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I Remember When: A Look Back At 30 Years Of Harvest Crusades

William Wagner
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I Remember When: A Look Back At 30 Years Of Harvest Crusades
As we just marked the 30th anniversary of the Harvest Crusade, a story comes to mind.
When I was in fourth grade, after the recess bell rang, as we ran back toward our classroom, it seemed like a good idea to look back and see who was coming up behind. When I did, it was just in time to see that I was too tall to run under the pull-up bar. The knot on my forehead was about the size of a golf ball.

Yes, looking back can be dangerous, but there are times when it can be helpful—especially when we are reminded of God’s faithfulness. After 30 years of crusades in Southern California, there are a few things I look back on and smile.

I recall the first night of the original crusade at the Pacific Amphitheatre in 1990, walking out to the stage to see an assortment of balloons that spelled out the name “Jesus” and an airplane flying past with a banner that read “Summer Harvest.” I had no clue as to who arranged those things, but they were indicators of how God’s people would do small and extraordinary things to make these events special.

Yes, I remember God’s faithfulness and I remember how He has worked despite the obstacles we’ve faced.

We’ve witnessed skunks in the outfield and a crazed individual trying to rush the stage. Fortunately, he only got as far as home plate where he was “called out” by one of our alert security men. (Not the skunk, the crazy man!)

I remember a power outage during a heatwave in August at the SoCal Harvest Crusade that took out our sound system, right in the middle of Pastor Greg Laurie’s gospel presentation. One of the musical groups had used a megaphone during a song, which Pastor Greg was able to use and finish the invitation. And I remember thousands coming to the outfield, responding to the invitation to follow Jesus.

There have also been some tense moments. We have encountered city authorities that attempted to prevent our event, crazed picketers insisting we were leading people to Hell, and political activists using our platform to proclaim their message. Still, God worked through it all and people were saved.

I remember funny and awkward moments like when I walked off the stage and into a pair of handcuffs—supposedly under arrest for missing jury duty. Pastor Greg had a sense of humor.

Then there was the time Christian country music artist Dennis Agajanian was boot-stomping his way through “Lord, Give Us America,” and a sinkhole opened up on our fabricated wooden platform. Thankfully, a few of our quick-thinking stage crew were able to prop up the sagging floor with two-by-fours before Dennis disappeared into the abyss.

I also remember moments when platform guests said things we wished they’d given more thought to, like the well-meaning pastor who sought to help us out with the offering by saying, “Now reach into the pocket of your neighbor and grab his wallet!” Yikes.

Thirty years also means some inspiring and heartrending testimonies from people like former Major League pitcher Dave Dravecky, war hero Louis Zamperini, and a man with no arms and no legs but a ton of heart, Nick Vujicic.

But for me, the greatest memories don’t all come from hundreds of crusade nights we’ve been part of. They come from working shoulder to shoulder with thousands of pastors and church leaders who set aside their provincial attitudes and distinctive doctrines in order to plant a flag for proclaiming the gospel.

I remember . . . well, there’s too many people and too many moments to mention and my memory is too faulty to assimilate all the special times we’ve shared around these Harvest Crusades.

Most importantly, I remember how God dramatically changed lives before our eyes. Addicts delivered from drugs, marriages restored, families reunited and people who were considering suicide finding hope. Stories upon stories of desperate people finding a new life, finding new hope, finding a personal relationship with their Creator.

After thirty years of Harvest Crusades in Southern California, there are a few things I know now with greater certainty. First, I know the simple gospel is the power of God unto salvation. And secondly, I know we, as followers of Jesus, must never back down from presenting this simple message. God honors both our meager efforts and our bold efforts to make Him known.

And finally, because of all of these things, I know the Harvest must and will continue.

 

John Collins, CP Guest Contributor

Gov’t Can’t Force Christians To Make Gay Wedding Videos, Appeals Court Rules

William Wagner
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Gov’t Can’t Force Christians To Make Gay Wedding Videos, Appeals Court Rules
An appeals court has ruled in favor of a Christian couple who oversee a film company that were told by Minnesota officials that they must film same-sex weddings despite religious objections.
A three judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit decided last Friday that the Minnesota Human Rights Act violated the First Amendment rights of Carl and Angel Larsen of Telescope Media Group.

The decision largely overturned a lower court ruling against the Larsens and remanded their request for an injunction against the MHRA back to the district court level.

Circuit Judge David Stras, author of the court opinion, wrote that “antidiscrimination laws, as critically important as they are, must yield to the Constitution.”

“Indeed, if Minnesota were correct, there is no reason it would have to stop with the Larsens. In theory, it could use the MHRA to require a Muslim tattoo artist to inscribe ‘My religion is the only true religion’ on the body of a Christian if he or she would do the same for a fellow Muslim, or it could demand that an atheist musician perform at an evangelical church service,” wrote Judge Stras.

