Dealey Plaza

On Saturday, our team of 12 began the day in Dealey Plaza, where U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. There was a sidewalk area where we could stand without any interference from pedestrian traffic and preach to the lines of people who were waiting to go to the Sixth Floor Museum. The crowds had nowhere to go, so several took turns proclaiming the Law and the Gospel. I began to preach on Isaiah 44:9-20 on the folly of idolatry. I really don’t remember much of what I said, but I the end I was shaking and weeping. Hundreds of people in that line who will spend eternity somewhere – in heaven praising Jesus forever, their sins washed away by his blood, or in hell enduring eternal wrath and conscious torment for their sins. It was overwhelming. All I could do was weep and say, “They’re perishing.”

Brothers and sisters, we must examine ourselves. I confess I have in the aftermath of that event. How often am I preaching just to preach? What about soul-winning and making disciples? Please understand that one cannot manufacture such a brokenness as I experienced; it only comes from the Holy Spirit. But we must pray! We must pray hard for the Holy Spirit to fill us with compassion and brokenness over man’s sinful condition. We must be emptied of self and let God make is appeal of reconciliation through us (2 Corinthians 5:20). We should meditate on the gospel and exegete Scripture when preaching on the streets, for the purpose of ascribing our great and glorious God the glory due his name, that sinners see their wickedness and find rest in the Lamb.

Shortly thereafter, an Egyptian revolutionary rally broke out in the hilly portion of the Plaza near the Grassy Knoll. The protest lasted about two hours. When the group saw that we were not going anywhere – though we were not supporting the existing government but rather proclaiming Jesus – the protests were directed at us. Chants of “Muslim, Christian, we’re all Egyptian” was a valiant effort on their part to try and drive us away, but we knew the battle here transcended flesh and blood but was taking place in the heavenly realms.

The rally began with pleas for a secular government and slogans were chanted in English, but the longer we stayed and preached Christ the chants were lifted up in Arabic and took on more of a Islamist tone. There were a few “Hezbollah” chants along with “Allahu Akbar.”

One of the slogans in English was “No Justice, No Peace.” What a great springboard for the gospel! There is no perfect justice outside of God’s perfect justice, and there is no peace for men apart of justification by faith in what Jesus Christ has done – to suffer perfect justice for sin, yes, the just Son of God crushed by God the Father and resurrected from the dead to declare unjust and wicked men as just. Glory! These are what these people needed to hear above all else. The message of eternal life! No human government or false religion can save them from the wrath of God. Many of the people were Muslims who perhaps heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and truth from the Bible for the first time in their lives. Several one-to-one conversations broke out, tracts were distributed to those in the crowd.

Despite the “Muslim, Christian, we’re all Egyptian” chants, when the rally was winding down and it was time for prayer, no one was praying to Jehovah, but Allah. They even had an Imam and began to read from their literature while prostrating themselves toward Mecca. I’d seen these images on TV but seeing in person was absolutely heartbreaking. Dozens of people prostrating themselves before a god who does not exist, who cannot save their souls from condemnation, who knows nothing of grace because the entire religion is set up on works-righteousness. This is Islam. And it was 50 feet away. We took our 10 foot cross, moved it into their line of sight, and prayed that they would turn from these vain things to serve the living God (Acts 14:15).

After their time of prayer, God gave us the opportunity to proclaim Christ to the protesters that were left. After a few more “Allahu Akbar” chants the leader of the rally declared that it was over. Praise the Lord so many Muslims and tourists heard the gospel that day! Please pray the seeds that were sown for Christ.