City Reaching North America

Pray for Your State Jeremiah 29:1-13

2008-03-13T20:05:00.000-07:00

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National Daily Prayer
ABOUT 7X7

Are you willing to commit to pray for our country seven days a week? Are you able to set aside time in your car, during your coffee break, or before bedtime? We want to challenge you make this prayer commitment.

7x7 involves praying for seven centers of power seven days a week: Government, Military, Media, Business, Education, Church and Family. By remembering these specific prayer points, we can cover all Americans with God's power.

Together, we will see positive change!

REMEMNBER Also the Global Day of Prayer - May 17 - 26

GDoP - PRAYER GUIDE

California Becoming Desperately Immoral

2007-09-12T00:25:00.001-07:00

California Legislature Defruads Electorate;
Violates Constitution With Same Sex Marriage Bill

The California legislature has once again passed legislation to destroy the definition of marriage by redefining marriage in the California code as a civil contract between two persons. The last time the legislature passed such a bill in 2005, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed it. This is a clear case where the immoral elected majority of the California state legislature is defrauding those who elected them by going against the clear will of the electorate and divine will as outlined in the California constitution and is placing the citizens of California at risk.

The preamble of the California constitution states, "We, the People of the State of California, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure and perpetuate its blessings, do establish this Constitution." Section 4 of the California constitution grants: "The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed in this State; and no person shall be rendered incompetent to be a witness on account of his opinions on matters of religious belief; but the liberty of conscience, hereby secured, shall not be so construed as to acts of licentiousness, or justify practices inconsistent with the peace or safety of this State."

Here, the California constitution is very specific-it gives gratitude to Almighty God for freedom and establishes the constitution to perpetuate the benefits of God's blessings. In Section 4, the California constitution guarantees religious freedom, but says that religion cannot be used to justify licentiousness or practices inconsistent with the safety of the state. Licentiousness means "Lacking moral discipline or ignoring legal restraint, especially in sexual conduct." Same sex marriage violates both Biblical and religious morality because homosexuality is immoral and presents a public safety hazard because of AIDS and dozens of other sexually transmitted diseases associated with the homosexual lifestyle.

Throughout the Bible, homosexuality is condemned as immoral. Both Romans and 1st Corinthians in the New Testament condemn homosexuality. In the Old Testament Leviticus 18:22 says, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind: it is abomination." So the California constitution already bans same sex marriage. In 2000, 61.4 percent of Californian's voted that "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." Yet immoral elected officials in California seek to force this unconstitutional "licentiousness" upon their citizens. This underscores the importance of electing moral people to office and how the immoral attempt to legitimize themselves by forcing their radical beliefs on others.

Bill Wilson

Word of Life Ministry

www.dailyjot.com

Urban Blog Network

2007-04-27T14:13:00.001-07:00

Rudy Carrasco

"Very soon this Urban Onramps blog will exist within a blog network, Urban Ministry Blogs, that is hosted by TechMission. I’m on the board of directors of TechMission, and we are always exploring ways to use the web in ways that bless urban ministries. It’s kind of like when Hugh Hewitt took his standalone, hughhewitt.com blog and parked it within TownHall.com. We are going to explore the benefits of being part of a blog network..."

[continued at Urban Onramps]

[Visit UrbanMinistry.org]

[Various Christian wikis useful to cityreaching]

more behind-the-scenes]

WE ARE IN A CRISIS ...

2007-04-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

WE ARE IN A CRISIS ...

Published on 17 April 2007 in Prayer Mobilization
Source: CCNews Portal

We are in a Crisis ...

The Church and the nation are in a crisis! In no uncertain terms, the elections of 2006 showed us that there is no clear moral foundation upon which the nation votes. In this present historic moment, the Church was paralyzed. Tens-of-thousands stayed home and could not vote as if they were drunk with disillusionment.

Only one week before the elections, a major Christian leader was exposed in immorality. Before that, a high-ranking Republican Representative was exposed. After considering these scandals, the ongoing exposures of these Christian leaders, and seeing the outcome of the elections, I felt God shouting that the Church is in danger of losing its moral authority to turn a nation.

"Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord...he who has clean hands and a pure heart," Psalm 24:3-4. The hill of Lord is the place of the throne, and the place of spiritual authority. Only those who have clean hands and a pure heart can stand on that hill and exercise that authority. He is sifting the Republican Party for its refusal to stand for moral principle and for playing political games with its constituents, who in 2004, voted on moral issues.

One of our young women in the Justice House of Prayer in Washington, D.C., had a dream on November 4, 2006, the Sunday before the elections: I was at the house on the farm and made a kind of agreement with a man who was the head of the GOP. In my dream, this GOP man broke the agreement. I went and confronted him, and he got in my face and started yelling at me. He then backed up and I pointed at him and said, "Our God is neither Republican nor Democrat, He will only honor those who are morally righteous and just."

He left, slamming the door.

God has a word to say to the Republican Party: "Line up with moral issues--Marriage Amendment and Abortion--and show compassion to the poor and the oppressed--show Justice--or I will remove your lamp stand."

This is precisely what happened to the Whig party in the United States. The issue of slavery divided the party and its anti-slavery constituents formed the anti-slavery Republican Party out of which Abraham Lincoln was elected. The Whig party was no more! If the Churches vote radically PRO-life, then any political party, REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT--could be no more.

An Awakening to the Church

But the voice of God is shouting even louder to the Church!

Revelation 2:18-23 and 26 says, "And to the angel of the Church in Thyatira write, 'These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass: "I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first. Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.

And I gave her time to repent of her immorality, and she did not repent. Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the Churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works."

Verse 26, "And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations". It is only when the Church is found faithful in moral purity to her bridegroom, God, that she can gain spiritual authority over nations.

In a season of personal temptation, when God was searching my own heart and mind for inward toleration of Jezebel's influence, and during the time of Bill Clinton's moral failure, I received a dream from God. In this dream, a pastor I know was a high-ranking senator. He had gathered major governmental leaders together to deliver a message. Bill Clinton was in the meeting but was sleeping in bed. I was in the meeting but was clothed only in my underwear and I was lying in the same bed as Bill Clinton. The pastor's message was weak and carried no authority. Then he asked me to pray for Bill Clinton, who was still asleep. I prayed a pitiful token prayer and then suddenly threw off the covers and ran to get clothed.

