TESTIMONY OF RICK GERHARTZ
I grew up in a religious home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My parents took my younger sister, Kim and me to Mass at the Roman Catholic Church every Sunday morning. Occasionally, we even attended Wednesday evening service. I remember telling a friend that “Wednesday nights are ‘Mary Night’ because we often pray to the Virgin Mary.” The priest told us that the Virgin Mary was the great interceder on our behalf into the presence of the Lord Jesus. After all, she was Jesus’ mother, and surely He would grant her anything she asked of Him. How deceived we were into thinking that she was in some way a “co-redeemer” with the Lord Jesus Christ or even a mediator between God and man! Years later, I would learn that this doctrine was heresy, as the Scriptures taught that…
“…there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5).
I would eventually see that…
“…It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us” (Rom. 8:34).
Mary played no part in this, and she had done nothing to win my salvation.
My sister and I attended the “required” Catholic catechism classes every week. This was my first introduction to reading the Bible for myself. However, without the Holy Spirit working in my heart, and illuminating my thinking, my continual thought was, How I hate reading these assignments in this boring old book. In time the Lord would show me the reason why I could not understand (nor care to understand) His book, the Bible.
1 Corinthians 2:14 says,
“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
In the early seventies, my mother took a part time job as an Avon Lady, and she had numerous customers in our neighborhood. One such customer was a woman by the name of Joan. My mother knew there was something “different” about her, but she thought that she was just simply religious.
One hot day in the summer of 1974 (most likely July or August, I do not recall the specific date) Joan asked my parents if she could take my sister and me to an “outreach event” at her local church. It would be a time of fun and games, followed by a short message. With my parent’s consent, we excitedly went to this church event. Little did my sister Kim and I realize that this day would change our lives and destinies forever.
As promised, there was an abundance of games and fun to be had. As the sun began to set, the outdoor activities came to a close and us sweaty kids were called inside. The children’s Sunday School classrooms were in the basement of the church, and we were dispersed among them. We were given refreshments; I vividly recall that the rooms felt nice and cool on that humid day, and that they were very small in circumference. In addition, the pews were small and the Bibles that were handed out to us were pocket size, however, the message that followed was of paramount proportions.
An elderly woman at the front asked us to turn to specific pages in our Bibles, and to follow along as she read. She started out by giving us some bad news, Romans 3:10-12:
10 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”
She continued,
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Rom. 3:23).
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).
I remember thinking to myself, This is serious, and I am in trouble. Looking at my sister, her face seemed to say the same thing. We knew that we were guilty sinners even at the youthful ages of ten and eleven.
The elderly woman then proceeded to give us some “good news” to this serious problem. She had us turn to John 3:16, and then read,
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
The verse that really stood out vividly though was John 14:6,
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
I seen for the very first time the exclusiveness of salvation, that Jesus Christ was the only way to heaven. All roads did not lead to God. I realized the enormous sacrifice that Christ had made for the likes of me. At that moment, I placed my faith in Jesus’ substitutionary death on my behalf! Although, what this elderly woman did next was unfortunate. She asked us to bow our heads with her and repeat the “Sinner’s Prayer,” as well as to “ask Jesus into our hearts.” Years later, we would come to realize that this was “garbling” the gospel of grace, and was considered a work. I would eventually learn that the Bible does not teach that we must say a “Sinner’s Prayer.” In fact, Jesus Christ Himself confirmed the simplicity of the gospel when He said,
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25).
The Apostle Peter expressed this as well:
“To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43).
It was so simple and absolutely free!
As promised, it was a short message, and we were taken home. We could hardly wait to tell our parents that we were now saved! How confused we were when they seemed so unimpressed; thus, life went on as usual.