“The district court also ruled that the Larsens could not seek relief on various other constitutional theories. We largely agree that these claims fail. But one—the free-exercise claim—can proceed because it is intertwined with their free-speech claim.”

Circuit Judge Jane Kelly authored an opinion that concurred in part and dissented in part, arguing that while objections to same-sex marriage are protected by the First Amendment, such protections should not apply to businesses.

“The Larsens remain free to communicate any message they desire—about same-sex marriage or any other topic—or no message at all,” wrote Judge Kelly.

“What they cannot do is operate a public accommodation that serves customers of one sexual orientation but not others. And make no mistake, that is what today’s decision affords them license to do.”

In December 2016, the Larsens filed a lawsuit against the MHRA’s ban on sexual orientation discrimination, arguing that the measure would force them to film same-sex weddings.

U.S. District Court Judge John Tunheim ruled against the Larsens in September 2017, concluding that the law is “neutral” in its application and dismissing the Larsens’ concerns as “immaterial.”

This Week, Aug. 25-31, In Church History

William Wagner
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This Week, Aug. 25-31, In Church History
Christianity is a faith with a long and detailed history, with numerous events of lasting significance occurring throughout the ages.
Here are just a few things that happened this week, Aug. 25-31, in Church history. They include the birth of Mother Teresa and the founding of a Methodist university that later became a notable historically African-American institution of higher learning.

This week marks the anniversary of when famed charity worker and Catholic saint Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje, Macedonia.

A famed humanitarian and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, there has been some dispute over her exact birthdate.

“So unconcerned was she about accuracy in relation to the chronicling of her own life, and so disinclined actually to read anything written about her, that for many years and in a succession of books her birthdate was erroneously recorded as 27 August 1910,” wrote Kathryn Spink in the 1997 book Mother Teresa: A Complete Authorized Biography.

“In fact, as she confided to her friend, co-worker and American author, Eileen Egan, that was the date on which she was christened Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. The date which marked the beginning of her Christian life was undoubtedly the more important to Mother Teresa …”

In 2016, the Roman Catholic Church canonized Mother Teresa as a saint, setting the date on the eve of the anniversary of her death, Sept. 4.

The City Shakers Conference

William Wagner
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The City Shakers Conference
You do not want to miss this incredible opportunity to shake the city like Paul and Silas did in the book of Acts (16:26). The City Shakers will create an atmosphere where people from all walks of life can be transformed, challenged and developed into the Leaders God has called them to be.

We are a coalition of leaders from various backgrounds coming together in unity to make a positive impact on the kingdom and the community. We are also a group of people that believes in Praising the living God by dancing, singing and leaping (Acts 3:8)

Special Guest include Prophet David Ross, Apostle Brian Keith Williams, Dr. Tony Whitley Jr., Prophet Brian Carn, Pastor James Boyd, Norris Johnson II, Pastor Peter Da Via, Apostle Claude Grant, Pastor Omar Ortiz, Venir Wynne and many more leaders.

General Registration is only $25 VIP Registration is $50

PLEASE Register ASAP to secure your seat( As this event is only open to 200).

Event Location: The Lords Way International Church

6132 W. Fond du Lac ave. Milwaukee, WI

Doors Open at 6:30pm

Don Moen Reveals Tragic Story Behind Hallmark Song “God Will Make A Way”

William Wagner
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Don Moen Reveals Tragic Story Behind Hallmark Song “God Will Make A Way”
“God Will Make a Way” is one of Don Moen’s well-known worship songs of all time, inspiring millions around the world with its hopeful lyrics.
Sharing the story behind the song, the legendary Christian singer-songwriter and worship leader said the song was born out of extreme tragedy.

“I got a call from my mother-in-law late one night, and she told me that my wife’s sister and her husband, Craig and Susan Phelps, had been involved in a tragic car accident while taking their kids on a ski trip,” Don Moen recounted. “All four of their children were thrown out of the vehicle, and the oldest, a 9-year-old boy, was killed instantly. The other three were seriously injured.”

“It was life-altering; I didn’t know what to say to them,” he continued. “Craig was a Bible teacher at his church, and they were both full of faith. As I sat on the plane, wondering what I should say to them, I began to read in the book of Isaiah, and chapter 43, verse 19 stood out to me: ‘I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.’ Instantly, the Lord gave me a song to sing to them.”

Privately, Moen performed the song for his grieving in-laws, which includes the poignant lyrics, “Oh, God will make a way/Where there seems to be no way/He works in ways we cannot see/He will make a way for me.”

“It was a song written in desperation, but it brought a word of hope to them. When everything around you seems lost, God is working in ways you cannot see.”

