Registration for The 2007 National Meeting of the City Impact Roundtable

Registration for

The 2007 National Meeting of the City Impact Roundtable

El Paso, TX (Juarez, El Paso, Las Cruces region)

April 19-21, 2007

3 Ways to Register: (Please fill out a separate registration form for each individual attending.)

Fax: 760-200-8837 (if paying by credit card) or

Online: Pending

Mail: Attn: Dee Neely, Mission America, PO Box l3930, Palm Desert, CA 92255 (if paying by check or credit card. Make check payable to Mission America Coalition)

• Early-bird Registration $120 (before January 15)
• $135 January 16 - February 15
• Regular Registration $150 (January 16 – April 6)
• Late Registration $175 (April 7-19 )
• Single day registration: $70 Thursday with banquet, $50 without

$70 Friday

$50 Saturday

Please note: Full registration includes 3 meals but does not include lodging.

Register your lodging at Hilton El Paso Airport by Feb 2 for CIR rate of $75.00 - $83.00 per night. Hotel phone: 915-778-4241

http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/hotels/index.jhtml?moreDesc=true&ctyhocn=ELPHIHF

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Mailing Address: ______________________________________________________________

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____ I have enclosed my check payable to the Mission America Coalition $________ (amount)

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info@cityreaching.com * Phone: 952-224-3127 (9-noon Mon-Fri CST) * www.cityreaching.com

RESOURCE ~ Bulletin/Newsletter Prayer Moments

Prayer Minute . . .

PM#0001 > Praise for God's Thoughts to Us

Jeremiah 29:11

Did you know that someone is constantly thinking about you? ---that's right—about you!

The Bible says that God's thoughts to us are numerous. His thoughts are to give us a hope and a future. Jer 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

I don't know about you, but I find it beyound my personal comprehension that our God is so interested in us. But the fact is, He is. This is a reason to come before Him with thanksgiving, praise, and to have hope. Our prayers should reflect this.

Father, we just want to thank You, for Your great love to us and wonderful thoughts for us. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

PM#0005 > God’s Will

I John 5:14

Years ago, I was taught that we should not use written prayers. I thank the Lord that he has since showed me that some of the written prayers used in churches are actually taken from God's word. When we use those prayers, which are based on scripture, we are praying using God's word.

The word of God represents God's will. I John 5:14 says "And this is the confidence that we have in Him that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us:” Therefore when using prayers based on scripture, we are praying in accordance with God's will. Knowing this should encourage us to include scripture in our prayers.

Father, we thank you for your encouragement to us to include scripture in our prayers. In Jesus’ Name, amen.


PM#0007 > Resolution

Psalm 51:10 Living Bible

How many times do we make a resolution to change our ways?

And sometime later what has happened? Many find themselves failing their resolution. They would probably have to admit that they did not ask help especially from Jesus. What God wants of us is to let Him help us; help us to develop in us what He wants for us. Coming to the Lord through prayer and humility can bring that help.

King David prayed a prayer, recorded in Psalm 51:10, which says "Create in me a new, clean heart, O God, filled with clean thoughts and right desires.”

Consider this prayer: ‘Our Heavenly Father, create within me a clean heart, O God, and may it be filled with clean thoughts and right desires. I pray this In Jesus’ Name, amen.

PM#0008 > Who’s Control?

Jeremiah 12:2

Have you ever thought about what really controls you?

We are warned in Jer 12:2 that we may often speak of the Lord, but He is not controlling us or guiding us. That verse says: "Thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins." I believe the word reins could be likened to the reins used on a horse to control him.

I encourage you to examine what is happening in your life, and turn your heart back to the Lord if you find it true that you are not letting Him have control of your life. Take time and pray today and ask the Lord to guide you. He will help you.

Father, may we learn to let you guide us daily and to seek your wisdom through prayer. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

PM#0009 > Wisdom in Difficulties

James 1:5

Do you ever have problems that arise and there is no obvious reason? No matter what you do, that problem always seems to be there.

God knows about your situation, and there is help from Him if you are willing to obey His word. Through prayer we can ask for wisdom. It may take some time and counsel from the Word of God for it to come. Seeking out Godly saints like your pastor may also help. God's wisdom will help you see the root of the problem and Jesus can set us free from that root. He broke the power of sin at Calvary. James 1:5 says "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God." God wants to help us and be involved with every one of us.

Father, you know our circumstances and we ask for your guidance and wisdom. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

©2005 Lewis Turner

Uncommon Prayer ~ The 12 Stations of Love

The Agape Factor:
Twelve Ways to Love
Romans 12:9-16 There is an amazing scene at the end of the 1996 movie Marvin’s Room. Bessie, played by Diane Keaton, has cared for her ill father and her aunt for 20 years. After learning that she has leukemia, she receives a visit from her estranged sister Lee, played by Meryl Streep. Bessie tells Lee, “I’ve been lucky to have had so much love in my life.” Lee says yes, her father and her aunt really do love her. Bessie seems taken aback for a moment. Her sister doesn’t understand. Bessie doesn’t mean she’s lucky to be loved. She means she is lucky to have had so much love to give to others.

Lucky to love. What an amazing perspective. If we are full of God’s love, it will overflow to others. I received a note from a friend who writes:

Life is so good with God in the center. Now problems turn into solutions, fear turns into hope, anger turns to love. I’m free in God and it’s the best place to be. I’ve learned to take risks and face challenges. I take no credit for any of this. To God be all the glory. He never let go. He took me from a bitter, unhappy, depressed alcoholic and gave me the wings of eagles, soaring to heights I never dreamed possible. He’s given me his words to share with other alcoholics, he’s restored my family, and has filled me with His love each day.

That testimony is wonderful in many respects, not least because it perfectly illustrates what it means to have love overflowing in your life. Only God can do that, and he does it whenever he finds a willing heart.

Romans 12:9-16 seems at first glance to be an unconnected series of staccato commands, a "rag bag" of miscellaneous exhortations, but a closer examination reveals that these verses flesh out what love looks like in the Christian life. The theme of the passage is not hard to find: Love must govern all our relationships. John Stott calls this Paul's "recipe for love" and notes that it seems to have twelve "ingredients."

1. Love Must be Sincere.

"Let love be Genuine" (v. 9a).

The word "genuine" literally means "without hypocrisy." It originally referred to an actor who played a certain role on stage. It came to mean anyone who acts contrary to his own true feelings. It particularly applies to those who put forth the appearance of virtue that they do not actually possess. Eugene Peterson (The Message) offers this paraphrase: "Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it."

2. Love Must be Discerning.

"Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good" (v. 9b).

Love hates evil! Think about that for a second. Often we think of love as an ooey-gooey emotion that causes us to lose our sense of right and wrong, but that's far from true Christian love. We cannot love evil and love God at the same time any more than we can love money and love God at the same time. Here's another way to put it. Don't ever get over being shocked by evil. That's hard to do in a world where almost anything goes. Here's a good test. When was the last time you blushed? In the olden days, we blushed when something risqué appeared on television. Now we hardly notice it or we laugh at it. Alexander Pope, the 18th-century English poet, offered this warning:

Vice is a monster of so frightful mien,
As to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.

Sometimes we say, “Love is blind.” God says, “No, love needs clear vision.” Our love needs discernment or else we will end up loving things we ought not to love—and entering into relationships that are not good for us. While love is supreme, it is never enough.

Not every relationship is a good relationship.
Not every choice is a good choice.
Not every friendship is good for us.
Not every job is a wise career move.
Not every roommate is a healthy choice.
Not every purchase is a wise use of our money.

There are really two parts to making wise choices: First, you must know what is right. This is crucial because we live in a world where many people evidently have lost all sense of right and wrong. Everything appears to them as shades of gray. Second, you must have the courage to choose what you know to be right. I happened to catch a few minutes of a televised speech by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. During the question time someone asked how he managed to deal with all the criticism that comes to anyone in a high-profile position. He replied that the most important thing in life is to discover what you believe to be true, and then to stand up for those beliefs no matter what. He then added these words: “If you do what you know is right, it doesn’t matter what people think.” True discernment gives you vision to see what is right and then the courage to choose to do it.

Please take Paul's words to heart!

Never get over being shocked by evil.
Glue yourself to what is good.

3. Love Must Display Tender Affection.

"Love one another with brotherly affection" (v. 10a).

