This is the first time the team has been at South Charlotte Baptist Church in Pineville, NC. Years ago I was with Pastor Joseph Campbell when he was a youth pastor in Savannah, GA. It was a blessing to work with him again and with SCBC for the first time.
The team recruited over 300 young people. When all was finished up, almost 100 different teens attended the rally nights. Over 30 teens responded to the invitation to get saved. It was a time of harvest and we appreciated the heart of the pastor and people to reach the teens of their Jerusalem.
One of the teens in the youth group saw a young man crying during the message. She asked one of our co-captains, Janna, to talk to him. She approached him after the rally on Wednesday and asked him, “What do you think about the message? Have you ever been saved?” He said, “These people came to my door and I prayed a prayer.” Another co-captain, Leanna, was there and answered, “It’s not the words you say, but if you mean it in your heart.” Leanna gave him the Gospel with the verse sheet and a Gospel drawing. He then exclaimed, “Oh, I get it.” Leanna asked, “Would you like to depend on Jesus right now?” “I just did it,” he replied, “I’m depending on Him in my heart.” Leanna challenged him, “Why don’t you thank him for saving you?” He prayed for a while and then went straight to his friend with the Gospel drawing and showed his friends. The second night he pointed at a friend and said, “He needs to get saved too.”
One young man was recruited outside the local public high school. He didn’t come the first night, but responded to a text on Thursday night and came. He wanted to leave before message, but the team captain asked him, “Can you stay for 30 more minutes?” He stayed and responded to the invitation. Jon, one of the team captains presented the Gospel and asked, “Are you guys ready to get saved?” “I need to get saved right now,” was this young man’s reply. After he got saved, the team captain asked him, “Are you glad you stayed?” “I can’t believe I almost left,” he quickly responded and when talking about his friends at school, added, “They need to hear this.”
One of team captains, John, sat down with two young men who had responded to the invitation to be saved. One was ready to get saved. The other was trying to figure things out. He had been taking a class in social studies at school and had been studying religions. He asked John, “It seems like all religions are the same. I’m trying to figure this all out.” John decided to lead the young man who was ready to the Lord while the skeptical young man watched. He then turned to the skeptical young man and said, “That’s all the proof you need.” The young man was so touched by watching another come to peace through the Gospel, he was ready. When he finished praying, there was a big smile on his face. Before his salvation, it looked like he was going to cry.
Another young man gave this testimony at the camp fire service, “And I just want to tell all of you, ‘If you haven’t accepted God, trust me! It’s worth it!’ If you don’t, you’ll go down to hell. We are natural born sinners. And we all deserve to go down there. . . I recommend, you know, accept Jesus; here and now!”
There were several good decisions made by the students at the Christian school. After his team captain preached in team meetings, one young man got right with his teacher about cheating on Bible test or quiz. One young lady testified on Friday, “I had been struggling with salvation. And, so, this week I got assured of my salvation and I am grateful to God.” Another young lady started her testimony with this sentence, “Okay, so, I’m adopted. . . Some people know that I struggled for years with a lot of bitterness.” She finished her testimony with these words, “He’s not just a God who is out there floating on a cloud. He’s personal. I know Him as my father. I’ve never felt this way before, but now I know that my God knows. He works miracles in my life. . . And if I could do anything, I would tell you, ‘Please, just trust God. He’s your Father and He really loves you.’” It was truly a blessing to see God work in many hearts!
About the Author
