CULTIVATING A PASSION TO IMPACT OUR CITIES

Divided Seminar 1 for LeadersOctober 28, 2009 / 1:00 – 3:00 PM

JRM National Prayer Gathering 2009

God is bringing us to the next level of serving Him and expanding His

kingdom.It is our constant prayer that God will bring us to the next level. And this is a very serious responsibility laid on the shoulders of the pastors and leaders.

Part 1: A Vision For Your City• “Thus says the Lord God: ‘On the day that I

cleanse you from all iniquities, i will also enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt.” – Ezekiel 36:33

• If God has called you to your church, He has called you to your city.

• Our vision begins not only with our church’s future, but also with our city’s future.

• Pastors and spiritual leaders have not been taught to love our cities as much as we love our churches.

Part 1: A Vision For Your City• Churches consumed with themselves and having no impact

on the world around them...• Our first calling is not to the one congregation we preach

to, but to the whole city God has placed us in. • Luke 10:1, Jesus appointed 70 leaders to go two by two into

every city and place where He Himself is about to go. • God has appointed you and sent you into your city because

God is coming to your city. He sent you to prepare a way for his presence and power to be released in your city.

• Luke 19:41-44, Jesus weeps for the city of Jerusalem because it has failed to discern her time of visitation by the Lord.

Part 1: A Vision For Your City• Every city has spiritual seasons. • As leaders sent to our cities we must be aware that there

are prophetic moments, turning points, in our cities. When the turning point is missed, the future of the city is at stake. Every city has a future, a destiny, a hope. We are to weep with God over our city’s future.

• Jesus speaks emphatically about the promised visitation for the city of Jerusalem. The time of visitation is set by God but must be discerned by the city leadership.

• The contrast between what was and what might have been was so great that Jesus could not refrain himself from weeping. God will visit our cities either in revival and redemptive restoration or in judgment.

Part 1: A Vision For Your City• Every city has its season of sowing and reaping.• Cities are full of opportunities. And at the right timing

(season) it can have tremendous receptivity to the gospel.

• Spiritual climate. Knowing the water level of your city. • In the same way that water levels in a reservoir

change according to the time of the year or amount of rainfall, so cities and regions experience varying levels of the Holy Spirit. This is called the Holy Spirit’s “sowing and reaping seasons.”

• Let us not be concerned about our own church growth but with overall growth of the city church.

Part 1: A Vision For Your City• A Nehemiah Attitude.• Why would a man leave his comfort zone for a burned out, broken down,

devastated city? The answer is that he loved his city. We should have a passion like that.

• Nehemiah, as a city-reaching, city-restoring strategist, is a model for all leaders who have a vision for their cities. Nehemiah had a deep spiritual burden for the condition of his city and a vision to change it.

• God is not going to allow these cities to continue under the principalities and powers of evil. God is raising up Nehemiahs who will leave the world of religious matters, job security, running church programs and running church committees to rebuild the city.

• Nehemiah’s response to the challenge of reaching a city was prayer and fasting. Always begin with prayer and fasting. Before we strategize, be fore we program, before we engage the enemy – pray!

Part 1: A Vision For Your City• City Church Goals• As a city church, our desire is to build strong and spiritually

healthy local churches with spiritual strength enough to penetrate the spiritual powers over the city . (Jer. 50:25)

• As a city church, our desire to reap the harvest God would grant us from our city metro area and region, using every means available or necessary to accomplish this. (Matthew 9:37-38)

• As a city church, our desire is to mobilize all believers throughout our city and region to pray and fast, prayerwalk, and unite together to minister every house, every apartment and business within our targeted area, thus reaching our whole city. (1 John 3:8)

Part 1: A Vision For Your City• City Church Goals• As a city church, our desire to penetrate every stronghold of

darkness and by increasing our repentance, resisting all prevailing sins and then increasing our power of prayer intercession over our city and our region. (Ezekiel 22:30)

• As a city church, our desire is to reach each generation with the power of the gospel, reaching past, present, and future generations with relevant spiritual tools and methods, we commit to raising up young leadership who will take significant leadership roles in our city region.

• As a city church, our desire is to turn the tide of wickedness to righteousness. We desire a full-blown authentic revival to cover our city, resulting in new conversion growth in every Bible-believing, Jesus-centered church. We are believing that our prayers and presence will change the future of the city.

Part 2: Keys To The City• Keys matter a lot. When they get lost, there would

be doors that cannot be opened anymore. • Every city has entry points, doors that are locked

securely by the underworld.• We need a locksmith, a master key.• Matthew 16:19, keys of the Kingdom held by Jesus

given to us.• This statement may sound elementary but is

foundational to every city-reaching activity.

