LAMBEAU LEAP EXPERIENCE
By Donna Kupferschmidt
July 24, 2007
I attended Lambeau Leap of Faith on 07-07-07. As my friend Muilan and I drove up, we were both expectant and excited. Neither of us had been to Lambeau. I was not sure what I would find there, but fully expected a God Experience. I was excited to be in the presence of so many Christians at one time, all seeking a more intimate relationship with Him. I looked forward to a day of freedom in worship and praise, something not encouraged in a WELS Lutheran congregation, of which I am a member.
The theme at the Lambeau Leap has never been a popular one with many evangelists today: “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14).” Repentance has been forgotten, when they tell us to just accept Jesus into our hearts. What in the world does that mean?!?!? If you don’t repent, you don’t know Him. If you don’t know Him, you can’t invite Him in. Scripture is very clear, in both the Old and New Testaments, about repentance being the first step in a relationship with a Holy God. God repeatedly spoke through the prophets to the Israelites to turn from their evil ways and seek His face. John the Baptist paved the way for Jesus as our Savior by telling people to repent and be baptized with water. Repentance is the only way for a sinner to come to the Lord. Through the blood of Jesus, we are Baptised into the Holy Spirit, whereby we receive a true cleansing of our spirit, making us Holy and acceptable in our Father’s eyes. I welcome conviction by the Holy Spirit because I know that God disciplines those He loves. There is no discipleship without discipline. Now that I shared with you my understanding of repentance and a relationship with God, you will know what perspective I brought to the experience at Lambeau.
It was HOT! Even though some of the speakers spoke to an audience who may not yet have a personal relationship with God, I was able to learn from things they said, as they spoke from the Living Word of God.
During one such speech early on in the day, the Holy Spirit convicted me of spiritual pride. I began to weep, dropping to my knees to beg forgiveness. Forgiveness came quickly and my burden lifted almost immediately. JOY replaced the deep sorrow, making my heart ready to receive God’s Word, forgiveness, mercy, and LOVE.
During the praise portion of the day at Lambeau, I don’t remember what song was playing, but I began to weep, my heart breaking. I didn’t know why. I dropped to my knees and wept, feeling so much spiritual pain and grief that I couldn’t stand it. The grief and heaviness of heart lasted a long time this time and I continued to weep and repeatedly say, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me, Lord.” A long time later, as suddenly as the travail descended upon me, the burden was lifted. From the kneeling position, I threw up my head and my arms, laughter and joy bubbling up, over, and through my whole being. I know this is what Dr. Luke described in Acts during the first Pentecost when observers thought the worshippers were drunk even though it was only 9 a.m. I could not contain my laughter and joy and through the tears of my recent travail, I laughed and repeatedly said, “Thank you, Lord!” and “Hallelujah!” I jumped to my feet and raised both arms, face raised to meet the glory of God, Whose presence was everywhere! Physically, there was no way my back, knees, or left shoulder could have tolerated such movement, especially sustained as it was, but the Spirit of the Lord moved in me that day with supernatural physical, spiritual, and emotional strength and energy. He charged me up! Our God is an awesome God!
I know I don’t need to go to an event like that in order to find God or have fellowship with Him. I can have that in the privacy of my own home. But, to be in the presence of so many saints hungry for God’s Word and seeking His face so intently, and raising praises all at once to our King was an experience I’ll treasure in my heart forever. Knowing there were many Christians out there willing to brave the heat in order to share in the love of Christ gave me the encouragement I needed to shine as a Christian in a dark secular world.
“Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done. Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts. Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always (Psalm 105:1-4).”
“Praise the Lord.
Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens. Praise Him for His acts of power; praise Him for His surpassing greatness. Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise Him with the harp and the lyre, praise Him with tambourine and dancing, praise Him with the strings and flute, praise Him with the clash of cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord (Psalm 150).”
