Live at L.P. Frans Stadium
Hickory, NC.
Saturday, October 2nd, 1999

The Crowd gathers

6:10 - Welcome to the Western North Carolina Harvest Jam!! L.P. Frans Stadium is already filled to capacity! The overflow area is filling with people and the hillside near the stadium is also filling up! What an awesome night this is going to be! It's exciting to anticipate what God will do here tonight!

6:20 - Tonight's musical line-up will include Big Tent Revival, Jennifer Knapp and Audio Adrenaline. Pastor Greg's message will be titled "What Happens When I Die?"

6:45 - It is the prayer of the Harvest Crusade team that the words of the musicians here tonight and Pastor Greg's message, would pierce the hearts of many. We pray that many would make decisions to follow Christ tonight!

7:05 - The excitement level is high here tonight. The nearby hillside is filled with a couple hundred people. There are a few dozen people sitting in an area on the grass to the left of the stage. There are a few hundred chairs which have been brought and set up on the infield. All of those are filled too.

7:12 - This evening's event will kick off with a "Youth Jam Video" which highlights Audio Adrenaline.

Sing Praises to the Lord!

7:15 - Pastor Greg approaches the platform. He announces that this is the LARGEST crowd ever assembled in Catawba County. He introduces Pastor Ray Holcomb from Tri-Cities Baptist Church to open the evening in prayer.

7:20 - Pastor Greg introduces Big Tent Revival. They begin with "Come On People." The crowd is very responsive. They are standing and clapping along. The next song they perform is "Livin' off Your Love" from their new CD, "Choose Life." Steve Wiggins, lead singer and guitar player, welcomes the crowd and performs "Judgment Day" which is one of their hits with a very "bluesy" sound! The next song they perform is "I Am Broken - Mend Me." Next, one of their big hits, "What Would Jesus Do?" The crowd remains standing through this entire set. Steve Wiggins encourages the crowd to sing along, "What would Jesus do, he gave his life for you...." He encourages those on the hill to sing along too! Steve Wiggins shares how Pastor Greg approached him about a year ago and asked him to write a song about making a choice to follow Christ. Steve introduces their song, "Choose Life."

7:45 - Pastor Greg introduces Jennifer Knapp, female singer and guitarist. She opens with her popular song, "Undo Me." The crowd once again stands to their feet and claps along. Jennifer has a powerful voice and her lyrics are penetrating. She follows with "In the Name." This song speaks of people who put their trust in all sorts of "things", but not in the name of the Lord. She shares how when she came to the point in her life when she learned to put her trust in the Lord, that He promised to make her whole again. She closes with "Whole Again."

8:00 - Host Bob Shank welcomes the entire crowd and announces that there are many products available at the Resource Tables outside, products from all of the musicians here, plus books by Greg Laurie.

Bob Shank prays for tonight's offering, which will help to cover the cost of this event.

8:05 - Jennifer Knapp sings "Hold Me Now" as offering is taken. Video is shown which shows clips of previous Harvest Crusades in different areas of the country. Greg Laurie receives no honorarium for these crusades.

8:10 - Pastor Greg Laurie introduces Audio Adrenaline!! The crowd stands to their feet as Audio performs their first song from their new CD. Lead singer Mark Stuart encourages the crowd to raise their hands!! They follow with their big hit, "Big House." Mark Stuart encourages the audience to sing along. All the kids are familiar with this song and they raise their hands to heaven and sing along! They follow with "A Mighty Good Leader." They follow next with another big hit, "Get Down...and He Lifts me up!" The audience shouts in unison, "And He lifts me up!!" after every time the band sings ...."Get Down!"

8:30 - Bob Shank asks the audience to prepare themselves for the message to be shared by Pastor Greg Laurie tonight. Audio Adrenaline and Jennifer Knapp prepare to perform one more song before Greg Laurie's message. They perform "It is Well With My Soul."

The Gospel is preached

8:35 - Pastor Greg comes to the platform. A video is shown of Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, featuring Cassie Bernal, who was martryed for her faith.

Pastor Greg shares that Cassie Bernal was ready when her day came. He said that her friends said "She was so radient. I wanted to just be around her." "I wanted to live for Christ like she did..." "She lived her life each and everyday for Him!" Cassie said as a Christian she did not want to "Contradict herself." And to "Get rid of all hypocrysy just to live for Christ!" And she did! Pastor Greg asked the crowd here, "What if today were your last day on earth? What would happen to you?"

Pastor Greg shares that even though we don't like to think about our own mortality, but the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:1-3, "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven; a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; at time to break down, and a time to build up."

Pastor Greg shares how we don't even like to use the word "death." We use words like "kick the bucket" or "they reached room temperature" or "bit the dust" or "cashed in their chips."

We all die, but the question is, "Where do we go?" Pastor Greg says that that is entirely up to you. He says according to the Bible, there are only 2 options; Heaven and Hell. He says "I know what you're probably thinking." "How could a 'God of love' send someone to Hell?" "Let me answer by saying that in that final day, no one will be in either Heaven or Hell by accident. They will be there because of a choice they made here on earth."

Pastor Greg shares from the book of Rev. 20:12-15. Rev. 20:12 "And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books." Rev. 20:13 "The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works." Rev. 20:14 "Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." Rev. 20:15 "And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."

Again, Pastor Greg shares that the reason we don't like to use the "D-word" is because we are afraid to die. He repeats how in Rev. 20:12 the Bible says "And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God." Pastor Greg says "As I said, Death is no respector of persons. Everyone will stand before God one day. Death is the great equalizer. Everyone is headed there."

Pastor Greg says "Listen! Every wrong in the universe will ultimately be paid for! Either it will turn out to have been paid for by Jesus Christ when He died on the cross if the offender repents of their sins and puts their faith in Him, or it will be paid for at the final judgment by those who do not trust in Jesus for salvation."

Pastor Greg says that there might be those of you who might say "I live by the 10 Commandments." He says that the Bible clearly shows that we do not. He says that we all fall short of keeping the commandments. The Bible says "If you offend in one point of the law, you are guilty of all of it." He says that Eccl. 12:14 says "For God will judge us for everything we do, including every hidden thing, good or bad - every idle word a man speaks, he'll give account of it on the day of judgment." Pastor Greg shares that some people say, "I have my own religion, my own beliefs, I'll live by those." He says that the fact of the matter is, you don't even live up to your own standards you have set for yourself, much less God's!

Pastor Greg shares that in that final day, there will be no one in Heaven or Hell by accident. "Everyone of us has sinned and will face Hell if we do not turn to Jesus Christ. Don't put it off. The road to Hell is paved with excuses. Yes, death is coming. We determine where we will spend eternity by our decision to follow or not follow Jesus Christ. JFK Jr., Carolyn Bessett Kennedy, and her sister Lauren, were on their way that day to a wedding. They did not know that would be their last night. Cassie Bernal in Columbine High School did not know that that would be her last day when she prepared for school that morning. What if this were yours? Prepare to meet your God!"

Pastor Greg prays for everyone here and then invites individuals to make a decision to follow Christ. He invites them to walk down to the outfield here at L.P. Frans Stadium and make a public profession of faith. Many hundreds of people stream down to the field to make their stand for Jesus Christ. Pastor Greg prays with them and instructs them to meet with New Convert Counselors, who will pray with them individually and give each person on the field a copy of the "New Believer's New Testament."

The work of the Holy Spirit