Night three of the Iowa Celebration with Will Graham brought students of all ages to the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. More than 1,500 people filled the red bleachers, the largest crowd of the weekend.
“You can only understand your purpose in life through faith in Jesus,” Will Graham told the responsive Sunday crowd, drawing from the story of John the Baptist in John 3:22-30.
This young Skillet fan attentively listened to Graham’s message. At one point, the evangelist used a pen and paper to drive a point home. When a pen is lying flat, it’s not doing what it was created to do. It was only when the evangelist picked the pen up and signed his name that it marked the page. “You can only fulfill your purpose in life when you put it in your Master’s hands,” he said.
FLAME, a leader in Christian hip hop, got the crowd jumping with his Gospel-centered raps. FLAME told the audience how God saved his life and transformed his heart. “If God can do it for me, He can do it for you.”
Before Will Graham gave the message, Aaron Shust lead the audience in an acoustic version of “Amazing Grace.” The lyrics filled the arena as the audience sang along.
These five girls hold up their “homework”—the booklets given to everyone who made a decision for Christ.
One group of high schoolers from a local church volunteered to be counselors Sunday. Each student took Christian Life and Witness classes before the event. “Having a mix of new believers coming to the church has created a pull for evangelism,” said Jani Barlow, a senior student who recently became a Christian herself.
The night ended with music from the award-winning band Skillet. Their rock music lit up the stage as the audience jumped and danced to the beats.
There were many Skillet fans in the audience, but Breanna (far left) and MaKayla (second from the left) might be the most dedicated. The sisters arrived at the Wells Fargo Arena just after noon—six hours before the event started—to make sure they snagged a front row seat. Both women credit the band’s raw music for saving their lives. Sunday was Breanna’s 60th Skillet concert.
This young fan—wearing a Skillet T-shirt—sits on his dad’s shoulders, eagerly waiting to hear the famous band.
During the weekend outreach, hundreds made decisions for Christ. In the coming days, local churches will reach out to those who came forward, ensuring they get the resources and community they need to grow in their faith.
Will you join in thanking God for all the lives that were changed by His love this past weekend in Iowa?