“God Will Make a Way” would become the award-winning hallmark song of Moen’s career, sung by millions around the world. He shares the inspiration behind the song in his debut book, God Will Make A Way: Discovering His Hope in Your Story, releasing on Oct. 16 on Emanate Books, an imprint of Thomas Nelson.

“I’ve never written a book before and I thought, ‘If I’m going to write one, I’m going to write about something that was a life-changing experience,’” he said.

In his book, Moen uses personal stories and Scripture to remind readers that God does not forget His children and remains faithful — even when all hope seems lost.

“So often, people look at their lives and everything is going fine,” he said. “Then you lose your job, go through a divorce, lose a family, or receive a devastating health diagnosis. These things can rock your world and you think, ‘How am I going to find hope in my story?’ All they can see is hopelessness.”

“I want people to know that God is with them in spite of loss and hopelessness. If you look close enough, you can see the hand of God in your life.”

Light the Fire Again – Pensacola, Florida

William Wagner
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Light the Fire Again – Pensacola, Florida

The Lord spoke to us very specifically about Light the Fire Again in Pensacola, Florida. We believe something very special and significant will happen, that we are on the verge of revival! God is moving again!

God has directed us to take a step of faith, and remove all the restrictions and barriers so everybody can be there! General Admission – which would normally be $149+ – will be free!

So make your plans to join us September 4-7, 2019. Come and be a part of the historic gathering of some of the greatest revival leaders of our day – and what we believe will be the start of a new move of God!

Speakers and Special Guests include:
Evangelist Daniel Kolenda, Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, Carlos Annacondia, John & Carol Arnott, Heidi Baker, Lindell Cooley Ministries, Lou Engle, Roy Fields, Claudio Freidzon, Bishop Joseph L. Garlington, Sr., Jeri Hill, Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne, Eddie James, John Kilpatrick Ministries, Don Potter, Jeremy & Connie Sinnott, Lila Terhune, and Todd White!

Visit http://bit.ly/cfanpensacola for more information!

We are expecting attendees from all around the world to have an encounter with God like never before. You will not want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime gathering!

Registration is required because there is limited seating but we are covering your cost!

Please join us at Light the Fire Again in Pensacola, Florida. Just be sure and register for FREE! Visit http://bit.ly/cfanpensacola for more information!

We are going to see revival happening again. The best is yet to come, in Jesus’ Name!

3 Common Questions People Ask When They’re Close To Death

William Wagner
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3 Common Questions People Ask When They’re Close To Death

Pastor Greg Laurie centered his message on the words of Jesus in John 14 and the three common questions people ask when they’re near death for the third night of the 30th annual SoCal Harvest.

The three most common questions that people who know they’re near the end of their life ask, Laurie said Sunday night at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, are: 1. What’s going to happen to me after I die? 2. Is there really a God? 3. Am I going to Heaven?

“Heaven is a real place,” Laurie said, and “deep down inside” everyone feels “the tug of heaven.”

“What is Heaven like?” Laurie said, in one word, “Amazing … beyond your wildest dreams.”

Unlike popular conceptions of Heaven as boring, where people are just floating on clouds, “Heaven is a real place for real people to do real things.”

Jesus spoke about Heaven in John 14, the evangelist pointed out.

Jesus said, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going” (2-4).

Then Thomas asked, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” (5)

To which Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him” (6-7).

After you die, Laurie said, your “soul will enter the afterlife,” and whether you enter Heaven is up to you.

First, you must “confess you’re a sinner,” he said, and “understand, Jesus died on the cross for you.”

“Jesus was God with a face … He died in your place.” And God is faithful and will forgive you.

Second, Laurie said, “you must repent of your sin,” which is like an “about-face,” where you stop moving away from God and start moving toward God.

Then you must invite Christ into your heart, which is like “a word picture” that means “old things pass away” and “everything becomes fresh in you.”

The pastor then asked those in the audience who were not already believers to “do it publicly” and “do it now … tonight is the night. … What if you never had another opportunity? How sad it would be if you entered into eternity without knowing Jesus.”

He asked those who wanted to make that decision to come forward and a large crowd formed near the stage.

During his Saturday night message, Laurie said America is in need of spiritual revival, and Harvest is preparing for revival by launching a series of crusades in Southern California, Boise, Idaho, and Los Angeles over the next 20 months. Harvest has a goal to reach over one million people and see 100,000 professions of faith through the crusades.

This year marked 30 straight years of the Harvest event in Southern California, which is described by Laurie as the longest-running, large-scale evangelism event in American history. Over 100,000 attended the event this past weekend and 8,670 people made professions of faith.

