Old vs. New — Take a Look! April 7, 2007
Posted by Steve in : The City, Powerful Passages , add a commentAs we approach Easter tomorrow here in Chicago, it is worth taking a read of ISAIAH 53 in the Old Testament — This amazing passage from one of the Hebrew Prophets was written more than 700 years before the birth of Jesus, and contains writings that clearly identify and prophesy the coming life and mission of Jesus of Nazareth. This chapter is often cited by Jews and Gentiles as prophecy that must be fulfilled by the Messiah. Franz Delitzsch made an extraordinary but true comment about the 53rd chapter of Isaiah when he said that this chapter is “the most central, the deepest, and the loftiest thing that the Old Testament prophecy, outstripping itself, has ever achieved.”
If you have never done so, take ten minutes and investigate this Jesus. He is the Truth, Check out the claims of Jesus here.
No other person has arisen to lay claim to being a Messiah who would suffer for mankind. Isaiah 53 is found in the the Jewish Tanakh today, though it is generally left out of the weekly synagogue readings, as are many other texts of the Bible. When people read Isaiah 53 without knowing which part of the Bible it comes from, many often assume is from the New Testament. Though many modern rabbis describe the sufferings as (more…)
City Changing Prayer August 15, 2006
Posted by Steve in : Weblog , add a commentJust finished a great read called “City Changing Prayer” by Debra and Frank Green. The subtitle for this book is “Insights From Manchester’s Impacting City Wide Prayer Movement”. Frank and Debra Green have written this book where they describe the journey of how they implemented radical prayer initiatives and joined forces with other ministries that wanted to transform the Manchester area.
This book tells the story of the Manchester Prayer Network from the start – with chapters by Debra and her husband Frank Green. This book stands as a testament that says “it can be done – in England!” Despite all the same problems that any of us would find in our own communities, Debra and Frank Green set up a huge network of prayer over Manchester that has been instrumental in bringing reductions in crime and a release of God’s Spirit. Ministries have come to life and are empowered as these Christian leaders fro mvarious denominations and backgrounds pray together.
Don’t look for a manual telling you three easy steps to bring revival to your City. The principles of united prayer are there, but you need to dig them out rather than reading a simple checklist. Many things that she discusses are things we all can use as we think about prayer in our cities. If you don’t have groups of Christian leaders in your town or city getting together regularly for real prayer sessions then you need to read this book. If you already have this – you should still read the book, because it will show you the potential of the doorway you have walked through.
Debra did an interview with a journalist and said this:
What would you say are five keys to establishing a prayer movement in a city that will make a big impact?
The five most important keys to city-changing prayer are:
- The prayer of agreement. Unity is a huge key. Get people and churches together to pray about community issues.
- Develop a positive attitude towards your city. Don’t sit in judgement, learn to love your city!
- Specific and targeted prayer ie towards crime reduction or other specific sectors of your community.
- Publish your answers to prayer!! People will pray more if you do.
- Hold interesting prayer meetings, which are creative, using a variety of prayer styles, and keep them fast moving. Go for excellence in terms of publicity, presentation and materials.
