Deep in the American South, LaTonya Jones is reaching people for Jesus at State Fairs using the Altar Call Tent Revival. She used to be a stripper, but after an encounter with Jesus her whole life was turned around. On today’s episode you will be inspired by her passion to serve God.
Learn More About Fishers of Men World Ministries: https://www.fishersofmenwm.com/
Transcript:
Evangelist Daniel King (00:00):
Deep in the American South, Latonya Jones is reaching people for Jesus at state fairs using the alter call tent revival. She used to be a stripper, but after an encounter with Jesus, her whole life was turned around. On today’s episode, you will be inspired by her passion to serve God.
Evangelism Podcast Host (00:36):
Welcome to the Evangelism Podcast with Dr. Daniel King, where Daniel interviews full-time evangelists, pastors, missionaries, and normal everyday Christians to discover how they share their faith, their powerful testimonies, and amazing stories that will inspire you to reach people with the good news. And now here’s your host, missionary and evangelist, Daniel King.
Evangelist Daniel King (01:00):
Welcome to the evangelism podcast. I’m Daniel King and I’m excited about telling people about Jesus. Today I have a very special guest here with me, Ms. Latonya Jones from Fishers of World Ministries. So thank you so much for being on the Evangelism podcast.
LaTonya Jones (01:21):
Thank you for having me.
Evangelist Daniel King (01:23):
All rig. Well, let’s jump into what God is doing through your ministry. Tell me a little bit about what you guys do.
LaTonya Jones (01:32):
Well, we are a full-blown church. The Fishers of Men World Ministries portion of the ministry is out of Burnsville, Georgia. And so we provide free food, free dessert, free drinks every Sunday to provide sort of like the safe haven for the community and also to show the love of Jesus Christ. And I also am the founder of the Altar Called Tent Revival, which brings a message of repentance and salvation. It also is a free gathering and so no charge
Evangelist Daniel King (02:15):
All right. Tell us a little bit about the Altar Called Tent Ministry, because that sounds fascinating.
LaTonya Jones (02:22):
Yes, sir. So the Alta Called Tent Revival was started in 2023 and how it began is I was in the middle of prayer and as I was in the middle of prayer, I was praying for someone that was extremely ill and in the midst of me praying for them and instead of the Lord giving the answer for what I was looking for, for that, he began to take me into a vision very quickly. And in that vision, I saw a tent and the tent had like a red cross on it and stripes on it almost symbolizing like healing, like a hospital of a sort. And so I was watching and then as I came out of that vision, I didn’t know what I saw. I didn’t understand what the Lord was showing me, but I continued to pray for the individual that was very ill at that time.
(03:26):
And so I took that vision to the Lord in prayer and not long after that. And what the Lord began to share with me at that time was that this was going to be revival and people that would know me would know and understand that that would not be something that I would want to do. I am what would be considered severely introverted. Don’t like being in front of cameras. I don’t like being in front of the people. And so for the Lord to tell me that this is what he wanted me to do, it almost seemed like the Lord was picking with me to say the least. It almost was as if the Lord was showing me something that he understood that I did not have a desire to do. And so the great thing about that was as I continued to pray on that vision, the Lord gave me the name, the altar called Tent Revival.
(04:35):
And he began to give me the instructions and released to me exactly what the altar call tent revival was going to be about. And as I was in prayer, I remember sitting on the floor as I often do in one of the rooms within my home and as I was sitting on the floor, the Lord began to give me instructions about the altar called tent revival. And he told me, he said,” You are not to ask for any registration fee. “He began to tell me, he said,” I want it to be free. I want you at certain ones to offer food. “And that he was going to give me further instruction as to what he wanted me to do for each one. So there was going to be this pattern of the altar called temp revival bringing the message of repentance and salvation, but each one would be a little different.
(05:27):
And so that would mean obviously I would need to stay close to the Father in order for him to give me what I needed for each one of the events. And so I have been moving forward with the altar call tent revival since 2023, doing what the Lord has desired again with it being a free gathering, those that come can expect praise and worship, can expect the true word of God, can expect prophecy, what the Lord is doing now and what he plans on doing as far as biblical prophecy as well. And so this has been and is my heart because I desire as the Father desires as well to see the world return unto him. And so we cannot return without repenting first. That means us acknowledging our sins and then asking the Father to cleanse us and accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior and that’s the salvation
Evangelist Daniel King (06:40):
Piece. And so what does that look like? Walk me through an actual outreach that you’ve done. What does it look like? How do you reach out to people who need Jesus? How do you get people to come? Do you have an actual tent that you’re ministering in? Yes. And tell me
LaTonya Jones (07:00):
About that. It is an actual tent. So we travel to different states and what that looks like leading up to the altar called tent revival is very, very, very heavy warfare, even leading up to it and the very day of lots of supernatural things taking place in the midst of leading up to it. So what I do is I do have a team that goes along with me. We’re fasting and praying leading up to the altar call tent revival. We’re listening to hear what the Lord wants for us to do moving forward for each one of the tent revivals. And so it’s an actual tent that is erected on the state fair grounds of whatever that state is. Okay. So you’re going to different
Evangelist Daniel King (08:02):
State fairs. What are some of the state fairs that you’ve gone to?
