THE HOUSE OF THE LORD - God’s Plan To Liberate Your City From Darkness (By Francis Frangipane)Can God build the Church in OUR CITY into a House of the Lord, fit for Him? Will this save our city? Will we pay the price?
A city divided against itself cannot stand. In this book Francis Frangipane challenges churches, their leaders and Christians to lay aside individual doctrinal differences and come together instead, uniting in worship and warfare - to remind the house of the Lord and bring healing to their cities.
“It will take a citywide church to win the citywide war. Our separate, isolated efforts will not stop the flood of increasing evil in our cities if we as Christ’s Church, remain isolated from each other. You may challenge that thought, but it was Jesus Himself who said, “Any city or house divide against itself shall not stand” (Matt 12:25)
STRATEGY TO REACH OUR CITY
1. Establish in the Church its true purpose, which is Christ-likeness. Doctrines which do not support transformation are given a lesser priority. Focus is riveted upon Christ in the Gospels.
2. Cleanse the Church of its visionless and loveless relationship to its city. Nineveh repented. Jesus said if His miracles were done in Sodom it would have repented. In many instances a righteous judge or king arose and turned all Israel back to God. To pray and see entire cities returned to the Lord is both biblical and possible.
3. Discern the specific satanic strongholds in the region. Through repentance and faith in God’s ability these strongholds must be removed.
4. Once satanic strongholds are pulled down in the Church through repentance, the Church has authority to war effectively against evil.
5. Position the Church in daily prayer and spiritual warfare in a minimum of five different church locations throughout the city. Members of various congregations meet in each location.
COMMITMENT
This call requires the laying down of our lives to see the will of God fulfilled. The reader is encouraged to receive from God the grace necessary to make the following commitments:
1. Only where the pastors and churches have overcome pride and ambition is there grace enough to change the entire city. Therefore with God’s help I commit myself to uniting with other pastors, intercessors and believers for the purpose of prayer and action for our city.
2. Only persevering prayer will prove worthy to launch revival. Therefore I commit myself to faithfulness in prayer, pledging myself to corporate prayer with other pastors and intercessors once a week, ultimately expanding that to once a day.
3. Since the answer for every battle is more of Jesus in the Church, our goal must be to see Jesus glorified in our lives. Therefore I commit myself to a life of surrender, that He might increase through me into the world.
From the Book: “The House of the Lord” by Francis Frangipane (Word Publishing) - Available from major Christian bookshops
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4 comments:
The name of Jesus. We know that there is a general hatred of ecclesias. Some of these justified. It stinks of the institutional mess we have made them at times- devoid of Jesus guts and Spiritual power and peace the marks of true faith in Christ, despite the stripes, weakness or poverty.
The problem ? We don't talk about Jesus, probably because we're not close to Jesus. Some would say, but he is close to us. Really. He does say, I will never leave you nor forsake you. He also says, Ask-receive,Seek-find,Knock-Opened. Sunday School 101 stuff. We need to change something, move different, wag that tongue, be it the tongue in out head.
He also says do all unto God's glory. If we are close to Christ without getting too contrived. Wont we have an intimacy with Jesus, which must be spoken about?
I find myself speaking in theoreticals, explaining issues like the debate over 'On this rock,' was it Jesus or Peter- blaah blaah blaah. But where is the pie crust message, the Four and Twenty infused with gourmet kangaroo gravy ? Jesus.
I once said, that the quality of a preacher can be measured by the number of times you hear them say the name of Jesus. This could be wrong. But I find myself talking more and more in theoreticals, in discussion, without the most relevant point of all these discussions- Jesus himself. We need to familiarise ourselves with the basics again about our Lord. And really plug in for sincere faith with the creator, redeemer and Lord and friend, our saviour, by which we can know all 3, our God. 3 for the price of 1 ! I challenge anyone to use that in a discussion in the next week ! '3 for the price of 1.'
Wow ;o)
Good stuff. Keep it coming.
Thanks Ross for your support. Please pray for the ministry of "Transforming Melbourne", as well as the unity of the Body of Christ in our city.
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