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Chaplain candidate follows God's
leading, hundreds accept Christ
November 14, 2003
Assemblies of God chaplain candidate John P. Smith Jr. knew the Bible verse about being prepared in season and out (2 Timothy 4:2). So did Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan Sr., a Pentecostal chaplain mentoring him at Fort Jackson in South Carolina.
Preaching wasn't one of the regular assignments during this six-week officer training for prospective Army chaplains that Smith took this summer. But Jordan thought Smith could handle a sermon.
He knew Smith would be attending the 8:15 a.m. Sunday service anyway, so Jordan phoned him at 7:15 a.m. to see if he could read the Scripture to the congregation. Certainly, the 30-year-old Smith replied. Jordan called back a few minutes later to see if he would also preach the sermon.
Smith, who began preaching at age 16 in Elk City, Oklahoma, said no problem. He had a message prepared for just such an occasion. As a former associate pastor and as a chaplain's assistant he had preached to crowds of several hundred before. But soon Smith was delivering a sermon in the auditorium at the base to more than 1,000 trainees.
It didn't take long for Smith to leave the pulpit on the platform where he nearly always stood during a sermon. He sensed an emotional and worshipful intensity among the recruits who paid close attention to his words. Smith stopped following his manuscript that described how David conquered Goliath. Instead, he began walking the floor and allowing the Holy Spirit to take over. He spoke from his heart and looked the future soldiers in the eyes.
His message centered on 1 Samuel 17:47: "All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's." Those in the auditorium had been enduring rigorous military training. Some faced imminent deployment overseas to combat zones, and that weighed heavily on the hearts of many.
Even before Smith issued an altar call some began heading for the altar. When he did give that invitation, more than 350 people responded and accepted Christ as Savior.
"I didn't design the service," Smith says. "The Holy Spirit moves even when we don't follow an expository sermon. I had never experienced that kind of reaction where people are so hungry for the preaching of the Word."
Several attendees who are Assemblies of God members told Smith afterwards they felt as if they were in their home church.
Author(s): John W. Kennedy
Keyword(s): John P. Smith Jr. | Steven L. Jordan Sr. | Fort Jackson
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