(Youth Bible School 2007) Youth Testimonies — Mose Stoltzfus

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James Hoover's Testimony: Returning to Sincere Devotion

I'm James Hoover from Goshen, Indiana. I'm attending a Byrne Christian Fellowship, which is in Byrne. I was asked to share a testimony. I was born again in Colorado Bible School in 2002. For the next six months or so, I was serious about following God.

I met with some brothers and I was seriously following God. God did a lot of work in my heart. After the six months was over, I don't know what really went wrong. I wasn't looking to Christ as much as I should have.

My love for Him started to wane off. I never really got into any major sins or anything at that point. My love for Christ was weak and I was just not dedicated like I should have been. I remember in 2004, God began working in my heart.

I started praying for my life that He would do a work in my heart. About two weeks later, one of my best friends was killed, Gene Schroeder, in Colorado. I went out there and went to the funeral. I just felt God speaking to me very deeply in the funeral.

I remember just crying before God and saying that this is my best friend. I didn't really know what He meant right at the point. I just felt Him speaking to me and saying that I want to be your friend.

That He wants me to be loving Him and not having anything in the way. I remember just dedicating my life and following Him sincerely and honestly. Two weeks later, it was Bible school here and I came out here.

I remember one of the brothers just spoke to me and encouraged me. After each message, why don't you go and just pray and pour your heart out before God. He will definitely do a work in your heart. It was such a blessing.

Thank you for putting that input in my life. I was so blessed with that. Every message, I would just go back and pour my heart out before God. That week, He did an incredible work in my heart, especially just because of the accident and dedication a couple weeks before.

After that, I was seeking God and I was praying for ways that I could learn to know Him more. I started praying about missions more seriously. I just remember just very sweet, sweet fellowship with Jesus Christ.

Next spring, Weston called us and asked if we would go to Ghana. It was just another direct answer to prayer that he wanted us to go. We went to Ghana and through my time there, just seeking Him and serving there, God just really laid a burden on my heart to love Him and to give my life for Him.

Earlier on, we had been in a conservative Mennonite church and I was going to the youth group. It never got into any bad things or anything, but it was just a carnal atmosphere. Brother Mark was talking about giving up your friends.

I remember just deciding that soon after I was born again, I was going to just stop going to the youth groups and just focus on Christ. I think that was a major stepping stone in my life as well. Just to get distractions out of the way and not be distracted with friends and with all the things, the carnality that can go along with all of that.

We went to Ghana and I was so blessed in being there. God showed me so much and gave me more of a passion to love Him, more of a passion for the world and for His kingdom. I don't know, my coming here to Bible school this year then was just another added more wood to the fire.

It was just such a blessing being here and all the rich teaching we've heard. I was so blessed and just again recharged and renewed to live out my life with a fervent zeal for Jesus Christ and not giving anything, letting anything back, giving all to Him.

I just am excited about the next months and years ahead in my life and I'm really looking forward to it. I know God has a lot for me. I really don't know what's planned in the next. My future looks a little, I don't really know what's going on, but I'm just trusting Him that He will lead me, He will guide me and that He can receive glory for my life.

I wasn't always, since 2004 when God worked in my heart in the revival, I wasn't always faithful, but God remains faithful and unmovable and He will never let us down. God bless you all.

Courtney Thomas's Testimony: Forgiveness and Reconciliation

Hi, my name is Courtney Thomas and I'm from Grace Christian Fellowship in Bainbridge, New York.

Yesterday one of the matrons came up and asked me to share what God has been doing in my life this week. I guess I'll start with about a few months back, I started struggling with holding a grudge against people I thought had treated me unfairly or just not treated me with the respect that I thought I needed.

I would talk badly of them to my family and my friends and it just gave me a negative outlook on pretty much most of my areas in my life. I knew that it wasn't right, but I wasn't for sure how to just stop and give it all to God.

So time went on and it started to affect the very dear friendships that I have. I would get together with another friend and we would talk about different people and I knew that the other friend that I'd hurt could feel something between us.

