This is the second time we have been to Faith Baptist in Canoga Park. It was a blessing to labor with the folks there. Pastor Tim Rasmussen is the pastor and also the son of the pastor, Roland Rasmussen, that initially built the ministry. He is doing a great job and I enjoyed laboring with him and his staff again. The Lord has given them a large Christian school so there are many opportunities of ministry!
Throughout the week there was some response to the messages, but on Friday, there were many who responded. As a result, that night we had a good many wonderful testimonies.
One young man gave a testimony of getting right with 8 people that day. He testified, “If most of you guys know me, most of you guys wouldn’t even know that I am saved. So, I’ve been today just asking people for forgiveness and I got eight people to forgive me. And that’s gonna change because I want it to be a bigger number. And I am feeling slowly relieved.” Amen!
Another gave this testimony. “So, last night when the Pastor preached, God really put it on my heart that I had to get right with my sister. I had to get right with my parents and I had to get right with one of the teachers that I love. So, yesterday night and today I went up to all of them and I confessed what I have been doing and God fulfills all of His promises and He gave me mercy and made me free from the guilt of the sin and now I am happier than I have ever been before.”
An upperclassman gave a powerful testimony of dealing with anger toward a father. Here is part of what he said. “So, my dad left when I was little. Actually, I’ve never seen him, ever. So, that gets a person angry, like really angry. And about a month ago he called. I’ve never talked to him before, ever. I thought I had forgiven him, but I didn’t really. He had hurt me . . . but, I thought about the forgiveness thing. I thought it was impossible for me to do that. Especially, because, I don’t know, I just didn’t think I could. I called him back yesterday and I told him that I forgave him. And it felt good. . . I’ve never felt better actually.”
We also had some encouraging salvation decisions. A_____, a seventh grade boy, was recruited on Monday afternoon to come out to the War. When the co-captain called to see if he was coming, she talked to his mom. The mom said that this was just what A_____ needed because all he did all day was play video games and the War would be a great way to get him out of the house. On Wednesday night, A_____ arrived and was greeted by some friends from school. After the gospel message, he raised his hand acknowledging his need for salvation, but he did not go back to talk to a counselor. Two of the co-captains who had recruited him were burdened for him. One had tried to talk to him in the midst of all his friends but he didn’t want to talk. After all his friends had left and he was waiting for his ride home, the other co-captain began to talk to him and asked him what he had thought about the message he had heard. He said that he had never heard anything like that before. She told him that the Bible said that he could know for sure that when he died he would go to heaven. She then asked him if he would like for someone to sit down with him and show him what the Bible said about salvation and he said, “Yes.” She took him to his team captain who first gave his testimony of salvation and then led him to the Lord. Meanwhile the other co-captain was able to talk to his mom and the mom is planning on bringing her son to the youth group.
One of the evenings a young lady responded to the invitation to get saved. Her Dad came into the building frustrated because he had called his daughter and she was not picking up her phone. One of our team captains brought him down the stairs and in to the room where someone was giving the Gospel to his daughter. He began to show frustration with his daughter, when she replied, “Dad, I’m getting saved!” “Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry,” her dad quickly said in shock. Her dad came out of the room and apologized to team members for his frustration. He then excitedly called his wife to tell her that their daughter was getting saved.
Another testified, “I just wanted to tell you that in fourth grade a couple of my friends were getting saved and I really wanted to fit in, so I did too. And I don’t think that I was really convicted, at that point, to get saved. So, on Monday, I felt the real conviction to get saved and I did. And I am really thankful for that.”
As you can see, if was a wonderful week!
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