Give Away the Gospel – Page 7

I found the Bible daunting!

We received an email all the way from Malaysia. This older gentleman was recently given a copy of By This Name. After he read it, he was compelled to write to us. This is what he shared:

This well structured and cleverly written book by John R Cross played a great part in my knowing God and accepting His gracious gift of salvation through faith in His beloved son Jesus Christ. I had previously tried to read the Holy Bible but found it not only daunting to go through the first few chapters but also found the scriptural language difficult to understand. It would have been near impossible for me to read through the thousands of pages and make sense of them. On the other hand By This Name is presented in such a way that the modern-day non-believers’ doubts are quickly dispelled by addressing issues of science and why God is unique and is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow… and He always keeps his promises.

With these initial possible obstacles of the modern man addressed, John then narrated the Bible in simple English and in a comprehensible and cohesive manner so that the reader can easily grasp the essence (basic essentials) of the Holy Bible without having to plough through thousands of pages in the Bible. Of course it is imperative to know more deeply the Word of God in order to grow spiritually and to obey Lord Jesus’ Great Commission. However, the non-believer must first become a believer and that is by knowing what God’s grace is all about. The sooner he obtains this knowledge the sooner the Holy Spirit can then work on him.

I realize that what has worked for me may not work for another. But I have reasons to believe that there are others out there who are seeking to learn more about the Holy Bible who can be helped through the reading of By This Name. — Benjamin*

We never know what will happen when we give a friend a book. We thank Benjamin for taking the time to write to let us know the impact that By This Name has had on his understanding of the Bible. It was encouraging for our staff to receive his story. We pray he will continue to read the Word and grow deeper in his understanding and in his walk with Christ. Praise God for his testimony.

[*Name changed as per GoodSeed policy.]

See By This Name on our US Store or on our Canada Store.

Dinner at Denny’s

(Editor’s note: We received the following encouraging story and a prayer request from Ian.* Would you pray along with us?)

I’m currently studying at a Bible school and, one evening, I was having dinner at the local Denny’s. I was sitting at the walk-up table poring over my notes from my Isaiah class when, Stella*, the waitress noticed my heavily marked-up Bible. She made a comment that she was surprised to see all the notes and highlights.

This made me smile, as this was not the first time that I have had a waitress comment or ask about what I was reading or studying. Later that evening, when Stella was on her break, I felt compelled to show her Isaiah 40–a page that was heavily marked up. This immediately sparked a conversation! She eventually revealed that, though she had attended a Christian school, she did not really believe in the Bible. She only considered it a good book.

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THIS I can understand!

(Editor’s note: We get emails every week from people all around the world. We received the following from Cynthia*, which we want to share with you because it reflects our desire to see people have access to the gospel message in a language that they can understand.)

Dear GoodSeed,

Christmas Day my husband and I had two Chinese couples to our home to dinner. Yinghan* and Mingxia* are our neighbors. Victor* and Liza* have been attending our church. Both of the husbands are engineers. Neither couple had EVER celebrated Christmas on Christmas Day in an American home.

After dinner we gave each couple the Mandarin version of The Lamb.

It will delight you to know when Yinghan and his wife, Mingxia, opened The Lamb, Yinghan commented, “I have trouble understanding the Bible, but THIS I can understand!” He seemed sincere, not insulted by its simplicity (i.e., he never asked, “Why are you giving me a children’s book?”). They were both moved by the incredible beauty of the illustrations as well.

The other couple, Victor and Liza, are here from China for a short period. They too LOVE the book. Victor saw the English version displayed in our home and he and Liza are overjoyed to have their own copy in Mandarin to read [for] themselves and to read to their young son. We also gave a copy to Liza to take to her parents who are visiting them from China.

Thank you SO MUCH for your fine work and low prices! You produce such classy products. Keep up the wonderful work. Your company is a huge blessing to me and many others I’m sure!

May the LORD bless your ministry!

Sincerely in Christ,

Cynthia

P.S. We received a follow up email from Cynthia. She informed us that Victor is now attending a weekly discipleship group at her church and Mingxia is going to attend a women’s Bible study that starts at the end of January. Praise the Lord for his work in their lives.