I knew that there was a wall growing between that friend and I and we felt that she, my other friend and I, we just felt that the one that we'd hurt had disapproved of us. So we kind of looked down on her or I'm not sure exactly how you would say it, but a wall started growing there and our friendship became more shallow than what it had been.

I came this week and for the first few messages I was really distracted and I knew that God wanted me to give this area up and to forgive those who had treated me unfairly and to make up with my friend and ask her forgiveness.

I tried to justify it and shrug it off, but then on Wednesday I found myself alone in a quiet room and I was trying to memorize the verses and I just could not concentrate on it. I knew that God wanted me to give this to him, so I just started praying and surrendering the area with my friendship and forgiving those people and a few other issues that I knew God wanted me to surrender.

God gave me such a peace after that. Later that day I was talking to another one of my friends and she said God had been working the same way in her life. We knew that God wanted us to go to that friend that night and so after supper we went for a walk and had a beautiful time just sharing our hearts and asking forgiveness.

God gave us such a joy after that, just a peace with being clear with him and the joy just continued to grow as the night went on. I guess we just laughed and praised God all night long. It was so amazing to be clear with God like that.

I have people that I have to go back to as we get home and ask for forgiveness for the influence I've been on others who aren't Christians and who I had an influence on. I'm excited to go back and get things right.

I just really want to continue to surrender anything that God brings before me that I haven't gave up yet. I just want to give him all the glory for what he has done in my life.

Joshua Ray's Testimony: Receiving the Word and Taking Up the Cross

Praise the Lord. I'm Joshua Ray from Sand Hill Bible Church and it's a privilege to be here. I grew up in a conservative Christian home and church that taught many of the biblical principles that you've heard this week of Bible School.

At a very young age, I prayed and asked Jesus to save me, but I lacked something very important and that was something Brother Moses Stoltz shared about Friday night. That was in Matthew 13 verse 23. It says,.

But he that receives seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word and understandeth it. At that young age, I didn't understand all that God required of me as a faithful follower of him. I believe that the devil knew this and as I got older, he tried to bring me into bondage through worldly music, uncleanness, and carefree Christianity, which is a bondage.

He tried to do all this before I could have a complete understanding of what it really meant to follow Jesus Christ. Over in Romans 6 verse 17 through 19, it says,. But God, bethank that you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered to you.

Being then made free from sin, you became servants of righteousness. God really began dealing with me in my heart and convicting me of sin. I can remember many times when sitting in church and being so convicted of sin, I was shaking in my seat.

God really began to do a work in my heart and grant me a heart to seek him with all my heart. I can just remember crying out to God and him breaking my heart in many areas. It wasn't all at once, but it was as if he was holding me out over the fire and purging all the dross and the tin and revealing himself to me.

I just praise the Lord for that. It seems like each one of us has our own personalized cross. God wants each one of us to take up our own cross and follow him. I came to Bible School with the desire and the prayer that God would reveal more of himself to me and that he would grant me a deeper walk with him.

That I could go away from here changed for eternity. That the change wouldn't just last through the week, but that I would be forever changed. I believe he has answered that prayer. I would also like to share something that has helped me to seriously take advantage of what I've heard in my church and here.

I just want to say that I have three siblings who have chosen a world over what many of you have heard this week. My brother was here last year. Many of you met him. I just want to leave with you a question.

Are we really taking advantage of what we're hearing? Are we really going to make a difference in our life? And so I'll just leave you with this question. As God has granted me victory through the gift of the Holy Spirit, and I believe he will continue to grant me victories in those areas that he has showed me this week.

I just want to ask you a question. Will we see you again in the congregation of the righteous? Will we see you again in the congregation of those who are seeking God with their whole heart?

Jessica Stamper's Testimony: Freedom from Sin and Discouragement

My name is Jessica Stamper and I'm from Charity Christian Fellowship. I was born again between the ages of 11 and 12. I knew that the Lord was drawing me to himself. There was rebellion in my heart against my parents and I didn't know quite what to do because I couldn't get rid of it myself.

I was miserable and I couldn't take away the sin in my heart. Finally, I was so tired of it and weary of the burden that I was carrying and I wanted to be free. The Lord allowed some difficult circumstances then and I did surrender my life to Christ completely.

