Gospel the anthem at Passion Cape Town

An estimated 20 000 people attended the Passion worship event at Cape Town’s Green Point Stadium on Saturday night (October 6). Louis Giglio, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman and Christy Nockels were involved in facilitating the night. However, from the start of the conference the focus was on the heart of God, on the Gospel. ‘Passion is more than music. More than events. Passion is a generation living for His Name’ — these are the words on the Passion website and this message pulsated throughout the night.

The presence of God filled the stadium as the event began with Isaiah 61 being rapped and the artists leading worship in the open-air stadium. The crowd settled as Giglio began talking. He too began by emphasising that the night was not about Passion, but about Jesus.

He led the listeners into starting the event by praying in groups by praising God and asking for His will to take place during the night.

The crowd marvelled at the wildness of creation as Louis played sound clips of the rhythm of the galaxies and the songs of whales. Rain came down as he spoke about all of creation’s sounds resounding as worship unto their Creator. Then the message became personal. The message of a Sovereign God fully satisfied in Himself, a God who has the universe and all of the angels as a harmonious choir unto Him, yet whose heart desperately longs for people. This God who loves so passionately that He was stripped of His glory when He came to earth to die. He spoke about the lies we often hear and the true heart of the Father for us.

Louis continued by saying that God’s children are His song in Cape Town. “The song people are listening to now is only a placeholder song,” he said. Those who have a revelation of His love and redemption are to sing His song of Hope to the city. And with that said, he pointed to the empty second level of the stadium and asked the crowd to imagine it filled when they return for the next event.

The night ended in worship with many in the bowl jumping on the wet ground, the beauty of the Gospel resounding into the open skies.