Eric J. Testimony

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I would like to start my paper by saying that I would not have came to RBI or to the River if the ministry did not put soul winning number one. My Christian life began by going to a church and sitting under a pastor that emphasized soul winning. When I left to go to college in Tulsa, OK a couple of years later I did not find that the rest of the Word of Faith charismatic movement shared the same zeal to win the lost. Because I was young and impressionable I lost my first love, soul winning. However, the Lord was so gracious to lead me back into his perfect will for my life and also the perfect will of every believer to be a soul winner, witness for Jesus.

This began in 1998 on a mission’s trip to Peru. I began traveling to Peru on mission’s trips and got to see thousands come to Jesus as well as countless miracles. I can’t tell you how happy and fulfilled I was to be an active part of the great commission. However, I was so shocked when I would come home many times to a church that did not feel the same. I didn’t realize that for years I had been associated with luke warm Christians who had lost their first love. We had simply been religious.

I found out the hard way when I would pour my heart out for the lost to Pastors. For the most part it was like facing the Pharisees’. I had a head on collision with religion! I was basically told to sit down and shut up. I spent the next few years overcoming the hurt and bitterness of some of this. It turned when the Lord showed me supernaturally through a man named John Bevere to pray for people that persecute you.

As I began to do this the Lord began to work. Within six months I ended up at a GAT in St. Louis, MO. When I came I did not even realize that Pastor Rodney’s ministry focused on getting people involved in soul winning, or that he had a vision to see a hundred million people come to the Lord. That meeting in St. Louis changed my life forever! The first person I met was Jake Peterson. We went out on the street the first day and won souls! This was an answer to mine and my wife’s prayers. That night in the meeting the power of God hit me and I was in the floor laughing as being washed out!

The process has really never stopped. I am so glad to finally be living here in Tampa, going to RBI and the River. I know that the Lord is preparing me and my family for what he has in the future, and that is to become even more equipped to be a part of shaking nations and taking the gospel to the entire world. I am so happy to be part of a Bible school that puts soul winning number one! I think Oswald J. Smith said it best, “Bible teaching without evangelism will result in stagnation.” Thank God that River doesn’t get stagnant because it is always flowing. Thank God I’m in the River!!!