Three weeks ago we went to Dallas, Texas for the Grace Revolution Tour.  Joseph Prince, a pastor from Singapore who has a world-wide ministry through his television program “Destined to Reign,” released his new book Grace Revolution and was touring in the United States in November.  When we heard about the tour, we decided to buy tickets and attend.  The event was held at the American Airlines Center in Dallas with seating for 17,000 people.

Though this event was only one night and a quite different than what we usually attend, I thought my readers would enjoy hearing about this unique adventure!

Our seats were on the floor, section B.  When I saw the jib in the section in front of us I cringed, thinking visibility of the stage wasn’t going to be great when the program began, but it ended up being fine.  It was kind of funny after a while, when the jib would pull off to the side, everyone in our section flipped their phones out to take pictures while the way was clear!  LOL!

The praise team, New Creation Worship, kicked off the night with one of their new songs, Grace Revolution.  As they sang, the lyrics appeared on the screens above and beside the stage and also on screens suspended from the ceiling in the middle of the auditorium.  Though this song was from a CD that was just released, everyone in the audience followed along and sang with them.  Grace Revolution was a fast song that featured one of the men in the worship team.  Next, the title song to their CD, Anthem of Grace, showcased one of the ladies in the group on the verses.  Hearts on Fire, another up-beat tune followed and then they went into Finished.  This song was illustrated by an amazing music video.  The video began with a man walking into a room, turning a light on and sitting down to open the Word of God.  Taking a pen, he underlined a verse in Romans and went to a canvas.  The remainder of the video was this man using paint and a brush to depict a picture; though it would be easy to guess what the final scene would be, it was difficult to figure out until the painter dipped his fingers in the paint and began adding the crown of thorns to the image.  At the very end, he turned the upside down canvas right side up and there was a picture of Jesus.  It was captivating!

The next moment, Pastor Prince walked out on stage and greeted the audience.  After a few words, he said that he was going to sing a song over us before we had Communion.  He went on to say that in gatherings like this, when he sings this particular song, for some reason the Holy Spirit chooses to set many people free from depression, addictions and diseases.  I’ve not heard of any American pastor doing something like this, but that is one reason why I enjoy the ministry of Joseph Prince – he thinks outside the box!  The song he sang was Psalm 34 (one of my favorites!) and then he asked if anyone felt the Lord heal their body; those in the crowd who did responded by waving back.  Pastor Prince then began to speak of why the Lord told us to remember his death by taking Communion.  I thought it was interesting how he explained the purpose behind the bread and wine.  We all know that the wine represents the blood of Jesus washing away our sins, but what does the bread represent?  Pastor Prince explained that most folks merge the two together, when instead; the bread has its own meaning.  Isaiah 53 tells us that his body was scourged so that “by His stripes we are healed.”  His body was broken so our bodies can be put back together.

After Communion, Joseph Prince went into his message that was themed around the tour and his new book, Grace Revolution.  He shared how the Bible elevates grace over the law and that those who say that preaching grace gives people a license to sin is not a correct teaching.  (See Romans 6:14!)  One thing that he emphasized is how the Holy Spirit convicts believers of their righteousness in Christ, not of their sin.  I had always grown up being taught that when you do something wrong, the Spirit convicts you of sin and that’s how you know you’re saved…because if the Spirit doesn’t convict you, that means He’s not in you!  Pastor Prince explained that everyone in the world is convicted of wrongdoing whether they’re saved or not because God created all humans with a conscience.  When the Spirit works in you, He does not beat you down over what you did (that’s your own conscience), instead, He convicts you of your righteous standing in Christ.  He backed this up with a passage from John 16.

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.
Of sin, because they believe not on me.
Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more.
Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.”
– John 16:7-11

Pastor Prince explained from this passage that the Holy Spirit will convict people who do not believe in God of sin – He convicts the believer of righteousness (their righteousness in Christ) – and He brings judgment to the evil forces that follow the Devil.  Though many try to use this passage to say that the Holy Spirit convicts Christians of sin, when you read the verses in context; only one of the three scenarios above apply to the believer.  Personally, that passage in John had always confused me…but now it makes sense!

He went on to share many more things from the Word of God, but I wanted to give you an example from the teaching that night.  The evening closed with Pastor Prince singing another song to the audience as we exited the building.  Because the auditorium was so large it took a while to reach the hall where the product was being sold.  We decided to hang around for a little while and let the traffic clear outside before heading out.

In closing, I’d like to say that I enjoyed our evening in Dallas very much!  The music and preaching was encouraging and caused me to think of things I haven’t heard before.  If you are interested in learning more about Grace Revolution and the ministry of Joseph Prince, I would encourage you to download (free) the “Grace Revolution app” on your smart phone or tablet.  On the app, you can use the “read” tab to sample the introduction and first chapter of Pastor Prince’s new book, Grace Revolution, and even begin a devotional plan through the app for free.  You can also visit https://www.josephprince.org/ or find books such as Grace Revolution and Power of Right Believing in any bookstore.  Of course, some of his sermons are on YouTube too!