A mini-review of the HARVEST 08 GOSPEL CRUSADE, held at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA on Saturday 10/04/08

 

People young and old, black and white, all other races came out in record numbers (approximately 19,000 people). The Wachovia Center was at approximately 98% capacity.



I arrived late at 7:50pm to witness the pop/rock sound of gospel band KUTLESS....personally, I thought that they were too "pop" for my 
taste (HINT: I come from a musical background that focuses on a music genre called FUNK...stuff like James Brown, P-Funk, Sly & the Family Stone, Mandrill, and Lakeside). The only thing that I really enjoyed was their last song, "The Feeling".....an uptempo, nicely-crafted hard rock song with a doubled-tempo chorus. 


Between music performances, commercials were shown on the big screen.....they were commercials showing people that went through 
serious trials, like drug addiction, homelessness and death of a loved one. All of them found strength by accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. 
There was a line from the Bible that read (paraphrased), "What good is it if a man gains the whole world, but loses his soul?" A collection to support the 
Harvest Fellowship was taken.


tobyMac, a hip-hop/funk/rock band from Tennessee, came out and tore the roof off the sucka! This is a band that has funk oozing from their spores, along 
with spiritual messages and a lot of rapping & break-dancing/stepping....they remind me of the Atlanta funk/hip-hop/rock band, URBAN GRIND. The heavy funk-rock tune, "Boomin' " shook the foundation of the Wachovia Center violently! "No Ordinary Love" and "Made to Love" were nice, mid-tempo rock songx...but better was the HEAVY FUNK styling of "Diverse City", sounding like defunct Cincinnati band SHAG or their funkier successor FREEKBASS. Loads of funky synthesizer riffs and funky scratch guitaring!   "J Train" was more of the heavy funk music....YES, MUSIC TO PRAISE JESUS TO!! "Lose My Soul" was a pop song that stated what I brought up earlier in this review...."I don't want to gain the world, and lose my soul". It was back to the back-breaking, heavy rock force of "The Slam".



After that performance, the people watched a video featuring the late Christopher Laurie, son of Pastor Greg Laurie (of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, CA). Afterwards, Greg Laurie began talking about life after death AND the importance of salvation. At the end, at least 1000 people came down to the orchestal pit and gave their lives to Jesus Christ. (HALLELUJAH!!!) The crusade was over around 10:00pm.

 

FROM THE HARVEST 08 BROCHURE:
************************************************


HOW TO GO TO HEAVEN? 

If you had died the minute you started to read this invitation, would you have the assurance that you would go to heaven?


The Bible says there are 4 things a person must do to go to heaven:

1. REALIZE YOU ARE A SINNER. The Bible says "All have sinned, all fall short of God's glorious standard" (Romans 2:23 NLT)

2. RECOGNIZE JESUS CHRIST DIED ON THE CROSS FOR YOU. The Bible tells us that "God showed his great love for us 
by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners". (Romans 5:8 NLT)

3. REPENT OF YOUR SIN. The Bible says, "Now turn from your sins and turn to God, so you can be cleansed of your sins". (Acts 3:19 NLT)

4. RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST INTO YOUR LIFE. The Bible tells us, "Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved". (Romans 10:13 NLT)


Receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior is the next step in your spiritual journey. IF YOU HAVEN'T DONE THIS YET, WHY NOT TAKE A MOMENT 
RIGHT NOW AND MAKE THAT COMMITMENT? 



Remember, TOMORROW is ***NOT*** guaranteed!!