At The Encounter conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, evangelist Brian Barcelona delivered a deeply moving message about salvation, redemption and the power of persistence.
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Reflecting on his own testimony, he shared, “I got saved at 16. It’s crazy, I was a 16-year-old boy. I sat in the back of a room and I went in for a Jamba Juice smoothie and I came out with eternal life.” That moment was the result of one man’s relentless faith, Albert, a bread truck driver, who invited Brian to church week after week, finally saying, “Come to church and I’ll buy you a smoothie.”
Barcelona centered his message on the man at the gate called Beautiful in Acts 3, pointing to how many believers can be surrounded by church culture and still miss an encounter with God. “This man watched other people walk in to meet God, but he himself was stuck outside never being able to go in.” He warned that “many of you sit outside of not a physical gate… Most people you meet that come to church actually still sit outside of him.”
Encouraging those bound by shame and disappointment, he declared, “God does not want to give you a second chance, He wants to give you your first chance back.”
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If you want to hear the full message and experience the powerful moment that unfolded, be sure to watch the video above.
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
