Today I had the blessing of joining a church as they baptized 17 new members into their church. Riverside Bible Fellowship is a native church that speaks very little english, but I have had the blessing of spending time with their new pastor and his family. Today, he asked me to join them as a special guest and even participate in the baptisms by being his support network. This is the first time I’ve taken part in the baptisms of people I’ve never met people, but it is a privilege and a memory that I cannot forget.
Jervey caught my eye immediately when we walked up to the area where we were going to open the service. I just knew I needed to start praying for him and when I asked Pastor JoJo his story, all he said was, “Well, he is blind.” As I thought through the logistics of getting a blind man down into this pool and how I was going to have to lower this man that I had just met down into the pool, Pastor JoJo interrupted my thoughts and told me we were going to go talk to him about his decision. It sounded like a great idea to me.
I was told that Jervey was a strong construction worked about 18 months earlier, before he was suddenly struck blind. He told me how he worked with Pastor JoJo before and how the pastor had told me constantly about Jesus. Jervey was a hard working man that was paid well for his skill and whenever he was asked to come to church he would always respond, “I will come one day, but that day is not today.” After nearly a year of sitting at home because of his inability to work, Jervey and his family slipped deeper and deeper into poverty. Finally, Pastor JoJo came back to visit him and tell him he was now the pastor of Riverside Fellowship, and Jervey finally decided that that day was the day.
Many times, Jesus takes us to a place of complete brokenness so we can get over ourselves and our own pride to realize we need help. Jervey sat at home for a year, unable to work, but also unwilling to seek anything or anyone else out. A few weeks ago, he gave his life to Jesus and decided and left his house in search for a different life. Today, he made his decision public and joined with a body of believers that would hold him accountable. As we dunked him in the water, he was mumbling his repentance and his prayer to God. He came out of the water joyful and excited.
After the baptisms were over, Jervey asked Pastor JoJo and myself to pray over him so his sight might be restored. I was feeling pretty good and empowered and I thought that today was the day I would see a miraculous healing. However, before we prayed, Jervey said, “I believe God can and wants to heal me, but if He chooses not to, I would still make the same decision.” I do believe God is restoring Jervey’s sight whether we saw evidence of it today or not. Either way, I’ll still continue to pray that the blind will see…
