All God’s work starts in heaven. First in the heart and mind of the Father, of whom it says: “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Is. 55:9) From the heart of the Father, God’s plan of action passes the right-hand seat of His Son Jesus Christ, now the great intercessor for the church on earth. And then it is communicated to His earthly servants by the Holy Spirit, now God’s manifest presence on this planet.

But in order for the communication between heaven and earth to be complete, and in order for God’s work to be fully accomplished, there is yet another important step. Over and over again in Scripture we are admonished to pray. To pray for the lost, to pray for the church, to pray for nations and people groups, to pray for governments – to pray for the work of God to go forward in power and His will implemented “on earth as it is heaven.” It is as if God says: I’m going to do my work on earth, but only if I have proper up-front cooperation by those who will be carrying it out. And our prayers, as instructed in God’s Word, is evidence of that.

The book of Revelation teaches us that these prayers come before God like a fragrance and the circle of communication is complete – and the answer to prayer is poured out from heaven. God speaks to us, we speak to Him, and His work goes forward in power. The Almighty can of course do anything He wants at any time, regardless of how many demons are trying to oppose it or whether people pray or not. But He has chosen to have the prayers of the saints as an essential part of His work on earth. Jesus gave precise instructions: “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘….Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’” (Matt. 6:9-10)

So the church always has and always will be “a house of prayer for all nations”, as Jesus also put it in Mark 11:17. As the Back To Jerusalem work goes forward with the massive vision to touch some of the most difficult places on earth, intense prayer and intercession is needed. The target area for the BTJ vision includes the major strongholds of Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam, as well as scores of other religions. And as God has put the call on the church in China to take the Gospel into these difficult areas, the resistance is enormous and the battle is fierce. The book of Ephesians tells us that the battle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers in the unseen realm called the heavenlies.

How do we battle in these very intensive situations? We do it by forceful prayer and intercession. “The kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize ….. sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion]”. (Matt. 11:12, Ampl.) We cry out to God for Him to open the doors for the rescue of the lost. We pray for Him to pour out His Spirit in great measure upon these needy areas. We pray for our Chinese brothers and sisters who have responded to the call and are the foot-soldiers in this fierce battle. We pray prayers of proclamation, declaring the lordship and authority of Jesus Christ in the heavenlies. And as these prayers come before the Father, He moves mightily by His Spirit.

Please, pray fervently for Back To Jerusalem! This is a vision and a challenge of intensity that perhaps has rarely been seen in church history. The church in China needs massive prayer support. Our Chinese brothers and sisters are giving it all, believing that we are close to the end and the return of Jesus Christ. Please, cry out to the Lord on their behalf. Become an intercessor for Back To Jerusalem – and you will be blessed for it.