I awoke from the dream in shock! The Holy Spirit spoke clearly to my heart, saying, "Neither you nor the Church of America has any power to awaken this nation or Bill Clinton because it sleeps in the same bed!"

The dream and the Scripture confirm each other. The Church cannot bind the spirit of Jezebel dominating the nation if the spirit of Jezebel binds the Church. Only to those who have overcome this spirit, the Scripture says, will be given authority over the nations.

This truth makes the present moment with fallen leaders more profound and pronounced. I am not pointing the finger at a fallen brother. I mourn for any of them and for my generation that has been assaulted with the spirit of Jezebel and lives under the shame of their bondage, which defiles imaginations and causes nightmarish inward moral battles. Maybe all our leaders who have fallen are a sign and a symbol of the whole Church of the nation. From the head to the feet we are sick, bruised, and beaten up, and we are being exposed publicly.

Hosea 2:10 says, "Now I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers..."

We are like eunuchs in Jezebel's palace whimpering our prayers, and even with our great churches and powerful spiritual programs, the nation remains unchanged. More than all this, we have crushed the Lord's heart with our spiritual adultery, we have left our first Love, and have gone after our Baals as in the time of Jezebel. But I believe that God wants to allure us into the wilderness and speak tenderly to us and make this Valley of Achor (the place of exposure of hidden sin) a door of hope. "In that day...you will call Me 'My Husband,' and no longer call Me, 'My Master'" (see Hosea 2:14-16).

I believe that in this moment in time, if we respond in repentance, we could release the greatest revival of confession of sin and a cleansing by the blood of Jesus that could draw us back into marital faithfulness with our Bridegroom, God. I believe a great spiritual awakening could be at hand which could even affect the elections of 2008 and overthrow Jezebel's death-march in this nation.

God's Holy Prescription--Fasting and Prayer

What must we do? God's holy prescription for our diseased state in times of national crisis and moral collapse is in Joel 2, verses 12-13, 15-16, 18 & 28, which is a solemn assembly of united fasting and prayer:

"Now, therefore," says the Lord, "Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm.

Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and nursing babes; let the bridegroom go out from His chamber, and the bride from her dressing room.

Then the Lord will be zealous for His land...And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions."

Seven years ago, we called for a massive Joel 2 gathering of fasting and prayer in Washington, D.C.

It was named, "The Call," and 400,000 young men and women with parents and leaders gathered together...not for a feast, nor a festival, but to a fast, believing that God would respond and show mercy to our nation. Seven "Calls" took place, the final being in the Cotton Bowl in November of 2003. We believe God is still answering those prayers.

At that time, a prophet gave me a word that, "The Call" would die, but in three years, a crisis would come and then it would be resurrected. Three years have passed since that word; the time is now, and the Church and America are in crisis. God is blowing the Joel 2 trumpet again--on 07-07-07, The Call Nashville!

The Call Nashville!

In 1993, Bob Jones prophesied, "The Houston Oilers would move to Nashville, and Nashville would build God a stadium. And 100,000 people, particularly youth, would gather for a great mobilization of the army of God." With this prophecy in effect, I was praying about holding The Call in Titan Stadium in Nashville on 07-07-07.

While in a prophets gathering, I received a profound confirmation. Sharon Stone, a prophetic voice from England, who knew nothing that was on my heart, stood and began to speak forth this word over me, "There is coming a fresh recruitment on 07-07-07. I heard the day very clearly, and on that day, a stand will be taken, and it will bring forth a great shift." Could it be that The Call in Nashville is that day of recruitment and that day of shifting? Yet, I still needed more confirmation.

Then a few days later, I received a phone call from a woman I had only met one time. She said, "I have written you a check. What are you doing?" I told her about The Call Nashville, and to my amazement she said, "The check is for 100,000 dollars." She had no idea that the first Call was launched by another woman that I did not know, who gave me 100,000 dollars as well.

I experienced the Divine endorsement of God pour over me just as it did seven years before, and I knew this wasn't my Call, it was God's Call, and it was time to blow the trumpet again. If Heaven is releasing, "The Call" again, then there is still hope for America, for that is the very reason a solemn assembly is called. In times of crisis, when there is no hope and no remedy, God says, "Blow the trumpet in Zion, and call a fast."

Previous Historical Gathering

In 1967, 100,000 young people, ages 15-25, flocked to San Francisco to experience the hippie movement. This mass convergence was sparked by the hit song in San Francisco called, "Wear a Flower in Your Hair." Once there, they experimented with LSD, pot, immorality, and Eastern mysticism, in what became known as the "Summer of Love." When these newly recruited, "Flower Children," returned home at the end of summer, they brought with them new styles and ideas, flooding the cities of the U.S. and Europe with a message that opposed authority and scorned conservative morals. This counterculture rebellion was fueled by music and art, and it rapidly shifted global culture.

A great divorce from God and His ways of kindness occurred in this turbulent time, and the effects of the, "Summer of Love," are still with us today. The Church is obviously saturated with those effects.

Renewing Our Vows to The Lord

On the 40th-year anniversary of the "Summer of Love" that occurred in 1967 (really a summer of divorce), we are calling multi-generations to Nashville, Tennessee. We are calling you on 07-07-07--the number of covenant renewal, marriage, and the fullness of time--for a day of national repentance, fasting, and prayer for our 40-year generational rebellion. We are calling elders, pastors, mothers, fathers, college students, children, every race, every denomination, and every age to come and divorce Baal, and remarry the Lord.

The book of Hosea is clear--God uses wedding vows as a symbol of renewing covenant with His people. Hosea 2:19, says, "I will betroth you to Me forever, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness." We are coming to renew our vows. We will cry out to God for a release of Song of Solomon 8:6-7 (paraphrased), "Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm, for love is as strong as death, the vehement flame of God, as unrelenting as Sheol, loves flames are fiery flames, the fiercest of all, many waters cannot extinguish love, and rivers cannot sweep it away."