Paul uses two words that speak of the love of family members for each other. One of them is a word you already know--philadelphia. It comes from two Greek words that have been joined together:philos, which means tender affection, fondness, devotion," and adelphos, usually translated "brother," but it literally means "one born of the same womb.” So the word philadelphia literally means "tender affection owed to those born from the same womb.” It's easy to understand why the early Christians adopted this word to describe Christian love. All Christians have been "born of the same womb" through the new birth. Everyone who is saved is saved the same way. God doesn't have three different plans of salvation--Plan A for Protestants, Plan B for Catholics, and Plan C for everyone else. Jesus said, “You must be born again” (John 3:3). To be born again means to receive new life through personal faith in Jesus Christ. It means to be “born from God’s womb.”

Let me illustrate. I have three brothers—Andy, Alan, and Ron. I am the second of four Pritchard brothers. We’re all very different. Andy lives in Alabama, Alan and I live in Mississippi, and Ron lives in Arkansas. We have different personalities, different habits and hobbies, different likes and dislikes. Yet one thing binds us together. We come from the same womb. That fact means that there is a special place in my heart for my brothers so that even if I haven’t seen them for a long time, it’s as if I last saw them yesterday. There is a bond between us that time and distance cannot break.

The same truth applies in the spiritual realm. Everyone who belongs to Jesus belongs to me. And I owe all of them tender affection and brotherly love. Let us be clear about this. We are to love all true believers everywhere all the time. That’s hard because most of us have some inner qualifications. We don’t like this group or that denomination. Maybe we’re not comfortable with people who speak in tongues or with those who use a Prayer Book. We may even distrust people who have a different worship style that we do. Maybe we have some preferences regarding skin color or ethnic background. Put simply, all such thinking is simply wrong and must be abandoned. God’s kingdom is not limited to graduates of one seminary or members of one denomination or to people who look, think and act just like us. God’s kingdom embraces all true believers no matter who they are or what church they happen to attend.

4. Love Must Honor Others.

"Outdo one another in showing honor"(v. 10b).

The Greek word actually has a sense of competition about it, so the translation “outdo one another” is very accurate. We live in a day where the opposite seems to be case. We hear much about quotas, preferential treatment and affirmative action. In the Christian context, it means that we take affirmative action to make sure that others receive preferential treatment before we do. This obviously goes so much against our human nature that it is not possible without the infusion of God's Holy Spirit in our hearts. President Ronald Reagan had this saying on his desk in the Oval Office: "There is no limit to how far you can go if you don't care who gets the credit." Paul would say "Amen!"

5. Love Must be Enthusiastic.

"Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord" (v. 11).

John Stott notes that religious "enthusiasm" is often derided as nothing but excessive emotionalism and a sign of fanaticism. Yet the man we call a fanatic becomes a fan when he goes to a football game and cheers himself hoarse. But Paul's words have nothing to do with how loud we sing or how much we clap or whether or not we raise our hands when we worship. Those things are purely secondary. Paul is challenging us to put as much effort into our Christianity as we do into our work. The Amplified Bible catches the meaning very well: "Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord." The phrase "be aglow and burning with the Spirit" refers to a boiling pot. Serve the Lord with zeal and boiling intensity. The world will not be moved by half-hearted disciples who "sort of" serve the Lord. The story is told of a Communist who said to a Christian acquaintance, "If I believed what you believe, I would crawl over a field of broken glass to make sure everyone heard the news." Living as we do in an age of terrorism and international instability, there is no time to waste. "The King's business requires haste."

6. Love Must be Patient.

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer" (v. 12).

Behind these three phrases lies the hope of our Lord's return. While we wait for Jesus to return from heaven, we must be patient in hard times, constantly praying, and rejoicing in the hope of better days to come. When V. Raymond Edman was president of Wheaton College, he often exhorted the students, "Chin up and knees down." That's good advice for all of us.

7. Love Must be Generous.

"Contribute to the needs of the saints" (v. 13a).

The word translated "contribute" is the verb form of the word koinonia, to share with others. On one level it means sharing in the hurts and heartaches of others. On another level, it means opening our pocketbook and giving so that the poor believers will have their needs met. Here is a true measure of your Christian faith. What are you doing to meet the needs of those who have less than you? We can extend this to supporting God's work around the world. Do you give "off the top" or "off the bottom" of your paycheck? Your answer says something important about the state of your soul.

8. Love Must Pursue Hospitality.

"Seek to show hospitality" (v. 13b).

The Greek word for hospitality is philoxenia, a compound made up of two other Greek words --philos, which means "kind affection" or "love" and xenos, which means "stranger" or “foreigner." Literally, philoxenia means "one who loves strangers." Hospitality means "showing kindness to strangers." This command shows up in various places in the New Testament because hospitality was a central mark of the early church. In the first century they didn't have Holiday Inns, Red Roof Inns, Executive Suites or Hilton Hotels. When Paul came to Corinth, he couldn't check into the Airport Marriott because it hadn't been built yet.

The few inns they did have were ill-kept and dangerous. Many were little more than brothels and havens for brigands and robbers. As Christians traveled from place to place across the Empire, they didn't have the option of staying in a motel. The only way the Christian message could spread would be for Christians to open their homes to others. The only way an evangelist from Antioch could make it in Ephesus would be for a family in Ephesus to open their home to him. The only way a teacher from Caesarea could visit Cyprus would be for someone from Cyprus to open his home and say, "My Brother, you are welcome to stay with me."

I once preached a sermon entitled "Confessions of a Xenophiliac." I began with a confession that there is no such word as xenophiliac. I just made it up by switching around philoxenia, the actual Greek word for hospitality. But I like xenophiliac because it sounds like it ought to be a word even if it's not. Just before I preached the sermon, one of my staff members prayed, "O God, we thank you that you are the original xenophiliac." At first it sounded odd. And then in a flash it hit me. It's true. God is the original "lover of strangers." For while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). While we were estranged from God, He sent his Son to the earth. And we who were once strangers and aliens on the earth have now been brought near to God by the blood of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:11-13).

We are no longer strangers, no longer aliens, no longer orphans, no longer far away from God. We are now as near to God as His own Son is, for through the blood of Jesus we are brought into His family. Because He loved us when we were strangers, we are strangers no more.

That same thing happens today when we show hospitality to others. We are only doing for others what God did for us.

9. Love Must be Kind.

"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them" (v. 14).

There are two parts to this that we must consider:

1. What happens to us.
2. How we respond.

We will be persecuted. We will be hated, mistreated, misunderstood, lied about, gossiped about, and there will be those who go beyond this to hurt us deeply, leaving scars that last for a lifetime. Sometimes the attacks come from those closest to us, sometimes from within our own family, often from our circle of very close friends, and sometimes from people we thought were our best friends. There is no escaping this reality, and to deny it is like denying the sun comes up in the east and sets in the west. Sooner or later people we loved and trusted will let us down, and some of them will turn on us. We can't predict how or when it will happen or who it will be, but it will happen, and what will we do then?

How do you bless someone when you would rather curse them? Here’s a simple way to do that. When faced with someone who has mistreated you, ask God to do for them what you want God to do for you. Seek the blessing for them that you want God to do for you. Think of it this way: The greater the hurt, the greater the potential blessing that will come when we bless those who curse us. Remember that your enemy is a gift from God to you. Though you don’t know it and often can’t see it, the person who has hurt you so deeply is a gift from God to you. To say that is not to excuse evil or to condone mistreatment. It is to say exactly what Joseph meant when he said to his brothers, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). Our enemies humble us, they keep us on our knees, they reveal our weakness, and they expose our total need for God. Just as David needed King Saul to pursue him, to persecute him and repeatedly attempt to kill him, we need the enemies God sends to us. If we didn’t need them, he wouldn’t send them. Therefore, we thank God who knows best, and we love our enemies the best way we can. Often God raises up an enemy to see if we really want to be like Jesus. He will keep our enemies alive and well as long as we need them.

10. Love Must Show Sympathy.

"Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep" (v. 15).

Love gets involved. It doesn't stand stoically on the sidelines while others go through a hard time. Many of us probably find it easier to weep with someone else than to rejoice with them. It is a good thing when we can laugh with our friends, and then weep with them later.

11. Love Must Live in Harmony.

"Live in harmony with one another" (16a).

