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The
Impact Of 'Father Loves Our City' Initiatives
Ambassadors who are blanketing their cities with God's
love are reporting that people are very receptive to
this invitation to 'Come home to the Father that they
have been looking for all their life'.
Pastor Roger Wyatt in Hoddesdon, UK said "I
have been involved in a lot of evangelism in my Christian
life, but nothing can even come close to the sense of
the presence and favor of God on what we have been doing
with the Father's Love Letter".
In New York City, Pastor David Knapp said "I
am delighted to tell you that the response has been
overwhelming and very positive. So many souls have come
to Christ and thousands of opportunities to witness
the Gospel and pray with people have developed".
If you are considering starting a 'Father
Loves Our City' initiative in your community, we would
encourage you consider the following action steps... |
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Ask
God For His Heart For
Your City
Proverbs 11:11
Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed. NIV
Bible
There is no question that God loves your city. The
story of the city of Ninevah in the book of Jonah
clearly illustrates God's heart for the lost in your
city to repent and turn to Him. The Lord would have
even saved the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
if only ten righteous people could have been found.
If you begin to gather with those with like hearts
in your city, and ask God to reveal His Father's heart
for your city and He will! He is not willing that
even one person in your city should perish and if
you ask Him, He will reveal His unique strategy for
your community.
Begin to pray for your city leaders, your business
leaders, for those in your community who are hurting,
suffering and are lost. The more we pray, the more
we will begin to feel the Father's heart beat for
each person in your city. The more people who gather
to pray, especially from different denominations and
backgrounds, the more the blessing of God will be
poured out (Psalm 133) There is no need to rush this
process. Prayer is in itself active.
When you begin to pray, you are already moving in
God's plans and purposes for your city. Some city
initiatives have laid a foundation of prayer for years
before they began to take other steps to blanket their
city with the Father's love.
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Share
The Vision
With Your Pastor & Other City Leaders
It is crucial that you have the support of your local
church community before you move to the next level of
outreach. It is important to share this vision with
others around you, especially your own pastor and other
city leaders. We will be most effective in demonstrating
God's Father-heart for our cities when there is unity
amongst the churches (John 17).
The more people that catch the vision to see your city
blanketed with the Father's love, the more your city
will witness God's Father-heart in action! When your
community begins to see local churches working together,
publicly demonstrating that God has only one family
on earth, which derives its name from Him (Ephesians
3:14-15), that will minister a revelation of the Father's
love. |
Practically
Demonstrate God's Love
To Your City
Nothing speaks louder than our actions when it comes
to sharing the love of God with someone. There are many
creative ways in which you can practically demonstrate
the love of God to your city. In Kingman, Arizona, Lisa
Lannan has organized a free food distribution program,
a neighborhood clean up program, and a free church pick
up service on Sunday mornings.
In Tampa Bay, Linda Chaney has a vibrant prison ministry
and goes out regularly on the street to share the love
of God with those less fortunate. In Jacksonville, Bill
& Deborah Fisher enter local parades and give out
'Father Loves Jacksonville' treats and with the Father's
Love Letter message to those on the parade route. You
can be as creative as you like to be able to express
the love of God through lots of fun activities including
car washes, random acts of kindness, and more. We would
encourage you to contact leaders in other cities to
glean from their ideas and experience.
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Use
The Power Of Media To Express
God's Heart
One
of the most predominant influences that exist in our
culture is that of the media. Whether through radio,
television, newspaper or the cinema, media impacts the
landscape of our culture both good and bad. If we are
to reach the masses in our cities, we need to know how
to wisely use the media for good.
Most people will not enter into a church, but daily
they turn on their television, listen to the radio or
read their morning newspapers. The media is the marketplace
of our cities. With this in mind, we have created 30/60
Father's Love Letter tv/radio spots, newspaper ads,
and billboards to help blanket cities with the Father's
love.
Note: Please Abide By Your Country's Postal Regulations
If you plan on making copies of this love letter to
share with others, please make sure you abide by your
country's postal regulations for home delivery. For
those living in the USA, please click
here to read this special notice .
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