There was total freedom from that weight. It was gone. I do praise God that he did that. He didn't stop working there. He continued to convict me and lead me into his ways. More recently, the Lord has been doing a deep work in my heart.

One of the most hindering sins that I've struggled with has been discouragement. I'll get discouraged and I'll let it pull me down and I lose ground because I just flounder. Lately in the past few months, there were circumstances in my life that were difficult.

But I found as I trusted the Lord for my failings and walked by faith that he is giving me victory in that area. I am finding consistent victory. As I came to Bible school, my heart was just longing that God would do something that would last.

That it wouldn't just be where I came this week and the next week it's gone. So I came with an open heart and the Lord did work. He convicted me in many areas. I found especially as far as being a soldier.

I want to be a soldier for Jesus. I don't want to just let loose and just be foolish. I want to go home and learn to walk through my daily life as a soldier for Jesus. One specific thing that I was convicted of was letting foolishness or worthless conversation just snatch away the work that God did.

I've found so many times that's the way it is. I want to learn to keep my heart and life open and clear before the Lord. And to have a heart that's set only on him, to serve him. And that's my desire as I go home.

That God would do right in my heart. And I want to serve only him.

James Shirk's Testimony: Confession, Conversion, and Trusting the Lord

Hello, my name is James Shirk and I'm from Charity Christian Fellowship where I go there. It's just because of Jesus that I'm testifying today. Growing up my mom did teach me the scriptures. She taught me about Jesus and all the Bible stories.

All the different, everything in the Bible pretty much I remember. We had to sit in Sundays and listen. But, I don't know, I started to rebel I guess. Maybe 10 or something. I remember one thing, I told a lie.

I thought it was a small thing but it was just an outright lie. And I held to it. I wouldn't budge. And I carried it with me until probably about a year ago I think. About a year ago I got converted. I don't know if that dragged me into a lot of other things.

But that lie and selfishness, holding on to that and holding on to rebellion. It seemed like the side effects were just every kind of sin. Probably breaking all the commandments. But about a year and a half ago, maybe not quite.

I don't know, I started getting broke and I couldn't find any more comfort in those. I just was seeking for comfort but I couldn't find any more in the world. I just, I searched and searched and there wasn't nothing left.

I started to get broken and convicted about my sin. Finally I ended up at church and there was a revival message. And that morning, Sunday morning, I was just so convicted. I just couldn't even speak by the end of that message.

Finally I couldn't leave because I had brought people there to church. So I had to stay there and eat a fellowship meal. But I didn't eat, I just went outside and thought I could walk it off. Just, I don't know, somehow get rid of this miserable feeling that's just over me.

I didn't know what was going on. Then my sister asked if she could get one of the preachers to pray with us. I finally agreed after she asked me a couple of times. He told me he thinks I'm under conviction and asked if I know about Jesus.

And I said yes. I heard the gospel my mom had taught me but I didn't know it could do. I thought you just believe in what you just believe in. I didn't know what it meant for sure. But he said I should confess my sins and ask God for forgiveness.

And that's what I did. It was kind of hard to start as we kneeled there. I was pretty proud but I just came to the end of myself there. Anyway, I confessed my sin and asked the Lord to forgive me and He did.

That next couple of days I was just so happy. I couldn't stop smiling. It was beautiful. I mean it wasn't a week later I was wondering if I was born again. But it's been up and down from there. But this last week has just again been like a confirmation.

It's just been good. It seems like one of the verses I always cling to is in Proverbs. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy path.

Many times I start thinking myself up against something and then I realize I don't have to lean on my own understanding. Like thinking about God and how He created and how He was before anything. It just seems like I go up against and suddenly I can't imagine it anymore.

Then I just have to come back and say I don't need to understand because it seems I don't need to. But yeah, it's just a blessing to know the Lord and have a relationship. God bless you.

Christine Newswanger's Testimony: Confidence in God's Faithfulness

My name is Christine Newswanger and I attend Living Christian Fellowship in Terry Hill, Pennsylvania. Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. Ephesians 3 .20.

