GMA Essay #5 from Nathan Rothwell:
The Value of Royal Rangers to Me
By Nathan Rothwell
I first attended Royal Rangers as a Straight Arrow in 1990. My older brother
Adam had told me what to expect. My dad was a commander and had let me go on
some camp outs with the Pioneers but nothing could prepare me for the road I
was about to take.
Eleven years have passed along that road and the four Red Points of the
Royal Ranger emblem, the four main teachings of the church (Salvation, Holy
Spirit, Healing, and Rapture) have proven themselves true in my life.
SALVATION
As a Straight Arrow my commanders had spoken of Jesus' death on the
Cross and what that meant for me. Then one day I was sick. In my
five-year-old mind I wasn't really sure I was going to make it. What my
commanders had said about Jesus came back to me. I realized my need for a
Savior and committed my life to Him. I have served Him now for two thirds of
my life on earth. By His grace I will serve Him for the rest of my time
here. As I have grown, Rangers has also helped me to get in the habit of
reading the Bible daily and having my own personal devotions. My commanders
have shown me that as I draw closer to Jesus the helmet of salvation
(Ephesians 6:17) is fitted more securely. Though Satan attacks me I am
reassured of my place in Christ through the promises He has given me in His
Word.
THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
When I was a Pioneer I received the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the
evidence of speaking in tongues. A whole new realm opened to me as I learned
to "worship God in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23). Later in my Pioneer
"career" the Holy Spirit began to speak into my life of God's purposes for
me. He continues to do so. Praying "in the Spirit" has drawn me closer to
Christ.
DIVINE HEALING
Whether for a physical need or emotional one Royal Rangers has taught me to
fully rely on God for my healing. When I was born I was diagnosed with a
heart murmur and the doctors said that I would not live more than four years
without having major surgery. God had other plans. Prior to exploratory
surgery to determine the true extent of the murmur I was anointed with oil
and prayed for by the elders of my church. Because of God's grace I have
never had any surgery in my life. Amazingly, if you hold a stethoscope to my
chest you will distinctly hear the murmur. Yet I show no physical effects.
The Lord has healed me yet has left the sound of the murmur as a testimony.
To Him be the Glory!
God has touched me with an emotional healing as well. Two years ago I lost
my best friend in a car accident. Satan used this to strike me with
depression almost to the point of suicide. My father talked me into going to
AJTC last summer. I had not wanted to go but knew that the time away and the
activities of Camp would help me to get my mind off of my loss. I shared at
our council fire what I had been dealing with. My fellow Rangers laid hands
on me and God set me free through their prayers. Since then the Lord has
made our relationship together stronger and closer than ever before.
THE RAPTURE
God has instilled in me the desire to see him face to face. During my Ranger
bible readings I read of the Rapture and my heart has thrilled at the
thought of seeing Jesus and I know that on a day unexpected (Matthew 24:36)
the trumpet will sound. I will be changed in the "twinkling of an eye" (1
Corinthians 15:52). Jesus will come to take up all of his followers, living
and dead, to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. I rejoice in anticipation of
that day.
In conclusion, I know that God is real because I have seen His hand at work
in Royal Rangers. I have "pressed in" to Him and He has begun to reveal His
purposes in me. One day I will be a commander and I will be able to pour
into other boys what I have had poured into me; a desire to follow hard
after Him so that I may know Him and follow His ways for all of my life.
_______
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