A 7-year-old boy was having some problems at school, and his mother looked up the phone number for the local Adventist church. They met with the pastor at the church office to talk about Jesus, and the pastor invited them to the Breakthrough meetings starting the next evening.
When José Rojas, event speaker, invited people to come forward to say they were following Jesus, the little boy, sitting next to his pastor, said, "Can we go?"
As a result of this little boy's insatiable thirst for Jesus, his whole family is recommitting their lives to Jesus.
Looking for a Breakthrough
For a week in November, two sets of audiences from the Tacoma, Wash., area came to Breakthrough (in Spanish: Transformación) to learn how to break through to a deeper life of purpose to find hope, peace and freedom in Jesus.
"These meetings are especially focused on the secular mind of today's post-Christian society," says Rojas. "In this journey, we are not compromising truth or doctrine. We are simply talking the language of the target audience."
And they came forward — desiring breakthroughs in relationships, addictions, spiritual roadblocks and more. Children led their parents. Teenagers brought their friends. Young adults took a stand. Couples came forward together.
"When you get to know God personally, that's when your life changes and you have a breakthrough," Rojas says. "It's amazing what the power of God can do when you get to know Him."
Casting a Vision
The Breakthrough journey began about four years ago when northwest leaders envisioned a five-year evangelism plan — called Momentum — where two reaping meetings would be held each year to target the 10 largest metro areas in the region.
"This is a team-building event," says Bruce Koch, Washington Conference ministerial director. "We have churches, ministry teams and volunteers of all ages working together for the purpose of sharing Jesus' love with other people."
A group of teenagers are among the volunteers. Under the leadership of Todd Gessele, series producer, these young people are operating video cameras, learning about video production and discovering the importance of prayer.
Breakthrough and Transformación are expected to air on Hope TV this spring. Both series will be available on DVD. To pre-order your copy of either DVD series, fill out a request form at www.breakthroughtacoma.com.
"I want to challenge you to believe in God," says José Rojas. "The truth will set you free. It's your breakthrough. God wants to forgive you and love you." (Heidi Martella)
Each evening, José Rojas, event speaker, invites people who desired a breakthrough (of any kind) in their life to come forward. "Breakthrough is deeper than religion; it's an experience," Rojas says. "It's about relationships, not about rules." (Heidi Martella)
Throughout the seven Breakthrough meetings and five Transformación meetings, José Rojas, event speaker, uses biblical narratives to illustrate the power of the mind, the intensity of light to banish darkness, the salt of the Gospel, love for God and others, the power of believing, the miracle of transformed lives and the importance of accepting Jesus. (Heidi Martella)
As a result of the Breakthrough / Transformación campaign, 70 people are baptized, including this mother and two of her daughters. Even after the meetings, as the stage was being disassembled, two young men came forward and asked to be baptized. (Heidi Martella)
