Monday, May 29, 2017

"All Over The World" - Monday May 29, 2017


REWIND OF AN OPENING NIGHT SPEECH…. JUNE 2007



“ALL OVER THE WORLD”                    


In 2007, it was the 40th Anniversary year and The Continentals had over 60 groups performing somewhere in the world.  In the U.S. there were 29 traveling groups, Europe had 28 which included 8 Continental Kids groups, with major tours in Hungary, Slovakia, Italy, Romania and Holland.  In South, Central, and Latin America there were 5 tours including Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and Chile (10 small teams and one large tour).  There were 4 in Korea, one developing in Kenya, and a school in Japan.  There were to be 750 concerts here in the U.S. and a similar number around the world.  Here was the message to the “newbees” coming to rehearsal camp that summer:

OUR MISSION:  is to expand the Kingdom of God.

OUR VISION:  You represent the King, the Lord, the O Most High.  You need to be great.  You are going to learn to give everything you’ve got…your all.

OUR GOALS:  Our number one is YOU as it has been since the beginning, over 40 years ago.  No matter how talented you are, or are not, the reason there is The Continentals is to help you grow spiritually, musically, socially and educationally as a Christian young person.  We believe you have a special calling on your life.  God has His own purpose for you being here tonight.

I want this to be the most significant six weeks in your life.

I want your time as a Continental to help you see that God’s plan for your life is much bigger than your own dreams.

I am asking God to keep His hand on you so that this experience will help you stay on the path because He has something great for you to do for Him.

I am believing the Lord is going to give you the power to be His ambassador every night as you pray with people in your concerts who need Jesus.

And that is our number two goal, people… OUR AUDIENCES.  We want to help them find Christ.  We want to tell them about His forgiveness, His love, His plan and salvation for them.  In Acts 1:8, the Bible says we are to be his witnesses, and you will be.  Your music will tell the story.  Your words will tell the truth.

And last, of course, we want our coming to be the best night their church will have all year.  We want to lift people’s spirits, inspire, entertain, and bless them by leaving real joy in their hearts.

God created music. He loves it.  And wonderfully, He uses it to communicate His love.  In 2nd Chronicles, King Jehosophat had his choir out in front of his army, singing praise to God.  We know that David danced before the Lord, and Psalm 149 says, “let them praise His Name with dancing”.  We Continentals join along with Psalm 150 that declares, “let everything that has breath praise the Lord”.  That’s what we do!  That’s who we are!

To whom much is given, much is required, Jesus said.  We are going to give you much this week.  Big talent or little talent, it doesn’t matter.  God can even use the smallest and the weakest of us to make a difference for Him.

Together we can change our world for Christ.  We begin tonight and what will happen here this week will absolutely reverberate and be heard…

ALL OVER THE WORLD

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