Texas-Sized Gospel Party Includes Call For Another Jesus Revolution
/It may have been a “Texas-sized Gospel party” as CBN News called it but it was also a plea to God for revival at Crossover Harvest America in Arlington, Texas on Sunday (6/10/18).
GREG LAURIE GIVES UPDATE
We have more complete numbers for @harvestamerica now. We had 35,000 in Stadium attendance and 254,000 Unique Online viewers. 6,630 Host Sites.Another 97,000 attended a Host Site in person, and best of all. . . . There were 10,286 professions of faith!To God be the glory! pic.twitter.com/wnHQhBKJbo
— Greg Laurie (@greglaurie) June 14, 2018
A crowd of more than 35,000 at AT&T Stadium and a global livestream audience (SEE UPDATED NUMBERS IN GREG LAURIE'S TWEET ABOVE) heard a message of hope and faith from evangelist Greg Laurie. A video tribute to the late Billy Graham was shown early during the event. Near the conclusion, more than 2,300 individuals came forward at Laurie's invitation to make a commitment to Christ, filling the field.
WATCH HARVEST AMERICA 2018 REPLAY
"There will never be another Billy Graham, but we must all carry the torch of proclamation evangelism to the next generation," Laurie said. "When Billy Graham was here at the Cotton Bowl 46 years ago, the Jesus Movement was exploding and the world was uprooted. Today, there are more mobile devices than there are people. And because of the explosion of technology, we are the first generation with the ability to fulfill the Great Commission in our lifetime."How many of you think America needs a revival?" he asked rhetorically. "There is hope for America tonight; it's not a political solution, it's a spiritual solution – our nation has spiritual roots, regardless of what the revisionists say."We need another Jesus Revolution, and I pray it starts here tonight. I pray this Gospel message will spread like wildfire across Texas and America," Laurie added.[ictt-tweet-blockquote hashtags="" via=""]We need another Jesus Revolution, and I pray it starts here tonight. - Greg Laurie, Harvest America 2018[/ictt-tweet-blockquote]He shared "the one message that brings hope to a hopeless culture," in the first stadium evangelistic crusade since Graham died in February."I'm going to ask you to put aside your biases and preconceptions tonight and listen with your heart," he said. "I'm going to share something with you that can change your life.
"We think today in our culture, 'if only I could be rich and famous, then I will be happy.' This week alone, look at what happened. Two well-known celebrities took their own lives – designer Kate Spade and television personality Anthony Bourdain. Wealth, possessions, all the things the world has to offer – drugs, sex, drinking – will not make you happy," Laurie said.He said he wanted people to leave the crusade knowing they would go to heaven when they die."God will forgive you for whatever you've done," Laurie said. "Don't live another day without Jesus Christ."Laurie noted that current events seem to mirror biblical prophecy of the end times. "I don't know when the end of the world will come, but the end of my world or your world can come earlier than expected," he said.Laurie said that being a good person isn't enough. To get into heaven, you must turn away from your sins and accept Christ. "God does not grade on the curve," he said. "He grades on the cross."
