LivePrayerDaily Devotional for Tuesday May 29, 2007
Bringing God's Truth and Hope to the Marketplace
(Ezekiel 33:1-9)
Bringing God's Truth and the hope of Jesus Christ to the marketplace! Last Friday night was a very special night as we unveiled at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center our newest ministry component of Liveprayer, a live production called "An Interactive Evening of Faith." This musical/video/oral production is geared to and marketed to a non-Christian audience who is seeking and open to "spiritual things." These are the kind of people who will go listen to the New Age whackos like Deepak Chopra and Wayne Dyer.
That is why instead of holding this production in a church, it will be held at the same secular theaters people go to see these New Age gurus at. Not only will they hear a very different message, but instead of paying $30, $50, even $100, the tickets for AIEF will always be free. There is no offering taken, nor are there any product sales. As a matter of fact, everyone who comes to AIEF is given a Liveprayer Interactive CD-ROM. People are so used to being hustled by the church and Christian organizations. The fact is most who are saved don't really understand giving, and the lost certainly don't.
Obviously, there are considerable expenses for putting on a production like this. Renting the theater and all of those associated costs since you are dealing with union shops, renting the video equipment for the stage, musical talent, advertising, ticket distribution, printing the programs, and a host of misc. costs are involved. We had some additional expense for this initial performance since we also did a full TV production that we are going to edit for use on PBS. Our total budget was right at $30,000 and we were blessed with 3 people from the Liveprayer family who God moved to make a special gift to cover those expenses. The plan is to take this production to a different city each month starting in the fall, and we will seek a corporate sponsor in each city to cover our costs.
The production starts out dealing with the big questions of life everyone asks. Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where do we go when we die? It then takes the audience through why there is only one Truth, dealing with the Bible and sin. After that, it deals with the fact there is only one faith. People are told why the Christian faith is the only true faith and deals with why all the false religions and cults in the world are simply following lies born out of the hearts of men in rebellion to the God of the Bible and His Truth. That segment closes with why Jesus is the one and only way to God.
The next segment of the production deals with people on a more personal level, going over how to get victory in finances, relationships, health, and over addictions. After that comes the interactive portion where people in the audience can come up and ask any question they want about anything. The production closes with an altar call and a time of prayer for the needs of the people who have come. In each segment there is corresponding video on a huge screen over the stage that supports the oral presentation and special music. I have to admit, I was very pleased and grateful to God for how the music, the video, and the oral presentation all came together perfectly in a very powerful presentation of God's Truth and the hope we have in Jesus Christ!
After the program, it was a great privilege for me to be able to be in the lobby of the theater to meet, speak to, and pray with many of the people who had come. One young woman told me that she actually worked at the Performing Arts Center and even though she was off that night, had been looking forward to coming to see the performance. She also let me know that there was a large group of people who worked there, mostly gay, who were very aware of me through the TV program and very upset that I was going to be holding this production there. They felt the Performing Arts Center was "their turf" and that I should hold this production in a church "where it belonged."
I knew very well when I booked this at the Performing Arts Center that I was going to be in hostile territory. I also knew that wherever God is, that place becomes holy ground. Friday night, Ferguson Hall at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center became holy ground, God was in the house, and the Holy Spirit was moving! From those people I met afterwards, from talking to the head of my ministry team who dealt with many people after the performance, from the emails I received over the past few days, there were a dozen people we know of who accepted the Lord as their Savior and many hearts and lives were touched and transformed by God's power.
THAT IS WHAT THIS IS ABOUT, SOULS AND CHANGING LIVES! This isn't about being famous, packing in a group of Christians into a venue to take 3 offerings from so you can buy a bigger building, a newer plane, and a bigger mansion. This is about SOULS AND CHANGING LIVES! I have news for you, the world isn't coming to church, they are going to the Performing Arts Center! The world isn't watching TBN, they are watching CBS! If we are really serious about saving souls and bringing God's Truth to the world, we have to go into the world "on their turf" to do it!!!
Preaching to the choir on TV, radio, and in person is safe and very profitable. That is why most feed the sheep rather than try to preach to the goats. The sheep will come to you, love you, and give you the wool off their backs. The goats will run from you, try to gore you with their horns, and just want you to leave them alone. The problem is, the same Jesus who died for those who know Him as Savior, also died for those who have rejected Him. God's desire is that ALL come to repentance, that none be lost. According to my Bible, we don't have an option when it comes to bringing God's Truth and the hope of Christ to the lost in this world. WE HAVE BEEN COMMANDED TO!
I love you and care about you so much. I am very excited with this new component to the ministry of Liveprayer. I truly believe that through the PBS special and the future live performances of "An Interactive Evening of Faith," we have found another vehicle to bring the Truth of God's Word and the hope and love of Jesus Christ to even more people who are lost, living without hope, and will die and spend eternity in hell unless they come to know Jesus as their Savior. In everything I do here on the Internet, the TV program, now this new live performance, my goal is to boldly and without shame declare God's Truth and the fact Jesus is the only true hope for this world and for each man.
I want to renew my challenge to you to become more bold in sharing Christ with your family, your neighbors, those you go to school or work with, those you are involved in other activities with, or those God simply brings across your path in your day-to-day life. YOU HAVE THE WORDS OF EVERLASTING LIFE, HOW CAN YOU NOT SHARE THEM WITH SOMEONE WHO WILL DIE AND GO TO HELL? If they reject them, that is their responsibility. You have done all God asks you to do since you can't force anyone to believe. However, if they never hear the words of life from your lips, God will hold you accountable!
I will be praying for you today. Praying that the Lord will encourage you and inspire you to be about "His business." Once you accepted the Lord, you automatically become part of God's army. One of the commandments we have from THE commander-in chief is to share His Truth and the hope we have in Christ with the lost. We ALL have that responsibility. How you choose to share Christ with others is between you and God. You don't need an Internet site reaching millions, or a TV program, or to be on the stage of some theater to do it. Simply sharing with your neighbor what Christ has done in your life, telling your co-worker how the Lord helped you overcome some problem, telling that cousin who is lost in sin Jesus loves them, living your life for Christ each day, that is what God is calling all His children to do!
I could have never imagined when Liveprayer.com started almost 8 years ago the worldwide impact on tens of millions of lives it would have. I could have never imagined a little over 4 years ago when the TV program started it would even be on the air more than the initial 90 days we were scheduled to be on, let alone the fact it has been seen and touched millions of lives across this nation. I have no idea what God is planning for "An Interactive Evening of Faith," but deep in my heart I believe it also will be reaching millions of people worldwide in the coming years. There is a lost and hurting world out there, souls dying every day and needlessly going to hell for all eternity. I have committed every breath I have until the Lord calls me home to bring His Truth and the hope of Christ to the hurting and lost. Those hurting and lost souls are in the marketplace, so that is where you will find me!