This is the time of year when we reflect and hear from the Lord about His heart for the coming 12 months. (God Himself is not bound by time, but He gives it to us as a gift to keep us on the journey with Him and to help us move “from glory to glory” [2 Cor 3:18]. So, while time is not necessary for Him, I believe that it is necessary for us and important for us.)
While it’s not a new message, I feel that for our assembly of believers, EGLISE JOSUE in Guebwiller, France, 2010 is a year in which we are called to come into a new revelation and experience (words that actually should be inseparable, but in Western thinking are separate):
- of our corporate identity
- in order that we could carry a corporate anointing
- in order that we could come along side our city (Guebwiller and the surrounding area)
- in order that we would bless the city
- in order that the city would become a blessing to the nations
In this audio teaching from Bethel Church in Redding, CA, Bill Johnson explains how God needs a company of people, as opposed to an individual, in order to pour out a blessing and an anointing sufficiently powerful to facilitate transformation of a city or a region. The level of blessing and anointing necessary would crush an individual, but a company of believers who are walking in unity of honest heart relationships can successfully steward such a measure of grace.
I encourage liberal quantities of this teaching while praying for your church and your city. I think this is a word for us specifically, but the same Holy Spirit is undoubtedly saying the same thing specifically to many believers around the world. Start praying and proclaiming the end result now: Jesus, make name-your-city a blessing to the nations!
Practical Steps to Change the World (mp3 9.5Mb)