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July 23, 2024
A Call to Prayer for Our Nation's Revival
During a recent trip to Montenegro, I found myself face to face with a stark spiritual emptiness, a moment that deeply reminded me of the invaluable religious freedoms we often take for granted in America. This experience forms the backbone of our latest episode, where I reflect upon the stark contrasts and what they mean for our nation's future. Join us, as we explore the transformative power of prayer amidst our current societal challenges, particularly in light of the disturbing news of an attempted assassination of former President Trump.
In this heartfelt conversation, we navigate through the complexities of economic instability, governmental upheaval, and the broader implications for our safety and the well-being of future generations. Drawing inspiration from the biblical story of Moses and Aaron, we delve into how collective prayer can invoke divine mercy and bring about national revival. Through scriptural references and passionate reflections, we call for a return to godly principles and unity in America. Together, let us seek divine intervention and transformation, believing wholeheartedly that hope and righteousness can prevail.
For more information and resources, visit www.citylightnyc.com
(00:00) Prayer and Hope for America
(17:56) Prayer for America's Future
Chapters
00:00 - Prayer and Hope for America
17:56:00 - Prayer for America's Future
Transcript
00:00 - Speaker 1
Prayer will change America. I believe with all of my heart, with all of my heart. Our greatest days as a country are up ahead. God can do it. God will do it. He's gonna show his mercy for our thievery, for our lying, for all of the innumerable sins we've done individually and collectively. As a nation. We deserve the righteousness of God, but the cross of Jesus is there saying I will give you what you don't deserve.
00:26 - Speaker 2
Welcome to the City Light Church podcast. Thanks for joining us today as we look into God's Word and discover the hope and truth that he has for us. If you want to connect with City Light Church, feel free to visit us at CityLightNYCcom. That's CityLightNYCcom. Pastor Boyan Jancic and his team believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is already working in our hearts and minds. As you listen to today's teaching, remember that you are deeply loved by God, that you are surrounded by His grace and that he has a real hope and a future for you that he has a real hope and a future for you.
01:06 - Speaker 3
Thank you, jesus. It is good to be back home. Vacation was wonderful, traveling is nice, but there's no place like home. One thing that hold on. I have the sweat wiping cloth and then the nose blowing. Whatever this is, burn that ushers, burn that. Please Take a torch to it.
01:45
Whenever I go to Montenegro, the Adriatic is beautiful, the weather is lovely, the food is awesome, but you just see that you're in a spiritual wasteland, a desert. There's no spiritual curiosity, there's no church I can go to, not where I was, an entire city of 30,000 people. Nobody's seeking after God, and you know when I say nobody, maybe there's somebody hiding in a bush under a rock online trying to figure it out, but 99% of the population, secular humanism is their God, greed is their God, and a lot of that stems because we were under communism for so long and faith was squashed. And communism also declares there'll be no other gods before me, and it just makes me love this nation so much more. I came here in 1981. I was five years old. I heard the gospel here. I got saved here. America is a place despite its problems, it's still a place where the gospel has free course. It's still a place where hundreds of thousands of people get saved every year. Other nations can't say the same thing. You can focus so much on the negative and there's been an intentional attack on all of us, on our psyches, to only look at the negative, to actually try to get us to hate our own country. Hey, there's a reason why still over 50% of all global immigrants they want to come here, amen. There's a reason the upward mobility, the freedom. I'm grateful for America.
04:03
You know there have been times where I would just let my mind wander because I don't like, obviously, some things that I'm seeing in America. Can I confess some things to you? You ever let your mind wander. See, I am in chains of love to the Lord and I can't let my mind wander too much. I am chained to my calling. I'm here, I've been here over 20 years serving the Lord as pastor of City Light and from everything that I can tell, I'll be doing that till he raptures me up or I fall asleep. Paul said that I'm a bondservant of the Lord, that's, a willful servant in a chain of love.