The event was broadcast around the world via satellite and the Internet, with more than 92,000 individuals viewing online. In addition, this crusade was first opportunity for people to extend the Harvest feed via Facebook Live to their followers. This year also marks the largest live radio broadcast audience of any Harvest event to-date, with more than 800 radio outlets carrying the AT&T Stadium live feed.The crusade featured music from top Christian artists such as Phil Wickham, Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Trip Lee, Tedashii, KB and Switchfoot. Admission was free.This year is the second time that the Harvest Crusades have partnered with Crossover, the evangelistic outreach preceding the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, which will be held Tuesdayand Wednesday in Dallas this year. Another 600 individuals made faith decisions as a result of the Crossover activities.Three hundred eighty local churches worked on the crusade. Dr. Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church, a member of Harvest America's advisory board of local pastors and ministry leaders, gave the opening prayer during the simulcast portion of the event.Laurie, who has held crusades in Australia, Canada and New Zealand, serves as senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, based in Riverside, California, which oversees the Harvest Crusades. The ministry exists for the purpose of presenting the life-changing message of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible, and to help believers mature in their faith. More information is available at Harvest America.Contributing content above provided by A. Larry Ross Communications.PHOTOS: HEADLINE BANNER: AT&T Stadium field with Harvest America across end zone. (HARVEST AMERICA). TOP: Greg Laurie receives prayer prior to event (HARVEST AMERICA). BOTTOM: New believers receive prayer on field at AT&T Stadium. (TOGETHER LA/ALEX MURASHKO) BELOW: Praising God during Harvest America 2018 held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (HARVEST AMERICA)
“In 1 Corinthians 10:23, it says we are allowed to do anything, but not everything is beneficial. As a pastor, do I have the right to promote a political candidate? Sure. But I think about it this way — I have friends that are Conservative, Liberal, Republican, Democrat, Independent and one that says he's a Socialist. Many of these friends of mine are not Christians.”He coninued, “If as a pastor, if I were to openly promote a Democrat or a Republican, etc., candidate then I have just built a wall between myself and the person on the ‘other side.’ As a pastor, as Christians, our goal, our hope and efforts should be focused on The Great Commission, (Matthew 28:16-20), building a ‘bridge’ with someone so that Christ can ‘walk across.’“Do I have the right and the freedom to express my political beliefs, absolutely. However, I had to decide, for me personally, which is more important to me: my freedom to express my voting decision, or my desire to build a friendship, a relationship with any and everyone that doesn't have a personal relationship with Christ? Especially in this day and age, regardless of which side of the aisle one's on, politics can be an extremely divisive topic. Just something for my pastor friends to consider.”Editor’s Note: The above article is part of Together LA’s 
Like most events (especially Christian), there is a lot of awkwardness in meeting new people - especially a mob of Jesus people. I’ve never done a prayer walk before. I had corresponded with the leader, Karen Covell, and I was so relieved to meet her and her husband Jim early on. I made small talk and recognized a few faces in the crowd, but then the time arrived to break up in groups and walk and pray or something like that. I walked around with Jim Covell and Shun Lee (Green House) and these two wise men just started us off. The night was amazing, I made great new friends I see regularly, and I have since become more and more active with this incredible ministry.After reflecting on my first prayer walk in Hollywood with a group of mostly new friends, I came to realize that unlike my days in seminary, the churches I have been members of, or ministry jobs I have applied for, there was no prior discussion of theological convictions before praying with these new brothers. I didn’t know if they agreed or disagreed with me on baptism or spiritual gifts, if they were Predestinarian or Arminian, or really anything else besides simply we were all there for a greater purpose than ourselves in the name of Jesus. That’s really beautiful to me and was such a gift.Honestly, I don’t consider that night to be exceptional, but it made me realize that many on-mission Christians in Hollywood don’t get caught up in the trivialities. In fact, sometimes I know that the person I am working or praying alongside has almost nothing in common with my belief besides repenting and believing in Jesus, but that’s really okay.There is much work to do not only here in Hollywood but worldwide, as God’s creation waits in eager anticipation for Jesus’ return. Until that day, let’s pray together?
