The Power of A New Testament

Last week, Gideons conducted the 2016 Botswana International Scripture Blitz. Early counts place the total number of Scriptures distributed at around 70,000 copies of God’s Word. The blitz team members witnessed more than 700 people pray to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Keletso proudly displays her New Testament.

One of the people to receive a New Testament from Gideons last week was a teacher named Keletso. The head teacher and deputy head teachers at the school received full Bibles, but due to the greater investment required of The Gideons to provide Bibles, the rest of the faculty and students were given New Testaments. Keletso expressed disappointment about not receiving one of the Bibles. “I need a full Bible, too, because I need to be saved,” she told Dave Lacy, a Gideon from Tennessee.

Keletso’s comment revealed what she really needed was someone to share the Gospel with her. “The Holy Spirit let me know this was my opportunity,” says Dave. “So I told Keletso, ‘You don’t need a full Bible to get saved. You can be saved today, and this New Testament you hold in your hand can show you how.’”

With one of the deputy head teachers and another teacher standing by, Dave led Keletso through the plan of salvation. After reading through those Scripture passages, Dave said, “Today, Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart. Only you can open the door of your life to Jesus. Would you like to do that today?” Keletso and the two other faculty members standing nearby acknowledged they were ready to receive Jesus. “We prayed together as they confessed their sins and received the eternal gift of salvation by confessing Jesus as their Lord and Savior,” says Dave.

After prayer, Keletso read this verse,

“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” – Romans 10:13

After she read the verse, Dave reminded Keletso she could now be certain of her salvation. “The Scripture says you ‘will be saved,’ not ‘might be saved.’”

Keletso was overjoyed. “When you gave me this book I was not happy because I did not think it was that powerful,” she said. “Now I am happy because I can see it is really a powerful book.”