04:51
But I let my mind wander when they had the whole vaccine passes here and it was such a darkness over New York City and a lot of the country had opened up. And you go out in New York City, people still can't look each other in the eyes. They're all walking around like ninjas, all covered up, and I thought, you know, I wonder if I had to go, where would I go? So I started thinking of all the countries when could I escape to? And then it very quickly hit me there is no escaping. Where am I going to go?
05:26
America is the last bastion. If America falls, what will happen to the world? And a lot of people who have been born in America or have been too long in America, they take for granted what we actually have in America. They think that this is the default state of the world, and it's not the default state Freedom, being able to have upward mobility, being able to of the world and it's not the default state Freedom, being able to have upward mobility, being able to preach the gospel that is not the default state of the world. For the majority of the world, the default state is one level of tyranny or another. Are you aware of that? So I'm grateful for America, other countries.
06:03
I go through passport control. In 20 minutes I land at JFK. Hour and a half flying, I still say hallelujah. I love JFK. I love that woman yelling at me to stay in line. I love that I'm in this unrenovated part Looks like a freak show from the 60s.
06:26
But, god bless America, and because of what happened with the attempted assassination of former President Trump yesterday, I just couldn't go on with business as usual in this service. It just as soon as it happened. I'm like I can't. Now we're going to do a few songs of worship and then I preach the word and then we need to pray for our country. You understand, I feel an urgency in my spirit and a gravity in my spirit. An urgency in my spirit and a gravity in my spirit.
07:10
You remember when we were in 21 days of prayer and fasting and beginning 2024? And I began to say do you think I asked you a rhetorical question? Do you think this whole year it's an election year? Do you think it's gonna just go on without any major event, like it's just going to be business as usual? And the majority of you you knew exactly what I was talking about you said something is going to happen. What happened yesterday is no small thing.
07:40
My father. Who's so? He's so well-tempered, he's not extreme in his thinking, he's not emotional, and a few months ago he told me, with his face pale. He said you know a lot of the reasons why we left former Yugoslavia. That's those same things I'm seeing here right now, some kind of phony baloney, bogus convictions. You can't even tell me what he was convicted of. That was 30 plus. Yeah, what were they and why? Well, orange man bad, and the talking points are all the same. He's going to be a dictator. I wish we had a test run where we could try him out to see if he was going to be a dictator. I wish we had. Like I wish we could look at past history.
08:47
There's a lot of I'll say this with love, but there's a lot of brainwashed Muppets around, especially New York City Muppets Just Muppets, tiktok brain Muppets Just doing whatever. The media. The enemy of America is the media and just programmed in their heads. Well, I don't like him. Okay, tell me specifically what policy in his four years did you not like? Ah, mean, tweet, hurt my feelings. You don't even know that the reason you don't like him is because of the media. I mean, imagine you actually had a crush on someone.
09:28 - Speaker 1
But every time you looked at them, someone came in your ear and went ah, and you just look at them, yeah, and pretty soon you start to associate that person you had a crush on with this harsh screech.
09:43 - Speaker 3
You go. You know I don't like him anymore. I don't know why. Well, that's why. That's why that's why. But it's not just what happened yesterday. It's that we're at a pivotal, pivotal time, and I feel that America can go in any direction and I sense that we can experience something of a golden age, that God will come and have mercy on us and give us another chance and visit us again. Hallelujah.
10:27
I was in. I said earlier I was in Montenegro. I was actually in Rome, I remember, because I woke up. I just woke up when the debates began. So it was 3 am.
10:38
The debates began here at 9 pm and I woke up at 3 am. I started watching the debates in my hotel room and I could only take like 25 minutes. I was like all right, that's enough, that's enough for me. And then, when I woke up, mourning my time, I was shocked. I'm looking at my phone and every media outlet all of a sudden realized that Biden's a Satoshi short of a Bitcoin upstairs, that he's, the lights are on, but no one's home. All of a sudden, they all realize, oh, his cognitive processes, must it looks like they've slowed down and we're like this is what we've been saying. It's not, they just slowed down. They've gotten worse.
