No way if you were in Guayaquil this past weekend for the Franklin Graham Festival de Esperanza (Festival of Hope). The richness of God's love and forgiveness embraced our city with over 185,000 people hearing the Gospel message and more than 15,800 public professions of faith in Christ--more than FIVE TIMES the number ushered into the Kingdom in Acts 2! That's more people than the total number of Baptists in the entire country after 50+ years of work. We are overjoyed at what God continues to do to bring this country to the feet of Jesus.
Most of the churches in our house church network fully participated by bringing people with them to the evangelistic meetings that they have been praying for and visiting over the past few months. Already many of those who made decisions are being followed up with discipleship materials.
This past Sunday I attended the baptism of an entire family whom one of our house church planters has been working with for a couple of months. The last to accept the Lord was the dad (pictured above.) He went with his family on the last night of the Festival of Hope meetings giving his heart to the Lord. The next morning he was baptized along with his wife and children, along with several others. Afterwards I rejoiced to hear his wife tell how overjoyed she was that all her family is now following Christ. Only one daughter remains to make her decision for Christ.Watch this 3:25 BGEA video with highlights of the August 23-25 Franklin Graham Festival of Hope. To God be the Glory!
17 comments:
I sure hope mass evangelism is not a thing of the past...I just hope for mass disciples, not mass "conversions." Praise God for what is happening in Ecuador!
Travis
Travis,
One of the things I have been really impressed about is that the "conversions" are mainly from people that were brought to the meetings by those going through the "Plan Andres" which is a prayer card that you pray over not-yet believers and then personally take them to the meetings. Most of the conversions from our house churches are already being discipled. For months there has been ongoing training for follow-up/discipleship of these new believers. Sure, there are many who will not continue, but if the parable of the sower ratio holds to this meeting as well (a quarter of the seed falls into good ground) that would still be close to 4000 genuine conversions. Continue to pray for us as we do our best to follow-up those having made public decisions.
Guy,
Thanks for sharing the great answers to prayer regarding Franklin's Festival of Hope and for the really good news about those being followed up and baptized as a result. Blessings on you guys and your ministry!
Thanks Guy, for the report. I was just talking to a pastor from Texas about evangelism. Thank God for the souls.
Cyle
Gary and Cyle,
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your comments. One thing I have learned from this evangelism emphasis is the importance of keeping the "main thing the main thing." Where is our time, energy and effort going? Are we about souls, or about "stuff?" When evangelism/discipleship is priority, we'll see the spiritual fruit that the Lord is wanting to give us!
Praise the Lord! How Awesome! Go GOD!!!
Guy I believe mass evangelism has the greatest potential of working in places where there are "house churches". Often the problem with these kinds of events is the follow through. Because the ethos of a place where house churches are multiplying is all about discipleship the likelihood is that more of the folks who make "decisions" at the event will not only become disciples but they themselves will make disciples!
Darrell,
The key is having a relationship already with those attending these kinds of meetings. For example, one of our team members took several people he had been praying for to the meetings. None of them went forward making public professions of faith during the meetings, but he himself prayed with them and now is doing one on one discipleship.
Guy,
I like the methodology they are using. I'm curious, does Franklin have the same evangelistic gift as his father? It appears so, but I was just wondering...
Travis
Travis,
All I can say is the night we attended, Franklin shared a simple presentation of the Gospel. Then an invitation was given and for the next 15-minutes people streamed out onto the field in droves making their profession of Christ. It was really awesome. There was a quiet hush over the entire stadium as all this was going on. The only thing I heard was the soft singing of the invitation hymn by an unseen vocalist.
Guy,
To be perfectly honest with you, since serving on the international mission field, I have not been a big fan of mass evangelism. Mainly because we saw supposed professions of faith and limited conversions. And those who truly made a decision were rarely discipled.
However, reading your story of how prior relationships enhanced the evangelistic effort, I am encouraged by what has happened in Guayaquil. I do not think any method of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ is a thing of the past if it really does produce new fruit.
I fear that we tend to want to be trendy instead of effective. I do not want to be one who is perceived as being for or against methods that will take the Gospel to the nations. Big churches, house churches, one-on-one evangelism, mass evangelism. We need to throw everything we have in our arsenal at lostness. I can promise you that Satan is throwing all he has at believers.
Ken,
This is a quote of yours to keep and share widely...
"Big churches, house churches, one-on-one evangelism, mass evangelism. We need to throw everything we have in our arsenal at lostness. I can promise you that Satan is throwing all he has at believers." AMEN!
Wonderful news of the faith growing in Equador.
I rejoice with you.
I watched the video.
May God give Franklin a double portion!
Alycelee
Alycelee,
Thanks for stopping by and for viewing the video. We are excited about what God continues to do in our midst here in Guayaquil.
This is so terrific Guy. Each one of your posts builds my faith in seeing God at work. I have been to a Franklin Graham crusade when he was here in Enid several years ago. It is an experience I still remember.
Debbie,
Back in the early '70s our family furloughed there at Emmanuel Bapt. Church. That Fall there was a Leighton Ford crusade (a Billy Graham associate evangelist). We took a young Ecuadorian exchange student with us to the meetings who had become a close friend. He made his public profession of faith during those meetings. Some of the old timers might still remember him: Hernan Merino.
This is so exciting! Thanks for sharing. :)
Kiki,
Thanks for stopping by! The article just above this one is what we are hoping you guys might be able to plug into next year. I am gone for the rest of the weekend to promote this amongst our Ecuadorian brethren at a planning camp. When we get back next week I hope to mail you and Doug a copy of the project for your consideration.
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