Greg Laurie, Pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, gave this message at Pirate’s Cove this weekend:
You’re saying goodbye to the old you, buried with Christ in baptism so you might walk in newness of life, that’s what the Bible says, so you’re coming out saying, “I’m making this commitment” and you’re doing it publicly in front of friends and family.
Thousands responded to his call. Laurie later tweeted, “We never had a baptism like what happened yesterday. We baptized 4,500 people!”
A week earlier, at Laurie’s SoCal Harvest Crusade, nearly 7,000 were baptized in the same location, made famous during the Jesus Revolution in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, and then memorialized in the film Jesus Revolution. It’s where Laurie and his wife Cathe were baptized five decades earlier.
Laurie reminisced:
People like to talk about the good old days and back during the Jesus Movement when we had the big baptisms there.
Let me just tell you, because I was there: We never had a baptism on this scale. This one is new, this is fresh. This has never happened before, and it happened where? In California!
Everybody likes to throw California under the bus. A lot of people are leaving California. I’ll probably stay here because someone has to turn the lights out.
But actually, I’m here to turn the light on. I think the people of this state want to hear the gospel. I think that people of America want to hear it as well.
One of those for whom the light went on was Bill Ellison, age 67: “With all the bad things that are happening in the world, you need to have the hope of salvation. We are all sinners, but we have the hope of Christ Who died on the cross for our sins.”
But will it stick?
When Dawson Trotman, founder of The Navigators, was trying to recruit counselors for a Billy Graham Crusade in a large metropolitan city, he made numerous phone calls to the supporting churches. He would ask them, “Could we have the names of the men and women in your congregation who know their Bibles well enough to lead someone to Christ”?
The church secretary of one of the larger churches replied, “Would you repeat the qualifications again, please?”
Trotman did.
After a long pause, the secretary said rather wistfully, “You know, we did have a man like that in church once, but he moved away.”
In his 1937 book The Cost of Discipleship, German Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer called easy salvation “cheap grace”:
Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting today for costly grace….
Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks’ wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices….
Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything, they say, and so everything can remain as it was before.
And what is “costly grace?” Wrote Bonhoeffer, “It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life … what cost God much cannot be cheap for us.”
That’s why pastors Bill Hull and Ben Sobels founded The Bonhoeffer Project to bring new believers from salvation to discipleship. They write, “All who are called to salvation are called to discipleship, no exceptions, no excuses.”
They are following Christ’s commandment in Matthew 28:16: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”
But according to George Barna of the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, “Although seven out of ten [Americans] consider themselves to be Christian, just 6% actually possess a Biblical worldview.”
What is Barna’s definition of a Biblical worldview? Here are the seven cornerstones:
An orthodox, biblical understanding of God;
All human beings are sinful by nature; every choice we make has moral considerations and consequences;
Knowing Jesus Christ is the only means to salvation, through our confession of sin and reliance on His forgiveness;
The entire Bible is true, reliable, and relevant, making it the best moral guide for every person, in all situations;
Absolute moral truth exists — and those truths are defined by God, described in the Bible, and are unchanging across time and cultures;
The ultimate purpose of human life is to know, love, and serve God with all your heart, mind, strength, and soul; and
Success on earth is best understood as consistent obedience to God—in thoughts, words, and actions.
It is appropriate to celebrate the ongoing Great American Revival. It is also prudent to ask, “What happens next?” Will these new believers leave Pirate’s Cove thinking that now that they have their ticket stamped to gain entry to Heaven that that is all there is to the Christian faith? Of will they, over time, draw ever closer to the Maker of the Universe, and live a new life that reflects that change?
Related article:
Shop For Night Vision | See more…
Shop For Survival Gear | See more…
Please Support These Patriotic Sponsors
Solar Power Generator Discounts Along With Free Shipping
- 10% OFF for Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Pro Series with code "JADEAL"
- 10% OFF for Jackery SolarSaga 200W Solar Panel with code "JADEAL"
- 10% OFF for Jackery Solar Generator 1500 Series with code "JADEAL"
- 10% OFF for Jackery Solar Generator 1000 Series with code "JADEAL"
- 10% OFF for Jackery Explorer 1500 Portable Power Station with code "JADEAL"
- 10% OFF for Jackery Explorer 1000 Pro Portable Power Station with code "JADEAL"
- 10% OFF for Jackery Explorer 500 Pro Portable Power Station with code "JADEAL"
- 10% OFF for Jackery Explorer 300 Pro Portable Power Station with code "JADEAL"
- 10% OFF for Jackery SolarSaga 100W Solar Panel with code "JADEAL"
The University of Georgia is represented by the Georgia Bulldogs . The Bulldogs participate in the Southeastern Conference's (SEC) Eastern Division of the NCAA.
They play their home games in the storied Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. The first season in Georgia was in 1892. In 1942, 1980, and 2021, the Georgia Bulldogs won three national championships.
The Georgia Bulldogs have additionally been crowned the National Champion in four additional seasons by at least one polling organization (1920, 1927, 1946 and 1968).
The Georgia Bulldogs are tied for second place in conference history with their 15 conference titles, including 13 SEC titles, and their 59 bowl appearances, which ranks second all-time.
In addition, the program has produced five top picks in the National Football League (NFL) draft, two Heisman Trophy winners, numerous winners of various national honors, and many others.
Longhorns football represents the University of Texas in Austin often known as Texas, UT or the Texas Longhorns. The Longhorns represent the Big 12 Conference in the NCAA Division. They play in Austin, Texas, at the Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
The Texas Longhorns are ranked third and seventh, respectively, in terms of all-time wins and win-loss records, with over 900 victories and an overall win-loss percentage of.705.
The legendary program also boasts four national titles, 32 conference titles, 100 First Team All-Americans, and two Heisman Trophy winners.
Get your Texas Longhorns Revival T-Shirt today. The Texas Longhorns Rustic Revival shirt is also a fan favorite.
Many college sports fans like to wear their gear all around town, get your Texas Longhorns Centered gear and show your support.