A full sensory experience unfolded June 13-20 in Detroit during the first tent revival meeting of the summer. Touch, taste, vision, sound, and smell; our multifaceted and creative Father used a remnant of volunteers to meet people at their point of need. Here is a sample of the smorgasbord that God promises when He says, “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord!”
- Vision: Through a moving of the Holy Spirit numerous ministers and evangelists met to pray and hear from the Lord. “Tent meetings” to worship, pray, and demonstrate the love and power of God was the impression they all received. It was the catalyst for the launch of Detroit Tent Revivals. Over 70 of God’s servants sensed the call and caught the vision.
- Touch: Imagine being told at a tender age that you would be shot and killed in Detroit. The young woman who received this message was torn between her desire to minister in the city and her fear of dying on the street. We prayed on the phone, and I explained it is not God’s heart that she should be scared. After the prayer, she felt the freedom to come and minister. During the prayer walk, she encountered a man carrying a gun on his hip. With Holy Ghost boldness, she responded to him when he came up to her and asked if she could pray for him. She said yes. God touched his heart, and he began to cry. Love is disarming and is why we can’t judge what a person looks like on the outside. God loves and values them.
- Smell: Wafting through the air from the parked car was the distinct smell of weed. Despite the rough exterior of the drug-dealing teens in the car, one of the outreach volunteers approached them and asked if he could pray for them. They declined the offer but admitted their neighborhood needed what we were doing. The next day, the outreach team and the teens crossed paths again, but this time when one of the local pastors, Patti Tucker, approached them, they asked for prayer to get the sin and drugs out of their lives. The sweet aroma of Christ had permeated their soul.
- Taste: Paul, a volunteer, learned about the tent meeting and figured food is always a good addition to any gathering. He contacted a few friends and received enough donations to purchase over 900 hotdogs to grill and give away, as well as gallons of lemonade during the three days of meetings. We also gave away food going door-to-door in the neighborhoods. Along the way one 70-year-old man couldn’t believe people would give him something for free with no cost attached! He said, “What do you want from me? No one has ever given me anything for free.” One volunteer spoke and said, “Well it did cost something… man, Jesus paid for it on the cross.
- Sound: With a rented sound system, we expanded our message of God’s love, by driving through neighborhoods using the microphone to communicate the Good News.We were in some of the roughest areas of Detroit and while danger and challenges were evident, God only sees the needs and opportunities
The prayer march, evangelistic training, and tent meetings that took place over the seven days were truly amazing. Miracles of healing were witnessed, hardened hearts were softened, and denominational lines were erased. Believers from Detroit, Dearborn, Ferndale, Trenton, Rochester, Dexter, Canton, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, a team from Arkansas/Alabama/Tennessee, and others, came together as a powerful force to bring the message of restoration to Detroit. Churches, once operating as silos, are uniting to minister to the community. The overseas mission field is now just down the street.
Join us. Learn more at Detroit Tent Revivals. To see more pictures of this event visit our Facebook Album.