Street Evangelist Tom Alexander hoisting the large cross upright and praying at Compton’s City Hall.

Since 1973 (when I became a believer) I have always wanted to go to Compton and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, after a successful and awesome cross walk in East Los Angeles and downtown Los Angeles, here I was!

Walking the large 10-foot, 60-pound cross on the sidewalk running parallel with Compton Avenue, I immediately was taken back by the friendliness of all the people passing by in vehicles, as well as the large number of believers coming up just to say hi and talk.

So where was the rampant crime and the dirty streets and the jailhouse mentality of all the people who live here that I had heard about so often when this city’s name came up in a discussion?  For all I could tell, Compton was a great city to live in. One that seemed to have had a major transformation of sorts.

Heading toward the city’s government hub, I was pleasantly surprised by all the people who came up and greeted this cross walker and who also asked for prayer for a loved one or themselves. I was also taken back by the number of individuals who thanked me for bringing the large cross to their city. I was even more surprised at what I saw at City Hall.

As I walked down Compton Avenue with a smile on my faith, little did I know what God had in store for this day.

DO YOU KNOW WHO SAID THOSE WORDS?  AND, BORN AGAIN COMPTON!

Do you recognize the Author of the quotation on this huge mural painted on one side of Compton’s City Hall building?

Compton’s City Hall is large, and I was surprised at how stately and beautiful the entire government compound looked. As I approached City Hall I couldn’t help but notice a mural that took up an entire side of the City Hall Building. The picture to the left and its familiar quotation tells it all as far as the positive and inspiring attitude of the city is concerned.

I stopped beside the mural and asked a couple of city workers if they knew who said those inspiring and enlightening words.

They didn’t know.

When I told them that these were the words of Jesus Christ, both a smile and a look of surprise fell across their faces. “Really?” one of the women asked. “Really,” I answered. We talked about the Lord for a few minutes, then they went on their break.

What a blessing to behold! BUT WHAT CANNOT BE SEEN IN THE PHOTO is that to the upper right but out of sight is the caption “Born Again Compton” in bold letters.  Pretty cool, huh? Looks like the Lord of new life and new beginnings has been doing a great work in this city that is unofficially known as Gangland, USA.

As I hoisted the cross upright and prayed at City Hall, many city workers and residents came up and thanked me for praying for Compton. After a long time of prayer, I walked the cross a few feet away to the Sheriff’s Station, hoisted it upright, and prayed for all law enforcement officials…for their safety and for their salvation. This is one of my favorite things to do at each city I visit. God’s Spirit fell on this area, I felt that special extraordinary peace which comes from God and which can only be felt when the Lord of Revival draws near.

FROM PRISON TO PRAISE

An ex-convict turned prisoner of the Lord praying for his city and government leaders.

I headed toward the huge Courthouse to pray for the God of justice to protect the judges, bailiffs and all courtroom personnel, and to show each and every one of them their need to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. Then I prayed for all the men and women who would be coming to the Courthouse for various reasons, that they too would become born-again believers and be set free of  their past lives, including drug use, gangbanging and breaking the law.

A man came up to me and asked if he could hold the cross and pray for his city and government. Of course! Tony served 15 years in prison but then accepted Jesus as his Savior. Now, almost every day, he comes to this popular hang-out area with a notebook and pen. After talking to and praying for people, he writes down their names and prays for their salvation. He showed me his notebook crammed full with the names of people he was praying for. Needless to say, we had a very pleasant and long conversation about Compton and what God is doing in this special city. We then said our good-byes and I headed down Compton Avenue.

After walking a couple miles west I crossed the street and headed east. It wasn’t long before people stopped me on the sidewalk, their faces filled with joy and amazement that someone with a large cross was walking and praying for their city. Of all the cities in California I have cross-walked, Compton was by far the friendliest, liveliest and Spirit-alive cities of them all, which surprised me. But what a pleasant surprise.

WOW! REVIVAL ON THE STREETS

An on-fire third day believer walking the cross down Compton Avenue.

I could barely go block to block because of the response of all the people. Amazing. This was going to be a very slow cross walk because of the number of people stopping in the street and getting out of their cars to talk, as well as the ones coming out of  offices, stores and apartments. I couldn’t believe it.

There was a revival taking place even as I walked the cross!

Individuals would come up and ask if they could carry the cross. Of course! You should have seen the smiles and looks on their faces as they lowered the cross to their shoulders and walked the cross down Compton Avenue. By-standers and people passing by would shout out Hallelujah and Praise The Lord, which only encouraged these men to walk the cross.

The Spirit of Revival had arrived! And I couldn’t help but wonder what God was going to do in this city throughout the weeks and months ahead.

But there wasn’t any doubt in my heart or mind whatsoever. God’s angels were chasing out the demonic forces that only cause grief, sorrow, pain, misery, death, destruction and bondage to human beings.

IF YOU CAN DO IT, I CAN DO IT TOO!

Another Compton third day believer walking the cross down Compton Avene.

One person after another came up and asked if he could walk the cross. Of course everybody and their mama was taking pictures at such a sight, and Church On The Streets was taking place right smack dab in the middle of the day and in the middle of the city.

I stood there grinning like a possum as people came running just to get a glimpse of all this. What a powerful move of God’s Holy Spirit in Compton.

The Shekinah glory of God fell. Time seemed to stand still. It was like I was watching all this take place in slow motion, as the Spirit fell on soul after soul along Compton Avenue and people were caught up in the ecstasy and joy of the LORD.

It wasn’t just adults. Children came out of apartments and buildings and praised the Lord for bringing a cross walker to their city. A group of youth at an inner city church school came out and joined the holy ruckus.

Kids like to dance, and these kids began to dance in the Spirit as they watched people they know carry the cross down Compton Avenue.

It seemed like the entire city was on fire for Jesus! And this is the type of fire you want to see take place in a city. A fire that purifies the heart and soul and cleanses the life of a believer.

GLORY HALLELUJAH! LOOK WHAT GOD IS DOING!

There is room at the cross for everyone.

Compton, California, of all places! Hallelujah, what a Savior. These brothers and sisters were showing their fellow citizens that they are, indeed, the light of the world, just like that huge mural declared at City Hall for all to see.

The large cross, like a huge spiritual plow and plowshare, was breaking up the large clods and fallow ground of hearts and turning up the hardened, stony and thorny soil and exposing the good ground for the Good Seed to set, germinate and sprout unto eternal life.

Everyone…everyone…has good ground beneath their hardened, stony or thorny hearts. All it takes to break up the clumpy clods and fallow ground and to turn up the soil of people’s lives to expose the good ground is third day believers who aren’t ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Most assuredly, the Third Day Christians of Compton showed this cross walker that they are on fire for the Lord.

A man of God once shared, “Get on fire for God and people will come and watch you burn.” It’s for certain that revival has arrived in Compton. And because of these fellow cross walkers, the city of Compton will never be the same. Just like that huge mural declares: “A city that’s set on a hill cannot be hidden.”

Nor can revival be abated. Even so, shine Jesus shine! Holy Spirit, ignite the hearts of the men, women and children of Compton so family members, friends, strangers and even foes will come and watch them burn for You. Amen and amen!”

What a glorious cross walk! I had witnessed this in other cities I cross walked, but this one was so long and so spontaneous. Amazing.

Glory Hallelujah! Look what God is doing! And, of course, I will return to Compton as the LORD of the Harvest directs. Amen.