This verse is the testimony of my life. Truly God has done exceedingly abundantly above all that I've asked or thought. I had a real struggle with coming to salvation. I responded to older calls, confessed my sins and prayed.

Yet I still wasn't clear. Many times I wondered, when will the struggles end? Will I ever be a Christian whose confidence is firmly fixed in God? And I have to say the struggles have ended and I can put my confidence in God for He does not change.

During Bible school last year I responded one evening. As I prayed and repented heaven just opened and for the first time I thought there was nothing between my soul and the Savior. This past year has been a blessed experience of growing in Him.

The Christian life is much sweeter than I imagined it to be. In July I was baptized and since then my walk with God has deepened. It's exciting seeing the ways God works bringing more growth and maturity.

This Bible school was a blessing. Just being able to come with a clear heart. I have heard a lot and there are still many areas I need to grow in. But Jesus is the author and finisher of my faith. And faith was He that had promised to perform it.

Timothy Quigley's Testimony: Finding Grace Through Suffering

My name is Timothy Quigley. I'm 17. I come from Wilmington, Illinois. I go to a small home church there. God has truly worked something in my life. I was born and raised Catholic. I have a heavily Catholic background in my life.

And for the most part I had a pretty good life growing up. My mom stayed at home, went through public schooling, got good grades. Everything was going pretty good. All until my 8th grade year. That was supposed to be the best year I've had.

Got confirmed in my Catholic faith. Was feeling good about myself. And that's about the time my world sort of collapsed on me. I found out one day that my dad was cheating on my mom. And it sort of shattered my trust in the world.

It truly just destroyed me from there. Everything just went downhill. I lost faith in just about everything. Developed a mouth on me. Started doing things I shouldn't do. Was not a good time in my life.

And for the next year or so I truly just blocked it out. It was like that part of my life didn't exist. I didn't have a dad. And from there it was just shutting out everything and pretty much everyone.

I was like that for about a year and a half. And then slowly it was like an infectious wound. It just started building. And I found myself asking why more and more and more. And then one day at my high school I began to notice a Bible study going on.

And I saw people there. It was just why can you trust God when he would do something like that to me. Eventually curiosity got the better of me and I attended the Bible study. I'd go in, listen to it and leave.

And I didn't want to talk to anyone. Didn't want to do anything at all. But there was two important people I met in my life there. Tony and Samantha Brown. Tony, he reached out to me. I mean I was trying to be as anti-social as possible.

But Tony sort of went and just pulled me in. Eventually through a lot he got me to attend Bible study. And from there I learned what salvation was and that I was a sinner. And it was a shock for me. I really couldn't believe what I did for the past couple of years.

And even after that it was still, I was wondering why. Because at that point I knew God was a loving, caring God. But why would he do that to me? And even for the next year I truly struggled with that.

It caused me to lose no end of sleep. It finally dawned on me one day that if God had not done that in my life. If that horrible thing had never happened to me. I would be going to hell. And I would never know God's grace.

And it's an amazing thing to me that God can take something so horrible in your life. Just whatever it may be. And just take it and turn it around to further his glory. And I praise him for that. It's just, it's such an amazing thing in my sight.

And from this day, not just from that day. I've just felt so much stronger in the Lord. And I have 100 faith that the Lord, whatever happens. If my family becomes saved or not, it is part of his plan.

And I have 100 faith that it's part of the greater plan for the greater good. Because God has no more, has the perfect plan out there. And I just thank him so much for that. God bless you all.

Joanna Davis's Testimony: Repentance and Standing Against Worldly Influence

My name is Joanna Davis. I'm from Sand Hill Bible Church in Auburn, Alabama. It's a privilege to be here today and to share some of what Jesus has done in my life. I was brought up in a Christian home.

Where my parents sought to bring me up in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord. When I was 10 years old, I began to experience deep conviction over my sin. And shortly thereafter, God brought me to a breaking point.

And I repented of my sin and received Jesus as my personal savior. I knew I was born again because my heart was changed. And I began to desire to read God's word. And for the first time in my life, the Bible became a living book to me.

