Pastor Stunned as 116 U.S. Soldiers Accept Jesus After Church’s Simple Step of Faith
An Oklahoma pastor whose church recently made headlines after seeing 116 Army soldiers accept Jesus said the mass embrace of faith was the result of his congregation stepping out and trusting in the Lord. Mike Keahbone, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lawton, told CBN Digital his church normally puts on its annual Living Christmas Tree musical, a massive Christmas show, for one weekend during the holiday season. But this year, the church’s worship pastor, Xavier Abraham, wanted to do something a bit different.
“[He] approached us with the idea of doing it two weekends in a row, and our immediate reaction was, ‘No way,'” Keahbone said. “Because it just takes so much to pull this thing together. I mean, you’re talking about a 39-foot tree, over a hundred thousand lights, and just the manpower it takes to assemble the tree, the manpower it takes to just perform the performance.” Plus, there’s the cast and the orchestra and all of the rehearsing. Logistically, Keahbone said a second weekend just seemed like an impossibility — until he thought deeper about Abraham’s request.
“What I heard in his heart was that he had really sought the Lord over it,” the pastor said. “And one of the things that I challenge our guys to do … our three pillars are to be Christ led, body engaged, and Gospel-centered, and so I challenge our team all the time — ‘Seek the Lord.'” Once the team started praying about adding another weekend to the production schedule, Keahbone said it became clear it was what God wanted. Suddenly, the pieces started coming together for something truly spectacular.
The expected 150 soldiers soon swelled to more than three times that number. A key part of that Living Christmas Tree musical during it’s 42-year run has been the sharing of the Gospel message. And when that part of the show unfolded, something stunning happened among the soldiers in attendance: 116 indicated a decision to embrace Jesus. As Keahbone reflected on all that unfolded, he and the church came to a powerful realization about the importance of trusting God, even when it feels difficult or the task seems unattainable. “That moment would not have been an option had we not done this extra week,” he said if the salvations. “It was just amazing.”
Keahbone said the experience has been a major faith-builder for the congregation and for his staff, showing the importance of relying on God, discerning His voice, and working together to make His plans a reality.
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