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11 July 2006 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
First of all my name is Rev. Grace Warnock. I have lived in Polk county all of my life and currently live in Lakeland, Florida. I am a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, an intercessor and a servant of God and His people. I love Jesus with everything that is in me and have dedicated my life to Him. I simply want to be obedient to His will and do whatever He tells me to do. I have no personal agenda; only to glorify my Father in heaven and to see His kingdom established in the earth. Several months ago I heard the Lord saying, “The hour is late, it’s time to gather the intercessors”. That is the purpose of this letter. This is a personal invitation to every pastor, leader, intercessor and believer in Christ to be a part of a prayer initiative called “Pray Lakeland”. This will be a monthly prayer and worship gathering. A time of focused prayer for the city of Lakeland! God has a plan for every individual; every city, state and nation on the earth and it is a good plan. (Jeremiah 29:11-13) Over the years, many revivals have been birthed in the city of Lakeland, many ministries established and many ministers sent out from this beautiful city. I believe Lakeland is destined to be an apostolic city - “a city of revival”! It is time to re-dig those wells of revival! God has a plan to liberate our cities from darkness. He wants to transform the spiritual climate of our community and establish His house, “the house of the Lord” - a house of prayer for all nations. (Matthew 21:13) In a universal sense, every believer in Christ is part of the Lord’s house. In a practical sense, the house of the Lord is only functional as we are “built together”. The church is to become “a dwelling of God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19-22). Therefore, the house of the Lord is defined as “the living, united, praying church in the city”.
For years we have prayed for revivals. Yes, revival is coming but not to every city will revival come! Areas where the church is divided will not see the fullness of Christ (Matthew 12:25). It’s wonderful that some churches are experiencing revival, but it’s not enough. It’s only the beginning. Darkness will continue to increase where the church is divided. Yes, satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers to the message of the gospel, but he has also built strongholds of religious pride and self-contentment in the church. We should remember the warning of John the Baptist in preparation for Christ’s coming: “Every mountain and hill shall be brought low” (Luke 3:5). The point is – ‘If you think your church has a corner on “revival”, remember, it is only a corner! John the Baptist’s message came also as encouragement: “Let every valley and ravine be filled and lifted up” (Isaiah: 40:4, Luke 3:5). In other words, if you feel your church or ministry is insignificant or that perhaps forgotten by God. Let me assure you – you are not forgotten – “God knows your name” and it is His desire to fill you with His presence and lift you up as a lighthouse – a city on a hill! Let us all remember – God will give grace to the humble – it is in this spirit of humility that great grace and great power will come to the church (Acts 4:31, 32, 33). The Spirit of God is preparing His church for the coming harvest. The Lord is rising up an army of leaders in cities all across our nation and the world that will take their cities for the kingdom of God. This is the work of God and not man. We must lay aside individual differences and doctrines and come together in united worship and warfare. It’s now time to rebuild the house of the Lord and make Jesus the Lord of every area of our lives and communities. For in this will healing come! In the words of Francis Frangipane: “It takes a city wide church to win a citywide war”! In the words of Jesus Christ: ”I will build My church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it”! (Matthew 16:18) “Pray Lakeland” will simply be a time of meeting together regularly in prayer for each other and for our city. Won’t you come? Yours for the Kingdom! Rev. Grace Warnock |
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Warmest
greetings to you! This letter comes to you today as both an invitation
and an introduction.