11:27
But four years ago, when Trump was filling up stadiums, biden was in a room with little circles drawn around him and 12 other people barely riding his bicycle eating ice cream. Jack, it's no joke, jack. That didn't actually make me happy. It made me nervous. When the media you gotta wonder where did they get their orders from? Where did they get their orders from?
11:58
In lockstep, every outlet, celebrities that adored him. All of a sudden it was like somebody just hit the button Change of plans. This is the way now and it is concerning. You can't look at him and believe that he's running the country. So then the question becomes who is, who is? Who's making the decisions? And please don't confuse me. Don't confuse me with the wackadoo Christian Trump supporters, please. Some of you, you only know two extremes. Don't confuse me with. I know who he is. We all know who he is. I'm not calling him God's prince. We all know his character. We all know his personality. We also know that God can speak through donkeys. Amen, amen. And he did in the bible.
13:04
I'm not voting for Trump because I want him to be my apostle. You're not voting for him because you want him to be your pastor, say I wish we had a better option. Go ahead and wish, wish away. I too wish, but here's where we're at. Go ahead and wish, wish away. I too wish, but here's where we're at. Hallelujah.
13:30
So I want us to pray church. We're going to worship, we're going to pray. If you're a guest, it's a bit of a different service. That's all I got to say. I make no apologies for it. We flow with the Holy Spirit here and we need to, as a body, listen. We, as a body, we need to pray for our country. Prayer changes everything.
13:53
Back when I was in Bible school, this old, fiery man of God, he said this. He said every failure in my life has been a prayer failure. And I don't want to wake up in 2030, 2035, and it's Mad Max beyond Thunderdome in America. And I go Lord, how'd you allow this to happen? And he says how often did you pray? I mean really pray, son? And I go, oh, oh'd you allow this to happen? And he says how often did you pray? I mean, really pray, son? And I go oh, oh, oh, oh. That's for the others, that's for the southern grandmas to do. They're the ones who pray and hold up the nation. We gotta pray. We're commanded in the scriptures to pray, and it says why that the word of God may have free course and be multiplied and that we would be and live at peace. So I want us to pray for the strength of America, that God would be merciful to the United States. We need mercy. You know King Hezekiah. Judgment came upon him and he cried out to the Lord Lord, give me 15 more years please. And God said fine, 15 more years. He's a merciful God. And I want us to pray for revival, because what we need is a move of God.
15:09
Some of you, you've come in and you can just read about revival in books. I've tasted it. I've seen what the Lord did in the 90s and how he would shake entire regions. When revival comes, even the staunchest opponents to God, their hearts are warmed, their eyes are opened. The presence of God is on full display. That God would flex on New York City, on this country, that he would raise us up as the city on a hill. That our light would so shine before men that God would get glory in heaven. Do you believe it can happen? I believe it can happen. I believe with all my heart it will happen. I believe we're closer right now than we were even just a few months ago. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Let me read this to you. Numbers, numbers, chapter 16, verses 41 through 48. Number 16, verse 41 I share this one. Pastor James and I did the series in God we trust, with a question mark.
16:46
I Shared how apolitical I was I because I was young and ignorant and I realized you know I'm saying this in New York City a little different politically here, but you have to ask yourself why was he so universally hated when he was a media darling for decades? Then, all of a sudden, you have this outsider who comes in and he's hated by the left and the right Because he threatens to expose them and shake up the system. I don't want to see America turn into a banana republic. I come from a country like that. The government changed three times in the last two years. How do you build in a nation like that? I was on the beach and I said that restaurant was like half built. I'm like.
17:56
I asked my friend why, like you, guys work around here or what? What's going on here? Like your country, 95% of your GDP is from tourism and the restaurant hasn't even been built and it's summertime again. It doesn't look like anything happened. He said look, the reason for that is is there's been a governmental change three times in two years. Nobody knows what's happening, who's coming or who's going, so you can't build, you can't invest. And then when you look at what happened with that assassination attempt yesterday, that was a major, major failure of his security team On such a level where you have to squint and wonder. I don't wonder too much, but you at least should wonder whether it was an inside job or not.
