Everyone expected a powerful conclusion to the Spring Agapao Tour, but once again, the Lord exceeded our highest expectations.
We left Jeffersonville at about 6:00 on Thursday morning and arrived in Macon at about 4:00 that afternoon. Our nerves were set at ease when we saw the sign that said, “Welcome Brother Joseph and Agapao Tour."
The meetings were to take place at the Macon City Auditorium, where Brother Branham preached the sermon, “Fellowship Through The Reconciliation Of The Blood.” We counted it a great honor to be in the same building where the prophet preached 61 years earlier. One of our biggest concerns was the 80% chance of rain over the weekend, and how to get the people from the various parking lots in downtown Macon, to the auditorium during a thunderstorm. The rain was scheduled to hit exactly during our Friday and Saturday services, but the Lord was with us and held off the rain during each meeting. It didn't rain a drop while we were entering or exiting the building.
Eight hundred chairs were set up on the main floor of the building for Friday night, and every one of them was filled by 6:45. We quickly set up another 200 chairs and had a total of about 1,000 people present.
Brother Joseph came to the platform at 7:00 to a standing crowd that was clapping to the piano and energized in the Holy Spirit. We have seen excitement in the previous Agapao meetings, but these people came with the highest expectations! Brother Joseph spoke about love and unity for about 30 minutes, before he humbly did what he considers his highest honor: introduce the prophet, William Marrion Branham, to the pulpit.
The people LOVED the sermon “Then Jesus Came And Called.” Here is an excerpt from that sermon that prompted shouts of AMEN and HALLELUJAH.
The time has come for action. The time has come to believe or don't believe. That separating line comes to every man and woman. It comes to every child.
Some came to the altar when Brother Branham called for sinners, but most stayed right in their seats and quietly worshipped. The best word to describe our first evening was “consecration.” There didn’t seem to be any walls between us, just a group of devoted believers worshipping together under the common ground of the Message of the hour. It was a powerful way to start the Macon Agapao Tour.
We opened the doors for the Agapao displays at 10:00 on Saturday morning. What a wonderful time of fellowship! Each display sparked questions about the work of the Lord, and those questions often lead to testimonies of how each of us have had our own part in spreading the Message. We met brand-new believers and even some experienced warriors of the Gospel who were present 61 years earlier when Brother Branham, himself, spoke at that same auditorium. Like the previous evening, it seemed that there was a unity among the people that was growing by the minute.
After a couple hours break to change into our church clothes, we opened the doors at 6:00 for another worship service. We quickly set up more chairs, and eventually 1,300 people filled the floor of the auditorium and spread into the balcony. Brother Joseph again encouraged us to hold strong to the Word, and prepared our hearts and minds to hear the prophet preach the sermon, “A Total Deliverance.” Here is one of those special quotes that seemed to ring in our ears:
We all want to be unified together, with the Holy Spirit. Every member should be unified, one with the other. The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost. It cleanses us from all unrighteousness. We are delivered from the things of the world. Jesus said, “This will all men know that you're My disciples, when you got love, one for the other one.” When one member loves the other member so much that it would die for it.
As Brother Joseph was leading the congregation in worship at the end of the service, a little boy walked to the altar, knelt down, and raised his hand to the Lord. A few more followed, and the service ended with many either staying at the altar or praying in their seats.
Friday evening was a powerful worship service where we had the opportunity to rededicate our lives to the Lord. Saturday morning, we were able to meet new believers, rekindle old friendships, and hear testimonies about the work of the Lord. Then Saturday’s service took it a step further with reverence and a deeper study of the Word. Everything prepared us for Sunday morning, when we would hear the sermon titled, “The Uniting Sign And Time.” It was a time that most of us will never forget.
Brother Joseph again prepared the people to hear the prophet. He went a step further by encouraging the pastors to “put Brother Branham back in the pulpit” and play these tapes for their congregations. The crowd stood to their feet with a resounding applause. He went on to make it clear that he is not against the ministers or saying this to compete with other ministers. His ministry is to lay a foundation for the prophet. Again, the crowd erupted with AMENs and shouts of support. Then, for the third time in three days, the prophet of Malachi 4 echoed through the Macon City Auditorium, encouraging the Bride to unite under the Word of God.
God is uniting His Bride. She is coming together, from the East and the West, and the North and South. There is a uniting time, and that's on right now. What is She uniting for? The Rapture. Amen! God's getting Her ready. Yes sir, uniting! What is She uniting with? With the Word! “For all heavens and earth will pass away, but My Word shall never pass away.” She's uniting Herself with THUS SAITH THE LORD regardless of what any denomination or anybody else says. She's uniting Herself. She's getting ready.
Brother Branham preached at the Macon City Auditorium 61 years ago, and we were all blessed beyond measure to hear him again at the Agapao Tour. We give our sincere gratitude to the believers who traveled hundreds or thousands of miles to be with us in Macon. We also thank the local pastors who closed their services so their congregations could join together with other congregations in the unity of the Word. And, we thank all of you who prayed for these meetings. The Lord heard your prayers and was present with us in the auditorium. Maybe our next meeting will be when we meet our Lord Jesus in the air, but if He tarries, we are already looking forward to starting the Agapao Tour again this fall. May our Lord Jesus Christ richly bless each of you. We love you.