Praise, prayer, and the Word of God filled the streets of Paris recently as more than 25,000 people participated in the March for Jesus in France. The massive gathering of believers across Paris on May 25th reportedly broke record participation when attendees gathered together to “bear witness publicly and in unity” about their faith in Jesus Christ. A coalition of ministries organized the event which took place in Paris and four other cities including Lille, Nantes, Metz, and Strasbourg. The organizers said that the gathering “allowed Christians of all denominations to raise the name of Jesus above their theological differences.” “We opened ourselves to the entire evangelical Protestant spectrum thanks to the participation of several churches such as MLK, Hillsong, ICC, but also Baptist, charismatic, and more traditional Protestant churches. This is my role, as coordinator, to keep unity and unite around Jesus,” Gilbert Leonian, the pastor in charge of the Paris march said.
The first such march took place in Paris in 1991 but this year’s march in Paris broke its record with more than 25,000 participants, according to French authorities. “If we are here, it is not for a religion or to promote our church, but because there is someone who has touched us deeply – Jesus,” Leonian said. Leonian said that last year 15,000 believers gathered in Paris and about 3,000 gathered in other cities. He had hoped that this year’s participation would reach 20,000. “We must put Christ at the centre of everything, he is the only one who brings us together and through whom we can be saved” he said a few days before the event. “I met Catholic, Pentecostal, charismatic brothers and sisters. I saw Baptists, I even saw Orthodox!” he said, referring to the different denominations present at the march. “Thus, it is not ‘a religion’, nor even ‘a church’ that Christians have come to promote but a single name, that of Jesus,” said Trachsel. The march in Paris ended with a concert by Hillsong FR and the Catholic group Glorious.
Another wave of massive gatherings has taken place across Europe since the Paris March with more than a thousand people making decisions to follow Jesus Christ – this time in Hungary and Italy. International evangelist Jean-Luc Trachsel says “the power of the Lord” moved at two huge conferences in Hungary and Italy as people were saved, healed, and delivered. “Everywhere in Europe there are hungry and thirsty people,” he wrote on social media. Trachsel is the founder of Jean-Luc Trachsel Ministries which works to “bring unity among Christians and to proclaim the Gospel to this generation with mercy and compassion.” Recently Trachsel delivered a message in Paris, for the “March For Jesus”. Trachsel shared about a worship event called “This is the Day” in Miskolc, Hungary. That stadium can hold more than 15,000 people, and it was filled with souls hungry for God. Trachsel reports 1,300 people gave their lives to Christ: “Another place in Europe where God is moving in a glorious way,” he wrote.
According to their website, “This Is the Day!” is an interdenominational Christian movement organizing praise and worship events since 2000. “It is extremely important to us to have a day each year when we gather in Jesus’ name with thanksgiving and pray for our nation’s repentance and for the church,” the organization’s mission reads. “It is our goal to be more thoroughly committed to God and thereby impacting the world around us. We want to strengthen our fellow believers so their lives would be testimonies to God’s love.” Grammy Award-winning Christian music artist Chris Tomlin was the featured worship leader this year along with several Hungarian artists. The packed-out arena echoed with songs of praise from thousands of people. “And the crowning moment of the evening was when we sang ‘How Great is Our God’ by Chris Tomlin with all the servants, in one voice. It was a wonderful experience and collective worship,” wrote “This Is the Day!” on social media.
Meanwhile, Trachsel shared a message on the power of the Holy Spirit at the Apostolic Conference 2024 hosted by the “Apostolic Church in Italy” in Rome. The organization is an international missionary movement “born out of the Pentecostal revivals of the first half of the twentieth century,” according to the group. “We are part of the Evangelical family. Apostolic means ‘sent’, and just as God the Father sent Jesus into the world to seek and save people far from God, we believe that Jesus sent His disciples to do the same,” the website shares. “As a church we are all called to serve Him, renewed by His Holy Spirit.” The three-day conference brought together a network of Italian churches with 11,000 members. A massive Protestant gathering like this is seen as unusual in the seat of Roman Catholicism. Trachsel recounts that “miracles and healings” took place at the conference including someone who was born deaf and left the conference able to hear and another person who had “blind twisted eyes” could see normally after receiving prayer.
He added that the greatest “miracle” was the souls saved. Much of Europe has abandoned the Christian faith, embraced secularism, and returned to its pagan roots. The number of European Christians has been expected to drop by about 100 million, falling from 553 million in 2010 to 454 million in 2050. Meanwhile, Europe’s Muslim population is expected to increase by 63% in the same time frame. Trachsel said he is seeing the decline firsthand in Switzerland where only 3 to 5% of the seven million people are born-again Christians. I feel the time is coming in Europe, when maybe the real Christians will have to be underground,” he said. But the evangelical leader is applauding those who are forging ahead on a mission to increase the number of souls for God’s Kingdom. “Grateful for those who are paying the price to break walls of separation & division, working for unity to fully embrace the Holy Spirit for revival in this country,” he said of Italy’s Christian leaders. “Great day with great people serving a Great God in a great country having a great and glorious future!”
Source: CBN News
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