18:48
Is that the country you want to live in? Not me. I have kids, I'm going to have grandkids. A pastor at church, I want the church to be blessed. I want couples to be able to get married in their 20s and not say, oh, we've got to wait until our 30s, until we're more financially stable. I want moms to be able to stay home with their kids, should they choose to, not this warped economic system that we've fallen into, where both parents have to work 50, 60 hours a week just to make ends meet. Hallelujah, let's read On.
19:32
The next day, all the congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, saying you have killed the people of the Lord. They were always complaining. Now it happened when the congregation had gathered against Moses and Aaron that they turned toward the tabernacle of meeting and suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared. Then Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of meeting and the Lord spoke to Moses saying get away from this congregation that I may consume them in a moment. You may wonder why was the judgment of God so swift and so harsh? Because, it says, some Hebrews complained.
20:18
Yeah, those were the same Hebrews that saw the ten plagues come upon Egypt. Those are the same Hebrews that saw the Lord, with a mighty and outstretched arm, bring them out of Egypt and split the Red Sea open and bring them through onto dry ground. They witnessed firsthand his glory. They witnessed his provision in the form of a pillar of fire by night and a cloud of covering by day. So they should have known better. Yet give it some time and they start complaining and the Lord says this calls for my righteous judgment. But Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in intercession. So Moses said to Aaron Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it. What is incense a symbol of? Throughout the Bible. Yes, good job, city Light, say it louder. Prayer and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them. Atonement there simply means covering, for wrath has gone out from the Lord, the plague has begun. Are you seeing the connection here? Prayer averts judgment.
21:28 - Speaker 1
Prayer releases the mercy of God. Prayer brings the glory of God. Prayer will change America. Yeah, I believe with all of my heart. With all of my heart. Our greatest days as a country are up ahead. God can do it, god will do it. He's gonna show his mercy. What do we deserve for our thievery, for our lying, for all of the innumerable sins We've done individually and collectively as a nation? We deserve the righteousness of God, but the cross of Jesus is there saying I will give you what you don't deserve. We were forgiven all of our sins.
22:05 - Speaker 3
We didn't deserve that, but the blood of Jesus grants us that which we do not deserve Verse 47. We do not deserve Verse 47. Then Aaron took it, as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly and already the plague had begun among the people. So he put in the incense and made atonement for the people, and he stood between the dead and the living. And that's what we're called to do. That's what we're going to do in this service. Hey, I want you to plug in with your whole heart.
22:39
Oftentimes, when it's just like a Sunday service, people get into consumer mode, like they want to kick up their feet, get a bowl of popcorn and watch Netflix. And, yes, something is required of you and it's worth it. And this is one of you and it's worth it. And this is one of the few opportunities we get where we're all together under one roof. And in the first service, we saw something shift. It was glorious. How many of you you're still in the? Wasn't that something? It was like something just shh, hallelujah. And he stood between the dead and the living. So the plague was stopped. Amen, father, in the name of Jesus, you're a good, good God, a God who's abundant in mercy and tender, loving. Kindness, father, we bring up this country, our country, the United States of America, and we ask for another chance. Like Hezekiah cried and said give me 15 more years. We cry on behalf of the nation give us more years.
23:41 - Speaker 1
Let there be a turnaround and a change.
23:44 - Speaker 3
A turnaround like there was in Samaria, where the God of the turnaround shows up, that we do a complete 180, that there will be a holy and reverential fear of the turnaround shows up that we do a complete 180. That there will be a holy and reverential fear of the Lord, that hearts would be turned back to you, o God, lord, that righteousness and holiness would reign in the land, that we would be a shining example of myriads of countries coming together and us fearing the Lord and loving one another.
24:14 - Speaker 1
Father, that the gospel would go forth. That you disrupt every system, every system that's found its way throughout this country that is an offense to you. That you would disrupt it and raise it to the ground, father. That, if you should tarry in sending Jesus, that America be set up for centuries to come as a global lighthouse for the glory of God In Jesus' name amen.
