Beloved Saints! I covet your prayers tonight please!
Yesterday seven of us were led to stand for Christ at a gay-pride event here in Elmira NY. We donned red T-shirts with the words "Liberated from Sin" on the front and on the back "By the blood of Jesus". We prayed and fasted on Friday and sought the Lord for the stategy specific to the occasion. By midnight we were satisfied that God had heard us and given us a plan. We were to go into the event in silence and lie down prostate on our faces in humility and complete vulnerability before God and men to plead for their wretched souls. It was held outside in a public park in the center of the city.
I approched the police officers who were looking at us suspiciously to inform them of who we were and of what we intended to do. The seargent was a woman who said "O no you are not!", I asked why not and she replied because she said so. I questioned the rightfulness of trying to prohibit me from walking through a park into an event that was advertised for all especially families. So I told her we were invited. They said nothing about dissenting opinions, just all are welcome. So I began to walk into the park and she said "You are not allowed to speak to anyone here about your religion" and that is when I knew I must obey God rather than men. I returned to the others who waited on the other side of the road and informed them that if they did not want to get arrested to stay there as it looked like we would. We prayed and all followed, all of the magnificent seven, we held the scriptures aloft and walked in silence with heads bowed into the center of the park. The welcome was fierce as you could imagine, they called us every unspeakable name that they could. We arrived at the stage and got on our knees and lay down in the midst of all of the ensuing hostility. I have learned through many a similar event that God is always most present when we are most vulnerable. Lying face down on the grass at the feet of these vicious people was suicide. The noise was unbelievable, the screaming, the cursing and then suddenly the sound of hand cuffs going on my brother next to me. Seconds later I felt my arms go behind my back and for the first time in my life the cold metal of the cuff links went on real hard!
I could not believe it, I gulped as my face was now pinned to my open bible. I called to my wife who saw my hands behind my back as she too was soon cuffed. They had me roll over and the crowds now were screaming and celebrating. Up I went as they excorted me away. We were not silent as we left! "WOE TO AMERICA!"
We were sped away to the police station where they did not know what to do with us. We had not been arrested, we did not have our rights read to us, they just carted us off. Please see and read the links below. The paper was accurate in their description of the events, the TV was typically slanted, they ony show us in cuffs looking like criminals, they did not show us walking calmly through the park or on our knees, or lieing prostate before God. They did not interview us etc. God will have the last word!
After about 45 minutes in the police station we were charged with disorderly conduct and let go. Well we went right back to the park and spent the rest of the afternoon on the other side of the street preaching, praying, ministering. You should have seen the faces as we marched back up the street with the bibles held aloft once again!! It was awesome! I have never had the joy of the Lord like that, two brothers who are shy and quiet began to preach like uncaged lions, I sat in tears watching the fire of God come upon men who are just simple vesels and boy it was powerful, they preached in tandem, "repent and believe" , "Come to Jesus" back and forth it went. Our number grew from six, to seven to fifteen by late afternoon. One woman in the park who my wife had been ministering to for three weeks surrendered to Christ having seen us get arrested. She said " I must now become a Christian and follow you" as she donned a red T shirt!! Halleluia!!!!!!!!!!
Links
Written story from news.
http://www.wetmtv.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=7d9d3e42-4aea-4bb4-88b2-6b5a923ee7b4
For video:
http://www.wetmtv.com/default.aspx
On left, the third link down is 18 News Video, click that.
Under top stories, Protesters Arrested.
Newspaper:
http://www.stargazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070624/NEWS01/706240328/1001/NEWS
Read the article then click on the picture gallery link under the photo shown. The picture of the protesters is the last one in the set of 5.
We were not looking to get arrested, we were not wanting to be defiant, but when that woman told me that I could neither walk in the park or on the side walk or even speak with anyone about my faith, I decided then and there that I must obey God and the vision He had put in my head about lieing down in His presence in their midst.
Please pray for us for tomorrow, it has been an incredibly difficult day, we were not welcomed in our church, I was summoned and scolded harshly by the pastor. Different ones were getting flack from all sides, we had very few supporters. We had one brother from our church of over 150 call us and encourage us. We were not even given a chance to share what happened, for the incident was not even mentioned, it was as if we did not exist. Very awkward and very sad! It stung real hard, it was brutal. Many folks cheat on their taxes(fraud), speed in their cars, celltalk while driving, the general infractions that most of us do in some degree or another. But go and stand for Jesus, get arrested for Jesus and we were treated like criminals!
Brothers and sisters, it is a dark hour, good is called evil and evil is called good. These people invited familes, mothers and fathers and children to their event that culminated with nearly two hours of drag queens and drag kings, thrusting, girating and grinding dressed in provocative clothing and this was what they wanted the children to see and enjoy? All this outside on a Saturday afternoon!
Tomorrow we will go to court and ask for time to get legal counsel. It might be that we must plead guilty to the charges of disordely conduct, but I hope not? The last time I was disorderly was when I was a drunk! Please pray that the cause of Christ advance boldly giving great courage to the saints for if we do not meet and defeat this insidious spirit head on it will end up putting us or our children to death! This I am not prepared to allow!
Please feel free to email us with your prayers, we desperately need them.
julian@ravenskitchens.com
Your Brother,
Julian Raven