Lecrae, for KING & COUNTRY, Jeremy Camp, Phil Wickham, Newsboys and Chris Tomlin were among the music groups featured this year.

 

Napp Nazworth, Christian Post Reporter

The Great Wealth Transfer

William Wagner
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The Great Wealth Transfer

Beloved, let me tell you something … now, please hear me … this is a very crucial, pressing matter. We have a tremendous dream – a plan, an objective, a vision of the future – from God. 

When I speak of a dream, I am not speaking of a mere daydream. I’m speaking of a vision of biblical proportions. Surely, Joseph had such a vision, and Moses with the burning bush. In that same way, Solomon’s night vision at Gibeon preceded the great wealth transfer of his day.

The great wealth transfer always starts with a dream from God.

My monumental vision to reach a billion souls for the Lord brought about a tremendous change in my life and your ministry. I opened my spirit for God’s instruction and enabling to bring this vision to fruition. It is a dream of world evangelism on a scale never before imagined.

… prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Malachi 3:10

A dream of outreach that, without God’s supernatural provision, would financially collapse our ministry. Beloved, our unified dream, the magnificent Legacy Center, is nearing completion. God’s bold endeavor to unite the Church throughout the world, here in San Diego, CA, and thus continuing to raise up a billion souls through our ministry is near fruition; just as commanded, debt-free. It has come with great financial strain; yet the cost of the end-time harvest comes as no surprise to God.

… pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers …

Luke 10:2

During history, there have been three great wealth transfers that were so massive, so important, that they were recorded in the Bible.

God recorded these for several purposes:

  • To let us know that the medium of exchange to ensure the blessings from God to our lives are important to Him – whether it is cattle, grain, oil, wine or money! As Solomon said, “… money answereth all things” (Ecclesiastes 10:19).
  • To encourage us that His will is to bless us (III John 2).
  • To teach us about the things He has done so we will erect spiritual memorials to His glory.
  • To teach us principles from the lives of great people of God of the past that translate to power to receive in our present lives.

God is sending another great wealth transfer. I believe it will be even greater for the saints of God than the transfer that Solomon received. It will not be to one man or one kingdom, but to all in the Body of Christ who are prepared for it. It is God’s great end-time wealth transfer. The greatest gathering of wealth ever known to man, at this very moment, is in storage here on earth.

 

By 

Debunking The Myth Of Incompatible Marriage

William Wagner
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Debunking The Myth Of Incompatible Marriage

It happens all the time: well-known couples terminate marriages. The reason?

Incompatibility. It’s an all too familiar legal umbrella under which an assortment of excuses finds shelter.

I looked up the definition of incompatibility: “incapable of coexisting harmoniously…”

Incapable of coexisting harmoniously? “With God, all things are possible,” I remembered.

The definition continued: disagreeing in nature. Great! One can disagree without being disagreeable.

Before we married, someone gave me a gem of wisdom: “Where two people agree on everything, one of them is unnecessary.”

Irreconcilable. I doubt it! When two draw near to God, they find themselves closer to one another.

Conflicting. Terrific! When someone gets into a position of political or social power or one of fame or fortune and no one dares to disagree with him or her, look out! This person is in danger. At times, we all need to be disagreed with.

Our daughter’s Swiss in-laws once gave my husband a Swiss watch. Eventually, it stopped working, but no local watchmaker could fix it.

The next time we were in Switzerland, we sent it directly to the company that made it. They had no problem; the ones who made it knew how to make it work again.

Who invented marriage? He is the One to whom we must go. His Book of Instructions has the answers.

Article originally published in More Letters from Ruth’s Attic: 31 Insights on Following Christ.

 

By Ruth Bell Graham

SoCal Harvest 2019

William Wagner
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SoCal Harvest 2019

Do you question your purpose, how to find real happiness, or wonder if there’s life after death? Find answers to life’s looming questions at SoCal Harvest.

Join us in three wonderful nights full of musical performances by top Christian artists, special guest interviews, and a message of hope from the gospel that could change your life.

As we celebrate 30 years, we also rejoice that these events are free for everyone because of the faithful support of participating churches & partners, our donors, and Harvest Partners.

August 23–25, 2019

Admission: Free (stadium charges $15 to park)

Translations: Spanish, Sign Language

Gates open: Fri/Sat 5:00 PM, Sun: 4:00 PM

Event begins: Fri/Sat: 7:00 PM, Sun: 6:00 PM

Event ends: Fri/Sat: 9:15 PM, Sun: 8:15 PM

Venue information

Location: Angel Stadium of Anaheim, 2000 E Gene Autry Way, Anaheim, CA 92806

Military Appreciation Night

Veterans, reserves, and active-duty military? Participate in our appreciation night, Friday, August 23. Sign up here »

 

 

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