24:48 - Speaker 2
This is the City Light Church podcast. If you've missed any part of today's message or if you would like to find out more about Pastor Boyan Jancic and City Light Church podcast, if you've missed any part of today's message or if you would like to find out more about Pastor Boyan Jancic and City Light Church, visit us at citylightnyccom. That's citylightnyccom. Feel free to visit us online or in person anytime. We would love to connect with you. We pray that you have been encouraged today, that you have been reminded how much God loves you and that you are surrounded by grace. Thank you for listening. Make sure that you subscribe to City Light Church Podcast wherever you find your favorite podcasts worldwide.
Prayer will change America. I believe with all of my heart, with all of my heart. Our greatest days as a country are up ahead. God can do it. God will do it. He's gonna show his mercy for our thievery, for our lying, for all of the innumerable sins we've done individually and collectively. As a nation. We deserve the righteousness of God, but the cross of Jesus is there saying I will give you what you don't deserve.
00:26 - Speaker 2
Welcome to the City Light Church podcast. Thanks for joining us today as we look into God's Word and discover the hope and truth that he has for us. If you want to connect with City Light Church, feel free to visit us at CityLightNYCcom. That's CityLightNYCcom. Pastor Boyan Jancic and his team believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is already working in our hearts and minds. As you listen to today's teaching, remember that you are deeply loved by God, that you are surrounded by His grace and that he has a real hope and a future for you that he has a real hope and a future for you.
01:06 - Speaker 3
Thank you, jesus. It is good to be back home. Vacation was wonderful, traveling is nice, but there's no place like home. One thing that hold on. I have the sweat wiping cloth and then the nose blowing. Whatever this is, burn that ushers, burn that. Please Take a torch to it.
01:45
Whenever I go to Montenegro, the Adriatic is beautiful, the weather is lovely, the food is awesome, but you just see that you're in a spiritual wasteland, a desert. There's no spiritual curiosity, there's no church I can go to, not where I was, an entire city of 30,000 people. Nobody's seeking after God, and you know when I say nobody, maybe there's somebody hiding in a bush under a rock online trying to figure it out, but 99% of the population, secular humanism is their God, greed is their God, and a lot of that stems because we were under communism for so long and faith was squashed. And communism also declares there'll be no other gods before me, and it just makes me love this nation so much more. I came here in 1981. I was five years old. I heard the gospel here. I got saved here. America is a place despite its problems, it's still a place where the gospel has free course. It's still a place where hundreds of thousands of people get saved every year. Other nations can't say the same thing. You can focus so much on the negative and there's been an intentional attack on all of us, on our psyches, to only look at the negative, to actually try to get us to hate our own country. Hey, there's a reason why still over 50% of all global immigrants they want to come here, amen. There's a reason the upward mobility, the freedom. I'm grateful for America.
04:03
You know there have been times where I would just let my mind wander because I don't like, obviously, some things that I'm seeing in America. Can I confess some things to you? You ever let your mind wander. See, I am in chains of love to the Lord and I can't let my mind wander too much. I am chained to my calling. I'm here, I've been here over 20 years serving the Lord as pastor of City Light and from everything that I can tell, I'll be doing that till he raptures me up or I fall asleep. Paul said that I'm a bondservant of the Lord, that's, a willful servant in a chain of love.
04:51
But I let my mind wander when they had the whole vaccine passes here and it was such a darkness over New York City and a lot of the country had opened up. And you go out in New York City, people still can't look each other in the eyes. They're all walking around like ninjas, all covered up, and I thought, you know, I wonder if I had to go, where would I go? So I started thinking of all the countries when could I escape to? And then it very quickly hit me there is no escaping. Where am I going to go?
05:26
America is the last bastion. If America falls, what will happen to the world? And a lot of people who have been born in America or have been too long in America, they take for granted what we actually have in America. They think that this is the default state of the world, and it's not the default state Freedom, being able to have upward mobility, being able to of the world and it's not the default state Freedom, being able to have upward mobility, being able to preach the gospel that is not the default state of the world. For the majority of the world, the default state is one level of tyranny or another. Are you aware of that? So I'm grateful for America, other countries.