LaTonya Jones (08:07):
I’ve gone to Georgia State Fair. I’ve gone to Arkansas State Fair. We’re getting ready to do another one in Mississippi, September 19th of this year. That’s on a Saturday. And so we’ll be in Mississippi. And so just different states. Wherever we go, we set up at the actual state fairgrounds and we have a team that also comes out and erects these very huge tents. How many people- The chairs within the tent, they set up the mics. The Lord has been very clear with me that he does not want me to have a stage. He wants me to be seen as one in which he is raising up, but one that will serve the people of God. And so because we know Jesus Christ did not come to be served, but he served. And so the Lord made it very clear that at no altar call tent revival am I ever to set up a stage because I am to present myself as servant, which I do and do enjoy.
(09:15):
So yes, there’s actual tents that are erected at each state fair ground.
Evangelist Daniel King (09:21):
How many people would typically fit inside the tent? How many chairs do you put out?
LaTonya Jones (09:27):
That’s a good question. So typically it’s we usually put out a hundred chairs, but the tents that are erected could fit anywhere between 350 to somewhere around 500 people. And so that’s a real good question. And so the day prior when the tent is erected, the chairs are set out. I’ll go out with my team. We’ll pray inside the tent. We anoint the tent inside and out. We pray over the grounds so that what the Lord desires to do will be done. And I have definitely been fought every step of the way with doing this simply because we’re going out into different territories. We’re going out into strange lands in which many of us have never been before and bringing the gospel, bringing the good news of Jesus Christ. And so anytime that happens, you can expect that the enemy is going to try and stick his head up somewhere in order to prevent what the Lord is doing in this hour from happening.
(10:46):
But I am so grateful. I’m just so beyond myself and thankful for what the Lord is doing because not only does the Lord sends us, not only does he tell us go ye, therefore and teach all nations, but the Lord also makes it very, very clear that he’s going to be with us. And so no matter what we face, no matter what we go through, the challenges, the different warfare that takes place, even leading up to the altar called Tent Revival, the Lord is surely with us and he has shown himself to be with us. I had just recently at this altar call tent revival that we did in Arkansas, I literally had witches show up to the state fair grounds on an assignment to stop what the Lord wanted to do and they were very, very persistent. And so anytime that we’re going out as witnesses into the earth, we have to definitely be reminded that whatever the work that the Lord wants us to do is going to be opposed.
(12:05):
So we have to count up the cost ahead of time. So then that means we have to take into account that there are some things that we’re going to face, but we have to be willing enough and determined enough to say, regardless to whatever happens, I’m not backing down. I know that the Lord is with me. I know that the Lord has sent me and whatever it takes to get that message out, whatever it takes to bring the souls in, then I’m going to do exactly that. And so it’s a good thing.
Evangelist Daniel King (12:39):
Well, I really love what you’re doing because you are taking the gospel outside the four walls of the church to a state fair. Typically, a state fair is full of people that are just coming and looking for a good time. They’ve got a turkey leg in one hand, a big Coca-Cola in the other hand and they’re not necessarily looking for an encounter with God, but you’re there and how do you get people to come into the tent and then once they’re in the tent, talk to me about the message that you preach and how that impacts their hearts.
LaTonya Jones (13:20):
Yeah, sure. So usually there is a registration. Now the registration is free, but what happens is we’ll set up an Eventbrite registration page where those that do desire to come can register. Now that does not mean that those that desire to come must register. And if they don’t, then they can’t come. That is absolutely not what that means, but it sort of gives us a picture ahead of time of what to prepare for, how many people to prepare for. And so that’s the registration piece. Although again, it is free. And so we will have those that hadn’t registered. In fact, the first ones that I started off with, there were as soon as I was coming in because the team was all already there and they had already had the registration table set up and as I was coming in, the team stopped me and they said, “Well, they hadn’t registered.” And I said, “Well, let them just come in.
