When a Tortured Gospel Meets Real Power. Night two in Michigan was every bit as good as the first night. As the Tent filled up, there was definite expectation in the air.

Catherine and her band once again led us into the presence of God and the anticipation grew. It’s always great how the people come forward and worship God together. But I especially love seeing all the young children joining in, learning how to worship their Savior.

It was a wonderful time of declaring the awesomeness, the power, the glory, and the worthiness of our God. And then the time of worship concluded with the song, “I Speak Jesus.” Definitely one of our favorites, because none of this matters without Jesus.

Mario took the stage and continued declaring the awesomeness that is our God, leading the people in raising a shout in praise of our God.

He then gave a word of encouragement to pastors. He said in a modern ministry it is easy to feel overlooked. It’s easy to go online and have everyone tell you what the Bible says. You can be a pastor and a leader, and be grieved by the aberrant appetites of the church.

Mario then moved into his main message: “Gen Z and the Thief on the Cross.”

He said good men and women of God are overlooked because they preach the Word, rightly dividing it. He said, your ministry is important and the Lord will provide the finances needed to build a great work for God. Some believe the body of Christ doesn’t know how to reward righteous vessels that are pure. The Bible says that God’s gift will not place you before obscure people, but will place you before kings.

Mario said that in those moments in his life when he believed no one cared and his labor was in vain, God came out of nowhere – because promotion comes from the Lord.

Mario then moved into his main message: “Gen Z and the Thief on the Cross.”

He said we are in a situation that we need out of, but the only way America will get out of it is by the power of Jesus. It is not those on the Right or the Left in whom we put our faith, but God alone. Donald Trump cannot save America. It can only be saved by a Bible-based, Christ centered reformation of morals.

The thief on the cross was on death row when Lazarus was raised, so he did not get to see that miracle.

The burning question of our time is how are the thief on the cross and Gen Z connected? The Psalmist said, “Don’t let me die until I have declared Your power and testimony to the next generation”.

Mario said he feels bad for Gen Z because they don’t understand Azusa Street. They understand the modern powerless charismatic movement, but not the true power of God. They need to be taken from Sesame Street to Azusa Street! Our younger generation needs to see the fire of the Holy Spirit!

The thief on the cross was on death row when Lazarus was raised, so he did not get to see that miracle. He didn’t get to experience the teachings and miracles of Jesus. He did not get a fair witness of the Gospel. The thief did not get to witness Jesus as the Son of God

His only experience with Jesus was a broken and dying man, who had been beaten beyond recognition and was nailed to a cross.

They have only heard a version of Christ that is crucified and powerless.

And like the thief, this generation has only seen a tortured and mutilated Gospel. They’ve not seen the beauty of the Bible or the power of the Word of God to end a man’s addictions in one step, instead of twelve.

This generation has only heard division and compromise. They have only heard a version of Christ that is crucified and powerless. They were lied to when they were told being born again would be easy and would make their life easy. We thought we made it attractive by making it easy.

But the death of Charlie Kirk changed the equation. Christianity went from entertainment to something worth dying for!

Mario said when they see the church is all about money and competition, when they read about another failed leader, they listen and absorb it and wonder. And it looks hopeless, like we may have lost the next generation.

But a powerful thing happened on Calvary. The thief looked into Jesus’ eyes. The thief looked over, looked into His eyes, and said, ‘this is not just a man.’ Somehow he knew Jesus had done nothing wrong. Even Pilate said, “I find no fault in Him.”

The Gospel has survived delusion, compromise, and political wrangling. It seems there is no mutation the Gospel has not endured.

“The proof that the Gospel is divine, is the preaching it has survived.” – Woodrow Wilson

“Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ‘If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.’ But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom'” (Luke 23:39-42 NKJV).

Mario asked of Gen Z, “What does the miracle of the thief on the cross have to do with them? The thief had seen the worst there is, and endured the darkest there is. And on that cross, in that condition, he said, “Remember me when You come into Your Kingdom.”

“And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise'” (Luke 23:43 NKJV).

Jesus looked at the thief and said, ‘you have seen the worst life has to offer, but in just a little while you will have innocence and sanity again. You will have peace and joy again.’

In a fragmented world they often feel misunderstood and judged by the older generations.

Gen Z is roughly defined as a group that came into being during the early part of the 21st century. They live in a world of rapid technological change, social upheaval, and global uncertainty. They are known for their search for authenticity and their skepticism of traditional institutions and inherited beliefs.

Many of them have issues of identity, meaning, and belonging. In a fragmented world they often feel misunderstood and judged by the older generations.

The thing we need to tell the next generation is that they are not as different from us as we think. Every generation has its claim to victimization and self-pity.

Despite their differences, the thief on the cross and Gen Z have much in common. Because they’ve both seen an ugly Gospel. But something has happened, there is a youth awakening starting in the United States. God is saving Gen Z in record numbers.

When Mario called for them to raise their hands, I watched hands shoot up all over the Tent.

They want sincere worship, they want Bible preaching, they want to see signs and wonders, and they want an authentic experience in church with honest Christians.
And the word to Gen Z is, “That is also what we want! We too are tired of dead religion, false doctrine, hypocrisy, and we want a Jesus experience!