Union Rescue Mission CEO, Rev. Andrew Bales told Together LA earlier in the week, before the 5k, that the course had to circle LA Live three times rather than having to force businesses on another planned route to shut down for a few hours.Sponsors at the event’s start and finish line manning booths in between the Staples Center and Microsoft Theater included financial giants like Wells Fargo, Costco, and Herbalife, but there was also a prayer tent hosted by a small 
TLA: How, how has your relationship been with the city? It must be pretty good.Bales: Pretty good. However, they can't fund us. They won't fund us. City and County won't fund us because of our faith. But we have helped model what needs to be done. If you were to call the county 211 number and say, “I'm a dad and mom with three kids,” they'd say the only place to go is Union Rescue Mission. So, they know what we do and respect us and count on us to come through. We never turn away a family with children who comes through our door. We never turn away a woman, a single woman who comes to our door. Rarely would we ever turn away a man. Every night the police call me and see how many bunks we have open and I will never tell them that we have no bunks. So, really we never turn away a man either and that makes us a very unique mission. We're the only rescue mission that welcomes single men, single women, moms with kids, dads with kids and two parent families with kids.TLA: In a video recently released to promote the 5k you mention how the situation is pretty grave. It's gotten worse. What would you tell just the average person that looks at the homeless situation, sees that it looks pretty hopeless. How do we address the homeless situation?Bales: If we all work together, we could be like New York City, that puts a roof over 95% of the people experiencing homelessness and is embarrassed about the 5% that are still on the streets. And it's really an all out, all hands on deck, emergency approach. If we were like that, we would see a different city and we'd live up to be in the City of Angels.In LA, we only put a roof over 25% of people experiencing homelessness and we leave 75% out on the streets, which is destroying and devouring those people. We come up with a lot of excuses. I mean, you know, like the weather is good so people come here. That is an absolute myth and an absolutely false excuse. The majority of people on the streets of LA are Angelenos, longtime Angelenos. You can die from the weather on the streets. We know people who've died on the streets of LA. So there's really no excuse not to act now.Even the excuse that many Christians use, you know, "The poor you'll always have with you." But the problem is they're not finishing the verse, “The poor you'll always have with you, so be kind to them every day." Jesus in that verse is quoting Deuteronomy 15. It says, "The poor you'll always have with you, so be kind to them everyday and lend them a hand and lift them out of poverty." It's an action verse, not an excuse verse, and we turn it into an excuse like the homeless you'll always have with you. Well, that's not what needs to be communicated.We could live in the city where not one precious human being lives on the streets. And I would love to be part of making that happen in Los Angeles. That would really be the ultimate dream for me. That before I'm gone from this earth that we didn't wait for heaven to address the situation of homelessness here on earth.PHOTOS: URMOn the Web
These are not minor disagreements. The issue is salvation. This is why Roman Catholicism is a different religion than Christianity, and not simply another denomination. This is important to establish because it teaches us about the error of non-gospel centered faiths and the need to lovingly bring the saving message to Catholics, and any other "Christian" organizations that do not hold to the fundamentals of the faith.Eternal salvation, as taught by Christ and the apostles, is received by repenting and placing your faith in Jesus Christ, which leads to your justification (John 3:16; Romans 10:9; Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:8-9). God the Holy Spirit then begins a process of sanctification in a Christian's life, causing that person to live righteously and to bear fruit as a testimony of their justification and the holy nature they will possess in eternity (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:14; Colossians 3:10). This must be the common confession of all those who profess to be Christian, according to Scripture. Those who teach another gospel are accursed (Galatians 1:6-8).The historic Roman Catholic view of salvation is that salvation is not by faith alone. Although some progressive Catholics deny this view (claiming a salvation method similar to evangelicals), the historic Roman Catholic view of salvation is a combination of (intellectual) faith and good works. Roman Catholicism teaches that salvation begins at the stage of infant baptismal regeneration, in which a baby is cleansed of original sin through infant baptism. This supposedly imparts sanctifying grace, unites his soul to Christ, and grants him the power of free will to come to faith in Christ . This salvation must be maintained through a lifelong commitment to other deeds of the church, which includes membership to the Catholic Church, participating in the sacraments (such as Mass), living a moral lifestyle (through following the Ten Commandments), confession (to a priest), and other deeds that supplement this grace. The Catholic church teaches that salvation is not guaranteed, and must be maintained by one's willingness to work out their salvation through a lifetime of obedience.However, the Bible teaches something different about the way to God.Ephesians 2:8-9 and Titus 3:5 state that works do not add to or take away from Christ's work on the cross. It does not add to your salvation. Salvation is monergistic, meaning that it is purely a work of God from beginning to end. Everything from his election of an individual to justification to final glorification (Romans 8:29-30).Scripture does not even teach that a believer is able to lose his salvation if he does not uphold it with enough good works and obedience to religious rituals. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Justification by faith is a truth taught not only in the New Testament, but in the Old Testament as well (Genesis 15:6; Hebrews 11).