(14:34):
Let them come in. ” And so they came in and the place was packed. And so there were those that received the Lord Jesus Christ and that is always the goal because we see a lot today where those that are doing ministry are more focused on themselves, they’re more focused on their platforms, they’re more focused on getting money out of what they’re doing. And so the Lord wants to totally remove that sort of agenda behind it. Does that mean that people shouldn’t give, shouldn’t donate? That’s absolutely not what that means, but what it means is what we’re using to be able to get you or the people whomever to come in and receive the Lord Jesus Christ, it does not cost. It doesn’t cost. The word of God tells us that freely we receive and freely we give. And so the gospel is not for sale.
(15:38):
It is totally free. Healing is not for sale. It is totally free. Deliverance is not for sale. It is free. And so it is sort of like a rerouting of the mindset of the people to get us all back to a place where we understand the goal is serving to bring the souls in and serving is not you having a $10,000 or $100,000 honorarium. That’s not serving. I don’t see that anywhere within the word of God that says that Jesus Christ ever did that. But what we do see about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and I just love talking about them, what we do see- I
Evangelist Daniel King (16:22):
Can tell.
LaTonya Jones (16:22):
… is that he would go to different places. He would go to different cities and he would show up and the people would come unto him. He didn’t charge them. He didn’t say, “There’s a cover charge to come and see me. ” When he was out and the woman with the issue of blood, she just came. It wasn’t a charge. Jesus Christ didn’t say, “It’s $50, it’s $100 before you could come and receive of healing or deliverance.” That woman just showed up with her issue. She just showed up and had the privilege of being able to touch the hymn of Jesus Christ’s garment and how much did it cost her. Absolutely nothing at all. It was free. And so this is what we must get back to in order to bring the souls in. It’s free of charge. The Lord is not for $100. He’s not a Christ.
(17:27):
He is free.
Evangelist Daniel King (17:29):
Let’s talk a little bit about your testimony. It sounds like you really love Jesus and that really comes through in how you talk about Jesus. How did you first meet Jesus? How did you decide to serve him and how did you know that you were called to be an evangelist and call other people to Jesus?
LaTonya Jones (17:51):
Well, so it starts when I was 14 years old. I did receive Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior, but as I grew, I got into a lot of things that I should not have gotten into. I went the way of the world and I went the way of drugs and I went the way of stripping. I went the way of a lot of different things that I should not have done, but I’m grateful that I did because although I received Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior at 14, the Lord allowed me to see the other side. He allowed me to be able to go into places that would later on be my testimony. And so although I did get saved at 14, I backslid somewhere around 17, 18, and then later found myself back wanting to receive freshness, wanting to come out of what I was in.
(19:01):
I came to a place where I was desiring to come out of darkness. Darkness has a way and the world has a way of tearing you down so much so that when the Lord is pulling on you and when the Lord has a calling on your life, he will make it where it is almost impossible. Now we still have the choice to decide whether we want to receive him as our personal Lord and savior, but he has a way of making things where they become so impossible to maneuver. They become so difficult and challenging that it’s like, okay, there has to be something else. There has to be another way. And the blessed thing is because many had spoken to me about Jesus Christ and I did know Jesus Christ at an early age I went back to what I knew. Now I said all of that to say this.
(20:01):
When I started doing ministry before I was called, before the Lord showed me the altar called Tent Revival and began to talk to me about that, I was doing street ministry and so I would be on the streets and have great ministry giving out food and clothes and whatever. It was all completely free. And when I started to do that, I had been doing that maybe about six months at this time and as I laid in my bed, I was taken into a vision again by the Lord and in this vision, I saw the Lord Jesus Christ and a lot of people would be like, “You know what? That is so farfetched.” But let me tell you, it is not. It’s not farfetched and it’s definitely not a lie. And so I was taken into this vision and in this vision I was in a sort of graveyard area and as I looked far out, I could see Jesus.
(21:07):
Now I knew who he was before he even came and engaged and began to talk to me. I knew who he was. It was just by the spirit, I just knew. And so as I was in this sort of graveyard, I began to look out and I saw Jesus Christ laying on a hard concrete slab and I could see face. It was flesh on his face, but the body was bones and I began to hear, my God, I began to hear, can these dry bones live? Glory, hallelujah. And so as I was hearing that scripture and it became louder and louder in my ear and as I was hearing it, then the Lord began to walk toward me and he sat down toward me. I kneeled before him because I was in awe. I was amazed because I’ve heard of many different stories, many different testimonies of people having encounters with the Lord and I just had never had one and it wasn’t something that I prayed about.
