The historic sanctuary of First Baptist Dallas was ravaged by a four-alarm fire on Friday evening that destroyed a monumental piece of Dallas history. The Baptist church in the heart of downtown Dallas was founded in 1868 and boasts a massive congregation of over 16,000. After the fire, thousands of worshippers gathered in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center for the Sunday service.
In the aftermath of the destruction, First Baptist Dallas Pastor Robert Jeffress maintained that the church would persevere and rebuild the church in the glory of Christ. “We’re going to recreate it as a standing symbol of the truth. The unchangableness, the endurance of the word of God. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God shall stand forever,” the pastor said.
“We can not allow Satan to have the last word,” said Jeffress. “If we allow that thing to remain in ruins, it will look to the whole world like we have been defeated by the evil one, so we are going to rebuild, we’re going to recreate.” He further noted that plans are actively being laid to pick up the pieces and reconstruct the church.
The Christian Tribune reported that former President Donald Trump had reached out to Pastor Jeffress following the devastating fire. Jeffress has long been an evangelical ally of the Republican presidential candidate. First Baptist Dallas has also been visited by many presidential figures. “This historic sanctuary that burned to the ground was the site that presidents visited when they came to Dallas. Woodrow Wilson, Gerald Ford, President George H. W. Bush were all worshipers in that sanctuary,” Jeffress said.
Last week, Pastor Jeffress spoke about the attempted assassination of President Trump, noting that it was an act of God that he was still alive.”I’ve had people since that time scoff and mock, and said, “Well, is that same guy who saved Trump the same God responsible for letting your building burn?’ And I said, ‘Absolutely.’ The Bible says God causes all things to work together for good for those who love him, and all things includes the good and the bad,” Jeffress said.
Jeffress preached to his congregation after the fire, offering an inspiring message that the church would prevail. “This last Friday night, it looked like the gates of Hell were prevailing, that Satan was going to win,” he said. “That was Friday night, but ladies and gentlemen, it is Sunday morning. It is a day of resurrection.”
Jeffress added, “It’s not a day of death. And I am pledging to you, we’re going to rebuild that sanctuary. We’re going to recreate it as a standing symbol of the truth, the unchangeableness, the endurance of the Word of God.” He added, “We cannot allow Satan to have the last word. If we allow that thing to remain in ruins, it will look to the whole world like we’ve been defeated by the evil one. So we’re going to rebuild, we’re going to recreate.”
Watch the fire below:
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.