Organizers said “Saturate SoCal” is part of a nationwide strategy (Saturate USA) to deliver a free copy of three Jesus Films on one DVD to 60 million homes in the U.S. (4 million in LA and Orange counties) by 2020. The three films are Magdalena - Through Her Eyes, The Life of Jesus - Greatest Story Ever Told, and The Story of Jesus - Through the Eyes of Children. Leaders said the package which includes the DVD, will be distributed by mostly a door-to-door approach by volunteers.Apologist Josh McDowell, who was the keynote speaker at the gathering, said the Saturate USA initiative is critically needed for the times we live in.McDowell pointed to today’s culture, which he says has redefined the meaning of “truth,” as a reason gospel proclamation is desperately needed. Truth has become more about personal feelings and opinion, he said. The Jesus film DVD package can counter the current anti-truth movement by introducing the gospel.“The Jesus film combines one of the most powerful resources for today’s culture,” he said. “It’s straight out of the text of Luke, but it’s [also] visual with the truth teller telling the story. There’s nothing out there more effective than the text of scripture with the visualization. Text and visual.”A key component to the package will be an insert that includes information on a local church, organizers said.“We are casting out our vision here today,” said Scott Baller, who is Christ for All Peoples’ CFO. He told TogetherLA that the meeting held at the Anaheim Marriott was about launching the idea to leaders and organizations so that by July 6th “we can get this thing going and saturate so we can get all 364 zip codes in LA and Orange County.”
“Saturate Orlando” will be the first of the city movements that will make Revival 2020 a reality, organizers say on their website. “It brings together Christian organizations, churches and volunteers in a bond of unity and love with the singular purpose of reaching 750,000 homes in Orlando with the Jesus film DVDs in one month.”More than a half-million homes have already received the DVD package in Orlando where the movement was launched on March 3, according to the 
One day, I want to ask God so many “Why?” questions. Why, Lord, did that happen? Why was I in that relationship for years just to see it fall apart? Why did I do that? Lord, why did you let that happen to me? Why did I move to that state… that country?A “Why?” question I ponder a lot is about the path of my education. In fact, my academic career is a complex conversation. I went to an undergraduate school that didn’t have a proper film degree but had a well-rounded liberal arts communication studies program. I attended four film schools in total, including New York University Tisch School of the Arts for my MFA in Film. I worked at a Psychology school filming classes and counseling sessions for a few years, and also attended an informal Bible school overseas. I eventually went on to earn a Masters of Theology at seminary. Why?Some days I look back on my life and think that my life is a giant, pointless mess. But when I have more clarity and take a moment to live in the present, I pray that maybe there is a point to all of this randomness. On my very best days, the Lord gives me great grace in seeing how He may have been organizing my life in an intricate and perfect plan after all. Maybe too, just maybe, my life is only a thread of the great tapestry of life and of God’s plan of redemption.It’s an overwhelming and fearful thing to try and make sense of all the events of a life. There is a lot of failure, brokenness, and utter darkness that is tough to reconcile with the character of God. What do I do with the parts of my life that I’m still waiting to see how God might use for someone else’s good or even my own good? My choice is to face the confusion and doubts with faith.Maybe yet, there is still much more that God is doing through my life than I am even close to understanding. Maybe, all that education is being interwoven into my screenplays, attempting to speak honestly about God and the struggle of faith. Perhaps, all my scars and brokenness will be used to help me be more empathetic to others and have more grace to my brothers and sisters. That is my prayer, Lord.I find the lyrics of Sufjan Steven’s Vito’s Ordination Song comforting for this subject:“There's a designTo what I did and saidRest in my arms,Sleep in my bed,There's a design.”---Director Spencer T. Folmar's theatrical debut, "Generational Sins," has spurred a national debate surrounding the interplay of faith and film. Folmar coined the term "Hard Faith" to describe this new genre of film, written for audiences who are hungry for hope in the midst of gritty real-life stories. Folmar's films are now released under his Los Angeles production company Hard Faith Films, which is currently developing several projects that will reflect today's multifaceted culture and audience.
Yu, who said she experienced a myriad of difficult times and bad choices, believes God clearly showed her a dream or a vision of a meeting in which five “regular” women walked up in front of a gathering of women, one at a time to speak about how their lives used to be and what God has done in their lives.Pastor Steve Cha of Grace City LA, a young church in downtown LA, said the 