Samantha lifted her hands to let the glory splash onto her palms. Rain fell from the sky and as it hit the ground showers of droplets fell back into the sky again unhindered by regular gravitational forces. Her heart was full of joy, yet she also felt humbled that she had contributed to the release of the rains. Trinity felt the approval of God within her.
God spoke into her heart, “Congratulations good and faithful servant. You have displayed faith and courage, in the face of imminent danger. You have placed others ahead of yourself and shown the love of God through your actions.”
As Trinity considered God’s message to her, she glanced at the faces of the others and knew they too felt the seal of the Lord’s approval and affection.
Liberty stood up and reached out her hands heavenward. The light drew her in and up into the slip-stream. She rose above the city in the midst of the light and rested in the glorious power that carried her. All around her was brilliance.
Then the other three girls and the two boys were also lifted off their feet and raised high into the sky. All six were now high above the city. They could see the red axis running west to east across the city. They could see the blue axis running north to south, intersecting at the altar. The golden axis rose vertically from the altar and splayed out over the city like a dome.
The six were lifted together into the sky, into the midst of the trails of light. The angel with the four faces joined them - the one who had briefed them at the beginning. He drew them higher into the earth’s atmosphere so that the entire country came into view. Riverdale reduced to a bright point of light like a star gracing the night sky. From the city, four beams of light shot out, connecting Riverdale with four sister cities across the country. The networks looked much like the constellations mapped out across the expanse of space. These four cities also had alignment.
Along with the bright spots, there were also dark patches distorting the country-scape. These cities did not have alignment. The dark cities also had sister cities with dark trails connecting them.
‘How beautiful is this!’ thought Samantha, ‘It’s like looking at satellite imagery. All the sparkling cities and the connections between them encompassed by the long ribbon of coastline. It’s the spiritual map of my country!’
For a moment they became stationary, suspended between heaven and earth.
The angel spoke, “As a city becomes restored, it connects with other ‘God Cities.’ Angelic highways form, and God’s kingdom advances. All over the world, every day, new relationships are being forged, and others are damaged. But God’s kingdom continues to strengthen over the earth. The planet we call Earth, God’s pearl, orbiting around his purposes, is being won and will eventually completely come into alignment. But not until the end.”
As Liberty considered the size of the globe and the obvious contrast of dark versus light stretched over the surface, she realized that they were a part of something much bigger. Her city was one spark on earth that blazed on a fluid, ever-changing surface. Cities were steadily being won and lost, growing or decreasing in brightness over time. To Liberty, the bright spots were reminiscent of the moving waters of the ocean on a sunny day with sunlight reflecting off the crest of waves causing them to sparkle like golden droplets. Dark areas floated over the surface of the earth, like shadows being cast by ever-shifting clouds, only to be cleared away allowing cities to sparkle once again. The scene in front of her started to change. The earth began to spin faster, and Liberty realized that she was looking at earth’s history spanning hundreds of years. The spread of sparkles grew, then receded, but then expanded again to cover more of the surface.
The angel took them higher still. The earth that once filled their vision became a sphere, a ball in space. The six continued their journey away and out. The light faded, blackness took over. As the brilliance slipped away, the walls of Liberty’s lounge room appeared around her.
She was back in her lounge, where she had begun to pray earlier that evening. She looked up at the clock on the wall, 12.46am. ‘I’ve been in that vision for days and days, but here it has only been a few hours!’
‘Was that real? Did we align our city?’ thought Liberty, desperately seeking confirmation that she wasn’t just dreaming. Emotions of achievement and accomplishment remained within her like a banner of victory in her heart, but reasoning started to cloud her feelings with the depressive reality that the whole adventure could have been entirely within her mind. Logic and reason were unwelcome companions at that moment.
‘God, don’t leave me alone!’ she called out from within the depths her soul. She slowly turned to survey the familiar objects that were in the room. The new family portrait hung on the wall, taken a couple of weeks before. It was a candid photograph with her parents to one side, her dad with his arm around her mum. Liberty was turned side-on, piggy-backing her younger brother, both with broad grins. The portrait brought a smile to her face. She continued to gaze around the room. The same old wall cabinet that contained statues, cups, shells and bits and pieces from her parent’s international travels, stood out as a feature of the room. Then she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and gasped. She still wore her armour. She reached down, gripping the hilt, and drew out her sword. She slowly moved the blade through the air. As she did, it slowly faded into mist as did the armour. Angel-Light weaved past and drew her attention. The light grew more intense as it moved around her room. Angel-Light spun together and formed an angel right in front of her eyes.
“Falcon!” she said.
“Yes Liberty,” Falcon replied smiling, answering her silent questions, “You and your friends have succeeded. The culmination of the faith journey of each member of your team, along with much prayer, has brought about this amazing restoration. The throne is ours, the atmosphere is ours, and you have revived the city’s mission. Riverdale will remember its purpose. The scene is all set for the crusade ahead. There is no doubt; it will be a success.”
