Impact Your CitySample

Your City is Important to God

If you walk in love, in hospitality, and in your giftedness, you'd better look out for what God's going to do in your life. 

If your desire is to reach your city, be about loving others, being hospitable, and walking in your giftedness. I am a native Houstonian, as I've said. I love my city. I want to see God do amazing things in my city. The church is a key place for evangelizing the city. It says in the book of Genesis that the first city was founded by a man named Enoch. It says he was the builder of the city.

Right before the famous verse of Jeremiah 29:11, the Scripture says, "Seek the welfare of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the Lord on behalf of the city, for when it prospers, you will prosper." 

Do you know that Jesus Christ only wept two times? When Lazarus died and when He prayed over the city of Jerusalem. Those are the only two times Jesus cried that we have recorded in the Scriptures. The city is important to God. 

If you love your city, you will want to see people come to Jesus Christ and will sacrifice and step forward to make that difference in somebody else's life. Peter says, "If anyone speaks, it should be as if it is God's words coming through; if anyone serves, it should be from the strength of God that He provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To Him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen." The key points are: number 1 – God’s glory, and number 2 – His power. 

Loving your city and others is about God’s glory and power. That's what it’s about. It’s not about loving your city because they have the best sports team or the best food. It’s not about your ideas and service to the city. It’s about God. It’s about God wanting to use you so that His love is known to the world. You have this moment before you. It is time you step out into the epicenter of your city and say, "I want to be about what Jesus wept over, and that's the city. Because the city is important to God, it is important to me."