Even from a distance, Pastor Mike MacIntosh sensed Franklin Graham growing weary as he watched his longtime friend deliver the Gospel message on stage in El Paso, TX—one stop among 10 in the Billy Graham Evangelical Association’s (BGEA) recent God Loves You Frontera Tour of the U.S. Southern border. “He works tirelessly and travels globally, so I began asking the Lord for boosted prayer for his strength and stamina,” disclosed Mike, the founder of the United States Prayer Force.

It wasn’t long before he noticed a change in Franklin’s countenance. “There was a powerful outpouring of God’s Spirit on my friend. It was then his message had so much strength that I thought, If I were speaking, I would give the invitation and stop the message.” To Mike’s surprise, Franklin did just that. “He stopped the message about 10 minutes short, and hundreds came forward immediately.”

After pastoring Horizon Christian Fellowship, a Calvary Chapel in San Diego, CA, for 41 years, Mike was called to a new ministry. Sharing his vision of hope for America, he travels to equip and strengthen the church, and to encourage, mentor, and support pastors in their ministries. In 2023, he organized the U.S. Prayer Force with the mission of praying for an outpouring of God’s love in these Last Days. Franklin requested that Mike and his wife, Sandy, accompany him on the tour to pray. Mike explained, “I believe he knew that I started the U.S. Prayer Force last year, desiring to raise up one million people to specifically to pray for national repentance and a national revival in American churches.”

Traveling 2,100 miles in 15 days, Mike prayed every day with Franklin and the 150-member team of counselors, stagehands, and artists.  Every night, he would send a report and photographs of each day’s events to the members of the U.S. Prayer Force, encouraging them in prayer. Under the Lord’s guidance, Mike would begin praying each morning with a new set of directives specific to each town and the individuals on the team. Some of the stagehands, not having experienced being prayed for before, thanked Mike later, opening the door to a closer fellowship with this pastor whose heart is hemmed in by the love of Christ. “This trip filled me with tremendous hope that God is still saving souls! I truly understand what the apostle Paul meant when he said, ‘The love of Jesus constrains me.’ God’s love for pastors, His love for families and people is eternal,” he declared.

For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. 2 Corinthians 5:14

The bilingual 2024 BGEA God Loves You Frontera (Spanish for border) Tour began in Brownsville, TX, on February 24 and ended in Chula Vista, CA, on March 9. Franklin announced the purpose of the tour: “I can’t think of another region of the nation that needs hope more than this one. Everyone along the border is overwhelmed—churches, law enforcement, residents, as well as the people coming into our country. I’m coming to the border to tell everyone about God’s Son, Jesus Christ, and how He can make a difference in our lives.”

Although the border tour was mostly comprised of larger towns, it was the smallest—Presidio, TX—that impacted Mike the most. Considered the oldest continually cultivated farmland along the Rio Grande River, Presidio is surrounded by desert land, cacti, and rocks. In the “middle of nowhere,” the nearest city being about a two-hour drive and Big Bend State Park nearly an hour away, residents feel forgotten—but not that day.

The tour’s high-tech stage, complete with jumbotron screens, was erected in Presidio’s sole high school stadium that seats 500 people. The mostly Hispanic population of about 3,000 had never seen anything like it before; the event even drew people from Ojinaga, Mexico, just across the border.  “More than 1,500 people filled the stadium and about 500 people accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior,” Mike proclaimed. “And one on-duty police officer was the first to come forward at the invitation!”

In the desert heat and dust, hundreds, thirsting for more, moved toward the stage in response to Franklin Graham’s simple message: Sin separates mankind from God, Jesus’ death is the antidote for that sin, and God will forgive everyone who places their faith in Jesus.

O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1

With a heart burdened by the nearness of God’s coming judgment, Mike spent last year raising awareness of the need for repentance, prayer, and evangelism. “This tour gave me hope in a real and tangible way. If only the Church in America would wake up, this mass evangelism and prayer could happen every day and night in America,” he assured. Mike continued, urging churches, “Humble yourself and ask God to take away any deceit, deception, or lukewarmness in your heart.  Repent from a lethargic prayer life and ask someone, ‘Would you like to pray with me to accept Jesus into your life and ask forgiveness of your sin?’”

Sign up for the Prayer Force! And be a part of the prayer team that’s changing the world for Jesus Christ through prayer, organized by Pastor Mike MacIntosh.

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