I can’t begin to tell you the flood of emotion that comes when you see people come forward to give their hearts to Jesus. There is nothing more exciting than seeing the Holy Spirit touch lives. There is power in the Word of God. That power changes lives.
The altar calls were very moving. When I gave the sermon on God’s true church, it was exciting to see the pastor invite the members to invite their friends to join the church. I watched them invite their friends to be members and bring them to the front. At least two-thirds of the congregation came forward. It was powerful.
Many times street alcoholics came forward during calls. One alcoholic wanted to talk to me. I couldn’t understand him. I put my hands together to try to symbolize prayer. He immediately knelt with his hands folded right there on the pavement. I put my arm around his shoulders and knelt beside him. I prayed for him in English. I don’t know if he understood. My heart went out to him. Here is a man Jesus died for.
The final night my translator, Roxanna, was fighting back tears when I talked about how God could deliver you from alcohol. She knew it was true. It was still fresh in her memory. She had married a non-Adventist. They had an 18-month-old boy. She figured she would wind up being a single parent. Her husband had become an alcoholic—drinking too much at friends’ parties. She determined she would follow the Lord no matter what. She would go to church by herself. Soon he began to go to church too. Four months before the meetings he was baptized. He has never touched alcohol since. Daniel was delighted with the meetings. He was my right hand projector man. He set it up and took it down. He was my equipment guard. He felt good serving the Lord. He wanted to do everything he could to help. There was new joy in his heart. Hearing the message has solidified him as an Adventist Christian. Roxanna shared with me that he was even entertaining the idea of becoming a pastor.
That final night, a man and his wife came for the first time. They had come from quite a distance. They had been Adventists, but had slipped away from the Lord. They had not been to church for more than five years. During the final appeal, they came forward with tears coming down their faces to recommit their lives to the Lord. These were the parents of two girls who were close friends of Roxanna’s. My translator had tears. I had tears. The angels in heaven had tears. These were not tears of sadness, but tears of joy. There is nothing that compares to the joy of seeing people give their hearts to the Lord. |