Approximately eight months later in the month of April (1975), my mother trusted Christ as her personal Savior. She had watched a T.V. evangelist who had given a garbled gospel, but by God’s amazing grace, she was saved from hell to heaven. Within the same week my father believed the gospel message, and we left the Catholic Church. In our search for a “Bible-believing” church, we attended Joan’s local assembly. Even though we were merely “babes” in Christ, the legalism was so prevalent in that congregation; we had to leave within a few weeks.
Eventually we found Calvary Bible Church, where we could relax and take in the Word of God through the sound teaching of Pastor Bob Petzel. My sister and I were enrolled in the Awana program, and we started to memorize Scripture for the very first time.
During this period in the 1970s, the charismatic/pentecostal movement was on the rise. Some of our friends (who happened to be charismatic) encouraged us to attend their church. Unfortunately we went, and we ended up staying for about two years. After my parents personally studied the doctrine of “eternal security,” we left that church and all that was involved in the entire charismatic/pentecostal movement.
In our search for sound expository teaching, we finally found Waukesha Bible Church. It is here that we really began to grow spiritually under the leadership of Pastor Bill Briggs. It is also during this time that I met Katie, my future wife, at the Ground Round Restaurant where we worked together. Unfortunately it is during this time period in my Christian life (at the age of 19/20) that I took a turn for the worse and became carnal. This carnality lasted for about two years (1984-1985). Looking back on it, I now can see why it happened. I was working two jobs just for the money, I wasn’t attending church, I wasn’t reading my Bible anymore, and as a result my flesh took over. Oddly enough even though I was carnal, I still witnessed to my fellow coworkers and friends because I had a concern for their eternal destiny (although my life was not consistent with my message). I now look at those years as a total waste in light of eternity.
Katie and I started dating in Autumn of 1985. After months of witnessing to her, and taking her to a church event to hear the gospel, she trusted Christ (in April of 1986). In the summer of 1987, we were eventually married at Waukesha Bible Church. Some years later, Pastor Briggs retired and moved back to St. Louis, Missouri. In his absence, the church campaigned for a pastor, electing a man who was very legalistic, resulting in a church split. Again, the difficult search for a sound Bible-believing church began. The search was long and even painful at times, as Katie and I (and my parents) would get to know families in a local assembly, and then have to separate over doctrine. We attended many, many churches in the Milwaukee area.
During this time, it was the closeness of a personal home Bible study with believers of like precious faith that sustained us. Through one of these believers we heard about the ministry in Duluth, Minnesota. After contacting the Duluth Bible Church, faithful men began making the seven hour long journey to Milwaukee to teach us the Word of God. From that “core group” of believers at the home Bible Study in my parent’s basement, a church was established.
After much prayer, Katie and I eventually moved to Superior, Wisconsin, to be a part of the Duluth Bible Church and the ministry of the Grace Institute of Biblical Studies, where (G.I.B.S.) men are equipped for the work of the ministry. We served the Lord together in various ways under the expository teaching of Pastor Dennis Rokser.
After six years of intensive course work, and serving in various ministries, such as Sunday School, and pulpit supply. I graduated from the Grace Institute of Biblical Studies in February of 2004. After graduation I went on a mission’s trip and took part in teaching at a pastor’s conference in San Miguel, El Salvador. I was also involved in teaching at some of the local prison ministries in Duluth, Minnesota such as the Arrowhead Juvenile Center, and the Northeast Regional Correctional Center.
In early 2004 Katie and I made a “difficult” Kadesh Barnea decision – To leave Duluth Bible Church and move back to Milwaukee and to be involved with Word of Grace Bible Church. I say “difficult” because we love that Body of believers that make up Duluth Bible Church; (I have many dear friends there) but we also love this local assembly. I was here when this gathering was just a small Bible Study in 1987 in my parent’s basement, and when this church was planted in 1997. So out of all the out-lying ministries, this church is closest to my heart; and I hope to be a part of it for a very, very long time.
In closing I’d just like to say, that I am eternally grateful to my Lord Jesus Christ and His willingness to die a horribly violent blood-death for a sinner such as I.
Thank you.