By Steve Rees —
Instead of hanging out with their youth group at the movies, a handful of twenty-somethings with Slavic roots heeded a pastor’s call to get outside the four walls of their church and share the gospel on the streets.
The group headed out to proclaim the good news of Jesus in Sacramento, California, every Sunday night for five years.
Set on fire by Holy Spirit power, these young carriers of the gospel led their peers to Jesus – even changing the spiritual atmosphere of downtown Sacramento – but they knew there was more for them than saving souls.
Their actions led to planting a church for the new babes in Christ led by Ivan Katrenyak, the son of the pastor who encouraged the outreach. Katrenyak organized United Church to disciple, train, and send followers of Jesus to proclaim His salvation.
United Church then birthed Jesus March, a ministry of United Revival Ministries, both under its auspices.
The ministry has hosted 125 prayer and worship events, connected with 200 churches, commissioned 6,500 evangelists, and introduced thousands of people to Jesus since its formation five years ago.
By the end of this year, United Revival will have brought Jesus March and evangelism training, worship and prayer to nine cities, including Seattle and Portland.
Both cities produced spiritual fruit — and resistance — during the months of June and July this year.
“Four thousand people came to Jesus March in Portland, where Antifa and protesters following Twitter calls to keep the city and culture anti-God produced a counter demonstration of more people than anybody imagined,” said Vadim Semenchuk, a Jesus March team leader.
Yet United Revival tore down the enemy’s walls around the two cities with Jesus March — much like the Israelites’ obedience led to God crumbling Jericho’s fortifications. (Joshua 6: 4-5)
“In the same way, when we march around cities something breaks and, wherever America goes, the world follows,” Semenchuk said.
In Seattle, a woman was delivered by Jesus from an unwanted addiction to alcohol in June; then she drove to Jesus March the next month in Portland, where she spoke to Pastor Katrenyak after 17 days of sobriety. Read more about her story here: (1) Facebook
“I think Jesus loves the city that’s most broken, like Portland, Seattle, even Denver,” Semenchuk said.
Four cities – Seattle, Sacramento, Santa Monica and Dallas – have hosted their second Jesus March this year.
Prayerfully, leaders added four more cities, believing the Holy Spirit confirmed the new locations. In addition to Phoenix, Tampa and San Francisco, Denver hosted Jesus March on Aug. 12, when 4,000 people signed up, confirming a vision of God cutting off the devil’s hand over the Mile High City.
On the eve of the march in Denver, the United Revival team met a group of teens hanging out in a city park. They prayed for a young man who had severe pain in his back. He felt the power of the Holy Spirit come upon him, then the pain left.
Their curiosity heightened by the healing, the group agreed to hear the gospel and every one of them gave their hearts to Jesus.
The next day 7,000 people gathered in Civic Center Park before the march. Later, after worship and a gospel presentation, 500 people came to the altar for salvation and deliverance, and 130 were baptized in water. Watch Jesus lovers march here: https://fb.watch/moXYoT_vMt/
“You see all these demonic things going on in Denver, where the devil has been unchallenged for too long,” said Semenchuck.
He and other Jesus March leaders believe transformation of Denver will take more than a one-day event.
“If 50 of you will worship and preach the gospel, let’s say four times per month, you will do so much more than Jesus March today,” Pastor Ivan Ketrenyak told the massive crowd.
“We bring proclamation – not a protest – that all authority is in the hands of Jesus,” Ketrenyak said.
Carrying banners reading “Jesus is Lord” and other messages, marchers greeted motorists, pedestrians and police officers on streets near government buildings and a Masonic Temple.
Gathered in an amphitheater, hundreds of people rushed to its steps when Pastor Ketrenyak invited them to receive Jesus. With thousands looking on, new believers were baptized in a trough filled with water.
Many testified they were healed through prayer, following the pattern of other cities that hosted Jesus March.
“In Dallas back in April, a man got out of a wheelchair after the body of Christ prayed for him.
“I see miracles and people healed from diseases which, even for me, is crazy. I can’t explain them,” Semenchuk said.
Jesus March prioritizes evangelism, sharing the gospel with people who aren’t in a personal relationship with the Lord, then teaches them how to proclaim the good news of His salvation.
At least 6,500 people who’ve attended Jesus March or a United Revival worship and prayer event are now commissioned to preach the gospel.
To that end, United Revival Ministries will host a conference in Sacramento Sept. 21-24.
“In 1st Corinthians 3:8 Paul writes, ‘One sows, another waters.’ We need both evangelism and pastoral care to disciple,” Semenchuk said.
Youthful and growing in ministry, United Revival is submitted to pastors, overseers and elders who keep the close-knit team of leaders on track.
In Denver, pastors and churches – some with Ukrainian and Russian backgrounds – got on board with Jesus March, especially after they learned how many people show up at United Revival events.
“We give pastors opportunities to pray for the city because, we know at the end of the day, it’s theirs,” Semenchuk said.
In Portland, Jesus March helped pastors form an evangelism hub of 60, resulting in more people coming to Jesus.
To learn more about Jesus March, visit the website https://unitedrevival.org/
The first picture that you posted is a dad, who was being baptized, his wife was also baptized, and their 10 year old son also got baptized and he was translating between us and his parents through sign language as they were being baptized.
The Holy Spirit was upon them all!!
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