Guest Writer Dr. John Goetsch
Arriving at teen camp a few summers back, I was greeted by one of the pastors who had brought his teenagers for the week. “Brother Goetsch,” he said, “we have a fine young man in our group whose family is Jewish. The parents are nice but steeped in Judaism. They allow their son to come to some of our activities at the church because he is friends with our teens at the high school. We are so excited that they have allowed him to come to camp with us!”
That night in the service I noticed that this fifteen-year-old was attentive to everything going on, especially during the message. On Tuesday night, God led me to preach on the cross and I went into explicit detail of Christ’s sufferings as He bore our sin. I quoted entire passages such as Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, and John 19. During the invitation, Chris immediately made his way to the back where his pastor met him, took him outside, and led him to Christ. It was exciting to hear of his salvation, but I did not get a chance to speak with him that evening.
As we gathered for chapel the following morning, Chris came to where I was seated and said, “Mr. Goetsch, I got saved last night!” I relayed that I had heard about it and was very happy for him. A thoughtful expression came over his countenance. He said, “You know, I went to see the movie The Passion of Christ.” (I have never seen that film but am told it is quite graphic in its depiction of the crucifixion.) “That movie really didn’t do anything for me,” Chris continued. “But when you quoted those Scriptures last night about the same event, it touched my heart, and I knew that I wanted Jesus to be my Savior.”
Dr. John Goetsch has been in full-time evangelism since 1974. In 1996, he became the Executive Vice President of West Coast Baptist College where he is involved in training young people for full-time ministry. He has authored several books and continues to preach revivals along with teaching at the college.
Featured Image by Charles Woodruff using deepai.org
“As he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7).
One of the liberating truths we learn in God’s word is that what we understand of God and His creation is reflected in our experience. This fact is liberating because it means that even in the face of situations that seem beyond our control, a better understanding of God and our relationship to Him can transform our thought, adjusting our experience in a way that restores health, perfection and harmony.
Your friend – His servant,
Isaac otieno