Our only hope for an idolatrous people is the fiery love of God that is stronger than the passions of this world. We have got to get an awakening that is stronger than the hellish addictions of our culture. Oh God, marry us again!!!

Newspapers and websites across America are saying that on 07-07-07, more marriages are occurring then ever in history. Wedding Chapels and churches are booked across the land. But could we be in a time, a Joel 2 time, where our marriage to Jesus is of higher priority than our natural marriages? What if God would really test us on the urgency of this hour, and in particular the Biblical Joel 2 mandate? Let the Bridegroom come out of His chamber and the bride out of her dressing room (see Joel 2).

We have received the following report that a pastor said to a couple, "I cannot marry you on 07-07-07, even though the day is set. I must go to Nashville on 07-07-07--it is the highest priority." The couple was understandably upset by the decision of the pastor, but the following week a special guest speaker spoke on Joel 2 at the Church declaring, "Let the Bridegroom come out of His chamber..." With tender hearts toward God, the couple publicly asked forgiveness for their response to the pastor and said, "We are going to Nashville and will postpone our marriage."

We are receiving many reports now of couples changing their marriage dates because they have heard, The Call. I believe that pastors must make hard decisions, for it was the priests who were to weep between the porch and the altar, crying out, "Spare your people, Oh God." Also, the elders have been affected with internet immorality and compromise. We must gather and bear the reproach before the Lord. Who knows, He may turn and pour out His Spirit as promised in Joel 2:28, "And afterward I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh..."

The Number 40 is Significant

Recently while in Nashville, my friend and godly statesman, Don Finto, spoke a word to me that lit my fires of faith. He said, "I have a 1971 Time Magazine article that states three times, that the Jesus Movement began in 1967, and that Jerusalem was taken back by Israel in 1967."

After a 40-year judgment, could we be in a season in which a great spiritual awakening could occur in America, and the Jewish people would return to Yeshua? God administrates His Kingdom through prophetic time periods, and the period of 40 years is one of the most significant. When Jesus fasted 40 days, He was tempted in the wilderness just as Israel was tested in the wilderness for 40 years. Jesus confronted the temptations of satan, quoting the very Scriptures in Deuteronomy that pertained to the 40-year failure of a past generation.

In Ezekiel 4, Ezekiel is given a prophetic prayer assignment; He is told to bear the iniquity of the house of Judah for 40 days, a day for each year of their iniquity (verse 6). Here again, we see an intercessor bearing the 40-year failure of a past generation in a 40-day prayer assignment. I believe now, with all of my heart, God is calling us to fast and pray for 40 days--from May 29 to 07-07-07, and bear in intercession the 40-year failure of the 60's generation, and then gather on 07-07-07 to call on God for the promised rains of revival.

Hosea 2:16, 21-23, "'And it shall be, in that day,' says the Lord, 'that you will call Me 'My Husband,' and no longer call you my Baal.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will answer, I will answer the Heavens and they shall answer the earth, the earth shall answer with grain, with new wine, and with oil, and I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy. Then I will say to those who were not My people, you are My people, and they shall say you are my God."

Let a great Jesus movement come forth in America, and out of Nashville may music come forth that will reap the harvest and carry revival more powerfully than the Beatles carried the rebellion. If the Church repents in Nashville, the culture could be transformed in San Francisco. Nashville is the gateway to the Church, and San Francisco is the gateway to the culture.

The trumpet is clear and the nation is summoned, from the pastors to the bridal chamber, and from the elders to the little children. Forty days of fasting, prayer, media turn-off, and intimacy with God--May 29th to 07-07-07 to return to the Lord. A Joel 2 solemn assembly. A day to take a stand and to shape history.

May those hearts who are stirred, come and return to the Lord.

Lou Engle

From Nicholas King and P.A..S. Our help strength, will come from the Lord maker of heaven and earth. For the scripture says, thou shall not muzzle the ox that treads out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

City Reaching (Churches of America) meets in El Paso

2007-04-16T09:04:00.000-07:00

April 19-21,2007, National City-Impact Roundtable, El Paso, TX

NOTES FROM NORTHWEST CITY REACHING ROUNDTABLE

December 4 and 5, 2006
Portland, OR
Tom White

TRANSFORMATION:

1. EACH COMMUNITY MUST ASK THE LORD SPECIFICALLY FOR A WORD OF CONSENSUS REGARDING STRATEGIES FOR CITY REACHING.

2. HOW DO WE SPELL TRANFORMATION? A city is being transformed if these things are taking place:

o An increase in Holy living

o Spontaneous conversions and growth in churches

o Decrease of crime

o An increase of social justice

o Unity in the Body of Christ and Healing of breaches

o Sustainable

o Increased generosity

o Engaged brothers and sisters serving the Lord together

o Passion

o Redeeming of the arts

3. In Transformation change must be evident, but must extend to the fabric of society’s institutions. It must be measurable and sustainable change in society. There must be growing numbers of converted, functioning mature disciples affecting the social, economic, and political fabric of society.

4. The Marks of an Effective Urban Ministry:
* Power Systems Confrontation with offered potential for change
* The poor and the exploited are being cared for
* There is ministry to the middle class as well as the poor
* There is spiritual transformation among the poor and the powerful and all groups are being changed.

5. The goal of the Church is not to make a new heaven and a new earth, but rather to create “salty spots” for the earth that will stimulate thirst for God.

6. Compelling Reasons for building the City-Wide Body of Christ:

o It’s Biblical. The Bible describes it as unity amidst diversity. (Many parts—One Body)

o There is an inherent value of a collegial relationship-knowing and caring for one another.

o The witness of our oneness has apostolic power. (John 17:23)

o United prayer brings an outpouring of the Holy Spirit with signs and wonders. (Acts 4:23-35)

o United prayer for city and government leaders enables us to live godly, quiet and peaceful lives and to reach leaders with the Gospel message.

o The Church is better able to coordinate and strengthen serving ministries (good stewardship) to enable them to help the Church.

o We are able to share corporate responsibility to win and disciple converts.

o It minimizes the impact of training and equipping the saints for the local church-we share this responsibility.

o There is a release of the synergy of combined gifts and callings empowered by the Holy Spirit in each locale.

