Winds of Change
There appears to be a wind of change in the air. It’s felt to be gaining momentum though not yet fully realized. Is there revival on the horizon? Are we seeing the fruit of recent activity?
Certainly, much can be said of some notable contemporary leaders, but that would be such a small part of San Antonio’s long history of illustrious leadership. For there have indeed been many. San Antonio, also known as the Mission City, has been witness to a long and steady supply of remarkable religious and spiritual leaders over its centuries-old existence. Many shall remain anonymous. Others are on the brink of being forgotten. However, if it wasn’t for their life’s efforts and devotion, the foundation for those who came after never would have been laid. And the stirrings we feel today may not have been possible.
Some have planted while others have watered. Still others have been watchful of weeds and have tended diligently in humility. While each has worked with the same singular purpose as co-workers in God’s field, we are one body (1 Cor 3:7-9). One such co-worker today is Pastor Jimmy Robles, Founder of Last Chance Ministries; a ministry dedicated to outreach and discipleship.
God has chosen a 15-year veteran drug dealer from the West side to be a zealous apostle for Christ. Like many before him, he tirelessly puts faith in action by meeting the physical as well as spiritual needs of his immediate community on San Antonio’s west side and beyond. In so doing, he’s planted uncountable seeds; watered many-fold fields of his community’s heart; and continues today with as much passion as the day it all changed for him.
From Dope Dealer to Hope Dealer
In December 2005 Jimmy Robles was invited to a men’s A.C.T.S.* retreat by his father-in-law. At the time, Jimmy’s father-in-law was unaware of Jimmy’s double life. He had been dealing cocaine for 15 years while employed as a property manager by day. With a quarter ounce of cocaine in a sock he arrived at the retreat thinking, “If there’s 60 men like me, I can make some money while saying ‘thank you, Jesus’ or whatever.” He soon realized that Christ had already paid it all for him and that what he received that weekend was far more than what worldly commerce could ever supply. Particularly moved by a skit exemplifying the saving power of Jesus’ name, Jimmy emerged from that weekend a new man.
In an interview with Pastor Robles, he elaborated on those days after the A.C.T.S retreat where he was radically transformed. He said, “God changed me from a Saul to Paul. My cussing went away. My desires to smoke, the drugs. …[but]I knew I still had to face my house and my neighborhood because I used to sell to the whole block,… I used to sell a lot of cocaine.” He remarked that he still had drug paraphernalia. “I still had cocaine in my garage,” he said. “I went home and told my wife, ‘No more I’m done with this life’.” He recalls going into the garage to get the cocaine and the scales he used to weigh it and I threw everything into the trash bag to get rid of it. Remembering he said “It was hard for the first three weeks. People were calling the house. I was telling them I didn’t have any more. Telling them I’d experienced something amazing at the retreat! They didn’t care. They were still doing cocaine. But I lost everybody, which was good.”
Like Apostle Paul, Jimmy immediately employed himself about His Father’s work with great zeal and set out with a faith that could move mountains. Pastor Jimmy did not waste any time. His active ministry began in an empty lot on the corner of Poplar and Zarzamora Street preaching to the prostitutes, drug addicts, and homeless near where he lived on San Antonio’s west side of town. “Procrastination is the work of the devil. You can’t wait till you have the money.“
Today, Pastor Jimmy Robles, founder of Last Chance Ministries, is well known for his unshakeable tenacity and determination to accomplish what he has been led to do. Last Chance Ministry’s reach has provided thousands with food, outreach, resources, and assistance.
From Personal Restoration to Seeding Revival
His conversion happened overnight but his atonement took years. The Lord stripped him of everything, sifting and refining him through testing and trials, even losing his 19-year-old daughter, Victoria, suddenly in September of 2016. He recalls, “I could die with her or live for her.” He chose to live for Christ and that his daughter’s memory would live on with purpose.
Robles’ faith and passionate desire for others to know Christ superseded his attachment to the world yet again and this time in a more profound way. That same year, Robles along with several other local pastors and ministers set out to do what many said simply couldn’t be done; to host a big-tent revival at the Alamodome. The likes of which hadn’t been seen since the Billy Graham Crusade 20 years earlier in the Alamodome. Taking advantage of the momentum created by San Antonio’s 300th anniversary, “Crusade 300” was born.
The expense of reserving the Alamodome was no small task for pastors and ministers from small congregations from disparaging demographics. They spent months tirelessly campaigning and fundraising across the city. With the deadline looming and the event days away, they were still well over $100,000 shy of the amount due to secure the Alamodome. Many around him were ready to accept the loss having done their best, yet an undeterred Pastor Robles continued in a remarkably relaxed and confident assurance that the event would go on.
With the deadline looming, in a meeting with city and Alamodome officials present, there were only 15 minutes left before the managing director of the Alamodome would be forced to cancel the event altogether. Unbeknownst to anyone, the Lord was already working and had prompted a couple only the night before to step up and support. It was in these last waning moments, the proverbial 11th hour, that this couple handed Jimmy Robles a blank check at the meeting! The Alamodome in its entirety –including every suite—was secured. Crusade 300 was saved.
Although the number of those that attended Crusade 300 in the Alamodome in 2018 were not considered by many as impressive, what was impressive was the courage, the boldness, and the faith exemplified by that seemingly insignificant body of people. Crusade 300, like Gideon’s 300 (Judges 7:7) drew those who were called and no more; a number that’s never too small to accomplish what was set in motion through them.
With a heart for revival and for people to experience God’s love and salvation, Pastor Jimmy had no intention of stopping. He was already looking ahead to the next bigger and better event at the Alamodome in 2022. In true Jimmy fashion, he wasted no time reserving the dates.
Meanwhile, The Scott Dawson Evangelist Association (SDEA) was also preparing to put on a two-day revival event at the Alamodome but with a multi-million-dollar budget to bring top Christian music artists. They had hoped to secure the same weekend already reserved by Robles.
But upon discovering Robles had already reserved those dates, the conversation that ensued was regarding how they could join together to proceed in a genuinely unifying spirit to jointly host an event that was to bring the city together. However, as the date approached, it became clear that Robles would be unable to participate as planned. After much prayer and consideration, Robles generously handed over his reservations to SDEA. What resulted was the Unite San Antonio event in July of 2022. (As reported in UniteSA magazine’s first issue.)
An event of this magnitude required a local point man to manage logistics on site being that SDEA was based out of Alabama. Gene Loeffler, local pastor of River of Life church, seemed to be a perfect fit. He was already known to Alamodome General Manager, Stephen Zito, having been involved in the Crusade 300 event in 2018.
Loeffler fondly recalls that it very may have been the effort of that “Gideon’s army in 2018” that paved the way for the Unite San Antonio 2022 event at the Alamodome. Gaining momentum from what occurred in 2018, over 150 churches and ministries participated, and more than 1500 volunteers came from all over the city. To think such a small and seemingly insignificant gathering in 2018 could have provided the spark to propel so many churches and ministries to come together as one body, imagine then what could take place AT A TIME NOT FAR FROM NOW.
Note: *According to the official website actsmissions.org, A.C.T.S. retreats are Catholic retreats open to all where the talks and activities center around Adoration, Community, Theology, and Service. The goal is to brings retreatants to a better understanding of God’s love for them and develop their need to share that love with others. Founded in San Antonio in 1987, ACTS retreats are now in 16 states, Latin America, Africa, and Europe.
Written by Valerie Raver | Original Source Article