The Greek literally reads, "Think the same things toward each other." This does not imply total agreement. After all, if two people totally agree on everything, one of them is unnecessary! The word harmony implies a beautiful symphony, a collection of instruments playing on the same page at the same time. They don't sound alike and they don't play the same notes. So it is in the body of Christ. We don't all look alike or act alike or sound alike. We certainly don't always think alike. If you doubt that, remember the last church business meeting you attended. Or better yet, just listen to the different conversations in the lobby of the church after the morning service. The church--both local and worldwide--is enriched by a variety of different opinions. But there is harmony amid the cacophony of sounds when we understand that the things that unite us are greater than the things that divide us.

12. Love Must Show Humility.

"Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited" (v. 16b).

We can say it more directly. Don't be a snob! The word translated "conceited" means "wise in your own thinking." Don't get the big head. Don't think you are too good to hang out with people who are not in your social class. One translation says, "Make real friends with the poor."

Say what you will about Jesus, but he was no snob. He associated with tax collectors, prostitutes and drunkards. And he reserved his harshest words for the Pharisees who robbed widows' homes and claimed to be serving God. Jesus wasn't a "front runner." He was a true "friend of sinners" who welcomed everyone who wanted to be with him.

Someone told D. L. Moody, "Sir, I am a self-made man.” To which Moody replied, "You have relieved the Almighty of a great responsibility."

Increase the Dosage!

As we come to the end of the message, I can only comment that our churches would be happier if we took this passage to heart. It's one thing to talk about love. It's something else to put it into practice. When the late E. Stanley Jones preached on love, a frustrated church leader reported that he had saturated his congregation with love, but one man was causing trouble and threatening to split the church. What should he do since love didn't seem to be working? "Increase the dosage," retorted Jones. In light of this passage, that was a truly biblical response. Love doesn't look the same way in every situation, and sometimes we must practice "tough love" that may be misunderstood by others. But "increasing the dosage" is still God's prescription for dealing with unlovely people.

You may wonder how to apply a message like this because it covers so much territory. Here are a few suggestions:

1) Memorize Romans 12:9-16 this week.
2) Pray over it a verse at a time, asking God to work these qualities into your life.
3) Pick one or two areas where you need to grow, and write down about where you need to begin.
4) If that's too difficult, just pick one of the twelve and make it your goal to put it into practice this week.
5) As you think and as you pray, ask the Lord to bring specific people to your mind. It is easy (and spiritually dangerous) to be non-specific when it comes to love. If we are to grow in this area, our love must reach out to specific people we meet this week. They may come to us through an email or a phone call or a chance encounter or at a meeting or when we are in a big hurry and on our way to do something really important and we don't have time to be bothered and we would be glad to help them later but they need help now, and what will we do then? That's the real test of love. Or the test may come in dealing with the same old grumpy people you live with or work with or go to school with every single day. Grumpy people need love, and who will do it if not you?

A Community of Love

The most powerful recommendation for any church is this--that the members love one another! The world pines for this . . . and flocks where it is found. When the unchurched are asked ask what they looking for in a church, the answer is always the same. They are looking for a caring church. Not just a friendly church or a relevant church or a church with plenty of programs for the kids. And not just a church where the Bible is clearly taught. As good and essential as those things are, they don’t touch the deepest heart cry of this generation. They want to be loved truly and deeply. When the people of the world find such a place, they stand in line to get in.

How does God help us grow in this area? By putting us in situations that force us to practice Christian love. Over the years I have observed God do this again and again. He allows two people to have difficulties with each other, often to the point of anger and bitterness. He does it because the only way we learn to love is by dealing with unlovely people. I have seen it happen between husbands and wives, parents and children, between co-workers, neighbors, fellow students and relatives. I have seen it happen between church members who couldn't stand each other. By God's grace, people who start out disliking each other often end up as dearest friends.

The church is to be a community of love. We owe it to the Lord, to each other, and to the watching world.

Let brotherly love abound more and more.
Let Christian sympathy go out to those in need.
Let us take the banner of God’s concern around the world.
Let us pray for one another and especially for those with whom we disagree.
Let our hearts overflow with brotherly for all of God’s children everywhere.

Dear Lord Jesus, teach us to love each other as you loved us, Amen.

http://www.keepbelieving.com

RESOURCE ~ New Article Attempts to Define Transformation

International Fellowship of Transformation Partners
George Otis, Jr.

Definition & Values

Background Thoughts
Transformation is one of the hottest topics in Christendom, but the word does not have a commonly accepted definition. This has led many to adopt an “anything goes” approach that has diluted the term of its inherent power and meaning. All too often definitions are derived from our inventory of available resources rather than the revelation of Scripture.

In Matthew chapter six Jesus declared to his disciples, “This is how you should pray:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.”

With these brief words we are reminded that God’s presence and purposes are to be the central focus of human society. They are to be realized and promoted not in some limited, religious manner, but as they are in heaven. In the words of the prophet Isaiah we are to “give [ourselves] no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem (or Chicago, London or Singapore) and makes her the praise of the earth” (Isaiah 62:6-7). We are to “renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations” (Isaiah 61:4). If we do this, Ezekiel promises, “the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE” (Ezekiel 48:35).

While many Christians assume transforming revival is about growing congregations, it is actually a matter of renaming or re-identifying our cities.

Since we lack both the right and the capacity to define transformation, our only sensible course is to “consider what God has done…” (Ecclesiastes 7:13). Apart from observing the Father at work we have no way to discover truly reliable principles for success.

Because transforming revival is a principle-based enterprise we can anticipate what God will respond to—namely humility, holiness, repentance, prayer, worship, compassion, faith (II Chronicles 7:14, Isaiah 58:9-12, Isaiah 62:6-7, Hosea 6:3). This allows us to prepare the way of the Lord with confidence: “If my people will…” then “I will heal their land.” There is no presumption here, only obedience. He has removed all mystery from the discussion. We can also safely predict what the fruit of transformation will look like—because, again, God’s Word describes it for us (Psalm 144:14, Isaiah 1:26, Acts 11:20-24, Acts 19:18-20) and because we have seen it in microcosm in the lives of redeemed individuals. What we cannot be certain of are the means by which God will accomplish his purposes. These are as unique as snowflakes, fingerprints, and… cities.

If revival were, as some claim, the product of arbitrary dictate, faith would not even enter the equation. We could only hope that God might one day include our community on his revival itinerary. There would be no principles to apply, no guidelines to follow, no promises to expect, and no certainty of success.

But if we cannot please God in the absence of faith (Hebrews 11:6), neither is faith to be used as an instrument of manipulation. We do not summon God’s presence in order to repair our broken communities, we summon him because we cannot bear to live another day apart from his touch. We seek a lover, not a handyman. If we will make his kingdom purposes our priority (Matthew 6:33), he will come. And when he comes, he will arrive with healing in his wings (Malachi 4:2).

Working Definition
For the term transformation to be properly applied to a community, change must be evident not only in the lives of its inhabitants, but also in the fabric of its institutions. In the end, it is dramatic social, political, and even ecological renewal that sets these cases apart from common experience.

In short, a transformed community is…
...A neighborhood, city or nation whose values and institutions have been overrun by the grace and presence of God
...A place where divine fire has not merely been summoned, it has fallen
...A society in which natural evolutionary change has been disrupted by invasive supernatural power
...A culture that has been impacted comprehensively and undeniably by the Kingdom of God
...A location where kingdom values are celebrated publicly and passed on to future generations

Community transformation is indicated when:
...Political leaders publicly acknowledge their sin and dependence on God
I Kings 11:17-18; 23:2; Jonah 3:6-9)
...New laws, curricula, and business practices are put into effect
(II Chronicles 19:4-10; Nehemiah 10:31)
...The natural environment is restored to its original life-nurturing state
(Leviticus 26:4-5; II Chronicles 7:14; Ezekiel 34:27; 36:29-30)
...Economic conditions improve and lead to a discernable lessening of poverty
(II Chronicles 17:3-5; Psalm 144:14; Isaiah 60:5; Amos 9:13)
...There is a marked change in social entertainment and vices as Kingdom values are integrated into the rhythm of daily life
(Ezra 10:1-4; Nehemiah 8:10, 16; Ecclesiastes 10:17; Acts 19:17-20)
...Crime and corruption diminish throughout the community
(II Kings 12;13-15; Nehemiah 5:6-12; Isaiah 60:17-18)
...Volunteerism increases as Christians recognize their responsibility to heal and undergird the community
(Isaiah 58:10-12; 61:1-4)
...Restored hope and joy leads to a decline in divorce, bankruptcy and suicide
(Nehemiah 12:27-28, 43; Isaiah 54:11-14; 61:3,7; Jeremiah 30:17-19; 31:11-13; Hosea 2:15)
...The spiritual nature of the growing socio-political renewal becomes a hot topic in the secular media
(II Chronicles 20:29; Nehemiah 6:16; Isaiah 55:5; Ezekiel 36:36; Acts 19:17)
...Overwhelmed by the goodness of God, grateful Christians take the embers of revival into surrounding communities and nations
(II Chronicles 17:9; Isaiah 61:6; Acts 11:20-26)

This is a matter of faith, not triumphalism. There is, and will likely continue to be, gross spiritual darkness in the world. Our goal is not to make a new heaven and a new earth, but rather to create salty spots on the earth that stimulate a thirst for God. Like many salty appetizers, these temporal transformations point the way to a larger, more satisfying meal to come.

