‘Thank you, Lord for showing me this,’ Layla said with a smile.
She led the host in the ‘Sinners Prayer.’
“Repeat after me. Lord Jesus, I come to you... I am sorry for the things I have done wrong... I ask you to forgive me for my sins... I want you to save me and to become the Lord of my life... Thank you for forgiving me... Thank you for accepting me into your family... I will live for you for the rest of my life... I declare I am now saved and I am now a Christian... In Jesus Name... Amen.”
37.
Afterwards
Her friends jumped to their feet, over the moon with how well the meeting went.
“Come on let’s go find her,” said Trinity.
Trinity, Samantha, Tristan, Caden, and Liberty went off to find Layla.
Layla stepped off the stage shaking, with a huge smile on her face.
Linda gave her a hug, “Layla, you were amazing! You did an incredible job of delivering that message. We are going to run out of our new Christian resources on the first night. We will need to get some more of those ‘A Fresh Start’ books for new Christians.”
On their way to finding Layla, Tristan bumped into his friend Shaun.
“Hey Shaun, how’s it going?”
“Great man. Great preaching.”
“Yeah, lots of people here too. Seems like almost the whole city.”
“Hey Tristan, I’ve meant to catch up with you. Do you have a minute or two?”
“Of course.”
“You know how when we went out climbing together the other day and we were talking about hearing God’s voice?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I was thinking about what you were saying, and I asked God to speak to me that night. Anyway, I had this crazy dream.”
“Go on.”
“So I had this crazy dream. I was in the midst of this battle, and I was fighting demons, and then these angels picked me up and dropped me in front of a throne. Then I had to fight some more to get close to the throne. I woke up the next morning sweating. It felt pretty real. Then this phrase came into my mind, ‘City Appointed.’ After that, I thought of you and wanted to talk to you about it.”
As Shaun spoke, Tristan’s smile had broadened.
“OK, this is what I reckon. Tonight, when you get home, ask God to speak to you again, then pray for a bit and see what happens. I think God is going to take you on a journey.”
“I was thinking of spending some time with God tonight anyway.”
“Cool. Hey, I better catch up with the others. Let me know how it goes. You free to do some climbing next weekend?”
“Yep, let’s do it. I’ll give you a call.”
It was a blur for Layla once she stepped off the stage and many people congratulated her.
‘Thank you, Lord,’ she kept saying in her mind as thankfulness continued to overflow from her heart to God with each conversation she had. She knew that she was a part of a miraculous night and that God had used her to transform many lives.
Just then the others found her. Layla was getting handshakes and hugs from various people.
Samantha ran up to her and gave her a hug. “You were sensational! So many people got saved!”
Caden said, “It was all worth it. Awesome being a part of this journey with you.”
They all went home later that night, having talked with some of the new Christians who had made first-time decisions to follow the Lord, collecting the response forms and assigning them to various local churches in the area.
The week-long crusade saw thousands saved and was a huge turning point for the city.
A year later, the city’s transformation was physically evident. Business was up twenty percent on the previous year – over twice the national average. Three churches in the city had produced albums. Caden’s band had cut an album that featured on the national charts. A well-known film producer had also set up headquarters in the city, and there was the talk of a big budget movie to be produced using the infrastructure of Riverdale as a backdrop. Gallard High School felt like a completely different place to what it was a year before. The school was becoming respectable again, grades were lifting, and the Christian group became revitalized with fifty attending each week. Though Principal Spurges didn’t go to the Christian group, he helped them wherever he could, with advertising and resources. The group was now outreaching and every week new-comers were attending.
On the eve that marked the first year of their collective vision, the six decided to get together to pray and thank God again for how he used them to advance his purposes for their city. As they prayed and came together more and more into unity, the vision of Grace Falls came into their spirits. They were standing on the top of Grace Falls looking out over the city. The city was aglow with twinkling lights. Darkness shrouded the landscape beyond Riverdale’s limits. As they stood on the clifftop, another came and stood alongside them.
“Jack!” said Caden.
“Hi Team,” he replied.
Then others joined them.
“Falcon!” said Liberty.
Seraph, Shar, and Trillion also appeared along with the angel with the four faces who had commissioned them. The six were now twelve.
‘Keep that head in one place!’ thought Samantha. The human face smiled at her as if reading her thoughts.
Together they looked out and surveyed the city as a gentle night breeze blew over their skin. The axes shone brightly. The city had remained in alignment and was growing from strength to strength.
“Are you ready?” said the commissioning angel.
“For what?” said Caden slowly, almost knowing what may come next.
“Your city is secure, but there are others,” said the angel.
“Are we going on another adventure?” asked Samantha with a twinkle in her eye.
“Your fellowship was the first of its kind. Since then there have been others. But there is a city in desperate need, and we need your experience and faith on this mission. Do you accept the assignment to save another city that is appointed?”
The six looked at each other and couldn’t help showing their excitement.
