8 hours, so those had to be restarted about every eight hours. We cross-posted from the global Burn 24-7 to our national Burn 24-7 Facebook pages as well.

In this episode, Matthew chats with Johan Heinrichs - a member of the Presence Pioneers podcast production team! Johan is also a full time "prayer missionary", like Matthew, with an interesting journey.

LINKS FROM THE EPISODE:

https://sanctuaryhop.com/burningrooms/

https://sanctuaryhop.com/staffsite/johanheinrichs/

The Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help YOU and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. Hosted by Matthew Lilley, episodes feature short Bible teachings and interviews with key leaders in the prayer & worship movement.

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/geDMQX

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

Johan's journey to full time prayer started when he was a small boy. He tells an incredible story about a vision he had at age 5, and he never stopped feeling that pull towards God. Matthew and Johan also discuss what it means to be a full time prayer missionary, some of the drawbacks, and then really enjoy talking about the perks. If you've ever wanted to know what it's like to pray for your full time job, this would be well worth a listen!

Note: This interview was originally recorded on March 6, 2020

In this episode, Matthew gives a teaching on some of the reasons for night and day prayer and worship, as well as some practical steps to take at the end.

///

The Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help YOU and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. Hosted by Matthew Lilley, episodes feature short Bible teachings and interviews with key leaders in the prayer & worship movement.

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/geDMQX

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

1. Jesus is worthy.

Revelation 4&5. The angels around the throne are not there by obligation, but fascination. When you really understand who Jesus is and what He’s done, praise just flows inevitably.

2. Day and Night Worship is the environment of Heaven.

Matthew 6:10 - Jesus prayed for heaven to come to earth, and heaven includes night and day worship and prayer. When we sustain worship and prayer, God’s kingdom comes.

3. When we focus on Jesus, we are transformed.

(2 Corinthians 3:18) We cannot interact with God and not become more like Him!

4. Miracles, Healing, and Deliverance happen in the setting of worship and prayer.

Acts 16 - In their pain, they were singing at midnight. The guard and his family got saved and the disciples were released.

5. God uses Intercessory Prayer to make the sharing of the Gospel more effective.

2 Thessalonians 3:1 - Paul requested prayer because he knew it made a difference! If we want to see the lost saved, we NEED to engage in prayer. “The man who mobilizes the Christian Church to pray will make the greatest contribution to world evangelization.” -Andrew Murray

6. Praying and Singing the BIble roots the Church in biblical truth.

Psalm 1:2 Worshipping and praying day and night will mean we are praying and singing God’s Word. This is a way to train the Church and know the Bible in our hearts!

7. Ministry to the Lord fuels cross-cultural missions.

Acts 13 - Barnabas and Saul were sent out as the first Christian missionaries from an environment of ministering to the Lord.

8. United worship acts as spiritual warfare over regions.

2 Chronicles 20 - God tells the army to send the singers out first, and as they sang and worshipped, God set up ambushes for the enemy.

9. 24/7 Prayer and Worship provides a place for christians to be refreshed.

Acts 3:19- Houses of Prayer are often like an “oasis”.

10. 24/7 Prayer and worship can be a catalyst for Unity.

Acts 2 - Often, people from multiple churches have to work together to sustain night and day prayer, creating unity.

BONUS 11 Isaiah 56:7, Psalm 16:11 - It Is Enjoyable!

3 Practical Ways to Respond

1 -Prioritize God’s presence in your own life.

2-Engage in the ministries doing day and night prayer in your city.

3-Fund it! Give financially to the ones who are sustaining it full-time.

In this episode, Matthew connects with Billy Humphrey of IHOP Atlanta. They go through his history in the prayer movement and then discuss the relationship between the church and the prayer movement. And of course, they talk about the Tabernacle of David.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Billy Humphrey's Website• http://billyhumphrey.com

The Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help YOU and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. Hosted by Matthew Lilley, episodes feature short Bible teachings and interviews with key leaders in the prayer & worship movement.

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/geDMQX

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

Matthew and David start off by reviewing the last episode, leading up to the event on the national mall that launched Awaken The Dawn. David talks about what it means to “disciple America in hosting the presence of God”.

// Key Scriptures: John 17:21 , Psalm 69//

//Helpful Links: //

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/George-Otis--Jr----Revival-and-the-Next-Generation--Part-1.html?soid=1123022148872&aid=4ZobS3HCdq0 -- article David mentions

Awakenthedawn.org

The Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help YOU and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. Hosted by Matthew Lilley, episodes feature short Bible teachings and interviews with key leaders in the prayer & worship movement.

