Interview with Pastor John Crotts

Welcome back to Coffee with a Calvinist. This is a daily conversation about scripture, culture, and media from a Reformed perspective. Get your Bible and coffee ready and prepare to engage today's topic.

Here's your host, Pastor.

Keith Foskey. Welcome back to Coffee with a Calvinist. My name is Keith Foskey and I am a Calvinist. I'm coming to you today again from the Southeast Regional Fire Conference, that is the Fellowship of Independent Reformed Evangelicals.

Conference Updates and Guest Introduction

Today has been a wonderful day. We've already heard a couple of messages this morning. I had an opportunity to preach and I had an opportunity to hear Brother Dean Olive preach, and last night we were treated to hearing Brother Steve Kreloff preach.

Thank you, and that's good that I forgot his name right away. Steve is such an important part of my life and his name escaped my mind, but I am joined right now with Brother John Kratz. Brother Kratz, how are you?

I'm very well, thank you so much. Yes, sir, and thank you for being on the program today, and as all of our listeners know, every day we try to bring you some kind of encouragement from the Word of God, something to share with you as a way to encourage you, to cause you to look to the Word, and to cause you to be reminded that God is actually working in all of our lives every day, always causing all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Salvation Testimony and Early Christian Growth

Pastor John, I want to talk to you about who you are, how long you've been a part of fire, and how you became a pastor, and how you even became a Christian. So let's start at the very beginning. How long have you been a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ?

Well, I grew up in church in Virginia Beach area, and kind of knew the the facts of the gospel like a typical southerner. I walked the aisle and prayed the prayer as a young, young boy, but I really think that the Lord saved me when I was 16.

Actually, some guys in my public high school gave me some cassette tapes to listen to, and the man communicated the gospel, and it came to life in my heart. I used to think when I became an old person, I would follow the Lord, because they were the only people in my church growing up that I saw following the Lord.

When I heard these tapes, I thought, wow, this is real. Jesus really did rise from the dead. I should be following him now. So for a few years, I would have told you I had rededicated my life when I was 16, but the more I've considered my life before and after, I really think that that's when God opened my heart to believe.

And that's interesting, too, the fact that you mentioned this happened to you in public school. Yes. Because, you know, a lot of our folks, and I maybe even have been guilty of this in the past, have sort of downed public school, and you know, a lot of people at our church are homeschoolers, but you were saved through a person in a public school sharing the gospel with you.

That's right. So that's pretty awesome. That's pretty awesome. Now, if you were saved at 16 years old, how long was it before you realized that God had called you to preach his word? Well, a couple of years.

I got a job in a Christian bookstore, and I started to grow, not really through my church, but actually outside of my church through being with other zealous believers there in the Christian bookstore for a few years.

And then I had an opportunity to preach the sermon in my church. It was a Youth Sunday kind of thing, and I was a senior in high school. And I had never considered ministry before that. And as soon as I preached, my pastor came up to me and said that if I didn't go to seminary, I'd miss my calling.

And that really planted the seed. I don't know. I don't really have any kind of definitive marker. Between that, my senior year, and I remember my freshman year in college, I knew I was going to go to seminary after that and pursue ministry.

Seminary, John MacArthur, and Early Ministry Context

Awesome. Now, if I remember correctly, and you can tell me how this happened, you're actually a graduate or at least have attended the master seminary. Is that correct? That's correct. Yeah. For my undergrad, I went to Liberty.

So I went one year to a state school and then transferred to Liberty and graduated from there. And when my wife got married right after that to Lynn and then we drove out to California, sight unseen from Virginia.

We didn't visit ahead of time and started the master seminary in January of 1992. Wow. Okay. So, you know, I didn't get saved until 1999. So you were already in seminary before I got saved. So paint me a picture.

Was John MacArthur's ministry as well known? I guess it couldn't be as well known as it is today. Oh, no, it was very well known. Really? Through the radio, mostly, and cassette tapes. I mean, at that time, his cassette tapes and then CDs, subsequently, were all around the world.

And so he was still one of the best known Bible teachers of our of our time. Really? At that time, and the MacArthur commentaries were coming out. And, and certainly it's just, it's grown exponentially since then.

But it was still very big. Awesome. At that point. Now, I understand that the church that you were in now, it's Faith Bible Church in Sharpsburg, Georgia, right? That's right outside of Atlanta. Correct.

Faith Bible Church, COVID Adjustments, and Church Leadership

On the south side. I understand you've been there now. 25 years. That's right. That's amazing. As of June, this past June of 2020. Congratulations. Thank you. I know it's hard. It was probably hard to celebrate in the midst of COVID.

Yeah, it wasn't celebrated at all. We actually celebrated it later. Oh, you know, a couple of months after the fact. Yeah, we were just opening up again, in June. And so yeah. How long did you take off for COVID?