7. Obstacles to Transformation of communities in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon:

o An independent pioneer spirit. Our forefathers were reacting and rebelling against East coast establishment

o A humanistic mindset.

o Idolatry (nature worship). There is a mixture in this region of worship of the creation and a history of animism and pantheism.

8. We overcome these obstacles by “turning on the light” through our obedience, walking in love and living for the Kingdom and not for ourselves.

9. We need to take a global approach to our cities. We need to ask, “How do we serve in such a way as to impact our city?” “What is the one thing Jesus will give us to move us forward i.e. a “fire starter”? For Vancouver, Washington a fire starter has been Thriving Families of Clark County, a community marriage and family relationship ministry.

10. Community transformation plans will involve:

o Corporate unified prayer

o Asset Building-finding those churches, businesses, individuals and serving ministries who are invested in the plan and will work with one another.

o Mapping. Mapping tells us what gifts and resources God has given each church, group, or serving ministry to bring to the table. It also shows us our common ground.

o A unified event may be the beginning, but must be followed up with small groups. Relationships make the difference.

11. Concrete Steps to City Transformation:

o A seminar or event annually with a number of churches sponsoring.

o Establishment of a resource hub

o Mapping of the churches-find the common ground

o Mapping of the city-find the societal needs, redemptive gifts, and actions of the enemy

o Establish the role of the Church as meeting the needs in society and become a resource for governments who seek faith-based ministries to do those things governments cannot do. The Church must be the delivery system for the wisdom of God (Ephesians 3:10) to change our communities. Ask: How does God want us to serve our community?

George Otis Jr. Session #1

* Revival is the only answer for our world. There is a prophetic urgency now—the world has been changed forever by the spirit of death coming from Islamic fundamentalism.
* We cannot continue business as usual. There must be radical changes in the way we are doing things as the Church.
* God can intervene in the darkest of circumstances. We must remain expectant and intentional as we prepare the way of the Lord.

* HISTORY OF TRANSFORMATION: Outside the western hemisphere, transformations are happening fast in cities, small towns, and villages. “Because transformation was not taking place worldwide, I asked the Lord in the 1990’s, “Why does spiritual darkness linger where it does?” For seven years I tried to find explanations. By 1997 I began to see an escalation of the moving of God’s Spirit in some places indicating we were approaching end times when God promised He would pour our His Spirit. In June 1999 the first Transformation video was released as an encouragement to intercessors. Within six months over 1000 cities has corresponded with me to ask for help in transformation. I told them, ‘Go ask the Lord what He wants you to do.’ There were increasing reports of transformation in cities after 2000. I began to see patterns leading to transformation and also began to realize there is a quantum leap difference between church growth and city transformation. Church growth is possible without God. City transformation involves “heavy-lifting” we must have a divine partner.”

* DEFINITION OF TRANSFORMATION: The definition of transformation is hard to pin down because we can’t even imagine what God has planned in transformation. If it is a plan based only on an inventory of our assets it can’t be a God thing.

* GOD’S PATTERNS IN TRANSFORMATION: God’s patterns in transformation do not change. Things unique to each community change, but principles can be applied everywhere.

1. Pattern #1: Time with God. Transformation takes place in communities that are following God, not leading Him. In order to follow God there must be time alone with God to hear Him. God is left out of the equation when we are so busy we don’t have time with Him. This problem is systemic in our society. We have no waiting time for God.

2. Pattern #2: Hunger for God. We don’t have an ignorance problem, we have an appetite problem. We all have our life hungers list: food, sleep, security, control, reputation. On this list where is our hunger for the presence of God? When our hunger for God moves to the top of the list, transformation will occur.

3. Pattern #3: Unity in the Body of Christ. In 2004, the International Fellowship of Transformation Partners asked the question. “What gives us an identity together?’ They decided to just watch God at work instead of trying to figure out the answer. They saw these things as helps to building unity:

o A common definition of what transformation looks like in my community
o A set of commonly held principles
o A set of core values to govern the movement
o Prayer
o Accountability
o Trust

4. Pattern #4: Humility and Hiddenness of the Catalysts. Humility is directly related to the degree of divine outpouring. Empire building and personal agendas must be laid aside for the goal of seeing God transform the city. The story of Gideon is an example of God using the smallest, most broken, most contrite, most hidden, and most humble to bring about a great breakthrough. In transformation God often chooses no names that have nothing to lead the greatest breakthroughs.

5. Pattern #5: Holiness: When we get rid of all the sin in the camp, God will come. Our hearts must be right, purified of sin and our own agendas. We must be abandoned to God with expectation of His coming in transforming revival. We need to make sure our hearts are right so that our desire is to see the Kingdom of God manifest on the earth.

George Otis, Jr- Session #2:

* In city transformation there must also be ecological transformation- redemption for more than just people. Unhealthy things cannot stay when Jesus is there.

* In transformation, there is a return to “normal”. Believers get back in touch with their faith and begin to live “normal” Christianity. God has not called us to accept normalcy, but to move on to extraordinary Christianity.

* In true transformation, it takes thirty days to achieve normalcy. Often our experience is that it takes 30 years because people are content with the status quo. We need to know the difference between the habit of losing and rebuilding.

* We need a supernatural invasive intervention for transformation to take place. We need to help people prepare for that kind of intervention. The example of Joseph shows us how we need to prepare the people so they come to us when things get rough. The Church needs to take over the social welfare system. God wants to move us to another level. This is preparation. We need to keep pressing in. We also need to change our mindset to win.

* The core of success in city transformation is a formula of abandonment with expectation. This is contagious and the end result is God comes. To test transformation walk though the business district and see if you sense the presence of the Lord. Call a holiday and call all the pastors to come together to cry out to God for the city. Transformation comes to desperate people with expectation of the greatness of God (Psalms 145).

