By: Emily Carstens & Joshua C. Rarrick
Longview Baptist Temple kicked off Teen Convention 2013 with a bang this year. With the theme being, “Teen Conviction” based around Ephesians 4:1, “I…the prisoner of the Lord…” there is no doubt this convention will be unlike any in the history of LBT Ministries.
Pastor Bob Gray II opened the meeting with prayer, and then amid shouts of, “Amen” and “Hallelujah” the convention was off to a running start. Youth groups from around the country lifted their voices in praise to Jesus, and before the message had even begun hearts were stirred towards God.
As the activities began to wind down and the crowd settled into the message, “Brother Bob” shared his heart with the teens and youth leaders from around the country.
Emily Carstens of Longview Baptist Temple has more on the story:
The nineteenth annual Teen Convention started off with the LBT Teen Ensemble singing the theme song for the week, “I’m a Prisoner of the Lord.” The LBT teens looked like convicts in their mock prison outfits, and the theme was met with great enthusiasm from all in attendance. The question presented was whether they would be a prisoner of the Devil, or a prisoner of the Lord. There were youth groups from all over the United States present for the opening service.
The different teen groups were divided into four teams: green, orange, red, and yellow. Everyone was given a colored bandana and prisoner’s hat. T-shirt contests and familiar choruses aroused the crowd helping to calm any nerves.
The Texas Baptist College Chorale sang one song, “The King and the Beggar,” before the TBC men’s tour group. The Men of Revival, also sang two songs, “Thank God I Am Free” and “Mansion over the Hilltop.”
Before the preaching started, decision slips were handed out, and people were instructed that if the Lord spoke to their heart during the service, they were to fill out the decision slip and place it inside the fence at the front when He spoke and not to wait until the invitation time. Also, before the preaching, Pastor Gray asked all the teenage men to kneel at the altar to pray for hearts to be touched and decisions to be made.
Pastor Bob Gray II preached a sermon on, “There Arose a Generation Who Knew not the Lord.” The sermon emphasized the need for teenagers who want to have generations following them to know the Lord, and that to have this happen they will need to do several things.
First, they need not to make peace with the enemies in their generation. Secondly, they need to realize that they have an influence on the people around them. Third, through that influence the generations following them will use the enemies they made peace with as an excuse for their lifestyle. Finally Bro. Gray emphasized that their enemies of today will become their children’s religion tomorrow.
The crowd was receptive to the truth, and many decisions were made which were evident by the many people at the altar and the decision slips in the fence. Teenagers were not the only ones who made decisions, but also many youth workers and church members.
The rest of the week is planned with activities, more singing, and above all, great preaching from great men of God such as Bro. Danny Ortiz, Bro. Allen Domelle, and Dr. Bob Gray, Sr. Please pray that God will touch many more hearts this week and many more decisions will be made.