(22:26):
I just desired more of the Lord. I desired to come more out of myself even though I was doing ministry at that time, I wanted to be stripped of my flesh, I wanted the Lord to use me. And so here it is, I’m encountering the Lord Jesus Christ. And so as he’s coming toward me, I began to kneel in reverence of him and just acknowledging who he was and who he is. And so he came and as I was kneeled down, he then kneeled down before me and he began to tell me, he says, “I want you to take this gospel and you’re going to be able to heal and you’re going to be able to deliver.” And he began to say these things to me and share these things with me. And as he did, then I came out of that vision.
(23:20):
And so my outlook of ministry from that day forward was totally different because I was doing ministry because I wanted to serve, because I knew that I loved Jesus Christ. I knew that I wanted his way. I knew that I wanted to do what he wanted me to do, what he had purpose for me to do, but that vision gave me a whole new outlook on what ministry really is. And yes, it is serving, but it’s me also coming out of myself. It is me coming into a place of selfishlessness, coming out of the place of thinking about my own desires, about my own will, about what Latanya thinks about herself and completely surrendering everything over to the Lord. And so I’m beyond thankful for what the Lord has done even from that day forward.
Evangelist Daniel King (24:27):
What an amazing story. You went from being a stripper to being stripped of everything of your past.
LaTonya Jones (24:37):
That’s right.
Evangelist Daniel King (24:38):
Yes. And Jesus takes away our old life. He takes away our old sin and makes us a new creation. And then you even had this vision and now you are taking the good news to other people who are in a hurting place, probably in similar situations to what you faced in your own life and lives are being changed. What a great testimony. I love it. And you’re going out into the state fairs where that’s where the sinners are. I think that’s where Jesus would be if he was here on earth. He would be out there with his disciples, hanging out at the state fair, praying for people and loving people and giving away some free food to people.
LaTonya Jones (25:24):
That’s what it’s all about.
Evangelist Daniel King (25:25):
So wow, what a great ministry you have. Thank you so much for being on the evangelism podcast. If you want to know more about the Fishers of Men World Ministries, you can check out their website. It’s fishersofmenw.com. So Fishers of Men, WM, I assume that stands for worldministries.com. So go check out the website and find out more about what Dr. Latanya Jones is doing to reach people for Jesus deep in the American South. So thank you so much for being on the evangelism podcast.
LaTonya Jones (26:09):
Yes, sir. Thank you so much for having me.
Evangelism Podcast Host (26:12):
Are you called by God to be an evangelist? Do you want to lead millions of people to Jesus? Do you desire to be trained in the practical side of building a ministry? Then check out the Daniel King School of Evangelism. Learn how to be an effective evangelist from Dr. Daniel King’s 20 plus years of experience. Daniel King has done crusades all over the world in over 70 nations and has seen over two million people give their lives to Jesus, but it wasn’t easy. There was no crusade school. So Daniel traveled the world learning from and observing top evangelists, noticing how they successfully won souls for Christ. Now, he wants to share decades of knowledge and experience with you. Topics of the Daniel King School of Evangelism include what is an evangelist, how to be a master soul winner, how to give an altar call, how to organize a crusade, how to raise money for your ministry, and much more.
(27:00):
If you want to be an evangelist but don’t know where to start, the Daniel King School of Evangelism is for you. Enroll today in the school of evangelism by going to danielkingministries.com/evangelism.
Evangelism Podcast Host (27:15):
Do you ever find it hard to share your faith? What if telling someone about Jesus was as simple as drawing a picture on a napkin? In his latest book, The Gospel and Pictures, communicating Eternal Truth Visually by Evangelist Daniel King, you’ll discover simple and creative ways to explain the plan of salvation anytime, anywhere. This powerful book will teach you how to be bold in sharing your faith. Clearly communicate the basic gospel message and remembering the plan of salvation. Imagine sitting in a coffee shop. Someone asks, “What must I do to be saved?” With just a pen and a napkin, you’ll be able to draw the way to eternal life in a way they’ll never forget. If you want to be an effective witness for Jesus and confidently lead others to salvation, this is the book for you. To get your copy of the gospel and pictures, go to kingministries.com.
(28:09):
Also available on Amazon.
Evangelism Podcast Host (28:15):
For more information about how to share your faith or to financially support our worldwide evangelistic outreaches, visit kingministries.com. Again, that’s kingministries.com.