Just since that's? Yeah, sure. So I guess in March, we started doing just online. And then beginning in May. So those first maybe six weeks, I was just preaching to the absolute minimum amount of people.

Sure. Your staff or whoever was. Yeah, there was a couple of people to click the camera on and that sort of thing. And then in starting in May, we cut our alphabet of our church family and into fourths.

And so we brought a fourth of the people back or invited them back who were comfortable throughout the month of May. And then beginning in June, we we cut it in half and went to two services. So we actually are doing two abbreviated services, where A through L comes at nine, and M through Z comes at 11.

Then we switch back and forth. Nice. And we've actually been doing that ever since. Because it's a fairly large church, right? Faith Bible churches, right? We have about 400. That's nice. That's a good size church.

And how many do you have on staff with you? Are you the only staff pastor? No, no, we have, we have two other full time staff pastors, and then two part time staff pastors. Awesome. Awesome. Well, brother, I, you know, I've known you for several years, we've we've had the opportunity to talk many times, I've always been encouraged, I got to hear you preach at the last fire conference.

That was the one that we did last year in, in Alabama church. And I've always been very thankful for you and for your ministry. And I wanted to have an opportunity to share you with other people. And I hope that people who listen to us will look you up.

And if there's anyone that's in the Atlanta area, that it or in the Sharpsburg area, I don't know how far south side of Atlanta. If there's anyone in that area that is looking for a solid church, a biblical church, and looking for a pastor who loves his people, and who loves the Word of God, then I want to recommend that you go and meet Pastor John at his church at Faith Bible Church.

And if they have any questions or want to find out about you, can you tell us how they could get a hold of you? Yeah, I think the website would be a great way to hear some sermons and to get in touch with us.

And that's faithbiblechurch .us. Okay, so yeah, we would love to love to meet. Well, I have one other thing that I'd like to do. And these programs are short. This is just an opportunity to introduce folks and have a little short interview.

The Gospel Presentation for Unbelievers

But every time I have a pastor on, I ask them, first, what I've already done is I've asked you how you got saved. But I wanted to ask you, if you only had a few minutes with someone, let's say you were getting in and out of an elevator, or you had an opportunity to share, and there's somebody listening right now who doesn't know Jesus, what would be the most important thing that you'd want to say to them?

And that's how we're gonna wrap the program up. Certainly, yeah, I would want to communicate, first of all, who God is. We sort of assume that, but we dare not assume that in our day and age, just to remember that God is the one who created us all.

God created the heavens and the earth, and God is holy. Because He's the one who created us all, He's the one who has the authority to make the rules, His laws. We've all sinned and come short of God's glory.

We've all broken His commandments. And because God is eternal and holy, we all deserve God's eternal wrath, which is what hell is all about. But God loves sinners, and we're so thankful for that. God sent Jesus Christ to come and be born of a virgin and live a perfect life.

Though He was tempted in all ways as we are, He was yet without sin. He never sinned one time. But even though He was perfectly innocent, He gave His life in the place of sinners. So when He died on the cross, He wasn't just at the wrong place at the wrong time, but it was a divine transaction that was going on, where God was punishing Jesus on the cross in the place of sinners, so that He could offer us free forgiveness and pardon.

He could offer us the righteousness of Jesus Christ as a free gift. Now God raised Jesus from the dead, validating everything Jesus did, everything Jesus said. We know that Jesus is not the same as Muhammad or Buddha.

I mean, He rose from the dead. He's the real thing. And so He calls sinners to Himself to receive this free gift. Now, it's not about turning over a new leaf and working harder. It's about recognizing your utter bankruptcy spiritually, your emptiness, and turning from your sin and selfishness to Christ by faith.

It's receiving His free gift that He offers to us all. And it is available to you today. If you are that person listening, and you know that you need Christ, come to Him today. Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.

Closing Encouragement and Ministry Invitation

That is a wonderful testimony, brother, and a wonderful gospel presentation. Thank you, Pastor John. Thank you for being with me today. And thank you for being with our listeners. Again, listeners, thank you for listening to our program today.

I want to remind you as well that if you're in the Jacksonville area, I'm the pastor of Sovereign Grace Family Church. And Sovereign Grace Family Church would like to welcome you to come and join us at an upcoming Lord's Day service.

We have Sunday school at 930. We have worship at 1030. And we would love to have you if you're in our area. But again, if you're in the southern Atlanta area, go see Pastor John. Again, thank you again for listening to Coffee with a Calvinist.

My name is Keith Foskey, and I have been your Calvinist. May God bless.

You. Thank you for listening to today's episode of Coffee with a Calvinist. If you enjoyed the program, please take a moment to subscribe and provide us feedback. We'd love to hear your comments and questions, and may even engage with them in a future episode.

As you go about your day, remember this, Jesus Christ came to save sinners. All who come to Him in repentance and faith will find Him to be a perfect Savior. He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him.

May God be with you.