"Necesito un Salvador en mi vida!"

For the past 5 months I have been preaching at an alcohol and drug rehabilitation home called the "Casa de Restauracion." My friends, John Pham and Henry Clary (fellow students at the Language school) go there every week to disciple the men there, while I go once a month to preach. Now, the fun part is that I get a chance to preach in spanish... and not always well either :)

La Casa de Restauracion is a six month program and has only a few men who make it through the whole time. Unfortunately, every time I go there is almost an entirely new crop of Men.

On Monday (June 16th), I was preaching from Matthew 14 where Peter walks on the water. My first point was an analogy of the boat of the disciples and our "boat of sin," and how God is calling us to leave our "boat of sin" and come to Christ. I told them that they had the same choice that Peter had, to stay in the boat or to get out and go to Jesus. Then I moved on... for I had 2 other points in my sermon.

As I began to preach the rest of the sermon, God shared His thoughts to me. The conversation went something like this:

"John, is that all you are going to do?"
"Um yeah, that is all I wrote for point 1."
"John, I have more to do..."
"But, I have two more points to make."
"John, make them quick, I have more to do..."

That is just a rough outline of the conversation that went on in my head as I continued to preach through points two and three. Needless to say, I preached quickly and returned to the first point. I told the men that they each had the choice to leave their life of sin and come to Jesus and that this choice was the most important decision they can make. I told the men that Jesus provided for the penalty for their sin by dying on the cross and that he could be their savior. Then I asked the men, if they were ready to come out of the boat and come to Christ to call out, "I need a savior in my life."

... after a few moments of silence, about 6 men called out, "Necesito un Salvador en mi vida!" (I need a Savior in my life)

What followed next was a wonderful prayer time where the men prayed for each other and those who called out prayed for Jesus to clean their lives of their sin.

ALL IN SPANISH!

God is good. I keep thinking of the boy with the fish and the bread (John 6). We bring the little things to God and He makes big things from them. If He can use me, in my broken spanish, He can use anyone!!!

Peace!