CITYWIDE PRAYER By: Norm Rasmussen God desires that the Body of Christ come together on a more frequent basis to expand the Kingdom of God. The Church – the Body of Christ – has this as their primary purpose: to expand the Kingdom of God. To expand the Kingdom of God, it involves primarily two things: 1): Winning lost souls to Jesus Christ. 2): Discipling those who have made Jesus Christ their Savior and Lord. Citywide prayer is a means of helping win lost souls to Jesus Christ, and to keep disciples of Jesus Christ healthy. It is also the means to help hold back evil (spiritual deception - apostasy - persecution) that is growing in nations around the world, which certainty includes America. For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power -- 1 Corinthians 4:20 A church that is content to allow Satan to rob it of power has nothing left but “words” to give to people. When is the last time someone received a supernatural healing in your church? James 5:14-16 states that it should be happening frequently. If it’s not, why? God desires that His Church be functioning in His supernatural power, but the main reason it is not in most of our cities is because the Church has allowed Satan to divide the Church. A divided church is a powerless church in terms of seeing God’s supernatural power released to heal the sick and diseased. How has Satan effectively divided the Church? By two primary means: 1): The Church is more in competition with the Church than it is in unity. 2): The Church is allowing the devil to divide the Church primarily through fear and lies. God desires that elders of the local Churches of a city meet, once a month (or as the Holy Spirit directs), in a neutral location (to eliminate “the competition factor”) in each city, to anoint with oil and pray for the sick, as James 5:14-16 instructs the Church to do … expecting the power of God to be released. However … an atmosphere must first be created for God’s power to be released. How is that atmosphere to be created? In the United States, many have heard the name of Benny Hinn. Brother Hinn has held healing crusades in most major cities in America. His format has remained essentially the same in creating an atmosphere for God’s power to be released to see people healed: 1): Much prayer with fasting goes forth by the Body of Christ before the crusades in a respective city is held, and while the crusade is going on. 2): Praise and worship to Jesus Christ is the primary focus once the crusade is actually underway. God so delights in our praise and worship to Him. Benny Hinn has always been content to lead the people at each crusade in praise and worship until the power of God begins to be released. Brother Benny realizes that praise and worship creates the very best atmosphere for the power of God to be released in that setting. Minimizing the importance of praise and worship first, or bypassing it all together, most likely will result in very few healings, if any at all. Saved and unsaved can be prayed for to receive healing. Evangelist Reinhardt Bonnke realizes that “power evangelism” is perhaps the most effective means of winning lost souls to Jesus Christ that God has ever given the Church.
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 05:07:59 +0000
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