More than 1,000 diverse concert-goers descended upon the 7 Flags Event Center in Clive Sunday for a night of Christian music, ministry and mingling.

The show was the first in more than 40 stops on the nationwide “See Spot Rock” tour with five acts, each of a different genre, in tow — The OC Supertones, Relient K, Pillar, Sanctus Real and John Reuben.

Though each band played a different style of music, the message of Christianity was constant, and the audience crowd surfed and pounded fists just the same.

The OC Supertones, a six-piece funked-up ska outfit, headlined the tour. The band made an explosive entrance wearing suits, wigs and sunglasses, a la the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” video.

The band members made their stylistic imitation known before the set began by projecting the Beastie Boys hit onto a screen behind the stage.

Though the crowd was there to see the bands play, Matt Morginsky, vocalist for The OC Supertones, reminded the crowd that everyone should be there to celebrate God, not glorify the bands.

“We are all brothers and sisters. The reason we are brothers and sisters is because our father is God,” Morginsky said. “Let’s not glorify anyone on stage — let’s glorify the heavenly father.”

Before The OC Supertones, Relient K, a four-piece, pop-punk band took the stage. Songs like “Failure to Excommunicate” helped spread a message of acceptance and tolerance with the lyrics: “Jesus loves the outcasts/ He loves the ones the world just loves to hate/ And as long as there’s a heaven, there’ll be a failure to excommunicate.”

The boys of Relient K are the kind of punks your mom would let you date. They’re clean-cut rockers that can play songs about religious tolerance followed by punked out excerpts from Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er Boi” and Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.”

“I don’t understand it, but the kids at the show tonight were AMAZING,” Matt Thiessen, vocalist and guitarist from Relient K wrote in the band’s tour diary in response to Sunday night’s show.

At one point during the Relient K set, a large fiberglass buffalo was brought onto the stage and then passed through the audience like a crowd surfer.

“They get a lot of crap because they’re a pop-punk band. But after seeing them, what high school kid wouldn’t like them?” said Aaron Nordyke, drummer for Ames Christian rock band 38th Parallel.

Though the theme for the night was Christian, the crowd came from different locations and was made up of all different denominations, races and ages. Along with Relient K, an important theme for Pillar, a four-piece alt-rock band along the same lines as P.O.D., was acceptance of others.

“If you’re here tonight you may not believe the same things we do and we understand that,” said Rob Beckley, Pillar lead singer. “We’re not here to push our beliefs on anyone.”

John Reuben, a hip hop solo artist, performed between bands while the stage setup was being tweaked. His brand of rap kept the crowd involved during the downtime, making the transition time between bands seem quicker.

Sanctus Real, a band whose name is derived from the Latin word for “holy,” opened the show. A newer band on the mainstream Christian circuit, the band’s brand of religious rock landed Sanctus Real a record deal with Sparrow Records, the world’s largest Christian music label.

The night also included an a capella rendition of “I Love You, Lord,” which prompted the crowd to raise their hands in praise, close their eyes and sing in unison.