I then preached from Hebrews chapter 9 about the blood of Christ, which I illustrated using a replica of the Ark of the Covenant. It’s always a challenge to explain animal sacrifice to anyone, especially young people, but I did my best to show how in the Old Testament, the blood of goats was part of the sacrificial system, and I highlighted the superiority of Christ’s sacrifice and his blood. Of course it was a huge pleasure to preach about Christ as our perfect high priest at Newday, and to show how his sacrifice is sufficient. How Jesus effectively pronounced “the end of religion” as he cried out “it is finished” as his blood was shed on the cross.
Simon Brading’s band then moved into a fantastic version of the response song “Run to the Mercy Seat” which was brilliantly sung by Lissy Dillon.
In response 505 people came forward after the evangelistic appeal. All of them were encouraged to go across to the response venue, where we sought to chat to them 1 on 1, so that they could make a considered response, if they were truly ready to repent and become a Christian. 306 of the 505 made a first-time commitment to Christ as a result.