Before Jesus spoke these words, he caused a stir by chasing the merchants and their customers out of the Gentile court. \"He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the benches of the dove sellers, and he did not allow anyone to carry their goods through the temple area.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He even said, \"You've turned it into a den of thieves!\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To serve the congregation, they had created an environment where it was easy to exchange money to put in the temple block and the opportunity to buy the sacrifices they wanted to give. Which was quite convenient when traveling from afar, like from Galilee - after all, it was easier to travel with money in your wallet than to carry a sheep or pigeons all the way up to the temple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Therefore, it made sense to focus on the congregation members to make it easier for them and give them a \"better worship experience\". <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus' words about making his house, the church, a house of prayer for all nations are also serious words for our churches and individual Christ followers in 2024. Are we too busy to pray for the unreached and persecuted?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus gave his disciples and us a job description to make disciples of all nations in the Great Commission before his ascension. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, he asked them to stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came upon them so they could be empowered to be his witnesses locally and globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So they gathered in prayer, and when Pentecost came, people from many nations heard the disciples speaking in their tongues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It started with prayer - just as all mission today starts with prayer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of our Christian convert brothers and sisters in the Muslim world are eager and focused on making Jesus known among their neighbors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some persecuted Christians tell me that prayer and acts of mercy are the key to revival. They ask us to thank Danish Christians who pray and are generous to help the church and the number of Christians grow throughout the Muslim world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Palle Flyger is a lecturer and tour guide at the Danish European Mission.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Jesus spoke these words in the Temple Square in the area called \"the court of the Gentiles.\"<\/p>","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":8801,"template":"","class_list":["post-9171","teologisk-refleksion","type-teologisk-refleksion","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","infinite-scroll-item","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n