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I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A FOOL
by John Goetsch
It has been said that "everybody is somebody's fool." ÿI am
not any different than anyone else. I have always been a fool
for something.
On July 31, 1967, ÿI was sitting in the auditorium at Camp
Chetek in Northern Wisconsin, listening to Dr. Eric Folsum preach
a message from the Bible on Hell. He read scripture throughout
the message that told about Hell being a place of everlasting
torment prepared for those who never personally ask Jesus Christ
to save them. At the close of the service he asked those who
wanted to be saved to come forward and have someone show them
from the Bible how to be saved and go to Heaven.
I felt very uneasy, ÿand those scriptures on Hell were really
convicting my heart. But, I couldn't walk down that aisle, why
everyone knew that John Goetsch was a Christian. I had grown up
in a Christian home, had gone to church and Sunday School all my
life. I went to Vacation Bible School and Youth Camp every
summer. I had been baptized and was a member of the Calvary
Baptist Church in Watertown, Wisconsin. In fact, I was president
of athe youth group in my church. But as I walked out of that
auditorium that night, I could not get away from those scriptures
on Hell.
That night and the next day I was miserable. ÿI kept asking
myself, "Am I going to Heaven or Hell?" Everyone else seemed to
think I was going to Heaven, but I wasn't sure.
The following night, ÿI couldn't listen to the preacher. ÿI
didn't hear a word he said. I kept asking myself over and over;
am I really going to Hell? Again at the close of the service the
invitation was given, ÿbut I couldn't seem to move. Something
inside kept saying, "You're good enough, You're better than most
of these other people, they are the ones that need to be saved,"
and I listened. Later that night we watched a gospel film. In
the darkness of that room that night God began to speak in plain,
simple terms to me. He said, "John, if you don't get saved, you
are going to go straight to Hell, no matter what anyone else
thinks, you are not saved!"
Right then I realized I had been a fool for the devil. ÿHe
had tricked me into thinking that I had been good enough. As the
film ended, I ÿturned to a pastor who was sitting behind me and
asked him if he would help me. Pastor Don Phaffe took me to a
small room and there on my knees on August 1, 1967, at 10:30 p.m.
I personally asked Jesus Christ to save me. I claimed Romans
10:13 which says: "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved," and Revelation 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the
door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I
will come in..." The Lord didn't trick me that night like the
devil had. At that moment Jesus Christ forgave my sin and gave
me everlasting life. No longer was I a fool for the devil.
I ÿwent back to high school that fall with real joy and peace
in my heart knowing I was on my way to Heaven. During those high
school ÿyears I became very active in athletics playing football,
basketball, ÿÿand track, ÿand was achieving some success ÿin ÿall
sports. ÿBy the time I reached my junior and senior years, I ÿwas
completely ÿwrapped up in sports, ÿwith little time for ÿanything
else.
One day in Sunday School my Youth Pastor asked us to ÿwrite
down ÿsome goals for our lives. ÿMy goal for High School ÿwas ÿto
make all-conference in football. ÿFor my College goal, ÿI ÿÿwrote
down that I wanted to play College football, and for life my goal
was to get into some facet of professional sports.
Things went well and my senior year I captained the ÿfootball
team ÿto a 5 win and 3 loss record, ÿquite respectable since ÿour
high ÿschool ÿhad not won a single football game in ÿthree ÿyears
prior to that. ÿOffers began to come from various colleges asking
me ÿto play football. ÿOur basketball team was ranked 7th in ÿthe
state ÿof ÿWisconsin, ÿand I was looking forward to breaking ÿthe
school ÿrecord in the shot put in track that spring. ÿSports was
my god and I just didn't have time to serve Christ too.
On January 20, 1970, in the middle of my senior year, I ÿwas
sitting in one of my classes and my chest began to hurt. ÿI ÿhad
never felt any pain like it before, ÿbut I put off thinking about
it ÿbecause ÿwe had an important game that night. ÿThe pain ÿgrew
steadily worse that afternoon and evening and that night I played
the ÿworst ÿbasketball ÿgame I had ever played ÿin ÿmy ÿlife. ÿÿI
disgraced ÿmyself ÿand ÿthe ÿteam. ÿÿPhysically ÿhurting ÿand
emotionally upset, I went home to bed. However, as soon as I laid
down ÿflat on my back, ÿthe pain became sharp. ÿIt seemed ÿas ÿif
someone was taking a knife and cutting inside my chest.
At ÿ3:00 ÿÿa.m. ÿthe next morning my parents took me to ÿthe
hospital. They put me in a bed and I stayed in that bed, ÿunable
to move, ÿfor the next 3 months. I ÿhad a virus of the heart sac.
My heart sac was filled with poisonous liquid and was the size of
a basketball. ÿI missed the rest of my senior year, ÿthe rest of
basketball, and all of the track season.
All of the time I was in that hospital I never read my ÿBible
or ÿprayed once. ÿI ÿwas bitter against God because He had ÿtaken
everything I had dreamed of away.
For ÿthe ÿnext two years I ran from God and rebelled at ÿeven
the thought of surrendering my life to Him. I gradually worked my
body ÿback ÿinto ÿcondition until it was ÿstrong ÿand ÿcompletely
healthy.
Three weeks prior to my first college football game, ÿI ÿfelt
the ÿsame ÿpain ÿin my chest I had felt two ÿyears ÿbefore. ÿÿThe
doctors, ÿafter two weeks of tests told me that I had an enlarged
heart, ÿÿalmost ÿtwo times the size it was supposed to be. ÿÿThey
informed me that I would never play sports again.
I was crushed. ÿAll I had ever worked for was gone. ÿI ÿwent
back ÿand told the coaches that I would never play again. ÿÿAs ÿI
walked ÿacross ÿthe practice field that morning I looked ÿat ÿthe
footballs ÿlying there and walked away knowing I would never pick
one up again. At that moment my heart broke and I gave my life to
Christ. ÿI told the Lord I had run from Him long enough and if He
wanted my life, He could have it all.
I drove home and parked the car in the garage. My mother came
running ÿout and said, ÿ"John! ÿJohn! ÿyou can play football!" ÿI
said, ÿ"No, ÿthe doctors told me this morning that I would ÿnever
play again." ÿShe replied, ÿ"I know, ÿbut they just called. ÿThe
tests ÿwere read wrong. ÿYou are perfectly healthy and can ÿstart
playing tomorrow!" ÿI ÿbowed my head and thought, ÿ"If only I had
been ÿwilling ÿto give God my life two years ago when ÿHe ÿwanted
it..."
Though God allowed me to play 3 years of college football and
4 years of college basketball, I never again let myself be a fool
for sports and put anything before Christ.
I ÿwent to Maranatha Baptist Bible College and it was while I
was there that God called me to be a preacher and into Evangelism
to help others, ÿlike you, ÿfind Christ as your Saviour and serve
Him.
I Corinthians 3:18 ÿsays, "Let no man deceive himself, if any
man among you seemeth to abe wise in this world, let him become a
fool (for Christ), that he may be wise."
Today, ÿÿfriend, ÿÿdon't be a fool for the devil any ÿlonger.
Right ÿnow ÿin simple faith ask Jesus Christ to ÿcome ÿinto ÿyour
heart and life, ÿrepent your sin, and ask Him to give you eternal
life.
If ÿyou ÿhave ÿbeen saved, ÿdon't be a fool to ÿthe ÿtemporal
things of this life. ÿDedicate your life to your Saviour and be a
fool for Him.
From the S.O.N. BBS, WI
d didn't trick me that night like the
devil had. At that moment Jesus Christ forgave my sin
