IN THE PRAYER ROOM: Why PCCI Buag Is Being Called Back to Prayer

IN THE PRAYER ROOM: Why Senior Pastor Rodolfo C. Pascual’s Call is Exactly What the Church Needs Now (A Column on the Sunday Message at PCCI) BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO PCCI Church Correspondent Text: Colossians 4:2-4 – “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” There are sermons that inform us, and there are sermons that interrupt us. Senior Pastor Rodolfo C. Pascual’s message this Sunday at PCCI Buag was the second kind. He didn’t preach about prayer as a church program. He preached about prayer as church life. And that distinction changes everything. His anchor was Colossians 4:2-4. It’s worth noting the word Paul uses there: “Devote” — in Greek, proskartereo. It doesn’t mean “try to pray when you can.” It means to be steadfast, to persevere, to cling to. It’s the same word used for the early church in Acts 2:42. Pastor Pascual didn’t soften it. He brought it back to its original force. Here’s is the Pastor’s threefold challenge, and why it matters for us today: From Habit to Commitment: The 30 Minutes to 2 Hours Principle Pastor Pascual’s call — 30 minutes, to 1 hour, to 2 hours daily — may sound radical in a busy, working congregation like ours in Buag. Many of us struggle to get 5 minutes. But his point is Biblically sound. He is moving us from prayer as habit to prayer as commitment. A habit depends on mood; a commitment depends on decision. Jesus himself modeled withdrawal for extended prayer (Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16). You cannot have depth without duration. In our generation where prayer has become casual — short chats while scrolling — Pastor Pascual is calling us back to the prayer room that has substance. It is not legalism; it is love. You give time to what you value. From Private to Corporate: The 4 am Call This was the most striking part of the message: his appeal to come to the church as early as 4 am, 5 am, 6 am before work. Why so early? And why at church? His reference to Acts 1:14 gives us the clue — “They all joined together constantly in prayer...” The 120 + 11 were not just praying individually at home. They were in one accord, in one place, waiting for the Holy Spirit. Pastor Pascual understands something our modern, individualistic faith often forgets: There is a different power when we pray in one accord. Corporate prayer is not just many private prayers happening in one room; it is agreement (Matthew 18:19). His pastoral wisdom also showed in how he honored our elders — encouraging those who no longer go to work to stay longer. He is essentially building a house of prayer with two shifts: the workers who consecrate the day before it starts, and the elders who stand guard while others work. That is beautiful, biblical division of labor. From Request to Relationship: Why We Really Pray Finally, he answered the why. He didn’t say we pray to get things. He said we pray because we are commanded to, and to remain in His presence. This is pure Colossians 4:2 principle — “being watchful and thankful.” Watchful against spiritual slumber, thankful for God’s nearness. Pastor Pascual connected this to David — a prayerful king who praised God in any circumstance. Prayer, therefore, is not escape from reality, but victory within reality. His closing line sums it up: “We shall be victorious when we pray.” It’s not “We shall be victorious, so we don’t need to pray.” Victory comes through prayer. It removes worries and anxieties not because problems disappear, but because presence restores perspective. And Finally Pastor Rodolfo Pascual did not just preach about prayer. He re-centered PCCI Buag’s identity. In a time when churches chase many strategies for growth — programs, lights, methods — he brought us back to Acts 2:42. Teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. If this church will accept his challenge — to submit prayer requests to the pastors, to pray for each other’s healing and protection, to meet God at 4 am before we meet the world — we will not just become a bigger church. We will become a stronger, fresher, more victorious church. The door for the Word that Paul prayed for in Colossians 4:3 will surely open for us too. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •Come and join us every Sunday to be filled with the Word God at #PCCI Jesus is Alive Worship Center at Buag, Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya from 9:00 am to 11:00 am or at any PCCI Chuch near you. •#BrandedFidays from 6 pm to 8 pm.