Mario began to move into a time of challenging the hearts of those the Spirit of God was calling home. He said, “When you get saved, God changes your heart and your habits are broken. You begin to love beauty. Your appetites are altered and you are given power to make right choices. And you begin to live in an economy where God is your source.”

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10b NKJV).

When Mario called for them to raise their hands, I watched hands shoot up all over the Tent. Then he had them stand and come forward. The response was even larger than last night.

I’ll never get tired of seeing our fellow brothers and sisters coming home. Seeing the Spirit of God get a hold of their heart’s, draw them in, and change them right before our eyes.

Mario prayed over them and had them go out to be prayed for. And once again we had an amazing group of volunteers lined the length of the Tent waiting for them and greeting them with huge smiles and praying with them.

As that was going on Catherine and the team came back and sang another great camp meeting song, “I Feel Your Spirit”. It was an amazing time of celebration.

Mario said, “Sometimes, the thing that keeps us sick, is our doctrine of healing.”

Mario returned to the platform as the people finished making their way back into the Tent. And the Spirit began to shift. Mario had the people put their hand over their heart and recite, “Rise, take up your bed, and walk”

Mario talked about the story of the man at the pool, where Jesus asked the man “Do you want to be healed?” And the man recited all the reasons why he had not been able to make it to the pool when the angel stirred the water.

Mario said, “Sometimes, the thing that keeps us sick, is our doctrine of healing.”

He then told a funny anecdote about how crazy going to the doctor is, how wild the rules are, how humiliating it often is, and how complex. Many in the audience nodded in agreement as he reminded them of how doctors give you medication with side effects which are sometimes worse than the thing they are supposed to fix.

He then pointed out a woman off to the side of the Tent and told her that three times she had been in accidents. 

But Jesus doesn’t make you wait. There are no side effects. Your ailments are gone and they don’t come back!

He said when we sit in the doctor’s office we experience all the principles of healing and we just don’t know it. You go with nothing else on your mind, you get time away from your job, you accept what they tell you, and you follow all the instructions. But when sitting in church you question: ‘is this real? Does God really heal today?’

Mario had the people raise their hands and pray in tongues. And then had them say to God, “Heal me now. Come and have mercy on me, I am ready by the power of God.”

He then pointed out a woman off to the side of the Tent and told her that three times she had been in accidents. It was affecting her bones and her joints. He told her God’s power was flowing through her and healing her. He had her start moving her feet and then to start walking. She immediately began to walk and move freely and without pain.

Then in the middle, a few rows back, he had a woman lay her hand on the man next to her. He was being healed in his breathing, his heart, bones, spine, and eyes.

Then on the same row he had another woman lay hands on the woman next to her. And told her while she was praying for the second lady, she would be healed also.

The second woman was healed in multiple places in her body. All her joints. The medications don’t help, but they affect her body negatively and now she’s being healed of all of it. She was being healed of chronic inflammation.

Then a man toward the back was asked to stand along with his wife. Mario told him there is a medical procedure scheduled that he will no longer need. He was healed in his heart and blocked arteries were being opened up. And blockage in the man’s legs was being removed, restoring blood flow to the feet. And his back was healed as well.

Then he pointed to the back in the middle section and said there was someone with a disorder that caused non-stop exhaustion that is something in the blood. He said there were six with this condition and he had them all stand.

The man fell to the ground under the power of God.

Then he highlighted one of the women in the group and said it was pernicious anemia. And she began to cry, acknowledging it to be true. He had all those women put their hand over their heart as they were being healed.

Next Mario highlighted one of the other women and revealed that her pancreas was the source of her ailment, and that she was being healed.

Mario had the people pray in the language of the Holy Spirit out loud and he began to bind cancer in the Name of Jesus. And he bound paralysis and multiple sclerosis, all in the Name of Jesus.

Then he pointed to a man on the far side. He had the man stand, and as he began to reveal the various disorders, the man fell to the ground under the power of God.

Next there was a lady whose ability to walk and move and breathe were all healed.

Then on the opposite side of the Tent the Lord revealed to Mario someone who’s family had been into witchcraft. And they had tried to put a curse on her, but God was freeing her mind from the lie. He said they tried to kill her in a ritual and she was being delivered. As she nodded in agreement, God made it clear to her that she does not have a demon in her, but that she was filled with the Spirit of God..

Mario was telling the people that he felt a level of power where, like in Scripture, everyone was healed.

Then he turned to the far side of the Tent and was shown a woman who was tormented with night terrors, so intense that she was afraid to even go into her own room. Mario told her God was assigning an angel to her room. She had had a traumatic experience as a child which left her feeling unsafe, but it was now going away.

Mario then had everyone who needed healing to raise their hands. And then had everyone in the Tent lay hands on those around them who had their hands raised. People were praying for each other over the whole floor of the Tent.

He had the people say, “I believe the power of God is present to heal, right now. In Jesus name.” Then Mario had them pray in the Holy Spirit. It was such a powerful moment.
This was such a wonderful and powerful night. It was incredible!

If you were able to attend you know how great it was. If not you have one last chance as we will be meeting Tuesday night, September 23, at 6:30 p.m. at:

Floodgate Church
1535 N Old US 23, Howell, MI 48843

Hope to see you there!