Missions Blog – the Roppos
October 12, 2020
Hey friends!
Let me take you back to 2017..
I know that seems like forever ago, but that’s when the song “Living Rooms and Stadiums” was birthed!
It had been 3 months since I (Michael) officially moved long-term to Kona, Hawaii to be on staff with YWAM! I was single, scared to sing, and at the beginning stages of walking with the Lord.
One day in September, I was hanging at my friend’s apartment when all of a sudden my friend Frenchie burst through the door with tears in his eyes!
He began to explain that he was driving past a group of kids in the apartment complex and felt like he heard God say, “revival!“
He continued to tell us how he got out of his car, shared about Jesus with the kids and one by one they began to encounter the love of God in profound ways right there in the grass patch next to the street.
Kids were crying, feeling God’s love for the first time, having visions where they said they saw Jesus and angels, some even fell down as they felt the power and love of God rush over them for the first time!
As we sat in the living room hearing the story, one of the kids came into the apartment saying he wanted prayer too!
As I sat on the couch I watched as Frenchie prayed for this young local boy, Ranson, to encounter the love of God. Right before my eyes, I watched Ranson on the ground with his eyes shut as tears flowed down his cheeks. He was having a moment with God that would change his life forever.
We were all overwhelmed with what God was doing. Ranson’s little brother came to the door because dinner was ready, so we gently helped pick Ranson up as he wiped tears from his eyes and sent him next door back to his apartment. That night Frenchie walked out of the apartment and encountered two more teenagers in the parking lot and after sharing the gospel with them, they both gave their lives to Jesus and had similar love encounters to the kids earlier! We were amazed at how God was moving!
The only thing we knew to do was to begin worshipping and thanking God for what he was doing!
As I picked up an old out of tune guitar and began to sing, the words that came out of my mouth were, “in living rooms and stadiums, find us faithful”
I didn’t make it up in my mind before I sang it. I didn’t write it out on paper, I didn’t even particularly think it sounded good…
But it was the cry of my heart in response to God’s faithfulness to me and my friends that day.
You might be thinking, “That is a cool story Michael, but if that was 3 years ago, why is it just now being released?”
Let me explain…
God doesn’t just call people to carry a message. He desires for people to carry authority through living out their message.
Firstly, in 2017 I lived in a dorm, so I didn’t even technically have a living room to be faithful in. Secondly, I had only ever been in stadiums for sports games, not for Jesus….LOL
From this moment God called me into 3 years of living out this message, so I could carry authority in communicating it!
Looking back now, I can see all God did to prepare me. When God moved three years ago we had no idea what it would lead to…
- Frenchie didn’t know he’d end up discipling those local kids on that same field for 3 years
- He didn’t know it would turn into discipling a Micronesian youth group on our island
- We didn’t know Ranson would be plugged into local youth groups and would be such an influencer on the younger kids
- We didn’t know the teenager, Wright, who got saved would join us in missions and be preparing to lead a team to his island in Micronesia this winter!
- We didn’t know we’d all be at THE SEND together in 2019, a stadium gathering where tens of thousands gathered for Jesus and missions!
- We didn’t know that 3 stadiums would be filled for Jesus in Brazil in one day right before COVID swept the nations.
- I didn’t know a pandemic would force us to be in quarantine for 3 months and cause me to learn how to faithfully sing songs to Jesus alone in my living room & bedroom in the wildness of having a newborn
- We didn’t know God would ask us to record the song 3 years later and so many people would encounter Jesus through it
Through all this, God prepared a message in our hearts that is so much more than a song.
He taught us to carry the same zeal for Jesus whether on stage in front of thousands or for an audience of One with no one watching.
He taught us to live lives of faithful devotion to him in the big moments of “stadiums for Jesus” and small moments of “singing to Jesus alone in our living rooms.”
I pray that as you listen, this song would cause a cry to explode from your heart that says, “FIND ME FAITHFUL”
May we live a life pleasing to God until the day we hear, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”
PS. The song is available on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes! Below is a free YOUTUBE version!
Sincerely,
THE ROPPOS