06:03
I go through passport control. In 20 minutes I land at JFK. Hour and a half flying, I still say hallelujah. I love JFK. I love that woman yelling at me to stay in line. I love that I'm in this unrenovated part Looks like a freak show from the 60s.
06:26
But, god bless America, and because of what happened with the attempted assassination of former President Trump yesterday, I just couldn't go on with business as usual in this service. It just as soon as it happened. I'm like I can't. Now we're going to do a few songs of worship and then I preach the word and then we need to pray for our country. You understand, I feel an urgency in my spirit and a gravity in my spirit. An urgency in my spirit and a gravity in my spirit.
07:10
You remember when we were in 21 days of prayer and fasting and beginning 2024? And I began to say do you think I asked you a rhetorical question? Do you think this whole year it's an election year? Do you think it's gonna just go on without any major event, like it's just going to be business as usual? And the majority of you you knew exactly what I was talking about you said something is going to happen. What happened yesterday is no small thing.
07:40
My father. Who's so? He's so well-tempered, he's not extreme in his thinking, he's not emotional, and a few months ago he told me, with his face pale. He said you know a lot of the reasons why we left former Yugoslavia. That's those same things I'm seeing here right now, some kind of phony baloney, bogus convictions. You can't even tell me what he was convicted of. That was 30 plus. Yeah, what were they and why? Well, orange man bad, and the talking points are all the same. He's going to be a dictator. I wish we had a test run where we could try him out to see if he was going to be a dictator. I wish we had. Like I wish we could look at past history.
08:47
There's a lot of I'll say this with love, but there's a lot of brainwashed Muppets around, especially New York City Muppets Just Muppets, tiktok brain Muppets Just doing whatever. The media. The enemy of America is the media and just programmed in their heads. Well, I don't like him. Okay, tell me specifically what policy in his four years did you not like? Ah, mean, tweet, hurt my feelings. You don't even know that the reason you don't like him is because of the media. I mean, imagine you actually had a crush on someone.
09:28 - Speaker 1
But every time you looked at them, someone came in your ear and went ah, and you just look at them, yeah, and pretty soon you start to associate that person you had a crush on with this harsh screech.
09:43 - Speaker 3
You go. You know I don't like him anymore. I don't know why. Well, that's why. That's why that's why. But it's not just what happened yesterday. It's that we're at a pivotal, pivotal time, and I feel that America can go in any direction and I sense that we can experience something of a golden age, that God will come and have mercy on us and give us another chance and visit us again. Hallelujah.
10:27
I was in. I said earlier I was in Montenegro. I was actually in Rome, I remember, because I woke up. I just woke up when the debates began. So it was 3 am.
10:38
The debates began here at 9 pm and I woke up at 3 am. I started watching the debates in my hotel room and I could only take like 25 minutes. I was like all right, that's enough, that's enough for me. And then, when I woke up, mourning my time, I was shocked. I'm looking at my phone and every media outlet all of a sudden realized that Biden's a Satoshi short of a Bitcoin upstairs, that he's, the lights are on, but no one's home. All of a sudden, they all realize, oh, his cognitive processes, must it looks like they've slowed down and we're like this is what we've been saying. It's not, they just slowed down. They've gotten worse.
11:27
But four years ago, when Trump was filling up stadiums, biden was in a room with little circles drawn around him and 12 other people barely riding his bicycle eating ice cream. Jack, it's no joke, jack. That didn't actually make me happy. It made me nervous. When the media you gotta wonder where did they get their orders from? Where did they get their orders from?
11:58
In lockstep, every outlet, celebrities that adored him. All of a sudden it was like somebody just hit the button Change of plans. This is the way now and it is concerning. You can't look at him and believe that he's running the country. So then the question becomes who is, who is? Who's making the decisions? And please don't confuse me. Don't confuse me with the wackadoo Christian Trump supporters, please. Some of you, you only know two extremes. Don't confuse me with. I know who he is. We all know who he is. I'm not calling him God's prince. We all know his character. We all know his personality. We also know that God can speak through donkeys. Amen, amen. And he did in the bible.