Shared Values & Beliefs
The following declarations define the IFTP’s common bonds and commitments.
>Presence Priority. We believe that God’s presence is essential to transforma-tional success and must always take precedence over our programs.
>Obedience. We are committed to abandoning our own ideas and agendas in order that we might walk out God’s will and purposes in our corporate mission.
>Prayer. We believe that communion with the Lord of Hosts is the only way to nurture spiritual intimacy and avoid the pitfalls of pride and presumption.
>Relationally Focused. We are bound by long-term, committed friendships rather than short-term project assignments.
>Humility & Servanthood. We seek to advance our common cause by preferring and serving one another in love according to Philippians 2:1-11.
>Accountability. We covet the strength that comes as we walk together and sharpen one another through times of challenge.
>Direct Participation. We are not theorists, but practitioners who mentor and guide communities to and through the transformational process.
>Inclusiveness. We celebrate unity with diversity and look to empower, encourage and equip all who desire to bring transformation to the world.
>Collaboration. We believe that any attempt to control or compete with others is incompatible with God’s desire that his body be “jointly fitted together” for kingdom purposes. We celebrate the autonomy of each member, but we also recognize that autonomy must be linked to interdependence (as opposed to independence).
>Sensitivity. We are committed to a cultivating an ever-deepening awareness of the feelings held by our Lord, our colleagues, and those we look to serve.
>Hiddenness. We seek to avoid the limelight in those situations where adopting a high profile risks casting a shadow over the work and person of Christ.
>Godly Character. We esteem honesty, integrity and a commitment to holiness that begins in a personal transformation.
>Innovation & Creativity. We reject stale, lazy and traditional thinking as unrepresentative of a dynamic God.
Flexibility. We believe a malleable heart and perspective is key to remaining relevant in a changing world.

24/7 Prayer Produces Community Transformation

24-7 Prayer Changes Violent Townships in South Africa

Last year we published the remarkable story of evangelist Peter Sekhonyane
who started a 24-7 prayer watch in the South African township Orange Farm.
Around 1,25 million people live in this squatter camp, situated between
Soweto and Sebokeng. Because Peter was frustrated about the lack of
salvations he encoutered, he decided to first saturate his township with
non-stop prayer, before continuing his evangelistic work.

24-7 PRAYER BRINGS CRIME RATE DOWN

In the Summer of 2004, with the help of some sponsors, he put up a
300-seater tent to facilitate a 24-hour prayer watch in one of the 20
extensions and outer villages of Orange Farm. For three weeks he
intensively trained Christians of all churches on prayer and the principles
of 24-hour prayer. After three weeks, he decided to move the tent to the
next extension, to repeat the process there. In October 2004 seven of these
24/7/365 prayer watches were up and running at an average of 15 hours per
day. Then they combined efforts to launch a week of real 24-hour prayer.

By Saturday Peter went to the police service station to ask how it went
crime-wise during that week. According to their statistics something
strange happened: in seven of the 20 extensions there was nearly no crime -
exactly the seven in which 24-7 prayer was going on!

THE VISION MULTIPLIES

At the date of our publication in Joel News, in July 2005, four tents were
available for training, and 20 prayer watches had been planted in the
township. Then something special started to happen. People from townships
from across the country started to ask for help. Peter and his team
received people from Mpumalanga, KwaZulu Natal, the Cape Flats, Free State,
Soweto and Zimbabwe to train and equip. These groups came for a week or two
to experience for themselves what is happening and receive training.
Afterwards they returned home to start similar 24/7/365 prayer watches in
their own areas.

PEOPLE START COMING TO JESUS

Because as a result of all these prayers crime was declining in the
townships, the police asked Peter and his team to come and help in one of
the outer villages where crime and violence were rampant. Peter started a
prayer watch there. After about two weeks, crime declined rapidly and got
under control!

A second encouraging thing is that people start coming to the Lord as a
result of these prayer watches. Prayer is taken to the people and some are
being prayed for in their homes! The number of salvations seem to be going
up compared to the previous evangelisation outreaches. The positive part is
that significant numbers of new believers can now be discipled as they
regularly come to pray at the prayer watch. Their chance to backslide is
much smaller. It is also surprising to see that most of the new converts
are young people.

NOW 1,460 PRAYER WATCHES PLANTED

Last week Joel News editor Marc van der Woude caught up with Peter
Sekhonyane, who related the encouraging sequel to this story. Over the past
two years the 24-7 prayer watches have 'exploded' to 1,460 prayer centers
throughout the country, mainly in the townships.

"We expect a minimum of five area pastors to adopt the prayer tent (an army
tent) into their township, so there is local ownership," Peter explains.
"Then we give workshops to train the Christians in intercession, who then
bring this 24-7 prayer vision into their churches. This is why we see such
a fast multiplication take place."

TOWARDS TRANSFORMED COMMUNITIES

For most of the churches 24-7 prayer is a completely new dimension.
"Realise that many churches and pastors in the townships are still into
ancestor worship," Peter explains. "The were not used to pray, let alone
24-7. Now the intercessors are being trained to 'cut off' the occult ties
of idolatry, which leads to incredible breakthrough in the communities. As
a result of women getting involved in prayer, we also see them being
released in leadership of the churches. People are being healed, even of
AIDS. The unemployment is doing down. More young people are being educated
and trained."

Peter and his team are steadily working towards their goal of five prayer
training tents per province - one in the north, the east, the south, the
west and the centre. "My mandate is to get the whole country praying,"
Peter says. "Now even the white churches are opening their doors to adopt
24-7 prayer, and ask for our help, which is something that rarely happened
before. In fact, the churches that were most involved in Apartheid are now
the suppliers of the tents we use."

Let's pray for Peter and his team. To fulfil the vision God gave them, they
need another 27 tents, a truck to transport the tents, and a full-time
praise and worship band.

Source: Peter Sekhonyane, sekhonya@postnet.co.za

---

COLOPHON

Joel News International is a leading e-zine on what God is doing worldwide
in the area of prayer, church growth and revival. We offer a keen selection
of encouraging news reports, challenging developments and quality resources
from over 100 reliable sources in six continents. Joel News is a great help
and time-saver for thousands of active Christians in over 120 nations.

Joel News is published weekly on the basis of an annual donation. For more
information visit our donation page: http://www.joelnews.org/donation.htm.

Joel News partners with a wide range of international networks and
ministries in the area of prayer, saturation church planting, revival and
world missions. News reports (no regular mailing lists) can be sent to our
editorial team at info@joelnews.org.

Eight Ways to Grow a Great Soul

Eight Ways to Grow a Great Soul

To cultivate an effective, fulfilling ministry, let’s get specific about how to grow a great soul. Try to view spiritual fitness as more than a high-octane spiritual additive to be poured into the details of ministry. Think of growing a great soul as nothing more or nothing less than an authentic Christian life—normal, whole, well adjusted and Jesus-focused—that is lived as God intends us to live.

The following section provides eight practical ways to grow a great soul. Note, however, that because spiritual growth can come from any activity or action that draws us nearer to God, this list is not exhaustive.

1. Cultivate a Soul Friend

Every pastor needs a trustworthy friend to whom he voluntarily makes himself spiritually accountable. A soul friend must be given permission to question him about motives, marriage and ministry. This soul friend must also be given permission to question him about his relationship with God.

A pastor needs a soul friend who loves him enough to be tender, yet tough. He needs someone to pray for him and with him. Ideally, the soul friend should be willing to listen redemptively to his hurts, affirm his strengths, and call him to authenticity. He must know when to pat the pastor on the back and when to kick him in the seat. This person should be a good friend as well as a demanding critic.

