Strengthening your walk
James MacDonald joins Vertical Church Band for “One Day Revival” on campus
When David Nasser announced Vertical Church Band would be a part of Liberty University’s spring 2016 Convocation schedule, the audience in Vines Center gave a huge round of applause.
Praise — Meredith Andrews sang in Convo Jan. 27. Photo credit: Leah Seavers
The same energy could be felt in the way students talked about the Convocation days before it took place.
“I was really excited when I heard that they were coming,” junior Jacob Roberts said. “Vertical Church Band comes to Liberty often and I thoroughly enjoy them every time. Also, as a worship major, it is really cool to see that many members of Vertical Church Band are Liberty alumni.”
Roberts was also excited about the message of Vertical Church Band’s music and how students can gain something from their ministry.
“Vertical Church Band is very conscious of producing music that accurately portrays Scripture,” Roberts said. “This is the reason why I enjoy their worship music and I always look forward to being in
Convocation when they are there.”
Vertical Church Band played five songs before Pastor James MacDonald came to the stage.
MacDonald and his wife, Kathy, started Harvest Bible Chapel in 1988, and it has grown to seven locations. They started groups such as Vertical Church Band as a way to spread the message of Christ.
MacDonald’s message was a lesson on the importance and focus of revival.
“The problem is, as long as you are comparing yourself to the other boats in the water, you lose sight of how far you have drifted from shore,” MacDonald said. “Now shore, biblically speaking, is the nature of God and the bull’s-eye of that is God’s holiness.”
MacDonald gave students advice on the importance of decisions they make at this stage in their lives.
“So much of what you are going to be, you are becoming right now,” MacDonald said. “So much of what you are going to be will depend upon your responses to nameless, faceless people that you won’t even remember.”
MacDonald also emphasized the importance of not taking God lightly.
“If you have been living with that Western world, hyper-grace, always-cool-with-whatever-I-choose God, you have been getting some bad teaching,” MacDonald said.
MacDonald ended his lesson with a prayer for all students, especially those who did not think the message was for them.
“I pray for every self righteous student, who is glad that someone is finally getting to hear what they need to hear and can’t see that the message is for them,” MacDonald said.
Vertical Church Band concluded Convocation with one last song. Liberty named the occasion “One Day Revival.”
After hearing MacDonald’s message, students said they were very touched and took to heart what he had to say.
“James MacDonald was very passionate in his topic of revival,” junior Ben Yohn said. “I got that my walk with God can always be improved.”
MCQUAGE is a news reporter.