Several years later, as a young teenager, I began to drift from the Lord. This was due to several worldly influences I allowed into my life. I started listening to southern gospel music and other types of contemporary Christian music.

And began to develop close friendships with some of my peers who had rebellious tendencies. These things began to draw me away from the Lord Jesus. And I began to rebel in my heart against the conservative standards of my upbringing.

As I look back to this period of my life, I see it as a very critical point. When Satan was fighting hard to win me to the world. But the Holy Spirit continued to strive with me and make me miserable.

I had tasted and seen that the Lord is good. And I could not stand to live out of fellowship with God. After about a year of living in this backslidden condition, the Lord and his mercy again brought me to repentance.

And I began to separate myself from the worldly influences that had stolen my heart's affection from the Lord Jesus. In 2001, when I was 15 years old, the Lord began to work in the hearts of our young people.

And to show us our need of repentance in many areas of our lives. It was a refreshing time, as well as a dreadful time. As many of us were brought to a crossroads spiritually. During this time I became desperate for spiritual reality in my life.

Although I had been saved when I was 10 years old, I believe the Lord was wanting me to reconfirm my commitment to follow him, no matter what it might cost me. Once again, I totally surrendered my life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Since that time, God has continued to work in my life. I've been through some mountaintops and through some low valleys. But through it all, Jesus has been a wonderful Savior to me. My greatest burden for sharing my testimony today is for any of you young people who know there are things that you need to surrender to God.

But are afraid of what your peers might think. Maybe it's music or some other form of entertainment or clothing that you know you must give up in order to pursue godliness. I encourage you to break free from the fear of what your friends might say or think.

Don't ever be afraid to take action and stand alone when you know your soul is at stake. Someday soon your friends will move on to what they think will not matter anymore. But you alone will have to live with the consequences of the decisions that you are making today.

I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for the fact that God in his mercy gave me the grace to take a stand as a young teenager. I know. Jesus said, except corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone.

But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it. And he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. May God bless you.

Mark Martin's Testimony: Waiting on the Lord for Strength

My name is Mark Martin and I am from Ephrata Christian Fellowship. This is my local church here. I live here in Ephrata, too. I'm happy to be here today. God has been doing a lot in my heart over the past couple months, I would say.

And I'm going to read here in Isaiah 40. That's kind of my testimony. And then I'll share a little. This has been a real blessing to me as I read over this many times. Hast thou not known, hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary.

There is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increases strength. Even the youth shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall.

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint. Verse 29. He giveth power to the faint.

I can say that God has truly done that work in my heart. He has been there in times of temptation. And I've experienced the power that he's given. All of us as young men, we come to places where we fall.

But if we truly come and surrender, he helps us the way he says here. So I just want to express the faithfulness of God and what he's promised here. I've learned to surrender over the past couple of months.

And just the joy and the peace that he's brought in my life just through that surrender in different areas that he's asked me to surrender. And authority has been a blessing in my life. Putting myself under that, it has been something that has freed me in many areas.

So I just want to praise the Lord for his saving faith and the power that he has for us. We just trust him.

Rosemary Barca's Testimony: Humility, Repentance, and Spiritual Renewal

It's great to be here. And I thank the Lord first and foremost for all that he does. My name is Rosemary Barca. I'm from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. And I come from Living Truth Ministries. It's in New York, in New York City in Queens.

I just want to take the time to thank the Lord for his faithfulness. Because if it wasn't for his mercy, I wouldn't be here today. I didn't grow up in a Christian home. But I first got saved when I was 12.

But I had no direction in my life as far as how to walk the Christian life. It wasn't until I was 15 years old where I received the truth of God's word. And the Lord just really touched my heart. I went into a place where it was full of young men and women who really, really loved the Lord.

And you could see by their countenance and their modesty that they were following the ways of God. And I said, that's how a Christian life should be. And that really touched my heart. That summer I gave my life completely to the Lord.

And I turned away from my old ways. And the Lord has blessed me ever since. And I know that when I first came to the Lord, He just gave me a fervent desire to seek His face. To love Him and just have that fire in my heart for His word.