2. Resist the Seduction of Safety

Mere maintenance in church attendance, fund-raising or personal spiritual development sounds so good to us. Humanly, we want to hold on to what we have developed or inherited. It’s good, we feel, to be safe.

Years ago, I knew one high-placed leader who, when faced with a potential recruit or a new program, would always ask, “Is he/it safe?” In his quest for safety, he rejected progressive ideas because they might be controversial, and he seldom appointed maverick ministers because they were too threatening. To the detriment of the Kingdom, he often missed the energy and achievement of new ideas and of innovative people.

We are often like that, too. Our reluctance to risk, pioneer new frontiers or reinvent ministry hinders the work of God and makes it mediocre and inane. The word “great,” as in growing a “great” soul, frightens us. It is so much easier to be careful and cautious and predictable—words that do not seem to fit in the same paragraph with the gospel, missions and worldwide impact.

3. Solicit Prayers from the Faithful

Stamina strengthens ministry that is undergirded by prayer. Untapped prayer support surrounds us. We have more people than we realize who are interested in praying for us. We can have more prayer for the asking—and most of us need all the prayer we can get. Think of those people who might be willing to take your name and ministry to the Father.

People Who Nurtured Your Faith

Sunday School teachers, pastors and friends in your home church will feel highly honored if you ask them to pray for you every day. Power from these prayers cannot be hindered by miles, clocks or calendars.

People You Have Served with in Crises

Every person you helped through a crisis is a prospective candidate to support your ministry with prayer. Because of the difficulties you shared with them, they will have a built-in awareness of how much you need supernatural assistance as you seek to serve others as you served them. They are bonded to you forever by the tender compassion you once showed them.

People Who Need Attention

Every congregation has people who need and want more attention than a pastor is able to give them. A common example is shut-ins who regret they do not get more of their pastor’s time. They may be frail or sick and believe they are unneeded because they cannot do what they once enjoyed doing in the church. Their limitations make them feel useless. Consequently, asking them to pray for you turns their focus to significant concerns outside themselves and makes them feel needed again. It involves them in something important they can do and something you need. Everyone gains.

People Who Serve with You

Christian workers can expect to receive power when they band together in prayer for a common cause. Examples are a local church staff meeting daily for prayer or a church board gathering early Sunday morning to intercede for the ministry of the day. Try enlisting committee members of your church to covenant to pray for each other every day. Emphasize this need as being more important than agenda decisions. As a result, a spiritual synergism develops so two will do much more than twice what you could have done alone.

Ministry Peers Who Can Share Your Prayers

Topping the list of all the inspirational sentences I have ever received in a letter were the words, “Let’s trade prayers.” What an energetic, enabling force for ministry.

4. Rekindle Affection for the Bible

Use Scripture to energize your ministry. Saturate your life with Scripture by active Bible reading. Let your encounter with the Bible shape the details of your ministry. Enter into mental conversation with Bible characters. Synchronize your thinking with its message so you hear, respond and apply new truths to this moment of your life. Use Scripture to energize your ministry.

Read for Relevance

Be open to insight about your life and ministry. Develop a continuous friendship with the Author. Go for quality as well as for quantity. Listen closely to what the Spirit is saying. What does God want you to hear through Scripture about your service for Him?

Interrogate Scripture

Walk around its message and its meaning. Check similar ideas in various passages by using a concordance and commentaries. Probe the passage. Explore, research, study, compare and contrast. As you read, ask questions about how this passage affects your life.

Personalize the Passage

Put your name in a promise or a command. What affirmation does the Scripture say about your ministry? Does it seem to have your name and zip code written on it? If you were present at the particular biblical event, what would you feel and what would you do?

5. Grow Past Your Prayer Hang-Ups

I (Neil) love the old story about lightning striking a nightclub in a tiny western town after the Christian people had an all-night prayer meeting, asking God to destroy the “den of iniquity.” When the nightclub owner heard about the prayer meeting, he sued the church. Immediately, the church people denied any responsibility. The judge threw the case out of court after he observed, “Apparently, the night club owner believes in prayer more than the church people.” This is an interesting parable for pastors.

Like other believers, pastors sometimes suffer from prayer hang-ups. As a result, they focus on problems about prayer without experiencing its possibilities. Most of us have at least one or more of these prayer dilemmas, but a single obstacle should not keep us from earnest conversations with our Lord.

Unanswered Prayers

Although we do not have much light on why some prayers are not answered, God has proven Himself to be the dependable One. Therefore, why not pray in an act of intentional Christian commitment: “I trust You, even though I do not understand why a particular prayer was not answered. I love You. And I want to serve You all the days of my life—in the storms as well as in the sunshine.”

Delayed Answers

Delayed answers often seem unnecessary, even cruel. However, because God knows tomorrow as well as He knows yesterday and today, His wait-awhile answer is always best. Remember that delay does not mean denial.

Guilt About Not Praying Stalks Lots of Good People

In their inwardness, many people carry a picture of God as a harsh, heavenly timekeeper who inspects their time cards every day. They believe God would be more pleased if they prayed longer and louder. Of course, we all could pray more, but the quality of our relationship with God affects our prayers, too. To stop praying because we did not pray enough last week or last month does not move us nearer to God.

Unrelinquished Concerns

Every genuine believer sometimes feels handcuffed by people or issues he cannot control or change. These concerns may perhaps be the consequences of past sins.

Then, too, people from our past have complicated our lives in ways we cannot shake. Some feel defeated by lies told about them, even by good people. Some have been cheated by duplicity or outright stealing. Others have been locked out of “what might have been” by parents, spouses or children. A victorious relinquishment of these concerns will liberate us to live satisfying lives and have an improved ministry. This may be the precise time to pray for the grace of relinquishment—to take your hands off for all time.

6. Enjoy God

Many believers dread spending time with God. They are afraid because they picture Him as an authoritative judge, accusing parent, perfectionist professor, unbending boss or absentee landlord. Accordingly, their meetings with God are dreadfully unpleasant.

If we want to grow a great soul, however, it is essential to wholeheartedly embrace the fact that God champions us. More than the most loving human parent, God wants us to succeed so we can find joy in service and do our adventuresome part to advance His kingdom.

Recently, I (Neil) heard a pastor tell about an early-morning appointment he kept with God. Being a night person, he has difficulty getting up. After dragging himself out of bed to pray on a particular morning, he started back to bed with sleepy eyes and a sluggish brain. Then he experienced an impression as real as an audible voice: “So you would rather sleep another hour than keep your appointment with Me. Who would miss for anything in the whole world a meeting with the King of the Universe, the Lord of resurrection life and the Lover of your soul?” God’s friendly chastisement transformed the pastor’s devotional duty into winsome fellowship with the Father.

Ministry, by definition, makes us partners with omnipotence. Even though we are junior partners, we are important, needed and essential. The mental pictures we have of God provide affirming inspiration we too easily overlook:

• The Judge sets us free when we deserve imprisonment or death.

• The Parent affirms us as a member of God’s family.

• The Professor teaches us truth about the world and ourselves.

• The Ruler stands as sovereign Lord of our lives.

• The Landowner provides us with shelter and security.

Although the possibilities of enjoying the Father are thoroughly rooted in Scripture, the Westminster Catechism summarizes it in beautiful shorthand language: “What is the chief end of humankind? To glorify God and enjoy God forever.”

Look for ways to enjoy God continually. Discover fun and fascination and exhilaration in prayers, Scripture reading, people to whom you minister, hymns, and the magnificent examples of grace all around you. Great souls enjoy the sparkle and satisfaction of friendship with God and His people. Cultivate a sense of joyful ministry for the sheer adventure of it.

Take the glumness out of ministry for a week, and it might never return. Build an enjoyable relationship with God into the fabric of every pastoral effort. Pastoring links you with God’s mighty power. Let’s act like it.

7. Pray Risky and Adventuresome Prayers

Some prayers seem like tough exams that show us what we do not know, what the professor expects, and what significant issues we have overlooked.

Spiritual directors and devotional saints across the centuries have cautioned believers against prayers that request miracles with no effort on their part. Prayers are generally not answered that way.

Far from being magic formulas, prayers are usually answered by receiving an assignment that can be achieved only with divine aid. God answers prayers by empowering us after we have done our best.