* The greatest problem in City Transformation is a Church whose God is its Belly. “This is illustrated by many who walk into the sanctuary with a cappuccino.” That church is fixated on itself. The church needs to break these self-centered patterns, not encourage them. We need to hold out for the supernatural—we need it and our communities need it.

* In order to counter radical Islam we have to bring the supernatural to the table. In Acts 2 all the church leaders were there together waiting for the supernatural to come. They were filled with the supernatural Holy Spirit and became the “proof” of Christ to a dying world. We also must be filled with something “otherness”. If Jesus is lifted up He will draw all men, but it must be the Church that lifts Him up.

* There is a remnant remaining in the U.S. and a stirring is happening which needs to roll out in fullness. The American Church needs to have a re- identification of community –Immanuel—the Lord is With Us.

Lisa Otis: Interceding for a City Movement:

* City-wide prayer must have a redirection to pray in desperation for the American Church to become a Church that will act like Jesus and love like Jesus across ethnic, cultural, and denominational lines.

* Sin and convenience are the two big issues in the Church and they prevent us gathering together to pray. Jesus would say to us, “If I could just get you to pray, you cannot imagine what I can do”.

* Jesus is our model as the Great Intercessor. He is interceding for us right now and He has been interceding from the beginning. He is called the Word, the voice of intercession. He said, “I only say what I hear the Father say and I only do what I see the Father doing”. This is the place in intercession where everything happens.

* You cannot be sinful presumptuous intercessors and do the things the Father does. Jesus came to be a sinless obedient intercessor (Hebrews 1:3, John 12:4, John 17:8, Isaiah 11:4, Revelation 19:15, Revelation 19:13.

* Speaking the Word of God releases the power of God as a weapon of warfare against the devil. (Ephesians 6:17). We spend a lot of time in prayer saying things the Father hasn’t said. If we don’t hear from the Father what He wants to say, we shouldn’t say anything. God has many ideas we would never think of and we need to hear from Him and pray His Word.

* Isaiah 55:8 God’s thoughts are higher than ours. We should approach praying for our cities acknowledging we are at the beginning. We cannot presume to know how God will move in our city unless He tells us. Jesus said all His ways were the Father’s ways. He was completely obedient. He tells us to follow Him as the Great Intercessor and be completely obedient to what God says.

* The Kingdom of God exists wherever God is because He is King. If you are just, justice increases in your city. As intercessors we must deny ourselves disobedience, presumption, convenience, and comfort if we are going to follow Jesus’ example in intercession.

* Intercession is God’s brilliant strategy for us to rule with Him in power. He asks us, “Will you join me in the place of intercession?”

Lisa Otis: The Best Practices of City Intercession:

* The key to a breakthrough in our cities is the Church. The Church needs to be moving in all the fullness of Christ or the world suffers. When the Church is right, the world will know and be changed.

* The process begins with the individual. We must be transformed or we can’t pray effectively for the Church to be changed.

* The Church must learn to pray on the offensive and practice how to love each other. Jesus gave us two commands: Love God, Love each other. Our objective as the Church must be to first become lovers of Jesus and then lovers of each other. We will be unable to love those who come in because of transformation in our cities, if we don’t love each other.

* We face difficulties in growing:

1. Humility: we must learn to be honest about where the Church is and about the harvest we are inviting into the Church. If we are honest we will admit we are not ready, but the good news is we will be. The city’s destiny is tied to the Church coming into her destiny. We need to ask the Lord to show us how to love Him and each other and how to come to a place of humility rather than judgment. (2Chronicles 7:14) Our true state is we have nothing and we are nothing except in Christ. We want to become humble like Jesus. Nothing happens until the Church is humble. The humble Church brings lif.

2. Praying the problems. We often pray about the problems more than we pray about the destiny the Church or our city.

3. The Loveless Church: (Revelation 2) If we have become like this church we need to repent. Our love for God leads us to repentance of everything else.

* Guidelines for City Intercession:
1. Love God and Each Other
2. Come in Humility
3. Speak the Word in prayer
4. Do the actions of intercession: Ask the Lord to give you something to do. When He does it will be costly, and inconvenient, but will be an act of love which is an act of intercession sown into your city.
5. Learn about prayer form non-western nations. They have a different way of life. They always find the time to pray.
6. Become offensive in prayer as people of faith.
7. Become separated from lifestyles of division and hatred.

George Otis Jr. Session #3:

* According to George Barna, at least 20,000 Evangelicals won’t attend an organized church, but are meeting in homes. “This is a dangerous trend as these groups can become isolationist and cult-like.” This trend shows the organized Church that we must become more than creeds, dogmas, and programs. We must also have the presence of God and intimacy with Him as part of the package.

* The American Church must have abandonment with expectation. For the past 15 years there has been incremental fruit—good but not enough. The question is, “How do we get to fullness-full success?”

* A problem has been that we have lowered the bar of our expectations. We hail small steps as great breakthroughs.

* Abandonment is the big issues. Before we can get to abandonment we must get to commitment. Many in the American Church are hiding from commitment. Abandonment is described in Jesus’ Parable of the Pearl of Great Price. The treasure is in a field and is discovered by a man who sells everything and buys the field. We know God wants us to be faithful and persevere, but we get nervous about the kind of behavior described in this parable. The Kingdom of God is the Pearl of Great Price and the treasure. This is a picture of abandonment for the sake of the Kingdom. God desires a higher degree of intimacy with His people. (Hosea 6:6) The Church needs to come to the place where everything familiar is gone and only God is left. Moses went into thick darkness where God was—that was the true sanctuary hidden from all life’s essentials.

* We pray, “God come” and He asks, “Why? Do you need a handyman or a lover?” God wants us to want Him as a lover. He is interested in our communities but not as a handyman, but because we cannot exist another day without His presence.

* In the Old Testament, God’s presence was often seen as a mist or smoke which shielded from non-essentials. What we need is relationship-God with us and this is what people want today.