And then as time went on, even though the Lord's blessing was upon me, the influences of the world was choking me. And I was really touched this week by Brother Mose and his preaching about the stony ground here.

And I was sitting in my seat, I remember clearly saying, Well, I'm not rebellious, so I shouldn't go up there. And he explained how even though you have a little rebellion in your heart, that it can grow.

And I knew that I had lost my first love. So as I was sitting there, the Lord just put in my heart, you know, and I just felt such conviction. And I was just sitting there and I was tearing as we were singing the invitation song.

And it really touched my heart when I saw one of the young men come here, the one with her leg. And then God just spoke to me and said, Rosemary, I resist the proud but give grace to the humble. And I was sitting there and as I was thinking that, as God was putting that in my heart, I said, I have to go, I have to let go of the rebellion that is in my heart.

Because I've been listening to worldly Christian music, I mean the contemporary Christian music, and just allowing unnecessary movies, allowing my eyes to behold the evil through movies. And I wasn't as fervent for the Lord as I should be.

And so I came up and then I gave, I repented of my sin. And I just encourage you all to seek the Lord because He can be found if you just let Him. It hurts to see my friends falling away from the Lord.

This world, we're living in the last days and they're falling away and it's strong, but God is stronger. And I know that when the enemy comes in like a flood, He will raise up a standard against them.

And I pray that we will be that standard that the Lord sets against the enemy. God bless you.

Brad Caldwell's Testimony: Scripture, Holiness, and Christian Witness

Praise the Lord. My name is Brad Caldwell. I'm from Auburn, Alabama, Sand Hill Bible Church. I was asked to share my testimony and in particular what the Lord has been doing in the past couple of years, but also to give some background information.

So, first of all, I was raised growing up in a Presbyterian church, the liberal branch of the two, the PCUSA, and was not a Christian at that time. And in my second year of high school, I met a couple of Christians that would bring their Bibles to school and talk about the Lord.

And I was born again reading in James about how faith without works is dead. And I continued to go to this church until I graduated high school because it was where my family went. And at that point, I moved to Auburn from Huntsville.

I was born and raised in Huntsville. I moved to Auburn to attend Auburn University. And having been through a secular college, I can tell you firsthand that many of the professors there are very liberal minded and that many of them have the spirit of antichrist and that they'll do anything in their power to undermine the Bible and to mock Christianity and to promote immorality and to intimidate any Christians in their classes.

And I had at least five professors that were very much like this. And so I just wanted to say that it's a hellish environment for a Christian to have to go through. I would not encourage it. In any event, during my time at college, I came across the New Testament church and some of their teachings were familiar to me already, such as being born again and the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.

And other teachings were new to me, such as modest dress, non-resistance, the possibility of a Christian falling away, and so forth. And I saw that these things were in the Bible and I embraced them.

And with this background information, I'd like to share some of the some of the things that have challenged and encouraged me. And by these Bible schools, this is my second year of Bible school. And it's been a blessing to hear a lot of continuous preaching that promotes a God word and a God word, a God word and a Godly life.

And it just seems like all of Christendom is preaching a false gospel today. And it's just a blessing to and it's refreshing to hear an emphasis on holiness. Also, I've been blessed by the two families that I've stayed with these two years.

Their examples have stirred me to be more zealous for God. Finally, I've appreciated the godly atmosphere here and have been encouraged by it. It's been a blessing to meet brothers and sisters in Christ who are desiring to obey the Bible and to talk about spiritual things.

In short, these Bible schools have helped me to have a renewed vision of doing God's will and of being on fire for Christ. Thank you and God bless you.

A Testimony of Surrendering Rebellion and Worldly Attachments

I am from Bainbridge, New York and attend Grace Christian Fellowship.

God has done so much in my heart this past year and I feel so humbled yet so grateful for what he has done. I had become very bitter over things that had happened to me, over hurts. I also became very rebellious in my heart and it came out in my actions and how I related to my parents.

It was a very confusing and dark time in my life. I didn't know what I wanted to believe. I had become a Christian and I knew how sweet fellowship with God was, but I was so confused in what I wanted to believe and I just wanted to give it all up.