Human experience offers many examples. You will have your patience tested when you pray for patience. You will be given a peacemaking task when you petition for peace. Pray for generosity and God will ask you to give more than you have ever given. In a similar vein, genuinely great sermons usually grow out of human anguish or even travail before they receive divine anointing.

Here are five risky, adventuresome prayers that will add a supernatural dimension to your ministry, send you into specialized tasks, make you more Christlike and require more than your best efforts. These prayers could change your ministry forever:

1. Search me.

2. Break me.

3. Stretch me.

4. Lead me.

5. Use me.

Seldom does a person pray even one of these petitions without incredible growth happening in his inner relationship with God or in his outer expressions of Kingdom service. These petitions produce authentic achievement in the front lines of ministry.

8. Commit to Spiritual Self-Care

Adequate spiritual self-care is a little-understood secret of a flourishing ministry. To adequately care for his own spiritual fitness, a pastor must buck busy schedules, priority pressures, unreasonable expectations and secular values. But it must be done.

Like everyone else, pastors should desire the best possible life: Christ-directed living centered on our Lord’s teachings, energized by His nearness, and steeped in His will. The center of a minister’s responsibility is to find such a life for himself and then share it with those he serves. Thus, self-care multiplies his ministry rather than being a favor he does only for himself.

Seeking such a satisfying life may be the main reason people come to church week after week. Sadly, many seekers believe it is a spiritual mirage or an unobtainable ideal because such a Christ-quality life is so seldom modeled before them. Perhaps more people would want this valuable life if we reminded them that Christ brings eternal newness to people of every generation as they welcome Him into the details of their lives. Perhaps more people would thirst for such a quality life if the Church did not keep faith safely embalmed in ancient words or yesteryear’s creeds.

We have the privilege to show them authentic Christian living at its best. Shout it from the housetops and live it in the streets. Nothing faintly compares with the Jesus way of life. The people we serve will be significantly affected by its relevance and sweetness as they observe it working so well in our songs, in our catastrophes, in our ambiguities, and in our victories.

Remember: To teach and live a Christ-quality life is the most gratifying style of life anyone has discovered or enjoyed.

Too many pastors feel their personal spiritual development is hindered by problems, difficulties or limitations. Sometimes they blame their shallowness on a power-hungry matriarch or patriarch in the congregation. But a pastor must look past every impediment to realize a Christ-quality life can be cultivated anywhere. Even tough pastoral assignments offer enough stretching points and affirmative influences for a pastor and spouse to build a Jesus-permeated life.

To nourish this kind of life, a pastor must realize continuously that he is a grace consumer, not a producer. To make this happen for himself, a pastor must value and celebrate the momentous serendipities of pastoral service. Reading, praying and knowing God are part of his job description—something very different from the occupational demands of average Harry in the parish.

Self-care is not only beneficial for the pastor, however, but the congregation also benefits. Such bonding with Christ deepens a pastor’s devotion to ministry and helps him portray Christlikeness in the expressions of his ministry. It positively affects his preaching, counseling and worship leadership. A holy contagion will then ignite his congregation.

As a result, church members move nearer to Christ because they see spiritual adventure at work in their minister. As they see the life of Christ embodied in their leader, their spiritual appetites increase. They begin thirsting for a life of love and trust and grace. This spiritual interplay between pastor and laity is spiritual blooming at its best.

However, without vibrant personal spiritual self-care, a pastor sentences himself to leading a well-intended religious business enterprise, a do-goodish relief agency, or an affable social club. That’s not much fun, and it produces a boring life.

A Great Soul Revitalizes Ministry

Grow a great soul so that supernatural strengths of character will enrich and energize every expression of your ministry. Your personal spiritual strengths can become a mighty combined force for curing the discord, disharmony and confusion that prevail in the Church and in society.

Therefore, fill your inner life with the spirit of Jesus so His character shows in your ministry. Then the work of Christ will survive and thrive or even flourish under your leadership. And remember:

• Great souls preach powerfully, warmly and redemptively.

• Great souls care for hurting, broken people and point them to the Savior.

• Great souls lead worshipers into God’s awesome presence.

• Great souls build strong families, cherish their marriages, and see the Church as the family of God.

• Great souls substitute supernatural achievement for cheap, empty talk.

Consider the incredible possibilities. God intends that your ministry will profoundly affect those you serve. But He plans much more. God wants your ministry to shape you into Christlikeness and to add adventure to your life in ways beyond your fondest imagination. Ministry takes you to adventuresome places. Ministry allows you to rub shoulders with people you would otherwise never know. Your junior partnership with God allows you privileges and permits you to receive grace in a measure no one experiences in other occupations.

Genuine greatness expands your credibility and kindles your passion for Christ. Growing a great soul blasts away the corrosion that, like acid, eats away at the Church’s achievement and vision. A thousand pastors with growing souls can rekindle fires of principle, hope, devotion, conviction, magnanimity, servanthood, imagination, creativity and holy living.

Contemporary Challenge

How to Keep in Shape Spiritually

• Go beyond a professionalized ministry to a personal pilgrimage with God.

• View ministry as a colossal opportunity to grow a great soul.

• Apply to yourself principles of spiritual wellness that you preach to others.

• Refuse to allow your own spirituality to become ceremonial.

• Renew the adventure of being a spokesperson for the resurrected Lord.

• Model the God-permeated life.

• Balance your ministry between being and doing.

• Resist the seduction of safety.

• Solicit prayers from the faithful.

• Enjoy God.

In the middle of the bad, it has never been so good! —Student Prayer⁹

To a New Generation of Pastors
God Loves You—You Matter a Lot

Musings from H. B. London, Jr.

In every worship service I conducted, I always found some way to remind worshipers, “God loves you as though you were the only one in the world to love, and that makes you a very special person.”

Although St. Augustine had a similar phrase, I think the apostle John crystallized the thought when he said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). John was saying that Jesus came in person for each of us—as though we were the only one!

This is a truth that the people in our churches should hear over and over again: They are loved in a unique way by an Almighty God. What a great message! If people could embrace that truth as little children, the Christian walk would be so much easier for them.

What about you? Do you understand that God loves you as though you were the only pastor-teacher-leader in all the world to love? The battles you engage in are His battles. The circumstances you face are familiar to Him. The burdens you bear may be placed on His shoulders with His permission.

So many influences in our world seek to discourage us by telling us we are simply one in a billion. Don’t ever believe that, my friend. God’s love for you is the greatest story ever written.

Live in this great inspiration: “How great is the love the Father has lavished upon us that we should be called the children of God—that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1)

===>Click here to access complete book information . . .

24/7 & Taking Back Our Cities by Juan Ramirez

24/7@Ezekiel 7:23
There are many reasons why a "temple" should be openned 24/7. One is that people need to learn the art of prayer. Because of the violence, the jealousy, the idol worship, the corruption, the distractions of the times. This makes it firtle ground for those seeking to make an impact for God. Gods house whom you are and the temple must open for prayer, worship and the word.

The people will come. I say to pastors, prepare seven leaders and seven assistant leaders to open the place of worship 7 days per week, for the just to come in and bring in the riches of the nations:SOULS and RESOURCES.

The days could be divided which ever way, weather youth night, family night, singles night, childrens night etc;but every thing must be done to save souls and heal lives.

HOW TO BEGIN- Begin by preparing the workers, secondly prepare the people of the church for this, thirdly prepare the ambient, fourthly anounce it by radio, television, news paper,door to door by all means possible. Anouncements should be done for one full month publickly before you begin. Start by having salvation and healing meetings every day and then as the needs arise God will focus your attention to the following step to take.This way the leadership, the church body and the publick know just where to go any day of the week for salvation, healing and hearing the word, faith will grow...so will the congregation. Remember you do not have to spent a lot of money if you hunger for Gods presence and cry out for lost souls.

Begin prayer 24/7 during and after the month of preparation where one person or two or more pray around the clock . Pray for cleansing, for revival of the first love, for unity, for souls, for Gods presence.

Begin fasting 24/7, one or two or more persons can fast one meal, two meals or the whole day. Understant that the time of judgement is now and we must prepare our bodies for suffering, something that was out of our scope until September 11. Well September 11 pales at the things that will take place as of 2007. Thats why is vital that we pray and fast. There will be a changing of the guard.

Teaching-empowerment 24/7, you know you can start by one day or an hour until you reach the point where training is going on every day, recruting,and sending is part of an armies attitude and life.Is there a center like what Iam invisioning and some of you envision?

