God is Always Working

What a wonderful time we had at Winterfest this year. Let me share with you several things that transpired before the weekend began and the results of our loving savior Jesus at work in this world.

At small group on Sunday evening, February 14, our group specifically prayed for Bethany Wright. She is Austin Price’s girlfriend and has been attending our worship services for several months. We specifically prayed for her heart to continually be drawn to Jesus. At that time I was not sure if Austin and Bethany were even going to come with us to Winterfest. But I later found out that they were going to join us in Gatlinburg. Apparently God was already at work on Bethany because last Saturday evening Bethany with tears in her eyes told me she was ready to relinquish control of her life and allow Christ to take over. I was truly honored to be the one to ask her in front of our group of teens and adults if she believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and baptize her into His name for the forgiveness of her sins and to have the Holy Spirit come to live in her and make her a new creation.

What took place in the next several hours I am truly humbled by. You see Bethany told me that she knew that this would be a difficult decision because she would possibly be alienated by her friends who she thought would not understand this decision. Yet Bethany, with excitement and a boldness in her new found faith in Jesus shared her conversion story with over 530 of her friends and family on Facebook. After several paragraphs she closed with this statement, “I'm blessed to be able to share this good news with you and I pray that I have inspired you even in a small way or at least made you think. God's waiting to hear back from you. Everyone will respond to him one way or another. Jesus said that he stands at the door and knocks (Rev. 3:20). It is up to you and me to open the door and let him in.”

— Will