This year ca 33000 metalheads were gathered at Sweden Rock Festival.
We were ca 100 Christians involved in the outreach stationed at 6 different places, both in the market place (Metal Community/Metal Sanctuary/White Metal Shop), in the middle of the festival area (Street Church), at the biker camp (Biker Church) and also at two places at the festival camp (Street Church).
As always we started each morning with prayer and worship at our base camp located ca 15 minutes from the festival area. We also made sure that we celebrated the Lord’s Supper at each of our stations, proclaiming Jesus’ victory over satan and that each of these places belong to God. After we did this the air was cleansed and the evil forces had to move away from these areas.
As always Metal Bibles were spread to anyone interested. We put up signs saying “feel free to take a Metal Bible” and then the interested came forward and took a copy of it. Something really cool was to see how thankful so many were that they could get the Metal Bible for free. It felt really good to show them God’s love by giving it away for free.
At the center of the festival area, where everyone was passing by, we put out tables and signs offering Metal Bibles for free. Many came to us and took a copy of both a Metal Bible. We also put up a big cross at these places and a sign on it saying that if you want to have prayer we’ll gladly pray for them. And this happened right in the middle of the festival area where thousands of people were passing by! Lots of people came to us and wanted to have us to pray for them. So we were just there for the people, available for them and just showing them God’s love, ministering to all that wanted our help. During the festival we met many that were really open for God and had many questions about God and we got to witness to many. At the festival camp there were also meetings twice a day with worship and prayer for interested in the military tents that Street Church hosted.
Of course we also met resistance during the outreach. Satan wasn’t happy that we were there. But God protected us from all evil, so they couldn’t do anything against us.
Last year the satanic black metal band Watain played with 3 upside-down-crosses on stage. This year 3 of the members in the band came by my Christian metal tent. They were very angry and hateful to say the least and you could really feel the demonic presence that followed with them. They tried to threaten us and scare us. One of them took a metal bible, bit it and ripped off some pages. Then he throwed it to the ground. He also spit on the stereo and said that we were on Satan’s territory and how much they hated that we were there. When they then started to go away I shouted at their spokesman that Jesus is still the strongest. At the moment I said this his body shooked and he almost fell (cause the evil forces in him knew that they are defeated by Jesus). So our enemy sent his elite force to try to scare us and stop the outreach. But he didn’t succeed in that cause we know that the power of Jesus is so much stronger and in the name of Jesus all the evil forces are defeated and have to flee.
Two satanic bands played this year, Ghost and Nifelheim. We prayed and bound the demonic forces (that followed these bands) in the mighty name of Jesus. When Ghost played there was an was an evil spooky atmosphere in the air. But a good thing however was that the sound level at their gig was much lower than the other stages so it was difficult to hear if you weren’t standing close to the stage. Their set was also shortened and ended long before their scheduled time was over. The next day Nifelheim played. In the morning we had prayed that all attempts to bring satanic influence over the audience would fail. At the gig the band was blasphemous and spread their satanic garbage but it was powerless and just fell flat to the ground and had no effect on the audience. An interesting thing was also that the audience at Nifelheims gig were only ca 1/3 of the audience that saw Strypers gig!
Talking about Stryper’s gig some really cool things happened. At the ending prayer when Michael Sweet prayed that the audience would find Christ and receive Him as their Saviour, the sun started to shine . Another cool thing happend before the encore. Then the 8000- 9000 people in the audience (of which most were nonchristians) shouted in chorus “To Hell With The Devil, To Hell With The Devil, To Hell With The Devil, To Hell With The Devil, To Hell With The Devil” letting him know where he should go. This was a really powerful moment and I felt that something really broke through in the spirital world. Stryper also did a fantastic rocking show with God in center and people were really amazed afterwards. To many this was the highlight of Sweden Rock this year.
Another cool thing happened before their gig. Before the show I met the band that said that they needed bibles to spread so I went away and fetched Metal Bibles for them. When I then came back and gave the Metal Bibles to the security personnel and said to them that they should be delivered to the Sweden stage I saw a familiar face. Cause there just 15 meters away came the one that threatened us earlier and heard and saw that the Metal Bibles were about to be spread also from stage. God do has a sense of homour and a great timing! 🙂
Overall we had lots of great talks about Christ with people that came to us and wanted to talk. Of course there were also some people with a hostile attitude and some that just wanted to discuss, but most of the people that came to us had an open mind.
The best thing that happened was that at least 5 persons found Christ!! 3120 Metal Bibles also went out! This is very good, since so many have taken a Metal Bible prevous years. During the last 7 years a total of over 28 000 copies have went out, just at Sweden Rock!! Amen, Soli Deo Gloria. This year we also had a Psalm & Prayer book that people could take for three and 2200 copies of that went away. Interesting was also that lots of people started to read the prayers and psalms loud for their friends.
Please keep all the the people that received metal bibles, prayer/psalm book and that we ministered to in prayer, that God will urge them to read it especially during the next following days and that God will speak prophetically into their lives through the bibles and that they will find Christ through it. Pray especially also for those that have found Christ through the outreach. Pray that they will stay saved and grow strong in Christ.
Besides spreading bibles I was also selling Christian metal cds and shirts in my booth during the festival. My colleague Henrik from White Metal Shop that shared the booth was also selling cool belts, jewellery and rings with crosses. By standing there and selling Christian Metal many misconceptions about Christian Metal were broken and people were amazed that there there are so many good quality Christian Metal bands out there to check out. Pray that God will continue to speak to them through the Christian Metal cds and other merchandise they bought and continue His work in them and that the things they bought will be tools to help many to Christ.
I really want to thank GOD for all He did during this metal bible outreach! God is so awesome and He is really the one that has made this metal bible outreach so successful. I’m glad to have the privilege to be His servant. To GOD be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
In His Service
Johannes Jonsson
www.themetalbible.com
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www.themetalbible.com (Metal Bible – Special Bible edition for Metalheads!)
www.metalforjesus.org (Metal For Jesus – Your Christian Metal Source)
www.metalsanctuary.se (Metal Sanctuary – Swedish Metal Ministry)
www.metalcommunity.se (Metal Community – Swedish Christian Metal Shop)
www.prayerwarriors.se (Prayer Warriors – Christian Metal Prayerchain)
www.myspace.com/metalforjesuspage (MFJ on MySpace)
www.heavensbikers.nu (Heaven’s Bikers – Cool Christian Biker Club)
www.whitemetalshop.se (White Metal Shop)
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