Sending 24/7, the time has come when new paradigms will take effect. Is like rediscovering the old pattern to enter into the new. Pray the Lord to send for reapers. Now you send them to reap. It is reaping time. It is reaping time. Even if that means crossing borders. Culture, linguistic,and racial. The souls are waiting on us. Romans 10:8-17, is where is at.

Sharing 24/7, where can our people who work nights go and fellowship at three in the morning? No where, because most 99%8 of the churches-"Gods houses" are closed. Making God unprepare and uninterested, and unwilling, non-caring and irresponsible. This Wednesday and Sunday deal is not going to cut it. The job is not getting accomplish this way.Lonelyness is written in many hearts. Frustrations. Desperation. Profound pain. People of God need to know each other in order to realte to one another, serve one another, pray and fast, learn and fight together.People of God heal each other through honestly caring.

Results:
Purity will be the key for revival and visitation. Purity of thoght, of emotions, of will and of soma-body is necessary for a movement like waht we need now in this mid night hour. The water of the word washes us thats why we feel so clean after we have met together for worship, for the word- then feel misreable because there lacks an ingridient call work-Job-not JOB.

Purity brings power. When the blodd cleanses of all sin and unrighteosness, the word comes and washes emotional hurts and negative feelings, confession makes bridges of reconciliation. Purity brings unity and with unity-POWER- The gifts as well as the fruits of the Spieit will begin to manifest. The five-fold ministries begin to flourish, blosom and mature- then the load is easier to bare, because the body parts are now functioning. Prayer, fastind, learning, sharing, going and casting the ent heals people. Every one will begin to excercise spiritual gifts, they will not have time to think that days of miracles are over because the whole atmospheric realm will be filled with miracles God is causing through our simple obedience of 24/7.

Provision: The most worrisome thing is provision and control.My God shall provide because you are fulfilling his will. Save the world-purify the church-make her ready! God is providing right now for some of you a vision which has been in your heart,but not in your agenda.Lets do it..Is possible. But allow God to have the control.

Excercise the power of influence and organization, God will permit the administrative gifts to now operate the way they should for his glory!
His provision is his vision. Where there is a vision there will be pro- in favor of the vision, the necessary resources to fulfill it. See you on our next chat. If you wish write or call, be glad to hear your comments I am in the same quest! Dr. Juan Ramirez /juan4147@sbcglobal.net or 512-751-6437 cell

Taking back our cities

@24/7 PLAN
The church was birth in a tremendous movement-so the question remains why can't we win our city and our nation back to Christ? The movement stop short, we gave in before reaching the world, so now the world is reaching us.God is not stagnated he is Spierit, he is movement. We are still waiting for thenext move and God is waiting for the first one to move so he can bless him. We must repent and stop saying "peace...peace" when there is no peace but a sword, the sword of the desert.

Jesus said:GO-we say COME. Jesus said:DISCIPLE-we INFORM. Jesus:Baptized we say it is politically incorrect. Jesus says:TEACHING them to observe these commandments-we say, business as usual.

A TIME FOR WAR
Jesus engaged his disciples in a war. It will take a militant mentality if we are to get the job accomplish. He said;"deny yourselve take up your cross and follw me." Every one who follows the WAY knows ahead of time that death is a possibility, that is if you follow JESUS! It is not optional is a command "Take up your cross>" This meant and it means today the same thing-death! Jesus was not afraid to speak about suffering 1 Peter4:1-Because he was not a hireling, he was the good shepherd. See for Jesus it wasn't a 9-5 job. He did not depend on a salary from his perishioners so he couldnt be bullied by deacon Perry. Jesus says "Follow me." Some dare say to him, "where can we turn to when only you have words of eternal life".

Profesional pulpits will not get the job done, because they are more aware of statsics than discipleship. More interested in earths gold than heavens worth. More earthly golf minded than sweet blood and tears. The uncouth martyrs of Islam teach their people to be soldiers.

Following Jesus is exaccly what made this nation great-the sacrifice, the blood shed during the independance, the civil war and the many wars fought, even the one we are in now. Yet we refuse to suffer.

PROBLEM
Suffering is what we need to teach as well as prosperity. In the Bible, if you notice the word problem never appears.This is the excuse of Satan, "this is the problem...the problem is ." Let me say to you that there is no answer to the word problem. A mathematical problem has an answer. What is the answer to divorce? Pain..

In God there is solutions to needs-"my God shall provide all your needs, not all your problems".

What we have in scripture is persecution, suffering, denial, sacrifice, anguish, the sword, etc. you see I committed the error of telling people in my meetings, "come to Jesus, he will free you from all your problems." The truth is that coming to Jesus doesn't take peoples problems away, these increase, rather than decrease. Telling the truth to your audience eventually will set them free..The Lord allow me to see thousands of people come to him, he has permitted me to see a city touched by Gods Spirit. Jesus delivers from sin, but not from the cross principle! Be not afraid, fear not, be of good courage, be well, be strong! Juan

Prayers written and offered to God @ National Conversation on Revival

HEART CRIES
From The Glen

Prayers written and offered to God

at the close of the

“National Conversation on Revival”

convened by the National Revival Network

Glen Eyrie Conference Center, Colorado Springs

August 30-September 1, 2006

This past August, in the final hour of a 48 hour retreat involving 32 Christian leaders from across the nation, each convinced of the urgency for corporate revival in the Church and a nationwide Christ-awakening movement, the participants were invited to compose a one paragraph prayer. Each prayer was to be designed to express the core burden of one’s heart, summarizing what we would each want to say to the Father if we stood before His Throne in the presence of the Lamb and under the reign of His Spirit.

After about 15 minutes in private, with prayers written on cards, we knelt while each leader read his prayer, one after the other, with the whole group expressing agreement with each prayer by a united “Amen”. At the conclusion of this experiment many remarked that it was one of the most profound prayer experiences they had ever witnessed.

But there was more. Next we placed a huge sofa in the middle of the room, to represent the Throne in Revelation 5. Then we gathered around the chair on our knees, laid our written prayers on its seat, placed our hands on the chair and on each other, as we joined in prayers and hymns of consecration. We offered ourselves to be an answer to these prayers whatever it would cost us.

To our amazement, we discovered when we stood up that, due to a number of our group who had to leave earlier that morning, there were exactly 24 in the circle, recalling the 24 elders around the Throne in Revelation 4-5. Quickly we concluded this was not coincidence. We saw it as a sign of God’s favor on our prayers of passion for the glory of His Son and for the revival of His people.

Below are the prayers of the “24”. Remember, these prayers represent the overflow of a 48-hour “conversation”. They are the heart-cries of Christian leaders who have given their whole beings to foster and serve whatever God desires to do in this hour to deliver His people from our spiritual disobedience, darkness and paralysis, to revive us again and to bring the Church into a fresh revelation of the greatness and glory of His Son – who He is, where He’s headed, what He’s doing and what He deserves.

[You may read further on the vision behind this “National Conversation” by ordering a copy of the NRN foundational document: AN URGENT APPEAL – To Christian Leaders In America For Consensus and Collaboration On The Nature and Hope of Corporate Revival (published by NavPress).]

THE PRAYERS

• Father: Fulfill ALL you have purposed for your Son in this nation, in my city, region and in the church you have called me to serve. Restore your glory in the earth and in our nation. Manifest your glory! Glorify your Son! Magnify your Son! Make His name known among us. Come Holy Spirit and fully fulfill the purpose for which you have been sent! For Jesus’ sake. AMEN

• Holy Father: In your love, grace and mercy, your sovereignty and power, please pour out your Spirit on the deserts of the churches in this nation. Reveal yourself in all your glory and splendor and beauty so that the world may see who You really are and long for You as never before. Make our churches into the Church you want them to be. Enthrone Yourself in our lives, our churches, our nation and the nations. Do all this for the glory of the cross and the glory of your Holy name. In Jesus’ precious name we ask. AMEN.

• Father: I trust you to give us a greater vision of what our communities would look like if you came in power, visiting us with the blessing of your manifest presence. I believe it is your desire to meet with us, revealing our great need, igniting a passion for the lost and giving us an obsession for your glory. We desire more tongues to give Jesus glory. Give us the desire and strength to prepare for such a visitation. We invite you to come. In Jesus’ exalted name, AMEN.