‘Joy!’ thought Liberty.
The others also returned to where they had been. Layla found herself back in her lounge room, but rather than being on the couch, where she had started, she found herself lying on her back on the floor in the middle of the room with her arms out. She blinked a couple of times and sat up. Layla looked to her left and saw that her bow remained in her hand. She stood to her feet, still suited up. As the armour and bow started to fade and an angel appeared in front of her.
“Hello Shar,” said Layla with a smile.
“Hello, Layla. You and your friends have succeeded. The scene is ready for the crusade. Many shall be saved, and you shall bring a message that will lead many into the kingdom.”
“I’m amazed, honoured and humbled that I could participate in such a way. But it’s not me who will bring the message. It is my dad who is the evangelist. He’s going to preach up a storm!” she said with conviction.
Shar stood and smiled.
36.
Crusade
A suitcase, wallet, passport, mobile phone and an open pack of gum lay on the bed. The apartment, situated on the outskirts of the airport complex, catered primarily for international stop-overs. The mobile phone started to vibrate and ring its familiar tune.
“Hello, this is Kenny,” he said raising the phone to his ear.
“Hi, Dad!”
“Hi, Layla, it’s great to hear your voice,” he said, “I was…”
“I’m looking forward to seeing you, it’s been too long,” Layla interrupted.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing you too. I was just…”
Layla cut across again. She didn’t know why she kept interrupting; it was more subconscious than conscious. She was excited to be talking to her dad again of course because it had been so long since they had seen each other. But she had already sensed somehow that her dad was going to say something that she didn’t want to hear.
So she continued, “I thought I would call to say that you are going to be great tonight! We have been preparing
, and everything is ready for you to come and speak and bring the anointing for salvation. I’m excited to see you and tell you about all that has been going on in the last week. I have had some pretty amazing spiritual experiences that you will be amazed to hear about. But anyway, we are all ready for you!”
There was a pause, “I don’t know how to break this to you honey, but it looks like the flight is going to be delayed due to bad weather.”
Layla’s heart sank. She thought about all the preparation everyone had made for the night. ‘All the advertising… you can’t just cancel or even postpone something like this.’ The opening night of the week-long crusade was sure to be a defining moment for thousands of people. ‘He has to make it. One saving grace is that we haven’t advertised who would be speaking. We could get a stand-in, but no one would be able to deliver like my dad.’
Being an event manager, Layla knew all too well that some things just can’t be managed. The weather being one and flight delays being another!
“Oh, no!” is all she could say.
“You know what,” said Kenny, “It’s only the first night I will miss. I’ll be there for the rest of the week. Layla, I have been praying, and I know that you have pastors and leaders who could stand in for the crusade, but I feel that you are the one to deliver the message tonight.”
Layla’s heart nearly jumped into her mouth.
“What? No way. I can’t do that!” she blurted out.
“But you could do this. I’ve seen you speak before – you are great! All I’m doing is asking you to do is consider it. Pray Layla, ask God, see what he says.”
Layla already knew what God had intended. Shar had said it himself. She did not feel at all equipped to speak to an entire stadium full of people. ‘Hey, maybe no one will come,’ she thought to try and console herself. ‘Layla,’ came a peaceful yet firm voice calling her name. She knew that the crusade would be full of people and that it would be a success. ‘Otherwise, our whole mission would have been pointless, and God doesn’t ‘do’ pointless!’ she told herself.
“OK, I’ll have to consider it, but this wasn’t the plan. It should be Kenny Dorsa on the stage, bringing the anointing back home. After all these years.”
“You are the next generation, Layla. It is time for a fresh move of God, for the baton to be handed over. Now is your time. It is your voice that the people need to hear. Just say what the Lord gives you to say. I’ll be there within 24 hours. I’d better let you go. I’ll be praying for you.”
“And I’ll be praying that the weather clears and you get here soon!” Layla replied.
As she put down the phone, she knew God was calling her to do this. She had been to the throne of the city. She had been a part of preparing the city to receive the message, and now God was calling her to be the one to deliver it. Being a guest evangelist was huge. She had only ever spoken to a few hundred people at a time, but this was the stadium. It almost brought her to tears thinking about it.
She breathed in deeply and let out a short, punchy breath, “OK God, if you are calling me to this, you will help me, and I will give it everything I’ve got!”
The stadium was full. Traffic was gridlocked outside. Many did not even know why they were there or what to expect. The car park was a flood of lights, and the sound of car horns punctuated the busy intersections. Some people just came out because everyone else in the city was. This first night was the moment that the team had waited for in anticipation. Tonight was the night that many churches and intercessors from all over the region had been lifting up in prayer. The main thing that made this crusade different from all the others was that no one knew who the guest speaker was. There were two reasons for this. The first being that the organizers had heard clearly from God that this was the strategy to adopt. The second being that the crusade wasn’t about any one person, but about the message that God wanted to bring.
