by | Jul 30, 2024 | Courage Tour, Living Proof Tent Crusades
If you’ve read my reports of past tent meetings, you know I often say I couldn’t imagine a night getting any better, only to have God exceed it! That is exactly what happened tonight.
The first night was such a powerful night I thought, ‘How can it be any bigger tonight?’ And once again, I was happy to have been proven wrong. God showed up with great power.
I love every time I step into the Tent and Catherine and her band are there. The atmosphere instantly explodes because they are not there to simply sing some songs. They are there to praise, honor, and glorify our God and to help usher the rest of us into His presence. Tonight was no exception.
When Mario took the stage, he first took care of the business for the night, which left the remainder of the night free for the Holy Spirit to make Himself known.
Mario shared that the previous record for the largest online viewership had been Phoenix, AZ, with about 100K views. But last night, first night in Eau Claire, that record was broken as nearly 200K people watched the first night of the crusade.
Mario began by sharing that the evidence for Christianity is greater than almost anything else in history. The Bible calls the Christian faith a strong foundation with infallible truths.
He told about when he was invited to speak to a philosophy class at Stanford University, when he was in his twenties. He was invited because they were stating that Christianity is not real, and their basis was that Christianity seemed to be sourced primarily from one single culture. But Scripture says, there were men from every nation in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. God arranged for all cultures to experience the reality of Christ and His power.
On the day of Pentecost the power of God fell on all cultures, all races, all levels of intelligence, and economic status in one outpouring. Jesus is for everybody.
Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God” (Acts 2:37-39 NLT).
Mario said there is nothing more important than to ask an audience to come to God. Aimee McPherson said if anyone preached and didn’t give such an appeal, regardless of how well they preached, they were a total failure. And we wonder why we have a nation that is in such a mess.
Mario quoted the passage in Acts 2, where Peter compelled them to be saved from the culture that was destroying them. American life is now a living hell for children, for marriage, for everybody. We’ve lost everything decent and meaningful. Evil is rampant everywhere.
“Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” (Acts 2:40 NLT).
Mario said we are facing the most tragic, disastrous, and foolish moment in American history. We are toying with eminent self-destruction, and that is why we need the Gospel more than political speeches.
We do need political speeches and activism, but more than that, we need the Gospel of Christ. And we need preachers who will get up and say, “I’d love it if you liked me, and wanted to be one of my members, but what matters is that you are lost and broken and I can’t take it anymore. I’m going to do anything I can to get you out of danger and bring you to God.”
“Then the master said to the servant, “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:23 NKJV).
Mario shared how no parent suffers a greater pain than to have their child kidnapped. That discovery leads them to great grief and despair, as the child they love more than their own life is missing, and they don’t know where the child is or what is happening to them. Then he said, that is precisely how God sees us – we are His son or daughter and we are allowing someone to violate you, or a drug to destroy you. God has something for you that is better than what you are in.
He then told a parable. Let’s say you hear about an amber alert for a child who is missing. Then later that day you are driving and happen to see that child, and its captor has left the child alone in a park. And Mario asked us, “What are you going to do?”
He said modern preaching looks like running to that child and telling them, “Do you realize how much God loves you? You should think about turning your life over to Him and coming home.”
But in Acts 2 and Luke 14, the word “compel” is used there because it’s not enough to have a dialog and simply tell people that you care about them. To ‘compel’ is to take that child and drive them straight to a police station where they can be reunited with their parents, safe and free from captivity and destruction.
Mario then warned the people he was going after them. He told them they know the life they have now is not the one they want. He asked them to close their eyes, and then he compelled them to respond. He said, “Many of you feel like the best days of your life are gone and all you have to look forward to is more and more pain, but that is Satan’s lie.”
He then had them raise their hand, and then stand up. He then took a few more moments and encouraged those who brought someone to ask them to stand with the person they had brought tonight.
People all over the Tent stood, and then as Mario invited them forward, they filled the altar again. Once again hundreds responded and filled the area in front of the platform, surrendering their lives to God.
Mario prayed with them and then invited them out to be ministered to by our amazing team of volunteer workers.
This is always my favorite part of the night, seeing all these souls find their way back to God. Seeing them respond and surrender their life. It is such a beautiful and wonderful sight. But it’s also frustrating to know these responses are so large because we, the church, are failing at our job to go into all the world and make disciples. But thank God He makes a way, even in our failing.
Catherine and her band led us in celebration over these souls, singing, “Look What the Lord Has Done.” It was a joyous time of celebration!
Mario returned to the stage and began to teach on healing and faith. He said that, just as strongly as he believes in healing, he despises the fakes and the frauds.
He shared how all the miracles that take place in the Tent then go out into the culture and are like Spirit-filled hand grenades. They can go off anywhere, such as a Walmart or a Costco.
Mario asked the question, “Why aren’t more people healed?” Then he answered the question: it is because we have grieved the Holy Spirit. And the worst way we’ve done that, is by taking the word ‘faith’ and abusing it.
He had the people put their hand over their heart and repeat, “I want to receive my healing God’s way.”
Mario said the anointing is something very different than what we hear on social media right now. And that is why we have so many disappointed believers in America, and so many churches that practice what purports to be prophetic, anointed, and miraculous; but it’s not real, because of something we’ve done to the Holy Spirit.
A change in the atmosphere came as Mario pointed to one side of the Tent and said that there is a woman who had been in multiple car accidents, and all her joints are in constant pain. He added that she can say she knows it is her and she knows it’s true. But Mario added that the faith of God had not yet fallen on her.
