The Salvation Testimony Of Don Fortner
In May of 2019, the New Focus Conference was held at Gornal Baptist Church, Robert Street, in Dudley, West Midlands, England. Among the speakers was Don Fortner. He prefaced his sermon with a personal testimony on how the Lord brought his soul to a saving knowledge of Christ. Unknown to me at the time, my wife recorded the two minute testimony, for which I am forever grateful; not only to have a record of his testimony in his own voice, but to know that my grandfather, Jewell Smith, was the preacher under whom the Lord was pleased to open his understanding to the grace of God. I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has not only put me into the ministry, but has been pleased to link me with these fathers in the faith and soldiers of the cross.
Jared Smith
Don Fortner’s Testimony
“I began to hear things, and after awhile God showed me my wretched, corrupt, vile self. I had two men teaching a new adult Sunday School class who clearly taught the gospel of God’s grace. And my pastor Dan Davis was about 62 to 63 years old and I wasn’t quite seventeen. And uh, he had Jewell Smith come up from Orlando, Florida and preach for us that weekend. It was Memorial Day. And uh, for the first time in my life, God shined in my heart to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the crucified Christ. I had been trying my best, to do my best, to reform my life, to correct my ways, to change what I did and to offer God this and to offer God that; and I prayed and I prayed, and I begged and I prayed, and I repented and I prayed; and everything I offered God…God screamed, “Not enough.” “Not enough.” “Not enough.” And my conscience screamed, “THAT’S NOT ENOUGH! That won’t satisfy God.” But when God shined in my heart to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in a crucified Redeemer, I looked away from myself, to Him, and God said, “That’s enough.” And my conscience has been quiet ever since. It’s enough. That’s enough. Christ is enough. His righteousness is enough. His blood is enough. His power is enough! His grace is enough! Nothing else is. O, God give you light, which is for sinners, the Light of life, and shine in your heart now and cause you to believe on His Son.”
Don Fortner (1950-2020) was a sovereign grace Baptist preacher, author and hymn writer. After graduating Piedmont Bible College, he became pastor of Lookout Baptist Church in West Virginia. He then moved to Danville, Kentucky in 1980 where he pastored Grace Baptist Church for 40 years. He died on the 29 April 2020, at the age of 69.
Don Fortner's Articles
Don Fortner's Sermons
