#112 Militant Atheist with a Heavenly Father - Oscar Navarro
SEASON 10 FINALE! Oscar wasn't just an atheist, he was a zealot. The absence of an earthly father in his life simply reinforced the truth, that Christians were stupid, and they needed to be put in their place.
There was no Father in heaven looking down from above. All this world had to offer was chaos. But as Oscar pursued earthly pleasures there were some questions that just couldn't be answered... Perhaps he did have a loving father, after all?
The pastor stood knee-deep in the pool, the sun streaming down on the small crowd in the backyard.
“Thank you all for coming today, to witness the baptism of these men and women who have chosen to commit their lives to Christ!”
Oscar stood beside his girlfriend and her family, his arms crossed.
“I’ve heard this stupid junk so many times before… dude, just get it over with so we can get out of here.”
Shifting his weight, Oscar tried to distract himself, fiddling with his fingers, but the words kept slicing into him like a knife.
“...for God so loved the world…”
Oscar looked away from the pool to the trees overlooking the wooden fence.
“Knock it off, Oscar. You’re a die-hard atheist… this pastor is talking a stupid fantasy.”
But even as he shook his head, trying to clear it, Oscar still couldn't remove the strange feeling tingling within him. He glanced at the first young man waiting in the group to be baptized, and was taken aback by the evident joy shining on his face.
The pastor looked around the group, spreading his arms wide,
“Christ calls us all to repentance and to place our faith in him. The Father gave up his one and only Son to die for us, so that we can be redeemed! Brothers and sisters, what an invitation!”
Oscar snorted.
“There’s no such thing as a loving Father…”
Oscar spat out the words in his mind. He wanted to hate the pastor’s words, wanted to harden his calloused heart as he always had and scoff at the stupidity of it all.
But he couldn’t.
“Everyone,” the pastor lifted his hands, “please, bow your heads in prayer with me.”
Oscar felt himself lower his head. His eyes closed.
“Wha—what am I doing?”
Shock and confusion spread inside him. Oscar, a hot-headed, nonconformist atheist, stood beside the pool with his head bowed, waiting for the prayer to begin.
But the pastor didn’t start praying. Instead, in a sober voice, he said,
“I believe there are some here today that specifically need prayer… I ask that if that is you, please look up. Look up and know that we are interceding with God today on your behalf.”
Oscar gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, eyes still closed.
“No. Absolutely not.”
Then suddenly, into the dark corners of his mind, where Oscar had listened only to himself for years, he heard a new voice. Gentle, but firm.
“OSCAR. LOOK UP.”
A chill ran over Oscar’s entire body.
Oscar’s eyes shot open… then he lifted his head…
Listen to Oscar’s compelling story!
🔗 Links
Today, Oscar serves as the Vice President of Ministry Advancement at Living Waters.
You can listen to Oscar every week on the Living Waters podcast (direct links to Apple or Spotify).
Oscar is active on Instagram and frequently shares his evangelism experiences there.
🔗 Video
Below is full video version of Oscar’s testimony on Compelled.
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