MY PRINCIPLES HAVE POISONED MY FRIEND; MY EXTRAVAGANCE HAS BEGGARED MY BOY; MY UNKINDNESS HAS MURDERED MY WIFE. AND IS THERE ANOTHER HELL? OH, THOU BLASPHEMED, YET MOST INDULGENT LORD GOD! HELL IS A REFUGE IF IT HIDES ME FROM THY FROWN.
-ALTAMONT, AN ATHEIST ON HIS DEATHBED
This guy was obviously in very bad shape! Unfortunately, he believed a lie that most unbelievers who go to hell believe – that they have sunk too low for God to forgive them. I wish I had been with this man when he died, because I would have told him that there is no sin too great for God to forgive.
As you venture out to accomplish your Mission 3:16, you are going to meet some people who are like Altamont, and they may not be on their deathbed. They may still be causing lots of trouble and making life miserable for themselves and everyone around them. Some people are so deceived by the enemy, they believe they might as well act like the devil because there is no way they can change. They are trapped in their culture, their environment, and their way of thinking and doing things.
That is where you come in! You are the light to shine in their darkness. When you enter their world in the power of God, speaking His truth into their situation, and taking authority over the enemy so he cannot lie to them anymore, the light will expose the lies and the deception will be shattered. You are the guide sent from heaven to show them the way out of their hopeless, helpless life and into a living, loving, dynamic relationship with a Father God who loves them.
The next time you meet someone who is living like the devil, who believes there is no hope for them, Do not give up! Pray for them, love them, speak truth to them, and then expect God to move into their life and transform them. In some cases, your faith in them will make the difference in their ability to accept the truth that God loves them, Jesus died for them, and the Holy Spirit is longing to live in them and bring them peace.
Excerpt permission granted by Albury Publishing
Carman Domenic Licciardello is an enigma in Christian music, often described as part evangelist, part Vegas Showman. His concerts were more like a rock and roll Billy Graham Crusade than a Christian music event. After all the singing, dancing, clapping, and preaching, crowds of people would stream down to the counseling area to accept Christ-many times as many as 5,000 in an evening.
Admission was usually free; a simple offering was taken, similar to 30,000 churches on Sunday mornings. And he filled the largest stadiums the world over. Carman held the record for the largest Christian concert ever in Dallas, Texas. But it even goes beyond that. Take the Mega Stadium acts that played the famed landmark such as Pink Floyd, U 2, Madonna, The Jackson Five, Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, and even Metallic. As the newspapers noted, you'll see that the one-act that drew the highest attendance in Texas Stadium was Carman, with 71,132.
Carman (1956-2021) was a popular contemporary Christian singer and songwriter.
Born Carman Licciardello, he began recording under his first name and released his debut album in 1980. Carman began charting contemporary Christian hits in 1984 with "Sunday's on the Way," reaching No. 1 with "The Champion" (1986) and "Radically Saved" (1988). His other hit songs include "Lord of All," "Jesus Is the Light," and "Satan, Bite the Dust!" Carman reportedly holds the world record for the largest audience at a Christian concert. His popularity was at its height in the 1980s and early '90s, but he continued releasing albums for years, including his most recent release, 2014's "No Plan B." In 2018, he was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