• Father: Break the hearts of all the Christian leaders in all the churches and ministries, and renew those hearts in such a manner that they seek to be one. Let the Scripture that expresses Jesus’ prayer to you about our being one (Jn. 17) stand as a command in each ministry’s mission statement. Lord, calm our fears of each other and unite the streams of preferences and distinctives in such a way that the unbelieving world is drawn into salvation. For Jesus’ glory. AMEN

• Father: Your Son is so glorious and worthy of complete surrender and worship. Would you please pour out the Spirit of Christ upon your disillusioned, rebellious, prideful, wounded and depressed people in order that we might behold the promised land of intimately knowing Jesus. Then help us to embrace this exchanged life doing whatever it takes, at whatever cost, to know Christ as the Lion and the Lamb. Please lead us into a season of repentance and enable us to humble ourselves before you and tremble at your Word, that your incomparable face might radiate upon us for our ultimate joy, as well as for the renown of your supreme Name among us and all the peoples. In Jesus’ name and authority. AMEN

• My Father: I ask of you that you would pour out your Spirit on the pastors of this land That once again they would love Jesus with passion; that once more they would seek the authority of the Holy Spirit for their preaching; that once more they would be pure in their living and secure in their dying. O my God, create a brotherhood of the flaming heart that spreads throughout out country and leads the Church into revival, awakening and transformation. AMEN

• Lord: Our land is in desperate need and we see many forces arrayed against you and your righteousness. But you are the Lord of history. You are Lord of the forces working against you – who do so in vain! Now, Lord, consider the threats your people face and enable your servants to proclaim your Word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus. Shake your church, fill us afresh with your spirit, and send us forth to speak your word boldly (Acts 4). AMEN

• Dear Lord: We thank you for your promises. We hold dear in our hearts your love for us. We come now with thanksgiving and supreme gratitude for your mercy that endures forever. Lord, pleases intensify our hunger for you. Allow our cities and nation to become desperate for your presence. May we become Christ like in every way possible. Open the doors of blessings upon us and transform us into people of holiness. Disrupt our comfort zones and bring total surrender into our lives. I pray now, believing revival and repentance will come, beginning with me. In Jesus’ mighty name we pray. AMEN

• Heavenly Father: I pray that you would pour out a desire upon your people to pray – that your Church would once again be a House of Prayer. Father, I pray that your people would humble themselves before you; surrender their lives unto you and seek your will in their lives and for this generation. I pray that your glory would be more manifest in your Church such that the whole nation would be gathered unto you! AMEN

• Father: Awaken the dream of Kingdom-life within us. Quicken our passion to seek you and to serve you. Empower us with a confidence that you can take a glowing ember and turn it into a raging fire. Draw our hearts to desire the pleasure of obedience to your Word. Create in us clean hearts and renew right spirits with in us. AMEN

• Father: In the days of Elijah you bought fire to show you alone were the true God. Your fire displayed your glory, then you opened Heaven and rain brought life to the land once again. Lord God: Your Church, the bride of Your Son, needs again the cleansing and purifying work of your fire as well as the refreshing work of your rain. We are desperate for it. When the time was right, you sent both in an instant. I humbly ask that both would fall today in another one of your “suddenlies”. We can’t wait much longer, Lord. Show your fire and rain and Glory in your Church again. AMEN

• Lord: Please give us the brutal honesty to stop calling the “death valley” of our religious experience a “rock garden”. Dis-illusion us fully regarding the propaganda of the false hopes of our own making. Turn us profoundly and simply to Christ that we may experience “resurrection”! Saturate us so that the genuine faith, love and power of Christ’s life will triumph over death and evil – for our joy and your glory. AMEN

• Lord Jesus: We have shamefully broken covenant with You. We have resisted You, and many on our campuses and throughout our country have greatly rebelled again you and renounced you. But even so, aware that we do not deserve anything but judgment, we humbly submit ourselves to you to ask you, in your mercy, to pour out your Spirit on our land. Awaken us, save us, renew our first love. Save your people. AMEN.

• Oh, God my Father: I know you love your Church and the world very, very much. Please pour out your love and grace upon both. Have mercy and continue to show your love to both. Change hearts and place your hand upon us all. AMEN

• Oh, Lord God of all nations: We, your Bride, have rejected you, your Word and your ways. We have fallen in love with other gods – money, sex, and pleasure. Our sins have hurt you, grieved you and even angered you – resulting in a withdrawal of your presence; leaving us to ourselves and self-destruction. O, Lord, on behalf of your people I repent and turn from my wicked ways, Please, oh please, extend your mercy. Turns us again unto You. Cause your face to shine upon us and we will be delivered. Fill your surrendered, broken servants with the fullness of your Spirit. And may the nations tremble at your presence. May your glory fill the earth and may the whole world worship you alone. AMEN

• Father: Though we have all deserted you for our idols, you have said: “I will capture the hearts of the people of God (Ezek. 14:3). We bless you for this promise. It is our hope for a Christ-honoring revival that produces by your Holy Spirit the fruit of repentance, reconciliation, restitution, renewal and reformation. Recapture the hearts of your people in the cities and communities of our nation. Soon, Lord. Even today! AMEN

• Lord: You promised that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. I fully expect and believe that we are on the verge of its completion. Before this great company of witnesses, pour out your Spirit and fill the earth. Bring forth rivers of grace in the wastelands; life where there is now death; and praises, like golden bowls of incense – so that Christ is rightly adored and humankind redeemed. AMEN.

• Father: In Jesus’ name and by Him alone, I ask that You would draw your Church, your Bride in America, to your Word. Then reveal your living Word, bringing repentance, salvation and perpetual holy surrender. Do this in all who are alive in this generation, including within every ethnic group. I pray that people’s motivations would become like Yours – love. I pray that your people would worship You in spirit and truth, thus becoming intimate laborers among all the nations. I pray that we would be a people driven and consumed by the passion of YOUR heart, not our own, that YOUR NAME would be glorified in all the earth. Lastly I ask that people everywhere would fear you once again. AMEN.

• Father: Glorify your Son in the midst of His people. Awaken your Church to see and experience Jesus in all of His glory. May your Holy Spirit be poured out upon us – turning us from sin and self-centeredness. Give life and breath to dry bones. Would you so fill us with your life, light and power, that your transforming Spirit would forever change our communities? Lord Jesus: Live out your life in us in a way that attracts unbelievers, convicts of sin, brings us to holiness and sends your word in power to the very ends of the earth. AMEN

• Lord Jesus: We long for your presence more than we value even our own lives. We want your Lordship, comfort, grace, healing, life, light, beauty, creativity, resurrection and everlasting love. Whatever the cost this means for us, we willingly embrace you yourself. We embrace the ultimate cost to give us this awakening, and we will pay the price gladly. Come, Lord Jesus. AMEN

• Father in Heaven: I hunger for your holiness to be known by all who live in this land. My Lord, this is your land, the United States. May all know that you are set apart, above and beyond anything our minds can grasp. May your rule be absolute over every heart and habit. Capture every heart with your love, every habit with your holiness. Find more than lip-service from those who know you, find “life-service”. And bring every lost sheep home. Feed, clothe and provide for every one. Bring to repentance very sinner, so that you can forgive and restore. Remove all temptation, destroy all evil. And, hasten the day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess the Lordship of Jesus, here and everywhere. AMEN

• Oh, Lord: Move the Church, your people, your house, from being self-focused to being truly focused on the pleasures and joys of Jesus Christ. AMEN

• God: I ask that you graciously reveal yourself through a dramatic and transforming manifestation of your holiness, love, power and majesty. Through that manifestation of who you are, renew and deepen the devotion and faithfulness of your people, and expand even further the reach of your Kingdom by bringing multitudes into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I ask this through the wonderful name of Jesus. AMEN

• Our precious Father: I appeal to you for the re-conversion of your people back to your Son for ALL that he is. I appeal to you to raise up a host of leaders to become “messengers of hope” all through the Body of Christ, saturating your people with a message of the supremacy of your Son that will lead them into large hope and deep repentance. Restore to us a spiritual passion for the cause of Christ everywhere. Especially, I appeal to you to manifest the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus and the power of his Gospel in the life of this nation. Do so with such transforming impact that this gracious revival will strengthen afresh the work of Christ among your people in every part of the earth. Hear and answer. The time has come. Truly, this ordained Christ-awakening is at hand. We are undone without it. Do not delay. For Jesus’ sake alone. AMEN.