Operation Save America, New Orleans, 2014
The Macedonian Call, Sunday, July 20
“Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them” (Acts 16:6-10).
Sunday marked Operation Save America’s second official day in New Orleans, Louisiana. Local churches invited OSA to minister in New Orleans and the surrounding areas. To have their invitation, covering and blessing, is a great boost to the Lord’s work against the gates of hell.
Once in a host city, OSA extends a “Macedonian Call” to other area churches. After a continental breakfast at the hotel on Sunday morning, representatives from OSA attended close to 40 church services throughout the city. They worshiped with the churches, greeted the pastors and church leadership, invited them to lunch, passed out materials that articulated the vision, and invited these congregations to our Solemn Assembly Sunday evening. Later, they gather the church contact information and give it to the local pastoral leaders to follow up after OSA has completed their mission in their city.
At the Unitarian Universalist “church” in New Orleans, Deanna Waller, Jay Rogers, Mary Claire, Ken Scott, Russell Hunter, Toby Harman and others presented the truth of the Gospel in this synagogue of Satan. As God would have it, the “church” was filled with students from a “social justice” training school. According to Rev. Flip Benham, OSA National Director, the team presented a “dynamic witness.”
During an open “meditation” time, Deanna shared the Word of the Lord. When the female “pastor” took issue, Deanna reminded her that, “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones” (Luke 17:2). In violation of their “sacred tenants” of peace and tolerance, Deanna and others were summarily escorted out of the service.
Other saints stayed and dialoged until the conclusion of the service. It created no small stir. The “social justice” candidates ran to the Christians and asked them many questions. Our brethren gave them the reason for the hope that lies within them and defended the faith. Seeds of truth were sown. may the Lord water them in Jesus’ name.
After lunch, the saints traveled to two abortionists’ neighborhoods for public awareness campaigns. Awareness campaigns involve disseminating information to notify communities that one of their neighbors murder babies. OSA members visited Mary Gardner’s and Roshanda Dean’s home, both of the Women’s Health Care Center in New Orleans. The flyer given out in Dean’s neighborhood read in part, “Roshanda Dean is our neighbor. As Christians we are called to love her. Our actions may bring her to Jesus and eternal life. Encourage her to repent of the mass murder of the Lord’s preborn children.”
According to Cal Zastrow, the outreach at Dean’s neighborhood was “very well received.” People did not know there was an abortionist in the neighborhood yet “nobody was hostile to us.” The saints held large signs. The young people worshiped the Lord with violins and guitars. OSA members were even able to minister and pray for a few individuals. Just before they left, a representative from the sheriff’s department approached them. He mentioned that there had been five fatal shootings in the area recently and thanked OSA for caring enough to come to their troubled neighborhood.
The Campano family participated in the “awareness campaign.” As they and the Zastrow family ministered together, a group of people came out of a house and began asking questions. One of the people, a teenage boy, listened with particular interest. Frank started preaching the Gospel. Frank told the teenager that God sent them all the way from Florida and Michigan to minister the Good News. The Holy Spirit fell on the teenager. He started weeping.
Sunday evening called for a city wide Solemn Assembly. During this evening rally at Williams Boulevard Baptist Church, Rev. Flip reminded the saints “We must first get the plank out of our own eye to see clearly to remove the specks from New Orleans.”
With a blast of the shofar (Horn) the meeting was called to order. The saints of God reported for inspection before the Holy One of Israel. The divine purpose was to take ownership for our personal, church, and national sins. Rev. Rusty Lee Thomas led the way to deal with the personal sins of those present. The Scripture read to prepare the way was taken from Psalm 139:23, 24, which states, “Search me, O God, and know my heart;Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.”
The penetrating questions presented to those gathered to prayer was, “What are we saying, doing, thinking, or acting that is contributing to the moral corruption and demise of our nation? What besetting sins do we struggle with that impedes the much needed awakening and revival our nation desperately needs?”
Bishop Otis Kenner followed up on personal sins. He went after the spiritual strongholds of the saints these sins opened to defeat them in their obedience to God. Ghet Gallagher, Dr. Byron Clay and the nephew of Martin Luther King Jr. addressed the sins of the church. The call was to repent of our apathy, indolence, and indifference in a time of great injustice. The church has failed to be the salt and light that is suppose to check the spread of moral decay that invokes God’s judgment upon our nation.
Finally, Pastor Rod Aguillard, his son Steven, and our host pastor, Tim Williams concluded the Solemn Assembly with our national sins. Pastor Rod declared that the walls of America are down in America, God’s hand of protection has been removed, and our nation is swiftly heading towards great calamity. He exhorted us to repent and rebuild the wall by prayer and action.
Our host pastor, Tim Williams, led us to our knees to humble ourselves before the Lord. He called us to repent of pride, arrogance, and haughtiness. Our nation glories in its shame and boasts in its abominations.
Our Solemn Assemblies sets the right spiritual tone for the entire week of Gospel outreaches. Bishop Kenner who helped to lead in prayer told Rev. Rusty Lee Thomas today, “I went home and I could not sleep. My heart burned within me!” Coincidentally, that was an answer to a prayer as the saints marched into New Orleans, “May our hearts once again burn with the revelation of God.”
Today Bishop Kenner joined with the saints as we took the Gospel of the Kingdom to the streets of New Orleans to defeat the culture of death in Jesus’ name!