For years I have heard of Oakwood Baptist Church in Anderson, SC, but have never visited there. This was the first time the War of Special Forces had the privilege of coming to Oakwood Baptist Church. The team arrived on Sunday afternoon, and we really enjoyed the Sunday evening service. The auditorium was full and there was a great spirit. Pastor Michael Jones is doing a great job, and we enjoyed working with him and his staff.
In 2011, our team was in Long Beach, and Mr. Tim Egge was the principal. He is now the Athletic Director at Oakwood and was the one that recommended the team to the school. It was great to see him again and labor with him in teen ministry.
The week was the second week of August, so it was hot! In spite of the heat, we had a great week. The Lord worked in many hearts. Below are a few things the Lord did.
One young man from the Christian school responded to the invitation on Wednesday after chapel. God prompted him to get right about some sin in his life. He shared his testimony on Friday night:
“…this week really God spoke to my heart. …I really didn’t want Him to ‘cause you know I was happy were I was at. But He did. …He said…you got to confess your sins toward the people who have the right to know what you’re doing. And I knew that I didn’t do that. And I confessed to God multiple times. But I kept finding myself trapped in my sin. And I was like how do I get out of this? It feels like there is no way out. And God said, “Hey, there’s one way. And you got to get someone to help you”…God gave me the invitation time. And as soon as he said “anybody who needs to go get business done with God”, I got up and ran. I didn’t want to give myself a second chance to think…you know, God’s called me to be a Christian school teacher. And I knew if I didn’t get that right, you know, how am I supposed to help people in my classrooms to be better Christians if I am not doing the right thing right now? So I knew I had to get that right. Praise God I did. …Now I know I can do God’s plan for my life. And have a clean heart with the Lord.”
God used this young man to start a work in the Christian school. Many young people responded on Friday after chapel with the desire to live a life of total dependence and total surrender to God. The testimony service on Friday evening was a blessing as teenagers spoke of what God had done in their hearts. Below are a few that were a blessing:
“I have a lot of pride in my life and so it’s hard for me to admit that I’m not always right…[God] really dealt with me with my bitterness. And it’s been such a long struggle, and yet I keep falling. I keep getting angry. I keep wondering, you know, why is this happening to me? Why, why, why? And…so God really dealt with me with that this week. And…He told me that I can’t just struggle by myself…So especially with like what he preached on today, getting out of the boat, giving Him 100%. [It] was really hard for me to say I’m not in control…But it’s just a daily prayer, a prayer every hour, a prayer every minute saying ‘God, I need your help.’”
“…recently I’ve had so much bitterness in my life against multiple people…against God for recent events that He’s just been letting happen. But I need to learn to…trust Him in everything.”
“…what I have been thinking about all day today…about people out here who are dying and going to hell every day and I’m not even remotely trying to win others to Christ and…that really made me choke up because what if I die tonight and stand before God on the judgment day and not once did I even remotely try to lead somebody to Christ and that is the reason I am here. And…so that’s what I need to do. I need to be an example at my work especially because there are so many lost people there. And…I need to be a godly example because I know with God’s help that I can lead others to Christ.”
About the Author
