Videos
The powerful videos, Transformation 1
and 2, have sold in their thousands.
They speak urgently and prophetically to the church today and show the
way ahead for community transformation in this new millennium. George Otis, Jr. compiled and directs these
astounding programs.
Transformation 1 gives
amazing reports of changed cities.
These include Cali in Columbia, Almolonga in Guatemala, Kiambu in
Nigeria, and Hemet in California. God
answered the united prayers of his people in ways they had never seen before –
drug lords removed, prisons closed, crops multiplied, communities transformed.
Transformation 2, released
in 2001, gives further amazing reports of changed districts, even a whole
country, again in answer to earnest, united prayer. Revival has transformed Canada’s artic region Ungava
Peninsula. The Hebrides Islands in
Scotland saw profound revival. Uganda
welcomed in the new millennium with its president and his wife participating in
a combined churches and community rally in their largest stadium at which they
renounced evil and dedicated their country to God.
Available from Christian bookshops or from
Toowoomba City Church, PO Box 2216, Toowoomba, Qld. 4350. E-mail: tccemail@tcchurch.com.au
Informed Intercession: Transforming Your Community through Spiritual
Mapping and Strategic Prayer by George Otis,
Jr.
(Ventura: Renewal, 1999).
Chapter 1 of this book, “Snapshots of Glory”, is the lead article in this issue No. 17 of
the Renewal
Journal.
Review by C. Peter Wagner, adapted from the Foreword.
God has been raising up an extraordinary group of leaders for his
kingdom in this generation, including George Otis, Jr. I can say with great confidence that the
Body of Christ is in good hands for the future. Through these and many others like them, the Holy Spirit has been
speaking some new things to the churches.
They have the “ear to hear” that Jesus spoke about in his letters to the
churches in Revelation.
These things, of course, are not new to God. They are scriptural, and indeed, a few members of the Body of
Christ were tuned in to them long before the rest of us began to catch on. As we in repentance began to ask God to
“heal the land” (2 Chron. 7:14), we then began to realize how little we knew
about stewardship of the land and about the increased spiritual authority that
is released when leaders become sincerely committed to the geographical sphere
to which they have been assigned
The title of this book, Informed Intercession: Transforming Your
Community through Spiritual Mapping and Strategic Prayer reflects a basic
premise with which I fully agree: Accurately informed intercession is a
critical component in transforming entire communities for Christ.
We all know and practice this principle when, for example, we pray for
a friend. If they ask for prayer, our
first question is, “What do you want me to pray for?” and we go on from there. But only recently have we learned how to ask
such questions to our community and get the answers we need.
George Otis, Jr. has been the pioneer of this important discipline that
we now call “spiritual mapping.” As
might be expected, the novelty of an activity such as spiritual mapping
attracts its share of flakes. While
they may be somewhat of an embarrassment to the rest of us, I do admire their
zeal. Furthermore, as I have tracked
some of them down and discussed this with them, I have yet to meet one who
wants to be a flake. They will be the
first to admit that they would love to have more role models and better
instruction.
This book will meet those needs.
This is a remarkable document that will raise the whole spiritual
mapping movement to new levels of integrity and usefulness. I would hate to try to use a bread machine
or a computer or a chain saw for the first time without an operator’s
manual. I am grateful that we now have
the operator’s manual for those who desire to attempt spiritual mapping.
What is spiritual mapping for?
This can easily become so fascinating that it seems to be an end in
itself. George Otis will have nothing
of that! The goal is not just to gather
information. The goal is nothing less
than community transformation. Is this
a high standard? It certainly is, and
as you read this book you will be increasingly grateful, as I was, for the
demands for excellence which persist from beginning to end. For those of us who deeply desire to serve
and please the Lord of lords, nothing else would be acceptable.
© Renewal Journal #17: Unity (2001:1) www.renewaljournal.com
Reproduction is permitted so long as
the copyright acknowledgement remains intact with the text.
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