Jesus said that the tree is known by its fruit. But it takes time for a tree to grow and then to bear fruit.
Five years ago Yazoo City had a city-wide revival which we called Revive Yazoo. It was held at McCoy School for one week in the summer. Since then there has been a Revive Yazoo every year.
Last year it began to bear fruit. One of the speakers last year was Rickey Musgrove of Oklahoma, an international speaker with a special ministry to Romania. Rickey invited his friend from Oklahoma City, Phillip Castillo, to “come and see” what was happening in Yazoo City. Phillip came and liked what he saw.
When he was a younger man, Phillip led a very different life. He was the number two man in one of the Mexican drug cartels and helped smuggle large quantities of drugs into the United States. He became a heroin addict himself. His life was out of control, and he cried out to God to take his life. He fell asleep on the floor, and the next day he woke up completely healed of his heroin addiction. He perceived God calling him, and he became a Christian. Later he became a pastor and the founder of My Brother’s Keeper, a ministry providing a home for homeless men addicted to drugs and helping them become committed disciples of Jesus.
When Phillip Castillo came to Yazoo City last summer, he decided during the week of Revive Yazoo to open a My Brother’s Keeper home in Yazoo City. He found a house and made an offer which was accepted the following week. The house became operational in October, and the official opening will take place the week of Revive Yazoo 2019.
Phillip Castillo will be the first speaker of Revive Yazoo on Monday night, June 24 at 7:00 p.m. at McCoy School. His life is a testimony to the power of Christ to change lives. His message will be “Supernatural Love.”
On Tuesday night the speaker will be Rickey Musgrove who brought Phillip Castillo to Yazoo City. His message will be “A City and a Name.”
On Wednesday night the speakers will be Bob and Pam Armstrong from
Springfield, Illinois. There message will be “Committed to Victory.”
On Thursday Night, Youth Night, the speaker will be Clay Harrington of Urbana, Illinois. His message will be “The Love of the Father.”
On Friday night the speaker will be André Roebert, president and CEO of Faith Broadcasting Network and with his wife founder of the River Group comprising over 47 different companies and ministries. His message will be “Unity Commands Blessing.”
During the week worship will be provided by local musicians making up Revive Yazoo Praise Team and Anna Love with Love Ministries.
On the night before his suffering and death, Jesus prayed to his Father that his followers “may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them...” In other words, the unity of the followers is part of the message of the good news. In contrast, the divisions of the followers undermine and contradict that message. There are not many opportunities for the different churches to come together in unity. Revive Yazoo is one of those. Jesus’ prayer for the unity of the church is unambiguous. It is part of his will, as in “thy will be done.” This is our opportunity to be in alignment with that will. The Church has been divided and fragmented long enough. What if one city decided to buck the historic trend and say “Enough! It’s now time to come together.”
Unity commands blessing.
