Church Gatekeepers

The first people listed as servants in the house of the Lord were the gatekeepers, I Chronicles 9:17-34. They were in charge of guarding the gates of the house of the Lord-the house called the Tent, verse 23. This was their sacred trust and it revolved around a time period of seven days, verse 25. These gatekeepers had charge of the physical key to the house of the Lord. IHOP-Concord’s first location is going to be 62 Union St. South, which is the historical governmental seat of the city of Concord, the town hall of 1885. We are looking for Churches who will commit to a sacred trust of opening the doors to the house of prayer on a scheduled, weekly basis. It is interesting that in Nehemiah 3:1 the first gate to be built was the Sheep gate. If a core group of churches commits to being gatekeepers then the sheep in the city can enjoy coming into the house of the Lord, which Jesus said would be a house of prayer for all nations, Mark 11:17 and Isaiah 56:7. The initial schedule will be Monday through Saturday from 6am-midnight and Sunday from 2pm-midnight.

In the days of Nehemiah 3, we find families building the portion of the wall that was in front of their house. If just 4 churches agree to be gatekeepers for 30 hours a week then IHOP-Concord will quickly become a reality. The hours of midnight to 6am will be covered either by interns who help staff the “Fire in the Night” shift or people who are nocturnal. The Lord will have to bring either/or.

Psalm 84:10 “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”

We can help provide an Open House for the presence of the Lord and the people of God by just being gatekeepers. Psalm 27:4 “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” If we will open the gates to the house of the Lord 24/7 then Psalm 24:7 will be fulfilled. “Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.” The church does hold a key to the city of Concord, just as Isaiah 22:22 states: “I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David: what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” Rev. 3:7-8 One of the keys to David’s life and success was the fact that he was a worshipper and a man after God’s heart. He built the tabernacle of David which was a place where the Lord was worshipped around the clock. Amos 9:11 says, “In that day I will restore David’s fallen tent. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins and build it as it used to be.” We are living in the times where this is being fulfilled in many cities of the earth. We want to take our rightful place before the Lord as a corporate body in the city of Concord to seek his face 24 hours a day 7 days a week until He returns for us His bride. Would you prayerfully consider being a gatekeeper in His house?