13:04
I'm not voting for Trump because I want him to be my apostle. You're not voting for him because you want him to be your pastor, say I wish we had a better option. Go ahead and wish, wish away. I too wish, but here's where we're at. Go ahead and wish, wish away. I too wish, but here's where we're at. Hallelujah.
13:30
So I want us to pray church. We're going to worship, we're going to pray. If you're a guest, it's a bit of a different service. That's all I got to say. I make no apologies for it. We flow with the Holy Spirit here and we need to, as a body, listen. We, as a body, we need to pray for our country. Prayer changes everything.
13:53
Back when I was in Bible school, this old, fiery man of God, he said this. He said every failure in my life has been a prayer failure. And I don't want to wake up in 2030, 2035, and it's Mad Max beyond Thunderdome in America. And I go Lord, how'd you allow this to happen? And he says how often did you pray? I mean really pray, son? And I go, oh, oh'd you allow this to happen? And he says how often did you pray? I mean, really pray, son? And I go oh, oh, oh, oh. That's for the others, that's for the southern grandmas to do. They're the ones who pray and hold up the nation. We gotta pray. We're commanded in the scriptures to pray, and it says why that the word of God may have free course and be multiplied and that we would be and live at peace. So I want us to pray for the strength of America, that God would be merciful to the United States. We need mercy. You know King Hezekiah. Judgment came upon him and he cried out to the Lord Lord, give me 15 more years please. And God said fine, 15 more years. He's a merciful God. And I want us to pray for revival, because what we need is a move of God.
15:09
Some of you, you've come in and you can just read about revival in books. I've tasted it. I've seen what the Lord did in the 90s and how he would shake entire regions. When revival comes, even the staunchest opponents to God, their hearts are warmed, their eyes are opened. The presence of God is on full display. That God would flex on New York City, on this country, that he would raise us up as the city on a hill. That our light would so shine before men that God would get glory in heaven. Do you believe it can happen? I believe it can happen. I believe with all my heart it will happen. I believe we're closer right now than we were even just a few months ago. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Let me read this to you. Numbers, numbers, chapter 16, verses 41 through 48. Number 16, verse 41 I share this one. Pastor James and I did the series in God we trust, with a question mark.
16:46
I Shared how apolitical I was I because I was young and ignorant and I realized you know I'm saying this in New York City a little different politically here, but you have to ask yourself why was he so universally hated when he was a media darling for decades? Then, all of a sudden, you have this outsider who comes in and he's hated by the left and the right Because he threatens to expose them and shake up the system. I don't want to see America turn into a banana republic. I come from a country like that. The government changed three times in the last two years. How do you build in a nation like that? I was on the beach and I said that restaurant was like half built. I'm like.
17:56
I asked my friend why, like you, guys work around here or what? What's going on here? Like your country, 95% of your GDP is from tourism and the restaurant hasn't even been built and it's summertime again. It doesn't look like anything happened. He said look, the reason for that is is there's been a governmental change three times in two years. Nobody knows what's happening, who's coming or who's going, so you can't build, you can't invest. And then when you look at what happened with that assassination attempt yesterday, that was a major, major failure of his security team On such a level where you have to squint and wonder. I don't wonder too much, but you at least should wonder whether it was an inside job or not.
18:48
Is that the country you want to live in? Not me. I have kids, I'm going to have grandkids. A pastor at church, I want the church to be blessed. I want couples to be able to get married in their 20s and not say, oh, we've got to wait until our 30s, until we're more financially stable. I want moms to be able to stay home with their kids, should they choose to, not this warped economic system that we've fallen into, where both parents have to work 50, 60 hours a week just to make ends meet. Hallelujah, let's read On.
