In the past several weeks of
evangelism we have encountered the special presence of God entering evangelism
conversations when the Bible has been opened. These past two Thursdays I have partnered
in initiative evangelism with a Midwestern student named D. J.
On both Thursdays something
similar happened. I engaged a person in a gospel conversation. Typical
questions came off my tongue:
- “Have you heard about Jesus?”
- “What do you think of Jesus?”
- “Has there been a time in your life when you have asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins?”
- “Could you tell me about it?”
- “Has the Lord given you a local church that you attend?”
Moving from these questions
conversations either proceeded toward Jesus and the gospel or came to an end. My
goal is threefold:
- To understand if the person has a genuine relationship with Christ.
- To seek out if the person has a hearing of faith as it relates to the Word of God.
- To discern the person’s readiness for repentance and faith.
Something noteworthy happened
these past two weeks. When I was at the point of concluding a conversation that
was becoming unfruitful, D. J. asked a question:
- “Can I show you something in the Bible?”
In both cases the individual said,
“Yes!” Thereupon, D. J. opened his Bible and showed them a verse that he
had discerned would be helpful for the person to hear in light of the former
conversation. And in both cases, it happened—God came down on the conversation!
It was as if God Himself had
stepped down onto the street beside us.
The focus shifted from my words,
from the gospel tract, and from any of my conversational attempts, to the words
in the Bible itself. In both cases conviction came down upon the listeners.
They suddenly became attentive and submissive to the words of God’s Word. It
was beautiful to see!
We experienced this with Wilma
two Thursdays ago. She had indicated that she had a relationship with Christ,
but the conversation was going nowhere. D. J., however, showed her
1 Corinthians 6:19-20:
“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
The Holy Spirit came down and
anointed those words, and we felt the presence of God. Wilma received D. J.’s
admonition from God’s Word and he prayed for her.
We met A J. this past Thursday.
Seeing that we were Christians, A. J. was aggressively asking us for
money. D. J. opened his Bible to James 2 and read:
“But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” James 2:18-19.
After D. J. read verse 18, A. J.
said, “That’s what I’m talking about!” But D. J. kept reading. Verse 19
contained the warning. D. J. showed him that the important thing was not just believing,
but living out that belief. A. J. was immediately humbled by the words of
the Word of God. He said, “Now that’s true! I know that’s true!” Apparently,
God revealed to A. J. that he was not living out the faith that he claimed.
His immediate humility was remarkable. We prayed for him on the street
outside the liquor store.
In both cases, in the hallway of
an apartment building and outside a liquor store, God’s presence came down. When
the Bible was opened and the words of God were read, His presence was
definitely felt.
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12.