* Hard questions for the Church:

1. Is God here?

2. Do we want to see our community fully transformed?

3. Do we believe God can do this?

4. Are we prepared to do what is required to go there?

5. Will we abandon our compartments and boundaries we have placed on God and let Him be God? God has the right to tread upon any part of your Real Estate.

6. Will we lay down our watches and calendars and our comfort-oriented way of life? This will bring about a collision with our culture. No appointment or time period is more important that a full welcoming presence of God. A lot of our “have tos” involve our kids and their schedules. We have given in to the ways of the world remaining in control of our time, doing what we want first rather than letting God run our lives.

o Commitment or abandonment is different because it will be inconvenient. Anything keeping us from God must go. We are to seek first His Kingdom and He will provide everything else.

o We often come to the point of abandonment and aren’t willing. We have to break stride and prioritize your responsibilities –first to God and His Kingdom

7. Will we pray? It only takes a dozen or fewer intercessors to start the process of transformation. Prayer in faith, humility, unity, and compassion with worship draws the presence of God. We need to pray “God stimulate in me an increased appetite for those things that attract your presence—abandonment with expectation. Fast until God answers. Go on a digital fast-no digital equipment, cell phones, and email.

o The Three Stages of Revival:

1. Invitation: A hungry group of believers summons the presence of God. There is repentance, reconciliation, humbling, prayer and fasting with expectation.

2. Visitation: The Holy Spirit comes in a remarkable way to change people. There is widespread church growth and truth becomes “sticky”. This is not about us but about God. The value system shifts and healing power is released.

3. Transformation: The new values born in the visitation phase are rubbed into the skin of society. The marketplace and the political arena changed. Education is reformed. Society is transformed. There becomes a line of reformation in which the Church must steward what God has done. He says, “I have fixed it, you keep it.” Christianity is restored to normalcy in the Church and the Community.

The Church needs to move forward to ask God to restore us as Salt and Light. We need to pray for the miraculous presence of God. We need the supernatural. God can fix something out of nothing.

(notes taken by Kathy Pipal, prayer coordinator of Treasure Valley, Idaho, intercessors.)
Sent by: Ann Doupont

CityReaching insights for Churches

2007-04-02T08:56:00.000-07:00

April 19-21,2007, National City-Impact Roundtable, El Paso, TX

NOTES FROM NORTHWEST CITY REACHING ROUNDTABLE

December 4 and 5, 2006

Portland, OR
Tom White

TRANSFORMATION:

1. EACH COMMUNITY MUST ASK THE LORD SPECIFICALLY FOR A WORD OF CONSENSUS REGARDING STRATEGIES FOR CITY REACHING.

2. HOW DO WE SPELL TRANFORMATION? A city is being transformed if these things are taking place:

o An increase in Holy living

o Spontaneous conversions and growth in churches

o Decrease of crime

o An increase of social justice

o Unity in the Body of Christ and Healing of breaches

o Sustainable

o Increased generosity

o Engaged brothers and sisters serving the Lord together

o Passion

o Redeeming of the arts

3. In Transformation change must be evident, but must extend to the fabric of society’s institutions. It must be measurable and sustainable change in society. There must be growing numbers of converted, functioning mature disciples affecting the social, economic, and political fabric of society.

4. The Marks of an Effective Urban Ministry:
* Power Systems Confrontation with offered potential for change
* The poor and the exploited are being cared for
* There is ministry to the middle class as well as the poor
* There is spiritual transformation among the poor and the powerful and all groups are being changed.

5. The goal of the Church is not to make a new heaven and a new earth, but rather to create “salty spots” for the earth that will stimulate thirst for God.

6. Compelling Reasons for building the City-Wide Body of Christ:

o It’s Biblical. The Bible describes it as unity amidst diversity. (Many parts—One Body)

o There is an inherent value of a collegial relationship-knowing and caring for one another.

o The witness of our oneness has apostolic power. (John 17:23)

o United prayer brings an outpouring of the Holy Spirit with signs and wonders. (Acts 4:23-35)

o United prayer for city and government leaders enables us to live godly, quiet and peaceful lives and to reach leaders with the Gospel message.

o The Church is better able to coordinate and strengthen serving ministries (good stewardship) to enable them to help the Church.

o We are able to share corporate responsibility to win and disciple converts.

o It minimizes the impact of training and equipping the saints for the local church-we share this responsibility.

o There is a release of the synergy of combined gifts and callings empowered by the Holy Spirit in each locale.

7. Obstacles to Transformation of communities in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon:

o An independent pioneer spirit. Our forefathers were reacting and rebelling against East coast establishment

o A humanistic mindset.

o Idolatry (nature worship). There is a mixture in this region of worship of the creation and a history of animism and pantheism.

8. We overcome these obstacles by “turning on the light” through our obedience, walking in love and living for the Kingdom and not for ourselves.

9. We need to take a global approach to our cities. We need to ask, “How do we serve in such a way as to impact our city?” “What is the one thing Jesus will give us to move us forward i.e. a “fire starter”? For Vancouver, Washington a fire starter has been Thriving Families of Clark County, a community marriage and family relationship ministry.

10. Community transformation plans will involve:

o Corporate unified prayer

o Asset Building-finding those churches, businesses, individuals and serving ministries who are invested in the plan and will work with one another.

o Mapping. Mapping tells us what gifts and resources God has given each church, group, or serving ministry to bring to the table. It also shows us our common ground.

o A unified event may be the beginning, but must be followed up with small groups. Relationships make the difference.

11. Concrete Steps to City Transformation:

o A seminar or event annually with a number of churches sponsoring.

o Establishment of a resource hub

o Mapping of the churches-find the common ground

o Mapping of the city-find the societal needs, redemptive gifts, and actions of the enemy

o Establish the role of the Church as meeting the needs in society and become a resource for governments who seek faith-based ministries to do those things governments cannot do. The Church must be the delivery system for the wisdom of God (Ephesians 3:10) to change our communities. Ask: How does God want us to serve our community?

