太十六18~19　我还告诉你，你是彼得，我要把我的召会建造在这磐石上，阴间的门不能胜过她。我要把诸天之国的钥匙给你，凡你在地上捆绑的，必是在诸天之上已经捆绑的；凡你在地上释放的，必是在诸天之上已经释放的。

　　“愿你的国来临”，这不只是召会的一个心愿，也是召会的一个责任，召会应当把神的国带进来。召会如果要把神的国带进来，召会就得不惜付上代价，就得受天的约束，服天的管治，就得作天的出口，让天的权柄彰显在地上。召会……就得穿戴神所赐的全副军装，抵挡魔鬼的诡计（弗六11）。因为神的国降临在什么地方，鬼就得被赶出离开那个地方；神的国完全降到地上掌权的时候，撒但就要被扔到无底坑里（启二十1~3）。召会有这么大的责任，所以撒但就要千方百计的攻击召会。但愿召会一面能像古圣徒一样地祷告说，“耶和华啊，求你使天下垂，亲自降临。”（诗一四四5）神啊，“愿你裂天而降。”（赛六四1）另一面要对魔鬼说，“你当赶快离开地，进到神为你所预备的永火里去。”（参太二五41）（倪柝声文集第二辑第二册，一八六页）

　　Matt. 16:18-19 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you bind on the earth shall have been bound in the heavens, and whatever you loose on the earth shall have been loosed in the heavens.

　　“Your kingdom come!” This is not only a desire of the church, but also a responsibility of the church. The church should bring in God's kingdom. In order to bring in God's kingdom, the church has to pay the price to be restricted by heaven and come under heaven's rule. It has to be the outlet for heaven, and it has to allow heaven's authority to be expressed on earth....It has to put on the whole armor of God and stand against the stratagems of the devil (Eph. 6:11), for wherever the kingdom of God is, the devil is cast out. When the kingdom of God rules on earth fully, Satan will be cast into the abyss (Rev. 20:1-3). Since the church has such a tremendous responsibility, Satan will do all he can to attack the church. May the church pray like the saints of old,...“Oh that You would rend the heavens, that You would come down” (Isa. 64:1). At the same time, we should say to Satan, “Depart from the earth immediately, and go to the eternal fire which God has prepared for you” (cf. Matt. 25:41). (CWWN, vol. 22, “The Prayer Ministry of the Church,” pp. 164-165)

　　神有一个非常大的旨意，所有零零碎碎的旨意都包括在这一个大的旨意里。我们注意神大的旨意的时候，这些小的旨意也就成功了。神在天上有祂的旨意；神的灵把这个旨意通到我们里面来，叫我们发出同样的呼声说，“神啊，我们求你作这件事”，神就作这件事。这是圣经所告诉我们的祷告的原则。神今天的作为，要受我们在地上祷告的影响。我们要求神开我们的眼睛，叫我们能看见天上的举动受我们在地上的祷告的影响。我们的主把神历世历代以来的这个奥秘说明了。……如果你肯摆上，划出时间来祷告，你要知道，这样的祷告不只要得着神的答应，并且将来要得着赏赐。

　　神的旨意像江河的水一样，我们的祷告像水管。我们的祷告如果够大，那么祷告的成全也就够大；我们的祷告如果有限，那么祷告的成全也就有限。……〔一九○三年到一九○四年在威尔斯，〕神借着一个矿工罗伯斯作了……大复兴的工作。他并没有多少学问，但是他的祷告是非常之深的。后来他差不多有七、八年没有公开地出来工作。有一天有一个弟兄遇见了他，就问他说，“这几年，你在作什么？”他只回答一句话：“我在那里祷告国度的祷告。”……没有祷告，国度不来。水管如果闭塞的话，水就没有法子流出来。主在这里教我们的祷告，表明神的意思和神的要求。什么时候神儿女的意志和神的旨意完全合一了，神的名就真的被尊为圣了，神的国就真的来临，神的旨意也就真的行在地上如同行在天上了（倪柝声文集第二辑第二册，一八九至一九○页）。

　　约翰十二至十六章，三次说到撒但是这世界的王（十二31，十四30，十六11）。现今，他是世界的王，世界各国是其区域。在千年国时，他要被扔到无底坑，那时他就受到了限制。在那时之前，召会就要在地上限制撒但的活动。今天召会的祷告最能叫撒但受限制，这就是小规模的国度。凡能彰显神权柄的地方，就是国度所及的地方（太十二28）。今天我们在这里的责任，乃是不许可撒但的旨意通行。召会在哪里出现，哪里撒但的权柄就要退出。召会在地上要继续彰显基督对撒但的得胜地位（倪柝声文集第二辑第二十四册，五五页）。

　　参读：教会祷告的职事，第二篇。

　　God has a very great will, and the miscellaneous matters of His will are included in this great will. When we pay attention to God's great will, all the miscellaneous matters will be accomplished. God has His will in heaven, and His Spirit conveys this will to us. Therefore, we can echo with the cry, “God, we ask that You accomplish this.” When this happens, God accomplishes His will. This is the principle of prayer as revealed in the Bible. God's move today is affected by our prayer on earth. We have to ask God to open our eyes so that we can see that the move in heaven is affected by our prayer on earth. Our Lord has revealed this mystery to us which was hidden from the ages....If we are willing to make a sacrifice and set aside the time to pray, we will see that this kind of prayer will not only receive God's answer but will also receive a reward.

　　God's will is like a river, and our prayer is like the channel. If our prayer is big, the accomplishment of our prayer will also be big. If our prayer is limited, the accomplishment of our prayer will also be limited....God brought in a great revival [in Wales in 1903-1904] through a coal miner, Evan Roberts. He did not have much education, but his prayers were profound. Later he did not engage in any public work for seven or eight years. When a brother met him, the brother asked, “What have you been doing all these years?” He answered with one short sentence, “I have been praying the prayer of the kingdom.”...If there is no prayer, the kingdom will not come. If the channels are blocked, the water cannot flow through. In teaching us to pray, the Lord revealed God's mind and God's demand on us. Whenever God's children place their will in harmony with God's will, God's name will be sanctified, His kingdom will surely come, and His will will indeed be done on earth as in heaven. (CWWN, vol. 22, “The Prayer Ministry of the Church,” p. 167)

　　In John 12—16 Satan is spoken of as the ruler of this world three times (12:31; 14:30; 16:11). Presently, he is the ruler of this world, and the nations of this world are his domain. In the millennium, he will be bound and cast into the abyss. Before that time, the church is on the earth to curb the activities of Satan. The prayer of the church is the most effective means of curbing Satan. The church is a miniature of the kingdom. Any place that manifests God's authority is a place where the kingdom is realized (Matt. 12:28). It is our responsibility to put a halt to Satan's will. Wherever the church is, Satan's authority will retreat. The church is on the earth to perpetuate and manifest Christ's victorious stand over Satan. (CWWN, vol. 44, “God's Eternal Plan,” p. 778)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 22, “The Prayer Ministry of the Church,” ch. 2