He then pointed out other people around the Tent and revealed their condition, and stated that God wants to heal them.
Mario then quoted Acts 8:20, “But Peter replied, “May your money be destroyed with you for thinking that God’s gift can be bought!” (NLT).
He said, “You cannot buy your healing because it was paid for by His stripes on the Cross. Then Mario said that there are several ways to attempt to buy your miracle besides money.
Peter had gone on to say, in the Book of Acts, “You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right with God. Repent of your wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive your evil thoughts, for I can see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin” (Acts 8:21-23 NLT).
Mario said he refuses to trade the anointing of God for man’s glory or money. He said healing comes by faith, and faith comes by surrender. Merely to say, “I believe” is New Age vain repetition. Faith is a gift from God. If you feel you are owed healing or that God is obligated to honor your formula of belief, you have reduced God from a person to a force. You must begin by crying out for mercy.
“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2 NKJV).
Anyone who believes that their own belief has the ability to heal them, is not calling Jesus the author of faith, they are calling themselves the author.
After Mario finished his teaching on faith and healing, the Spirit of God suddenly filled the Tent and began moving and healing people’s bodies.
Mario had the people begin praying in the Holy Spirit. Then he called for everyone in the Tent who has trouble walking, trouble with serious joint pain, to stand up. People stood all over the Tent and their joints began to move freely. People began to walk with ease.
Then he asked for anyone suffering with any form of blood disease, heart disease, or respiratory disease, to stand up. And again people stood up everywhere and began to breathe freely and be freed from pain.
He called for those who had been healed of joint issues to begin to walk, and people started moving all over the Tent. One woman ran across the front of the tent, totally healed.
There were so many who had been healed in their joints that Mario had them all come forward to demonstrate the healing that had taken place. There were many people marching, walking, dancing, and jogging back and forth across the front of the tent.
He asked, “How many of you have had your pain leave your body?” Hands shot up all over.
He had the people return to their seats and asked them again to pray in the Holy Spirit. He encouraged them to focus on Christ alone.
Next he pointed to a woman and said she had been in multiple car accidents. This was the woman he had mentioned earlier, the one God had revealed to him on his way to the Tent.
He told her that all her joints and bones were being healed, and also her eyes, her ears, and her muscles. Her balance and motor skills were restored. The power of God was on her so strong that she could barely stand.
Next he pointed out someone who had been poisoned in their lungs. The woman who stood had breathed in poisonous fumes which had damaged her lungs—but they were now being healed. She was able to breathe deeply, free of pain. He said she was also being healed in her feet, her back, and her arms. She began to wave her arms and raise her legs. She was completely free of pain!
Then Mario called for everyone who was battling heart disease to stand. And again dozens of people stood all around the Tent. He revealed one of them was a pastor, and it turned out that this was one of the other people Mario had mentioned earlier.
The pastor stood and it was revealed God was healing his legs, heart, lungs, and damage to the brain. He was able to walk freely and walked to the front of the Tent. He was soon joined by his wife, and she was healed of arthritis. They both began to move freely and returned to their seats without using the cane they had come with.
Then he pointed out a section in the middle of the Tent, toward the back, and asked for people with damaged spines to stand up. Again multiple people stood. One of them was a woman who had scoliosis. She collapsed in tears as God’s power came over her. Then Mario had her come to an aisle and move toward the front. While she came forward, Mario revealed the cause of some of the other back issues in people who were standing: car accidents, sciatica, and one who had fallen off of a ladder. This was confirmed by those who had suffered back issues.
Mario returned to the woman who had come forward and he revealed the purpose of her healing was so that she could fulfill the calling that is on her life, which will no longer be threatened by this condition. It was revealed she was being healed of tingling in the legs, dizziness, insomnia, and stomach pain.
Next he had another woman come out to the front so the one who was just healed could lay hands on the other, and together they prayed for her healing. This second woman was healed in three areas of her spine.
Next he called out a man in the middle section and had him and his wife stand. The husband was healed in his neck, shoulders, back, knees, and feet. Something that was in his chest was being removed.
Then Mario revealed that there were several women being healed of intestinal disorders. There was one group that knew their disorder, but there was another group where the doctors have been unable to diagnose the cause.
He had each group stand individually, and like all the other groups all night, women stood all over the Tent. He had them put their hand on their abdomen and prayed for their healing and challenged them to be witnesses to the power of God and to give Him all the glory as they told others about how God has healed their body.
Mario finished the night by asking for everyone who needed healing to raise their hands. There were hands raised all over the tent. So many hands. Then he had everyone around those with their hands up to pray for one another.
This is another of my favorite parts of every night. Because it is a reminder that Mario is not the one with the power to heal, Jesus is. And Mario is not needed for healing to take place, we all have access to this healing power.
I love walking around the Tent watching as people are praying for one another. Such fervent, earnest prayer is taking place, and you can feel the high level of faith in the Tent as people have witnessed all that God has done.
Once again, if you weren’t here tonight, you missed an incredible miracle service. But there are still two more nights yet to come: Tuesday, July 30 through Wednesday, July 31, beginning at 6:30 PM. If you can come early, you should, because the Tent is full well before the start time, and we often begin the service as soon as it is full.
Don’t miss it:
Oasis Church, 3445 Gateway Dr., Eau Claire, Wisconsin
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