Jesus, I love you
I started looking for my wife among the sea of people who were worshipping Jesus at the Brownsville Revival. Only weeks into this great Revival in an Assemblies of God church in Pensacola, Florida and the crowds were so large you had to arrive hours before the service began to get in.
Services were held nightly at 7p and would often not end until 1,2,3 or 4a. People poured in as the doors were opened around 6p. The building was completely full by 6:30p. The auditorium would seat about 1100 people. For those who did not make it into the main auditorium there were several overflow rooms set up that silmocast the services.
One of the interesting things I noted in human behavior as I watched the people, no one was in a hurry. No one looking at their watches as the service went along, no fidgeting, no phone gazing, no distractions. The people had come to worship Jesus. He alone was the center piece of every gathering.
At the close of every service people almost ran to the front of the building to be prayed for and to spend time at the altars in prayer. Both Michele and I had gone to the front for prayer. As we passed through the crowd I had lost track of her. One of the pastoral leaders nearby had offered to pray for me and so I spent the next hour or so in personal worship. Just loving on Jesus as He loved on me. It was incredible.
You really do lose track of time and space when you are worshipping. What seemed important when you came into the building seems to fade in the presence of our mighty God. The front of the building was still packed with people when I stood to go back to my seat. I had to step over people all the way back.
As I walked I was looking for Michele. I spotted her half way across the auditorium near the east wall of the building. Her face seemed to be glowing. At first I thought she was under a spotlight but as I drew closer I could see it wasn't a spot light or any light from the building. I could hear her saying these four words over and over: "Jesus, I love you". I was still about 12 feet away from her and I did not want to disturb this anointed moment for her so I sat down in a nearby seat and watched her as I continued to worship Jesus.
Are there distractions in your life that prevent worship like this? The Brownsville revival went on over a year. Many 1000's came to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Many 1000's of Christians experienced a renewal in their faith that increased their passion for Jesus and His mission. That's what Revivals are really all about. The reviving of the people of God. We tend to drift off, get mucked down in cultural habits, prioritize things in our lives that are not worthy of priority. A revival is an awakening! It helps reset our calendar of priorities. It put's God FIRST. It puts the Mission God has given us through Jesus at the top of our to do list.
Here is some really good news. You don't have to attend a Brownsville revival to worship Jesus. Although this was a milestone for Michele and I it was not and has not been the first or last time we have had incredible experiences worshipping God. The kind of experiences that renew us and impassion us for ministry. In fact I saw that same light on Michele's face this past Sunday. At the close of service our church was worshipping Jesus and I looked over and saw her mouthing those words again: "Jesus, I love you".
If you want to love Him more enter into worship. Put aside all the distractions. Don't look at your phone, the clock, your neighbor. Look to Jesus. He loves you so much. Just love Him back.
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