Someone once told me there’s never a perfect time to do public evangelism. The reason is because the devil will compete with you every single time.
The Sandy (Ore.) Church is no stranger to unexpected trials and tests. Though under assault, the church decided the best way to meet the trial was to continue to do the work of proclaiming the gospel to the local community.
As the invitations were mailed out, many families and individuals attended the evangelistic meetings in the local Sandy High School. Though the room was small, the meetings were packed each night with more than 50 people from the local community eager to hear the gospel through the symbols of Revelation.
After the first week, the series transitioned to the local church. Many people did not hesitate to come as they had never heard such amazing fulfillments of Bible Prophecy before.
Kevin Weeks attended the seminar from the first night. Arriving 35 minutes early every night, Weeks was intrigued to see so many things fall into place has he took notes of the fast fulfilling signs of the times. On one occasion, when arriving early, someone asked Weeks how he was doing. He responded, “Not too well. ... I'm not too happy with you right now. I just disposed of $50 worth of alcohol from my kitchen.” Weeks was overwhelmed with joy that the Lord had given him complete victory over his addiction to alcohol. He was baptized and takes joy in becoming part of his new church family.
Brian wasn’t able to catch the first week of the seminar but started coming after he heard about the ongoing series. He attended as many night as he could. He had been under the addiction of marijauna and nicotine for 30 years. He often tried to find a way out of his addiction only to meet with failure. Brain recalls falling under great depression until the power of the Word literally transformed his life from the inside out. Since the seminar, Brian has experienced complete victory over his drug and nicotine addiction. With tears in his eyes, Brian said, “The freedom I now have I want forever. I thank God for His grace in my life today.” Members enjoyed seeing Brian go down into the waters of baptism to show his new love for Jesus.
Tom and Debbie Marlow attended every night. Debbie mentioned she and Tom had been praying for God to lead them to the truth. “Right then,” Debbie says, “we received the handbill in the mail and knew God may be answering our prayers.” The Marlows finished the series and asked, “Can we become a part of this church family? We believe God has led us here.” They decided to be baptized together and become a part of God’s remnant church family.
There are many other miraculous, life-changing stories than could be told about this series. God blessed the Sandy Church with 14 baptisms, and eight more people are in a follow-up pastor’s class in preparation for potential baptism.
We are all born on a battlefield. Whatever trials come our way only test our resilience on the call God has given to us in proclaiming the everlasting gospel. We can choose to retreat or press forward in the power of God. Members of the Sandy Church made their decision. What about you?
Tom and Debbie Marlow decided to be baptized together and become a part of the Sandy Church family.
