Gatekeeper Responsibilities

The gatekeepers will be the first prayer room “staff.” Over time, as we follow God’s design and plan for IHOP-Concord, things will change. Our first responsibility now will be to keep the sacred trust that we have agreed to as far as weekly time slots in the prayer room. Your family will be given a key to the physical property at 62 Union St. South and a staff prayer badge. We hope to have 18 hours a day covered as we open the doors but this might take a little time. Therefore, the gatekeepers will need to be prepared to open the door if no one is in the prayer room and then simply lock the door if no one is remaining to pray when they leave. Burchfield Insurance Group, which owns the property, will have staff downstairs Monday through Friday from 8am-5pm, so if you have any concerns between those hours someone can help.

You will not only have physical keys but God has given us spiritual keys to his kingdom, on this earth in the here and now. Please study the following scriptures: Isaiah 22:22, Revelation 3:7-8, Matthew 16:19, 18:18-20. One of the keys to the house of David was the fact that he was a passionate worshipper and seeker of the heart and face of God. When just two or three gather in Jesus name, he is in the midst of them. We are not just opening a physical door but a spiritual door to the very holy of holies, the presence of God. One of our main jobs is to help create an Open House for the Lord and his people. When we worship and pray 24/7 then we get Psalm 24:7 “Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.” Concord needs the King of Glory to come in His fullness.

We are starting with a simple, open door policy. The King of Glory was born in a manger. The beginning might be little, rough and ugly but it touches the heart of God. The Lord showed me something in Haggai 2:18-19. We will mark the day when the foundation was laid at IHOP-Concord, because “From this day on I will bless you.” The temple wasn’t even built but that didn’t matter to God. The people had a heart for Him and to build a dwelling place for His presence and He was pleased. I Peter 2:5 “you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

We are in the process of creating a prayer schedule where we have different prayer emphasis and models of prayer and worship. From the beginning though, the gatekeepers will have several options for their two hour watch. The prayer room will be equipped with a live internet feed so that we can web-stream IHOP-Kansas City’s 24/7 prayer room and just join them. There will also be a DVD and CD player which can be used to play a worship set or a soft instrumental recording. From the beginning, we will have live worship leaders on the guitar or keyboard who will also help to lead us into the presence of the Lord. There can also be times of silence, waiting on the Lord or soaking in His presence. Certain prayer times will be set aside to pray for people and any needs they might have. All we ask is that you be led of the Lord and work together with the other people in the prayer room. Loud worship will be limited Monday through Friday between the hours of 9am and 5pm because we are in a business district.

As gatekeepers, we want to help facilitate the OneThing. 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.” Thank you for your commitment to making this a reality in Concord.