“I think we all seem up for the challenge,” replied Tristan, “Where are we going?”
“You will see,” said the angel.
The twelve remained for a moment, then faded out of earth realm.
A wind blew across the empty clifftop. Blades of grass quivered in the breeze. A puff of dust blew through the emptiness where the twelve had stood just moments before. Elsewhere in the world, a team was about to be deployed into battle, but here, on this night, all was quiet, all was peace.
Epilogue
About Cities
Why do cities on earth exist? What is their purpose? Throughout history have people just chosen a location to gather together to build houses, buildings, libraries, parks, and churches? Or, has God divinely inspired people to create a place to gather in exact locations to bring his purposes on earth?
Ever since the very first city existed, the city of Enoch, there has always been a reason for every city that has ever been. They are reference points on the surface of the earth to mark spiritual regions and purposes across our planet. One city is not isolated from another. Angelic highways run between them, just as demonic pathways also form networks using them as reference points.
People who lead a city, or reside under the covering of one, must have some understanding of its purpose. It doesn’t have to be a thorough understanding, but as a leader makes a wise decision based on knowledge and motivated by the welfare of the people, the result will be blessing and favour. The city as a whole will respond to good leadership and become great. A city’s purpose may be to provide governance for a country. It may be to direct finance, education, social policy, scientific endeavour, or be a provider of agricultural resource or have an anointing for creativity. A city may be apostolic in nature, releasing national and international movements and leaders. It may have been established to provide reli
gious and spiritual direction for a nation, displaying the power and presence of God. Every city has many layers to its purpose, but it will have a primary function and God places his people by design within cities to be a part of fulfilling that purpose.
For example, a part of the purpose of a coastal city may be to be a gateway for international trade. It may also be intended to release the word of God off-shore and to receive ministries on-shore. Over time purposes can change or be added to, for example, the addition of an airport opens the way for an inland city to become a gateway for the sharing of international resources.
If the Triaxial Identifiers are in alignment, it will function as God has designed it to operate. It will be a source of blessing and provision for the nation. But if the enemy has caused the city to fall out of alignment, its strengths and purposes will be used to advance the enemy’s kingdom.
Every city is appointed by God to contribute to God’s plan of salvation for humankind, but the enemy can cause a region or even a whole country to lose its way. The enemy will distort the atmosphere, take the throne, and remove the memory of its mission, plunging it into darkness. It is challenging to build a church in that kind of environment. In some countries, the only option is having underground churches. At worst, only a few individuals in the entire country have made Jesus Christ their Saviour, and they often live in danger of their lives. For these places, in particular, people around the world must join in faith and pray for believers living under persecution. Pray not only for their protection but also that they would be an effective witness where they live and that there would be an answer for the entire country to have access to the Gospel.
In the places where Christianity is more accepted, through prayer, understanding, teamwork, faith, and obedience, an amazing church will arise, and that church will be a part of the answer to the city and even the country finding itself again.
As believers in Jesus Christ, both as citizens of heaven and earth, we must pray that God’s purposes will prevail. Pray for family and friends, believers and unbelievers, those in leadership and anyone who the Holy Spirit directs you to cover in prayer. God uses the prayers that you pray every day.
‘The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.’ James 5:16B NIV
Purpose for writing this book
Having been a Christian leader in church for most of his life, Mike sees a great need for ongoing Christian discipleship and has a passion to provide this. This book opens up the world of the kingdom of God through the context of a Christian fantasy adventure novel, which encourages and inspires readers to engage their faith and to pray.
City Appointed addresses the fact that earth is the platform for a spiritual battle which requires Christians to take an active part. It gives insight into the spiritual forces at work across cities and nations and how we, as Christians, need to play our part in establishing God’s kingdom on earth.
With insight into how to hear the voice of God and illustrating the benefit of working together in partnership with what God is doing, Mike seeks to encourage readers into living an active Christian lifestyle, which includes engaging in the spiritual battle that rages around us through prayer and steps of faith. He seeks to lift the reader out of being solely concerned for their own daily sphere of life, into having concern for the entire city, and even the entire nation, in which the reader lives.
About the author
Mike lives in Wellington, New Zealand with his wife and three children. He writes in his spare time and also enjoys oil painting, brand design and sports. As a Graphic Designer for over 15 years and a teacher, he has written and designed a number of discipleship resources for new Christians including ‘A Fresh Start’. He has also written courses including ‘Living by the Spirit’ and produced other inspirational material.
Over many years Mike has ministered through the gift of prophecy to large audiences, home group environments, in one-on-one settings and to others. He has taught students, interns and others how to move in the gift of prophecy and to eagerly desire this gift (1 Cor 14:1).
Currently, he travels New Zealand representing persecuted Christians living in the most dangerous places on earth. His aim through this role is to raise awareness and support for persecuted believers.
Mike loves facilitating believers to grow in their faith, helping them step into greater freedom and take up the authority they have in Christ because, ‘The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.’ Proverbs 4:18.
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