That night Layla stepped out onto the open-air stage. Lights blazed into her eyes.
The five sat together.
“Hey, where’s Layla?” said Caden.
“You mean that Layla?” said Tristan as he pointed towards the stage.
“She’s the evangelist, and she didn’t tell us?!”
“I guess she is, and no she didn’t,” Tristan responded.
They looked at each other and laughed.
Samantha said to them, “Actually, I got a text from her a few minutes ago. She said that her dad was supposed to speak, but his plane has been delayed. She is stepping in and has asked us to pray.”
A hush came over the crowd.
Liberty looked out over the crowd and noticed people from her school including Principal Spurges. ‘Wow Lord, I pray that you speak to him tonight. Reveal yourself to Principal Spurges!’ she prayed.
“Friends, this is your appointed night. Right now is your appointed moment,” she began.
“Tonight we all gather together to hear a message. A message that is perhaps the most important message you will ever hear in your whole life! It has to do with you, salvation, eternity and the way to everlasting life.”
At this point, Layla thought that she might get some resistance, but there was none. The crowd was hushed, and people were expectant. It was a great start. With the Triaxial Identifiers in alignment, people were able to receive the message; their hearts were open and ready.
“Many of you may not even know why you are here tonight. You may have no idea what this message of salvation is all about. I don’t know how you got here, who brought you, or whether you came alone. But whether you realized it or not, God has been drawing you towards himself. Some of you, he has been drawing for many years to have an encounter him.”
A series of ripples went throughout the crowd of 50,000 people.
“That’s right; you can have an encounter with God tonight that will change your life and change your eternity forever. The message of the kingdom of God is simple. We are all separated from God by our own sinfulness. Sin is doing what is wrong, and it is also failing to do what is right. At some point in our life, and if you are like me, at many points in our lives, we have sinned, and that sin earns us separation from God. If we do nothing about this condition of sinfulness, we will be separated from God forever. We will end up in a place where God is not, and that place is called hell.”
Even saying the ‘h’ word, people were still listening. She felt the anointing flowing through her. Layla knew that the Lord was releasing people from bondage as they listened. Chains were snapping, grips loosened, and demonic claws pulled out, even as she spoke.
She continued to go with the anointing, “There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. In fact, much of what we do and think continues to condemn us every day. But the amazing thing is that God never sends a person to hell. It is our choices, our selfishness, and our pride that lead us there. Our choices are our responsibility alone.
“But there is good news. In fact, it is the best news that you will ever hear. Jesus Christ came to earth to die for our sins. He paid the price for us, a price that we could never pay. He was the one who came to die in our place to give us new life. All we have to do is to acknowledge our sin and our need for him. The way you do that is to tell him that you are sorry and then to accept him as Lord of your life.
“He has given us this precious gift called ‘salvation’ and also another precious gift called ‘free-will.’ We must exercise this second gift to be able to lay hold of the first.
“Let me ask you a few questions. Do you want to live forever? Would you like to live in heaven for eternity? A place where you find meaning, significance and fulfilment? A place where you have an intimate relationship with your creator? Would you want to receive this? Tonight I’m saying that you can.”
“Go Layla!” said Liberty in a hushed voice to Samantha who was sitting beside her. Samantha grabbed Liberty’s hand and squeezed it. The others all had smiles on their faces as Layla was declaring the truth of the eternal gospel.
“Th
ere was a time in my life when I was without hope. Depression gripped me, and I could find no escape, no matter what I tried to do to overcome it. I probably seemed fine on the outside to everyone around me, but inside I knew that my life was slipping away.
“I had heard the message of salvation many times before, but one night it was different. I went to a church meeting similar to this one and listened to the message again. I knew that what I was hearing was truth and that it had power. I felt the presence of God around me, not that I knew what that was at the time. It made me want to cry, though I didn’t know why. My tears were releasing the pain of my past, and that night I gave my life to Jesus. He completely changed me. I found freedom. That night I had the best sleep ever and the next day felt like the brightest day that I had ever lived.
“Tonight I present this opportunity to you.”
Layla gave a call for salvation, for those who wanted to accept Jesus as Lord. People started to move from their seats and flooded the altar at the front. From every part of the stadium, people came forward to accept Jesus, including Spurges! Hundreds of people moved forward, thousands of people came to give their lives to the Lord. As Layla looked around at those coming forward, she saw Angel-Light running through the crowd. She lifted her gaze and saw an ambient red light from the Elemental Stone colouring the sky mixing with a golden radiance emanating from the altar. Layla felt the surge of the Holy Spirit urging her on. Then, for the first time, above the stadium, through the glory-washed sky, she saw faces, many faces. The great cloud of witnesses, with expressions of joy and amazement, were intently focused on the souls coming forward. The witnesses were gazing at them like nothing else mattered or even existed in the universe. Each witness was following a particular person of interest to them, not just as spectators, but as participants in the journey of salvation for these precious souls.
City Appointed_Winning a City for God Page 18