George Otis Jr. Session #1

* Revival is the only answer for our world. There is a prophetic urgency now—the world has been changed forever by the spirit of death coming from Islamic fundamentalism.
* We cannot continue business as usual. There must be radical changes in the way we are doing things as the Church.
* God can intervene in the darkest of circumstances. We must remain expectant and intentional as we prepare the way of the Lord.

* HISTORY OF TRANSFORMATION: Outside the western hemisphere, transformations are happening fast in cities, small towns, and villages. “Because transformation was not taking place worldwide, I asked the Lord in the 1990’s, “Why does spiritual darkness linger where it does?” For seven years I tried to find explanations. By 1997 I began to see an escalation of the moving of God’s Spirit in some places indicating we were approaching end times when God promised He would pour our His Spirit. In June 1999 the first Transformation video was released as an encouragement to intercessors. Within six months over 1000 cities has corresponded with me to ask for help in transformation. I told them, ‘Go ask the Lord what He wants you to do.’ There were increasing reports of transformation in cities after 2000. I began to see patterns leading to transformation and also began to realize there is a quantum leap difference between church growth and city transformation. Church growth is possible without God. City transformation involves “heavy-lifting” we must have a divine partner.”

* DEFINITION OF TRANSFORMATION: The definition of transformation is hard to pin down because we can’t even imagine what God has planned in transformation. If it is a plan based only on an inventory of our assets it can’t be a God thing.

* GOD’S PATTERNS IN TRANSFORMATION: God’s patterns in transformation do not change. Things unique to each community change, but principles can be applied everywhere.

1. Pattern #1: Time with God. Transformation takes place in communities that are following God, not leading Him. In order to follow God there must be time alone with God to hear Him. God is left out of the equation when we are so busy we don’t have time with Him. This problem is systemic in our society. We have no waiting time for God.

2. Pattern #2: Hunger for God. We don’t have an ignorance problem, we have an appetite problem. We all have our life hungers list: food, sleep, security, control, reputation. On this list where is our hunger for the presence of God? When our hunger for God moves to the top of the list, transformation will occur.

3. Pattern #3: Unity in the Body of Christ. In 2004, the International Fellowship of Transformation Partners asked the question. “What gives us an identity together?’ They decided to just watch God at work instead of trying to figure out the answer. They saw these things as helps to building unity:

o A common definition of what transformation looks like in my community
o A set of commonly held principles
o A set of core values to govern the movement
o Prayer
o Accountability
o Trust

4. Pattern #4: Humility and Hiddenness of the Catalysts. Humility is directly related to the degree of divine outpouring. Empire building and personal agendas must be laid aside for the goal of seeing God transform the city. The story of Gideon is an example of God using the smallest, most broken, most contrite, most hidden, and most humble to bring about a great breakthrough. In transformation God often chooses no names that have nothing to lead the greatest breakthroughs.

5. Pattern #5: Holiness: When we get rid of all the sin in the camp, God will come. Our hearts must be right, purified of sin and our own agendas. We must be abandoned to God with expectation of His coming in transforming revival. We need to make sure our hearts are right so that our desire is to see the Kingdom of God manifest on the earth.

George Otis, Jr- Session #2:

* In city transformation there must also be ecological transformation- redemption for more than just people. Unhealthy things cannot stay when Jesus is there.

* In transformation, there is a return to “normal”. Believers get back in touch with their faith and begin to live “normal” Christianity. God has not called us to accept normalcy, but to move on to extraordinary Christianity.

* In true transformation, it takes thirty days to achieve normalcy. Often our experience is that it takes 30 years because people are content with the status quo. We need to know the difference between the habit of losing and rebuilding.

* We need a supernatural invasive intervention for transformation to take place. We need to help people prepare for that kind of intervention. The example of Joseph shows us how we need to prepare the people so they come to us when things get rough. The Church needs to take over the social welfare system. God wants to move us to another level. This is preparation. We need to keep pressing in. We also need to change our mindset to win.

* The core of success in city transformation is a formula of abandonment with expectation. This is contagious and the end result is God comes. To test transformation walk though the business district and see if you sense the presence of the Lord. Call a holiday and call all the pastors to come together to cry out to God for the city. Transformation comes to desperate people with expectation of the greatness of God (Psalms 145).

* The greatest problem in City Transformation is a Church whose God is its Belly. “This is illustrated by many who walk into the sanctuary with a cappuccino.” That church is fixated on itself. The church needs to break these self-centered patterns, not encourage them. We need to hold out for the supernatural—we need it and our communities need it.

* In order to counter radical Islam we have to bring the supernatural to the table. In Acts 2 all the church leaders were there together waiting for the supernatural to come. They were filled with the supernatural Holy Spirit and became the “proof” of Christ to a dying world. We also must be filled with something “otherness”. If Jesus is lifted up He will draw all men, but it must be the Church that lifts Him up.

* There is a remnant remaining in the U.S. and a stirring is happening which needs to roll out in fullness. The American Church needs to have a re- identification of community –Immanuel—the Lord is With Us.

Lisa Otis: Interceding for a City Movement:

* City-wide prayer must have a redirection to pray in desperation for the American Church to become a Church that will act like Jesus and love like Jesus across ethnic, cultural, and denominational lines.

* Sin and convenience are the two big issues in the Church and they prevent us gathering together to pray. Jesus would say to us, “If I could just get you to pray, you cannot imagine what I can do”.

* Jesus is our model as the Great Intercessor. He is interceding for us right now and He has been interceding from the beginning. He is called the Word, the voice of intercession. He said, “I only say what I hear the Father say and I only do what I see the Father doing”. This is the place in intercession where everything happens.

* You cannot be sinful presumptuous intercessors and do the things the Father does. Jesus came to be a sinless obedient intercessor (Hebrews 1:3, John 12:4, John 17:8, Isaiah 11:4, Revelation 19:15, Revelation 19:13.

* Speaking the Word of God releases the power of God as a weapon of warfare against the devil. (Ephesians 6:17). We spend a lot of time in prayer saying things the Father hasn’t said. If we don’t hear from the Father what He wants to say, we shouldn’t say anything. God has many ideas we would never think of and we need to hear from Him and pray His Word.

