In the year 2006, while in deep prayer and intercession for Revival at the garden of Gethsemane, the Lord impressed upon the heart of Pastor Alwin Thomas, a vision to reach out to the next generation with the Gospel through Worship, Word, and the Works of the Holy Spirit.
This was not a call to start another ministry event, but an invitation to architect a spiritual movement that would resonate across borders and languages. The atmosphere was heavy with divine purpose as the blueprint for what we now call "Freedom" was revealed.
THE BLESSINGS OF THE SPIRITUAL FATHERS
The Spiritual Father of Pastor Alwin Thomas had been Dr. Sam Jebadurai who trained him in the ministry of Jesus over seven years in reaching the lost and being greatly inspired by Mohan C. Lazarus and the others at the Tirupattur fasting prayer.
Dr. Paul Dhinakaran, Rev. Dr. Mohan prayed for Pas. Alwin and blessed him. The blessing of the harvest of souls through Freedom Concerts over the years can be attributed to the day when the Spiritual Fathers and senior most pastors in Chennai City, more specifically, the Senior-most Pastor of ACA Church, Chennai – Late Pas. Sam Sundaram along with Pas. Henry Joseph, Senior Most Pastor of Maranatha Full Gospel Church, who poured oil on Pas. Alwin Thomas and anointed him for the mission 'Freedom' and blessed him for the last days revival of the young people and the establishment of Churches. Since then, Freedom concerts have become a huge movement of revival across the nation.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
The journey toward Freedom was marked by intense physical, emotional, and spiritual battles and the preparation for the Freedom Concerts was not without cost. After many battles, spiritual, emotional, and physical, that arose in preparation for the Freedom concerts, every opposition was confronted by the hand of God. What was meant to hinder became a testimony, and every attack was overturned, making way for His glory to be revealed.
When the vision for Freedom was birthed, there was no certainty of who would come. Ruah Ministries was barely eight months old with no prior experience of hosting a public meeting of this magnitude. There were no guarantees, no visible assurances; only a clear instruction from God: "Take a step of faith, and I will bring the harvest."
Choosing obedience over fear, the leadership stepped forward in faith.
As the stage was being set up, many believers with tears in their eyes were overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of what God was unfolding through Ruah. What once seemed impossible was now taking visible form. It was evident that this was not human ambition, but divine orchestration.
From the very first day, the presence of the Lord moved powerfully. Over the course of all three days, hearts were softened, atmospheres shifted, and lives were deeply touched. God's tangible presence transcended age, background, and denomination.
On the third day, heaven seemed especially near as the Word was proclaimed and worship rose, many souls responded in repentance, surrendering their lives fully to the Lord. Tears of brokenness turned into tears of joy, as chains were broken and hearts were restored.
A defining moment came when Pastor Alwin Thomas, along with his daughter, led the congregation in the song "Anupum (Send Me)". The cry of surrender echoed across the gathering, releasing a prophetic declaration from a generation saying yes to God's call. It was not merely a song; it was a commissioning.
In the last day of the first Freedom Concert on January 26, 2007 in Chennai, the Senior Worship Leaders of the Christian Fraternity sang "Erigo Kottai" composed by Rev. Alwin and symbolically broke a cemented wall – spiritually bringing down the Jericho strongholds that was bounding Chennai city and the nation of India. It was assumed that the Freedom concert may be executed perhaps only in that particular year of 2007. However, in 2008, we were led in the Spirit to conduct another such concert. This one was planned as a small gathering as many people did not understand the vision of Freedom concerts but the rain came and flooded the place so they had to move to a bigger ground. This Freedom Concert in 2008 was telecasted on Angel TV and it began reaching people across the globe.
Since then, 'Freedom' has journeyed from humble beginnings in Chennai and served as a great tool of Harvest across the nation of India, enabling Rev. Alwin Thomas to become the first Man of God to start the Tamil Praise and Worship Concerts in India, winning multitudes of young and old souls alike for Christ who has now become ambassadors for the Gospel of Christ in many towns and villages.
Through these 3 days crusades, thousands have experienced the joy of Salvation and many have been healed and delivered from various bondages and sicknesses. What began as a step of faith became a testimony of God's faithfulness. Freedom stood as living proof that when God initiates a vision, He also brings the people, the provision, and the harvest.
We believe that these are the days of the fulfilment of the end time prophecies by Prophet Joel about a mighty revival across the generations, from children to elderly saints. Jesus said that the harvest is plenty but labourers are few (Luke 10:2). Yes! It is time for the Bride of Christ to actively engage in missions work and wholeheartedly support missionaries who are sacrificially involved in preaching the Gospel.
Come join the mission of Jesus by granting your valuable support through prayers and sacrificial giving.
This passion and mission enable the visionary to travel to the nations of Sri Lanka, Malaysia, United States, Canada, Sweden and the United Kingdom to help people come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ by the dissemination of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
He wants to make use of all the resources and means at his disposal to share the love of God to all people in the world.