On Sunday February the 3rd 2013 I truly believe that hell got a little weaker. About 30 students fro the Ozark Bible Institute in Neosho, Missouri got up early in the morning and drove 2 and 1/2 hours to Bethany Holiness Church where a joint effort between Bethany, HMA and the OBI team (known as "REACH") joined forces and attacked inner city Tulsa with our weapons of Christ. No, we didn't go down town and scream at all the whores and idolaters and remind them that they were going to hell. We didn't protest or picket anything or anybody. (By the way I am not necessarily condemning any of these things as much as I am making sure that the record is straight on what WE DID). We fueled up our vans and buses the night before. Prayed our prayers everyday in advance. Attended revival all week and checked our own lives and spirits first. Had some ladies cooking a good hot meal that they had starting the day before. Had a phone number specifically for rides and flyers with the number on it spread all over down town for months in advance. Took the phone calls, planned and mapped routes. Secured drivers, adjusted plans as necessary. Had clothes and personal items being dropped off, sorted and put out for distribution day after day. Set up the sanctuary just in time. Brought prostitutes, homeless people, drug addicts, drug dealers, mental patients, gang members several of your average drunks, hurting, broken, scared, scarred and ultra poor people from all over the area. Introduced them to several people that were ex-everything that they were, now that God had saved, healed and delivered them. Sang with them, testified with them, preached to them, reached for them, prayed with them, loved them, befriended them, fed them, ate with them, talked to them, provided clothes and toiletries for them and in a very careful and calculated way, told them the truth about many things that will be of great use to them here on this earth and after. There were 100 people in the service. Many of them have been saved, several healed in a service here, just like this one. They brought their friends and family members to share in their experience and hopefully get one for themselves. Some had been here many times, some a couple times and some were here this time for the first time. Some were young, some were old, some were high, some were straight, some were dirty, some were clean, some were black, some were white. It didn't matter. The environment was secure and all was well.
During the service some were fidgety and uncomfortable, some slept and caught up on a little rest, some stood and clapped, some sat a wept. No one got out of line or unruly and The Spirit of God eventually settled down amongst us. By the time we were in the altar call, everyone in the room, (staff, homeless, bus drivers, bus riders, OBI students), all were either standing and worshipping, kneeling and praying and crying, or sitting quietly. We had made it to the place that all of our efforts were for.
When it was over we served and fed our guests from the streets of Tulsa and then we cleaned up after them and took them back to their homes and shelters. Next we were blessed to be fed ourselves, (The OBI team and the outreach staff) by Rev. James Burgess. We ate, fellowshipped and laughed for a couple ours and then cleaned up again. Next we were able to take many of the students and staff to our facility in down town Sapulpa where Brother Earl Wayne Krumsiek and I gave them a tour of The Saving Place, The Disciple House and HMA"s general office. As if all of this wasn't enough, just a few hours later we were back in revival service at Bethany Holiness Church, where roughly 250 of us or so, (OBI team, Bethany Holiness Church, Burgess family and several other guests had some more church. AND THEN.....believe it or not, we went back out to the fellowship hall and ate more of Brother Burgess' beef and fixins, fellowshipped some more and cleaned the kitchen up again, (for the third time in one day). The "REACH" team then had to dive their 2 and 1/2 hours back and we all went home and thanked God for another chance to serve Him, His creation and His cause!!!
Now, you may think that the whole process of passing out flyers, picking people up, bussing them in, sorting clothes, cooking and feeding, setting up service and all of that is a pretty big deal to have to go through just for one service on one Sunday, well...............so do we. So we do it every Thursday night and every Sunday at least. Remember folks. OUTREACH IS NOT AN EVENT, IT'S A LIFESTYLE! It is an ON GOING part of our doctrinal belief system. If you tried it once and it didn't work....that's why it didn't work. Because you stopped doing it. Pray for us here at HMA, our home churches, outreaches and affiliates. And please pray for my friends, the staff and students at Ozark Bible Institute. I grow more impressed with them every day.
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