Hempstead Youth Weekend and Revival Meetings

By Chioma Osueke & Ruth Mperey

Some faithful saints have been praying earnestly for God to send a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Hempstead and God did just that! The theme for the youth revival weekend which started on Saturday, May 26, was “Victorious Christian Living.”

A prayer session began at 9:00 on Saturday morning and was followed by breakfast at 10:00. Then there was a Bible teaching given by Reverend Richie Ho, the guest speaker from St. Louis, Missouri. He stressed the importance of sincerely praying to God for the right spouse in marriage.

The evening revival service started at 4:00. In his message, Godson Tetteh, a minister from the church in Brooklyn, warned against being caught up with tradition and paying little attention to spiritual growth. He preached about the Pharisees, who had Jesus among them, but could not discern that He was the Messiah. He further advised against going from revival to revival without receiving any blessings.

On Sunday, God visited in an extraordinary way. Throughout Sunday school and the morning devotional service, the Spirit of God could be felt in the sanctuary. As the youth choir sang “Kum Ba Ya, My Lord” and “Days of Elijah” it was obvious that God has raised up an army of valiant Christian youths in Hempstead. Reverend Ho exhorted the young people to remember their Creator in the days of their youth. He emphasized that being saved at an early age is a huge advantage to any Christian.

Through a skit performed in the afternoon called “Chains,” the youths testified about God's power to save young people from the sins of the flesh. At the evening service, Reverend Ho encouraged every young person to be “an example the of believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12). During the altar call, God sent the spirit of prayer and supplication. As people wept and poured out their hearts to God, the Holy Spirit fell. For almost three hours, they were praying, praising, and thanking God as He showered blessings of salvation, sanctification, the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and healing of both young and old.

There was a wonderful time of fellowship on Memorial Day, as saints from Hempstead, Brooklyn, and Washington DC met for a picnic at Hempstead Lake Park. From the barbeque to the games, they had a superb time. Even in the park, the peace and presence of God could be felt.

Throughout the rest of the week there were revival services at 8:00 every evening. During testimonies on Tuesday, the young people who received blessings over the weekend testified to the glory of God. In his sermon, Reverend Ho paralleled the application of the blood of the lamb during the Passover with the effectiveness of the Blood of Jesus in the life of every believer. He stressed that life is good and beautiful as a Christian, and even bad days are not so bad because God will make sure that everything works out for our own good.

During the sermon on Wednesday evening, Reverend Ho talked about the story of the lame man who was laid daily at the Beautiful gate to beg for alms (Acts 3:1-10). This man's monotonous lifestyle was changed the day he met Peter and John. Reverend Ho advised Christians to avail themselves of the mercies of God that are new every morning.

The choir opened the Thursday service with the song “Come and Dine.” Reverend Ho preached about the perfect state of man before the fall, and how Adam and Eve were both naked and not ashamed. Unfortunately, sin brought shame to humankind. He emphasized that although a person may be clothed, if unsaved, he or she is naked before God, but at salvation God clothes them with robes of righteousness.

By Friday evening, many people had heard about the mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Hempstead . As saints assembled in the sanctuary for the service, God's presence could be felt. The sermon was taken from Mark 9:17-24, where Jesus told the man whose son was possessed with a dumb and deaf spirit “if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” In tears, the man replied, “Lord, I believe.” Reverend Ho then exhorted everyone to believe in God. He said that God is simple and not complex, and asked why it is easy for people to believe in everything else except God.

On Sunday, the final day of the revival, Reverend Ho dedicated the morning service sermon to the young people and he pleaded with them to live “soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:12). He called attention to the fact that a young woman is extremely powerful because she can make or break a man. He pleaded with all young women to use the power they have in spiritually positive ways. He advocated for modesty and decency in the life of every young woman. On the other hand, he pleaded with young men to shun sexual immorality and pornography. He advised them to be careful of the way they look at and address young women because someday, everyone will have to stand before God to give an account of the deeds done in the flesh.

In the evening, saints from Brooklyn, the Bronx, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Florida came to Hempstead for a fellowship service. During the testimony service, they had the opportunity to thank God for His goodness. In the sermon, Reverend John Richardson, the pastor of the church in the Bronx , preached on the importance of prayer. He stressed that when someone prays, they get God's attention because He invites them to “reason together with Him” (Isaiah 1:18). Reverend Richardson also emphasized that Christians must pray without ceasing. He then thanked God for the revival of Hempstead, and further implored the saints to always keep fueling that fire of revival with fervent prayers.