Before Will Graham finished giving the invitation, over a hundred people came forward to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ.
More than 100 years ago, Toronto had more churches per capita than any other place in Canada. Its early skyline dotted with steeples, it was often called “The City of Churches” and was even referred to as the “evangelical center of the new world.”
That was then. This is now.
Church attendance in Toronto has dropped significantly amid a rising tide of secularism, with many places of worship shutting their doors. Sadly, some reports put the number of evangelical Christians in the region at three percent of the population.
At the same time, the melting pot of the Greater Toronto Area includes Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs, along with a high Jewish population. Of course, there are many who claim no religion at all.
Many Christians across the region have prayed and longed for revival, sensing God at work in the sprawling world-class city. This desperate desire to see the Gospel proclaimed was the catalyst for the Night of Hope with Will Graham, an evangelistic outreach at Church on the Queensway on Sept. 12.
Following worship led by musical guests The Afters and Taya, Will Graham shared a personal story with the 2,965 people in attendance. He was late for a meeting and certain he was going the right direction down the freeway, even though his GPS was telling him to turn around. By the time he realized he was on the wrong road, it was too late.
“I had to choose to get off the road and go a different direction if I wanted to reach my destination. I had to admit I was wrong,” said Will. “Tonight, I’m going to give you a chance to go a new direction in life … You’ll have to choose to get off the path you’re on and get on God’s path.”
With that, he shared the story of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15. The young man took his inheritance and squandered it, partying with his friends.
“Sin is fun, but then the fun is gone. It never fulfills you. It makes you miserable, and you’ve lost something you’ll never get back,” said Will.
Eventually, the Prodigal was abandoned by his friends and was stuck feeding pigs for a living. In desperation, he returned home to his father, who embraced him with open arms.
Similarly, Will encouraged the audience to “get out of your pigpen” and return home to the heavenly Father.
“God formed you. He knows everything about you. And He wants you to come home to Him tonight. Are you willing to do that?”
Before Will even finished inviting the crowd to come forward and make a decision to follow Christ, people began responding. All across the church, they made their way forward. Some knelt on the ground. Others cried. Many came together as families.
Oscar and Carla* were two of the many who responded to the invitation. Oscar was anxious to come back to the Lord, and he prayed a heartfelt prayer of surrender.
Carla checked a box indicating that she had accepted Christ as her Savior in the past, but the prayer volunteer who worked with the young couple quickly realized that Carla was still searching. A regular attender of church, Carla wanted to know more and had questions, but she wasn’t quite ready to follow Jesus.
“I just encouraged her to lean in and ask God those questions. He’s faithful to provide His presence and His power. If you seek Him, you will find Him,” the prayer volunteer said. “Keep asking those questions and keep knocking on the door of heaven, and God will meet you there.”
Congregations across the region will now follow up: encouraging and equipping these new believers to grow in their faith. And thousands will keep praying, asking God to bring revival so that Toronto will once again be known as the City of Churches.
In just over a month, Will Graham will preach the Gospel in Tallinn, Estonia (October 18–19). Pray that God will open hearts to the message and draw many to faith in Jesus Christ in this Baltic nation.
*Names changed for privacy.
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