* Isaiah 55:8 God’s thoughts are higher than ours. We should approach praying for our cities acknowledging we are at the beginning. We cannot presume to know how God will move in our city unless He tells us. Jesus said all His ways were the Father’s ways. He was completely obedient. He tells us to follow Him as the Great Intercessor and be completely obedient to what God says.

* The Kingdom of God exists wherever God is because He is King. If you are just, justice increases in your city. As intercessors we must deny ourselves disobedience, presumption, convenience, and comfort if we are going to follow Jesus’ example in intercession.

* Intercession is God’s brilliant strategy for us to rule with Him in power. He asks us, “Will you join me in the place of intercession?”

Lisa Otis: The Best Practices of City Intercession:

* The key to a breakthrough in our cities is the Church. The Church needs to be moving in all the fullness of Christ or the world suffers. When the Church is right, the world will know and be changed.

* The process begins with the individual. We must be transformed or we can’t pray effectively for the Church to be changed.

* The Church must learn to pray on the offensive and practice how to love each other. Jesus gave us two commands: Love God, Love each other. Our objective as the Church must be to first become lovers of Jesus and then lovers of each other. We will be unable to love those who come in because of transformation in our cities, if we don’t love each other.

* We face difficulties in growing:

1. Humility: we must learn to be honest about where the Church is and about the harvest we are inviting into the Church. If we are honest we will admit we are not ready, but the good news is we will be. The city’s destiny is tied to the Church coming into her destiny. We need to ask the Lord to show us how to love Him and each other and how to come to a place of humility rather than judgment. (2Chronicles 7:14) Our true state is we have nothing and we are nothing except in Christ. We want to become humble like Jesus. Nothing happens until the Church is humble. The humble Church brings lif.

2. Praying the problems. We often pray about the problems more than we pray about the destiny the Church or our city.

3. The Loveless Church: (Revelation 2) If we have become like this church we need to repent. Our love for God leads us to repentance of everything else.

* Guidelines for City Intercession:
1. Love God and Each Other
2. Come in Humility
3. Speak the Word in prayer
4. Do the actions of intercession: Ask the Lord to give you something to do. When He does it will be costly, and inconvenient, but will be an act of love which is an act of intercession sown into your city.
5. Learn about prayer form non-western nations. They have a different way of life. They always find the time to pray.
6. Become offensive in prayer as people of faith.
7. Become separated from lifestyles of division and hatred.

George Otis Jr. Session #3:

* According to George Barna, at least 20,000 Evangelicals won’t attend an organized church, but are meeting in homes. “This is a dangerous trend as these groups can become isolationist and cult-like.” This trend shows the organized Church that we must become more than creeds, dogmas, and programs. We must also have the presence of God and intimacy with Him as part of the package.

* The American Church must have abandonment with expectation. For the past 15 years there has been incremental fruit—good but not enough. The question is, “How do we get to fullness-full success?”

* A problem has been that we have lowered the bar of our expectations. We hail small steps as great breakthroughs.

* Abandonment is the big issues. Before we can get to abandonment we must get to commitment. Many in the American Church are hiding from commitment. Abandonment is described in Jesus’ Parable of the Pearl of Great Price. The treasure is in a field and is discovered by a man who sells everything and buys the field. We know God wants us to be faithful and persevere, but we get nervous about the kind of behavior described in this parable. The Kingdom of God is the Pearl of Great Price and the treasure. This is a picture of abandonment for the sake of the Kingdom. God desires a higher degree of intimacy with His people. (Hosea 6:6) The Church needs to come to the place where everything familiar is gone and only God is left. Moses went into thick darkness where God was—that was the true sanctuary hidden from all life’s essentials.

* We pray, “God come” and He asks, “Why? Do you need a handyman or a lover?” God wants us to want Him as a lover. He is interested in our communities but not as a handyman, but because we cannot exist another day without His presence.

* In the Old Testament, God’s presence was often seen as a mist or smoke which shielded from non-essentials. What we need is relationship-God with us and this is what people want today.

* Hard questions for the Church:

1. Is God here?

2. Do we want to see our community fully transformed?

3. Do we believe God can do this?

4. Are we prepared to do what is required to go there?

5. Will we abandon our compartments and boundaries we have placed on God and let Him be God? God has the right to tread upon any part of your Real Estate.

6. Will we lay down our watches and calendars and our comfort-oriented way of life? This will bring about a collision with our culture. No appointment or time period is more important that a full welcoming presence of God. A lot of our “have tos” involve our kids and their schedules. We have given in to the ways of the world remaining in control of our time, doing what we want first rather than letting God run our lives.

o Commitment or abandonment is different because it will be inconvenient. Anything keeping us from God must go. We are to seek first His Kingdom and He will provide everything else.

o We often come to the point of abandonment and aren’t willing. We have to break stride and prioritize your responsibilities –first to God and His Kingdom

7. Will we pray? It only takes a dozen or fewer intercessors to start the process of transformation. Prayer in faith, humility, unity, and compassion with worship draws the presence of God. We need to pray “God stimulate in me an increased appetite for those things that attract your presence—abandonment with expectation. Fast until God answers. Go on a digital fast-no digital equipment, cell phones, and email.

o The Three Stages of Revival:

1. Invitation: A hungry group of believers summons the presence of God. There is repentance, reconciliation, humbling, prayer and fasting with expectation.

2. Visitation: The Holy Spirit comes in a remarkable way to change people. There is widespread church growth and truth becomes “sticky”. This is not about us but about God. The value system shifts and healing power is released.

3. Transformation: The new values born in the visitation phase are rubbed into the skin of society. The marketplace and the political arena changed. Education is reformed. Society is transformed. There becomes a line of reformation in which the Church must steward what God has done. He says, “I have fixed it, you keep it.” Christianity is restored to normalcy in the Church and the Community.

The Church needs to move forward to ask God to restore us as Salt and Light. We need to pray for the miraculous presence of God. We need the supernatural. God can fix something out of nothing.

(notes taken by Kathy Pipal, prayer coordinator of Treasure Valley, Idaho, intercessors.)
Sent by: Ann Doupont