Part 2: Keys To The City

• God gives the right key and the right approach.• Take, for example, Jericho. Jericho may seem

invincible but it is actually not. It cannot stand before an army that holds the right key.

• The key may seem insulting to human reasoning. The keys will be given to the humble, the intercessors, the servant-driven churches.

• I Cor. 16:9 – For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.

Part 2: Keys To The City• The integrity and fates of cities are mentioned

throughout the Bible:• Each city has its own unique personality and

destiny. (Rev. 2:19-20, Rev. 2-3)• Each city has its own cry that ascends to heaven

– God hears that cry. (Genesis 18:20-21, Isaiah 14:3)

• God measures, limits and judges the integrity of each city. (Matthew 11:20-22, 22-24; 23:35-38)

• God uses various means to speak clearly to each city. (Micah 6:9; Proverbs 1:20,21; 8:1-7)

Part 2: Keys To The City• The integrity and fates of cities are mentioned throughout

the bible:• God prepares, anoints and sends specific ministries to

specific cities. (Jonah 1:2; Luke 9:51-56)• God has a master key for each individual city. (2 Corinthians

2:12; John 4; Acts 14:27)• God sets the church to stand in the gap and intercede for

the city. (Exodus 32: 11-14; Ezekiel 9:1-7; 22:30,37)• God deals with the church about how it relates to the city.

(Rev. 3:7-8; Rev. 2-3)• God holds the elders of the city responsible for its spiritual

state. (Deut. 11-12; Daniel 21:1-9; Ezekiel 3:17-21; 33:1-9)• God weeps over a city’s spiritual destiny. (Luke 19:41)

Do we have city-church mindset?

Part 3: Securing Borders And Reclaiming Our Cities

• What do we expect GOD to do in our cities? Is our vision too small?

• Our strategy must be one birthed in the spiritual realm and implemented strategically by spiritual means; natural means will not accomplish spiritual ends.

Part 3: Securing Borders And Reclaiming Our Cities

• Prayer, Our Spiritual Firepower• One of the first steps to establishing a city-

reaching church atmosphere is to establish a prayer intercession priority in the church, in every believer.

• To think that we have any chance at all to touch our cities without becoming powerful in prayer is foolish.

Part 3: Securing Borders And Reclaiming Our Cities

• First assignment: to build a greater firepower, greater base of prayer on the personal level.

• Hosea 10:12

Sow for yourselves righteousness,reap the fruit of unfailing love,

and break up your fallow (unplowed) ground;for it is time to seek the LORD,

Until He comes and showers righteousness on you.

Hosea 10:12

Seven Power Points Of Prayer• 1. The preparation of prayer – break up• 2. The hindrances of prayer – fallow ground• 3. The urgency of prayer - for it is time• 4. The focus of prayer – to seek the lord• 5. The persistence of prayer – till• 6. The dynamic presence of God in prayer – He

comes• 7. The abundant answers to prayer – rains

righteousness on you

Part 3: Securing Borders And Reclaiming Our Cities

• Church innovations on promoting prayer– God pulls the JRM higher with what He did during

the 21 days Prayer Chain for the Nation

• Start where you are with as many as you can.• Don’t neglect the promises already given.• Address prayerlessness.

Part 4: Changing the atmosphere.Darkness has certain characteristics...• Darkness affects comprehension• Darkness affects lifestyle• Darkness can overtake people• Darkness is strengthened through hatred• Darkness can dominate cities though evil spiritual

powers• Darkness torments people through evil spirits• Darkness can be felt in certain regions more than in

other areas.• Darkness can desensitize

Part 4: Changing the atmosphere.

The twelve atmosphere goals.• 1. An atmosphere of open heavens– No spiritual hindrances allowed. Only breakthroughs

are allowed.• 2. An atmosphere of unified expectancy– No “business as usual” services.

• 3. An atmosphere of supernatural surprises– He is no common, ordinary God we serve.

• 4. An atmosphere of everyone can receive– No limitations to be placed on anyone.

Part 4: Changing the atmosphere.The twelve atmosphere goals.• 5. An atmosphere of people are important– No person is undervalued here.

• 6. An atmosphere of victorious living is possible– No defeatist attitude; God can deliver anyone at any time.

• 7. An atmosphere of reaching a city– No “hold the fort” philosophy; we attack and take no

prisoners.• 8. An atmosphere of financial blessing– No excuses or apologies; God is good and He desires to

bless and provide for His work.

Part 4: Changing the atmosphere.

The twelve atmosphere goals.• 9. An atmosphere of communion– Where the voice of God is heard clearly.

• 10. An atmosphere of faith– No pessimism about the future; God is in control.

• 11. An atmosphere of vision– Where people see the invisible and do the impossible.

• 12. An atmosphere of worship– Where the river of God is released in fullness.