OUR 20TH ANNIVERSARY AND THE COMING CONTEMPLATIVE REVOLUTION

Thank you to all who participated in our 20-hour BURN on Sept 18, 2026, our 20-year anniversary! Also, thank you to all who joined us for the memorable evening celebration including hearing from Jim Stilwell of House of Prayer Sacramento and the following panel discussion on the coming Contemplative Revolution. This was just the beginning of an ongoing conversation. We will continue to have events that foster this conversation and begin again to endeavor to get a deep inner life in prayer while we continue in daily extended hours of prayer and worship to give Jesus the worship and glory that He is worthy of.

Let us consider: Where is the global church headed? Where is the prayer movement going? What should our outlook and narrative be in these dark, even confusing days?

At the end of the day—that is, the end of natural history, we know that Jesus is coming back for a pure and spotless beautiful Bride that He bled and died for out of extravagant love. Eph 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

The book of Haggai (2:9) talks about, “…the glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former…”. In these last days since Pentecost, the Church has been infused with the Gift of the Indwelling Holy Spirit. It has become a living temple that far surpasses the glory of the former temple built by Solomon or rebuilt by Zerubbabel. Since we have been given such a great gift as the Indwelling Holy Spirit—

How then shall we live?

The Apostle Paul spoke of this mystery of the Indwelling even saying that, “… it’s no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me…” (Gal 2:20). The Apostle Peter also shedding light on this mystery of the Indwelling says that we “….have been given…exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature…” (2 Peter 1:4).

Though these Bible verses are quoted often, how much have we really entered into the mystery of Christ in us? How often do we sin by the neglect of the Holy Spirit in us?

Though we are so grateful for 20 years in the prayer movement with thousands of hours of prayer and worship, how is it that we still barely know the Man Jesus for who He really is? What if in the next 20 years, we endeavor to KNOW THE MAN as we have never known Him? This is only possible through deep prayer—contemplative prayer-to enter deeply into the biblical mystery of Christ in us and through us to the world around us. A contemplative revolution is on the horizon for the global church.

Before His return, His Bride will know Him deeply and intimately! His Bride will be desiring to share in His sufferings, His death, and His resurrection in fullness.

St Francis of Assisi —at the end of his life—after giving of himself a poured out extravagant offering out of deep love for His Savior—says to his brothers: “Brothers, we must begin again, for up till now we have done little!” We are in a similar place. After 20 years of pursuing God in prayer and fasting night and day—we must begin again for up till now we have done little! A contemplative revolution is needed.

How can we dialogue across the denominational lines and learn from our brethren who carry the rich tradition of contemplative prayer?

How is it that the prayer movement barely knows about the masters of prayer in the history of the Church such as St John of the Cross and St Teresa of Avila, as well as many other Saints that lived Holy lives that we still have their writings which span hundreds of years of tested time in their masterpieces, yet we barely know them and most have not read their works on prayer?

As EBPF, we need to intentionally look FORWARD and see how we can “begin again” in the place of prayer, going much deeper and further in communing with the Indwelling Holy Spirit. What are practical steps that can be taken to deepen our lives in prayer—not to just merely go around the clock in prayer—but to KNOW THE MAN in deep love and adoration that knows no bounds.

Join us on October 2, 2026 at 7pm to hear from Dr. Anthony Lilles, Professor at St. Patrick’s Seminary. He is an expert on the Carmelites Saints and Contemplative Prayer.

Blessings,

Amy Knight

Director, East Bay Prayer Furnace