19:32
The next day, all the congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, saying you have killed the people of the Lord. They were always complaining. Now it happened when the congregation had gathered against Moses and Aaron that they turned toward the tabernacle of meeting and suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared. Then Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of meeting and the Lord spoke to Moses saying get away from this congregation that I may consume them in a moment. You may wonder why was the judgment of God so swift and so harsh? Because, it says, some Hebrews complained.
20:18
Yeah, those were the same Hebrews that saw the ten plagues come upon Egypt. Those are the same Hebrews that saw the Lord, with a mighty and outstretched arm, bring them out of Egypt and split the Red Sea open and bring them through onto dry ground. They witnessed firsthand his glory. They witnessed his provision in the form of a pillar of fire by night and a cloud of covering by day. So they should have known better. Yet give it some time and they start complaining and the Lord says this calls for my righteous judgment. But Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in intercession. So Moses said to Aaron Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it. What is incense a symbol of? Throughout the Bible. Yes, good job, city Light, say it louder. Prayer and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them. Atonement there simply means covering, for wrath has gone out from the Lord, the plague has begun. Are you seeing the connection here? Prayer averts judgment.
21:28 - Speaker 1
Prayer releases the mercy of God. Prayer brings the glory of God. Prayer will change America. Yeah, I believe with all of my heart. With all of my heart. Our greatest days as a country are up ahead. God can do it, god will do it. He's gonna show his mercy. What do we deserve for our thievery, for our lying, for all of the innumerable sins We've done individually and collectively as a nation? We deserve the righteousness of God, but the cross of Jesus is there saying I will give you what you don't deserve. We were forgiven all of our sins.
22:05 - Speaker 3
We didn't deserve that, but the blood of Jesus grants us that which we do not deserve Verse 47. We do not deserve Verse 47. Then Aaron took it, as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly and already the plague had begun among the people. So he put in the incense and made atonement for the people, and he stood between the dead and the living. And that's what we're called to do. That's what we're going to do in this service. Hey, I want you to plug in with your whole heart.
22:39
Oftentimes, when it's just like a Sunday service, people get into consumer mode, like they want to kick up their feet, get a bowl of popcorn and watch Netflix. And, yes, something is required of you and it's worth it. And this is one of you and it's worth it. And this is one of the few opportunities we get where we're all together under one roof. And in the first service, we saw something shift. It was glorious. How many of you you're still in the? Wasn't that something? It was like something just shh, hallelujah. And he stood between the dead and the living. So the plague was stopped. Amen, father, in the name of Jesus, you're a good, good God, a God who's abundant in mercy and tender, loving. Kindness, father, we bring up this country, our country, the United States of America, and we ask for another chance. Like Hezekiah cried and said give me 15 more years. We cry on behalf of the nation give us more years.
23:41 - Speaker 1
Let there be a turnaround and a change.
23:44 - Speaker 3
A turnaround like there was in Samaria, where the God of the turnaround shows up, that we do a complete 180, that there will be a holy and reverential fear of the turnaround shows up that we do a complete 180. That there will be a holy and reverential fear of the Lord, that hearts would be turned back to you, o God, lord, that righteousness and holiness would reign in the land, that we would be a shining example of myriads of countries coming together and us fearing the Lord and loving one another.
24:14 - Speaker 1
Father, that the gospel would go forth. That you disrupt every system, every system that's found its way throughout this country that is an offense to you. That you would disrupt it and raise it to the ground, father. That, if you should tarry in sending Jesus, that America be set up for centuries to come as a global lighthouse for the glory of God In Jesus' name amen.
24:48 - Speaker 2
This is the City Light Church podcast. If you've missed any part of today's message or if you would like to find out more about Pastor Boyan Jancic and City Light Church podcast, if you've missed any part of today's message or if you would like to find out more about Pastor Boyan Jancic and City Light Church, visit us at citylightnyccom. That's citylightnyccom. Feel free to visit us online or in person anytime. We would love to connect with you. We pray that you have been encouraged today, that you have been reminded how much God loves you and that you are surrounded by grace. Thank you for listening. Make sure that you subscribe to City Light Church Podcast wherever you find your favorite podcasts worldwide.
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