Dear Church Family,
Last night I was at the event in Laredo Tx. This was the largest arena so far with a seating capacity of 10,000. They had part of the back section blocked off but the floor was filled with chairs. My best guess is there were 9000 people there. The worship was amazing. I appreciated that it was not in any way a concert. Keep in mind, most of those in attendance are believers. Many of those believers brought unsaved guests or lost family members. So, when the worship began, the place was filled with the redeemed who lifted their hands and voices to praise and worship their God. It was a powerful experience. For those of you with sensitive ears, you might want to bring some earplugs. It gets very loud.
Normally, I don't like excessively loud music in a worship setting. However, as I translated the words they were singing from Spanish to English in my head, It seemed very fitting that this praise should be booming. The words were lofty words of his exalted stature. They were words of His incomparable nature and unequalled power, majesty and faithfulness. The arena was filled with His Spirit as He received our praises and adoration. Taya tends to get lost in worship and carries us along. Marcus gathers us together in his singing and interacts with us as he leads us like a shepherd leading a flock. Though their styles differ, we always end up in the same place; in the courts of our King of Glory, praising Him as one united people.
Franklin has preached from a different passage of scripture each night. However, the message is always the same. God loves you. You are a guilty sinner separated from God. He lists the sins to make sure we all realize we truly are guilty and worthy of His wrathful judgement. Then he explains that our sins can be forgiven by faith in Jesus because of his death on the cross.
Last night he used the example of Manasseh. He showed how horrible and evil he was. Then how God's judgement fell on him and he was led away by hooks in his flesh and placed in a Babylonian prison. But there, he humbled himself and repented. God heard his repentance and saw his humbled heart. Even though he had offered his own sons up to Moloch and led God's people to idolatry, and even though he was the most evil of all kings, His sins were not too large for God's mercy. God heard him, forgave him and restored him to the throne in Jerusalem.
Franklin concluded the message with this word, "Right now, if you will humble yourself, confess your sins to God and ask for forgiveness, He will hear your prayer and forgive every one of them. If you will repent, that means turn away from your sins, and believe in your heart that Jesus is God's son and tell Jesus you want to follow Him and have Him be your Lord from now on, He will give you eternal life right now." Then he told them he would invite them to come forward and if they did, he would pray with them and they could have this settled right now, forever, before they go home.
When he gave the invitation to come, there was not even a heartbeat of time between his word to "come" and the rising of hundreds to their feet. They quietly but determinedly made their way to the nearest aisle or stairway. They just kept coming, hundreds upon hundreds. The space at the front was totally full but they just kept coming. He told them it was okay, just to let it back up into the aisles if there was no room. They just kept coming.
No music was playing. Nothing was being done or said to manipulate the emotions. Periodically the saints in the seats would break out in a few seconds of spontaneous applause as they witnessed the harvest. But other than that, there was nothing more than the pure power of the gospel being preached after months of prayer and preparation in the spiritual realm. They just kept coming. Young and old. Men and Women. They just kept coming to Jesus' call.
Your Servant
Randy