VISIT OUR WEB SITE • http://presencepioneers.org

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/geDMQX

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

After the gathering on the mall, they felt like God was calling them to host non stop worship and prayer in every state capitol (which took place in the summer of 2018), and then the next year they just said “anyone, anywhere” and saw over 400 tents happening that weekend in 2019.

This year, starting June 20th, there will be 100 straight days of tents across the nation - sign up will be live in the next few weeks so you can join. They’re keeping the “anyone, anywhere” mantra going and extending a hand to help stretch across each region of the United States. David and the team are developing resources to help you host one of these tents in your city!

In October 2020, they are going to Harry Truman’s farm(owned by IHOP KC) in tents, and then they will march from there to Arrowhead Stadium for an event called The Send.

David is understandably excited (pretty jacked up, actually) about what’s coming this year, but he has a good focus: “As important as these events are, … [it’s] to create the interconnectedness and relationship.”

David notes, “It’s almost as if the unity we desire comes as an overflow of this value for hosting the presence of God.” He’s seen this personally as a family has grown out of the tent events over the last 3 years!

::ATD recently sent out an announcement that their plans have not changed because of COVID-19. They are hoping that everything can still begin in June. Stay tuned!::

David did not start out as a “prayer” guy - it wasn’t until a 3 day event of 24/7 prayer(which he was dreading!) that he really saw the value and joy of extended prayer. They eventually planted the Prayer Furnace in 2009 and continued hosting these extended times of prayer, 12-18 hours a day for about 10 years.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Awaken the Dawn • http://awakenthedawn.com

The Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help YOU and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. Hosted by Matthew Lilley, episodes feature short Bible teachings and interviews with key leaders in the prayer & worship movement.

SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Awaken The Dawn is not fundamentally about events for David - it’s a decentralized movement that focuses on family and local impact.

2009 - When planning their yearly young adult gathering, the venue suddenly fell through. David had a dream about being in a huge tent with a guy from NC, and then that same guy called and said he felt like he was supposed to call but didn’t know why. So the young adult tent gathering became a reality for their yearly gatherings! Bob Jones attended the second year and said it’s a new Jesus Movement - “it’ll be portajohns and hotdog stands beyond your wildest imagination”, worship and prayer flowing together and bringing these young adults together. It was a powerful word, but seemed unattainable.

A few years later, people connected to David from all over the country began having dreams about him hosting an east coast event that would affect the nation. David tried to give the calling away, but Lou Engle confirmed for him that he was the one to do it and that The Call would come join in if David would “pull the trigger”. A vision was becoming clearer for worship and prayer happening in 50 tents (one from each state) on the National Mall. When they finally booked it all for 2017, they “accidentally” booked it during the Feast of Tabernacles. The local Police saw crime rates drop dramatically during this time, enough that the chief approached David to let him know! It was an insane and beautiful time of connected, non-stop worship and prayer.

How do you get a storyline? How do you get caught up in God’s story? David goes back to Isaiah 30. So much of life is just the day to day obedience, for months and years. But God makes a promise here that when you’re living what David calls “the adventure of the priestly lifestyle” of staying in God’s presence, there will be a voice telling you where to go.

David believes that God has a specific adventure for everyone in His storyline, and that He’s looking for hearts that are fully His.

Should our prayer meetings be more solemn or more joyful? Should we have to choose? No surprise, it’s usually both/and, not either/or. People do the same thing with prayer and missions, when in reality God calls us to both!

//Key Scriptures: Joel 2, Isaiah 56, Matthew 11, Hebrews 12, Ezra 3

The Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help YOU and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. Hosted by Matthew Lilley, episodes feature short Bible teachings and interviews with key leaders in the prayer & worship movement.

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/geDMQX

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

In the house of prayer movement, it’s been more solemn in the past. The truth of the kingdom of God is that it is both now and not yet! Previously the prayer movement has focused on the “not yet”, but there’s a new movement awakening that embraces the “now”. David’s Tent in DC, Burn 24-7, are both examples of the joy of the now. David Bradshaw (Awaken the Dawn) uses phrases like “global festivals of glory”- all of these implying that we should embrace the goodness of Jesus in the now.

These two seem at odds, but Matthew believes they both reflect the kingdom of God - the living in the tension of the “now” and the “not yet” is what makes us intercessors.

Matthew reflects on the Jewish Festivals of the 10 Days of Awe (Day of Atonement), and then the Feast of Tabernacles. He sees them as an example of each expression of the prayer movement - solemn assemblies and wild, joyful worship and missions.

In Matthew 11, John the Baptist fasted and people rejected him, and then Jesus ate and drank, and they rejected him also! Jesus indicates that both should be embraced.

So, a balanced view would be rejoicing in what Jesus has done already, while yearning for the kingdom to come.

