The sunsets in Phoenix, AZ can be spectacular! That is one of many things that I love about our visit to Northwest Valley Baptist Church. Another (and a bigger) reason is the church itself. We love working with their pastoral staff and people during the week of Special Forces.
The week started on Sunday morning with Pastor Schaal preaching a great message from John 15. I know it encouraged our team about the week. Sunday evening we met with the youth group and split up into teams and the week was off and running!
David, one of our team captains, wanted to recruit the biggest guy he found on the street. When he talked to the biggest guy, he seemed interested in coming. Since the guy had broken his phone earlier that day, David sent a text to his cousin to remind him. Both ended up coming, and both got saved. David got to lead this big guy to the Lord. On Friday he stood to give a testimony of his salvation. After talking about some sin in his life and coming to the War of Special Forces, he said,
“And I was saved . . . I feel re-born! I feel new! I feel like. . . I feel like all that’s behind me! I don’t need to go back to that! You know? So, I just feel like saying, like, Jesus can make a way for you. It. . . it’s helped me. It can help you.”
Paul, the Super Seals’ captain, invited a young man near Walgreens and walked all the way down the street with him. He told him his whole story which included satanic oppression and people who had wronged him. Paul also gave him the Gospel as they talked. He texted him a reminder, and he came on Wednesday. During the message he left upset and went outside. Another team captain stopped him, and they began a conversation. Eventually, another team captain led him to the Lord. Light came into his face after he got saved and said,
“I can’t quit smiling!”
We had many good testimonies on Friday night. Below are a few of them.
“So for a while now, I’ve been struggling with something. I’ve…been hiding it behind my parents’ back. And this week WAR of Special Forces in the messages, they just really convicted me and I was able to go back and tell a counselor about my situation. And I got it right with my parents. And I’ve been set free.”
“I’ve been a Christian for a little bit over seven years and…in that time, I…I have been mostly depending upon my own strength. And you know…usually it works out pretty good, right? You know, pretty strong, you know? But…spiritually it doesn’t work out like that and even physically, a lot of the time. And…Dr. Jim’s message this morning was the one that especially got me, that…in the Christian life, it’s 0% me and 100% God. I can literally do nothing by myself. It’s ALL God. And I just praise the Lord that…Dr. Jim…preached that message this morning and I got things right with the Lord.”
“I got saved three years ago at the WAR week, actually…. And since then my life has been really difficult because I’ve been trusting in my own works. And I’ve learned that you can’t…you can’t do that because we’re…we’re nothing. We can’t do anything. Very sinful people. And fell into a deep depression over it. And this week has been a real…a real blessing to me…. I finally got it right with God and trusting on only Him now and not my own works to save me because that’s helpless.”
One young lady talked about the week and then said, “But…then yesterday during split chapel when…Paul gave a short message…I realized that…that I was very selfish…. I’ve been really self-conscious all my life. And…I thought that it was just a personality trait…. I’m…I’m pretty shy and I think of myself as awkward. So…I…I thought that it was just a personality thing, but then I realized that it was sin…. It was selfishness – everything that…just things that I think about…like just little things. Even during the invitation after that message, well I knew I was being convicted, I was thinking, ‘You know, I’m going to be the only one sitting here. It’s going to be embarrassing.’ That’s how much it’s been ingrained in my head…. And I’m just so thankful I got to talk to Jessica….and she really helped me through that…. And then today…Brother Jim talked about how the Christian life…none of it is on your own strength. And I realize that. I’ve been trying to get rid of my self-consciousness my entire life on my own strength, which think about it, is really dumb…! And I’m just so thankful for the team, especially Paul and Jessica have been such a big blessing…this week. You haven’t just impacted me right now, you’ve impacted me for the rest of my life. I just want to say thank you!” Paul is the captain of the Super Seal team and Jessica is the co-captain.
One young man wrestled with getting right with his parents about things he had hid from them. He finally decided to talk with them and confess what he had been doing. Here is the rest of his testimony,
“And…ever since then, I have tapped into…the joy of the Lord. And…I am still comprehending the…I’m still, like, presently comprehending all of the joy and the excitement that…and the renewed relationship with God…. So, I’m just really excited to…be in the presence of God with nothing between me and Him! That’s more…that’s priceless!”
After talking about making a decision, one young lady said,
“I felt so new, so fresh.”
Another put it this way about responding to the Lord and getting right with her parents,
“I feel so free and I’m so happy!”
It was with full hearts we packed up and left the next day. We thank the Lord for all He did in hearts in Arizona!
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