In this episode, Matthew and Lisa discuss more practical tips as well as the on-the-ground work that comes from hosting prayer locally. She dives into the "mission and justice" side of the 24-7 Prayer movement.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

http://247prayerusa.com

The Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help YOU and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. Hosted by Matthew Lilley, episodes feature short Bible teachings and interviews with key leaders in the prayer & worship movement.

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/geDMQX

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

This time, Matthew asks Lisa to go into the Mission and Justice part of the mission statement of 247 Prayer.

Prayer is breathing in, Mission and Justice is breathing out. Lisa believes that if we’re spending time in communion with God, we’ll come out of it with a passion for mission and justice because it’s on His heart. For them, it’s a natural progression and prayer is only half the story.

Lisa said that they’ve experienced a lot of people meeting Jesus for the first time in the prayer rooms! Something about the low-pressure, intimate, creative space makes way for people to open up to Him. They also have mission teams they send out, which you can see on their website.

Lisa says looking at the Bible, her take away is that God says that if we want to be more effective in prayer and in our own life, we need to have a heart for justice - for the marginalized people and the dark places. She said that God’s heart seems to be sending us out to those places that we are praying for! “God’s heart bursts to bring light to places of darkness”

Lisa tells a story of when the prayer room was pretty new, about a year old. She describes it as in between corporate America and the Hood. They decided their first Justice project would be “adopting” this fragile neighborhood - “praying as if it all depended on God and working as if it all depended on us”. They sent out a team of 300 to meet people in the neighborhood, develop relationship, and help where they could. They created a neighborhood association, started bible studies, fixed up people’s houses who couldn’t afford to, and began addressing some of the racial issues in the area as well. They saw salvations, healings, racial reconciliation, crack houses shut down, and transvestite hookers spending time in the prayer room. Basically, God improved the quality of life for everyone in the neighborhood so much that a team from the city who came to study it couldn’t believe the upward trajectory.

So how do you jump in? She encourages anyone to host a temporary prayer room. Set aside a room for a few days/hours and find some friends who want to take an hour shift here and there. There are resources on their website to help you! There are also initiatives on their website for mission and justice that you can sign up for. All the resources are free, and available to help you be the boots on the ground in your city.

They have an event coming up this summer in Portland, Oregon - everyone is invited! It starts July 29th, and tickets are available here

Lisa Koons jokes that she got “hoodwinked” into her unique role. She compares her encounter to Paul on the road of Damascus, where she felt God communicate that He wanted to connect with His people and equip them to pray! After that her calling was undeniable - she started a prayer room in Charlotte. Then a friend gave her the book Red Moon Rising, and she could see that God had “hoodwinked” some people overseas to do the same thing. They’ve now been going nonstop for 15 years!

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

24-7 Prayer • http://24-7prayer.com

The Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help YOU and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. Hosted by Matthew Lilley, episodes feature short Bible teachings and interviews with key leaders in the prayer & worship movement.

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

We’re going back to the Moravians on this one! These young people in Charlotte found it difficult to sustain “boring” prayer meetings nonstop, and looked to the Moravians who had done it for 100 years - and also to Pete Grieg’s descriptions in the book Red Moon Rising. They set up what was essentially a closet with worship music, journals, and some interactive components to help people engage. After a few weeks, it was hard to even find a slot for people to come pray! There were healings, salvations, and connections being made. People around the country started engaging, saying they’d take a month at their location until there was a global crew sustaining this 24-7 prayer movement.

What’s the difference between the 24-7 Prayer model and IHOP KC’s? Lisa says at the heart of both is a unifying desire to be presence-centered. One has a primary focus on corporate prayer (IHOP) and the other is more about the encounter that happens one on one, supported by lots of creativity (24-7 Prayer). She says both are needed to fuel the prayer movement as a whole!

So how can you apply these principles and engage more in your own prayer time? Lisa says before you even start praying, turn your heart towards God and draw near to Him - she laughs, “you’d be surprised how many people skip that part!” Pete Grieg says to keep it simple. Don’t pray like someone else because God values who YOU are. They look at it as giving God a “revival” - a unique encounter with your presence. It’s more than the stuff you ask for - it’s communion as much as communication. She also points out that prayer is not normally meant to be a monologue - God DOES want to talk to you too! She suggests going outside while you pray, where your daily to-do list won’t distract you. Even just walking around your neighborhood can clear “the fog” so to speak. She says if God is nothing else, He’s profoundly relational.

Lisa’s friend James uses this analogy - when you’re creating a movie that requires a green screen, the director has to tell the actor what to react to because they just see green. Lisa says this is what prayer can be like - that we just have to trust the voice of the director and at the end we’ll see it all put together and finally see what we were doing in that prayer time.