(*Name changed as per GoodSeed policy.)

New Year’s resolution: make the Gospel clear

(Editor’s note: With the start of the New Year, it’s a great time to prayerfully renew our resolution to “make the best use of the time” we have with those who do not yet understand or believe the Gospel. (Colossians 4:5). Here’s a story of a couple whose resolution spanned many years as they reached out to their young friend, Naomi.)

We first met Naomi,* then a troubled 13-year-old, in 1986 at a summer camp. It took a long time to win her trust, and in the coming years we maintained nearly constant contact with her. We poured into her life all we knew, and she constantly bombarded us with questions and unique insights.

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In NYC and cold toward God

(Editor’s note: It’s Christmas! Here’s how one grandma is planning to make the most of her trip to New York City to reconnect with her family.)

Beatrice* was excited when she called the other day to tell about her upcoming trip to visit her son and grandchildren in New York for Christmas. Her son had been raised in Canada and he had gone on to become a successful business consultant to global Fortune 500 companies. He had packed up his wife and young family and swapped their rural life for a start in New York City.

Beatrice was troubled that when they left they also left behind their Christian heritage and their connection with the local church. “They seem remote and distant when topics like God and the Bible are brought up.” she went on to say, “When I go visit for Christmas I’m wondering, would it be appropriate to give a copy of the book, By This Name, to my son as a gift? I have read it myself and I think that it might be helpful. What do you think?”

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Big plans for small towns in Alberta’s North

Our curiosity got the better of us this week when an order came into our Canada office. The man wanted 2500 copies of the book, What are Christmas and Easter All About? We discovered that big plans are in motion to share the gospel with families of First Nation communities in Northern Alberta this Christmas.

“It actually started this past summer when we used The Lamb curriculum at camp,” said Peter Fehr on the phone yesterday. Peter works with Eagle’s Nest Ministry Center, an organization that hosts 500-600 children every year from over 20 First Nation communities in Northern Alberta and Northwest Territories. Peter went on to tell how the campers were enthralled with the colourful illustrations and how each lesson’s questions helped the staff make sure each child clearly understood the gospel message.

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Are you going to survive your day?

Photo credit: Jeff Kramer on flickr

Snowflakes in the air reminded me I needed winter tires for our car. After checking prices and availability I settled on a local vendor and arranged a time to have the new tires installed.

Arriving at the tire shop on the day of my appointment, I handed the keys to a service representative and then proceeded to the customer-waiting lounge. The room was surprisingly vacant; only one other customer was there, a well-dressed, middle-aged gentleman who seemed deep in his own thoughts. He paid me no mind as I settled into a chair a few seats away. But as I reached into my business satchel for my reading glasses, he suddenly looked in my direction. Our eyes met.

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Before we slip into eternity

The road

At a Christian school conference, Jim* excitedly approached our GoodSeed booth where our staff were introducing Worldview Rethink curriculum to schools. He had a story to share. Some years ago, he had seen a copy of The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus on a co-worker’s desk and had borrowed it to read. A short time later, he was at a farmers’ market and spotted a stall where a stack of copies of The Stranger were being given away. He happily took a copy for himself. He said the book put the Bible together in way that made profound sense to him.

Jim wondered, how can I make good use of this resource? Then an idea struck him. First, he drove over to our office and picked up a case of The Stranger. Second, he pulled out his address book and thumbed through it, looking for old friends with whom he had lost touch. Next, he penned each of them a long, personal letter. He ended each one with these words of invitation:

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I don’t have answers!

Editor’s note: We often meet new people when we travel. Opportunities to share the good news abound when on a flight or on a bus. One of our staff members relates a recent incident on being ready to share at a moment’s notice.

As a frequent flyer in economy class, I’ve noticed how the close seating arrangement gives passengers freedom to converse about deeply personal subjects. It happened again recently.

I found myself jammed beside a man and woman each in their 30s. Karin,* a married mother of a six-year old daughter was on a business trip. Tyler* was a science major who worked in the medical field servicing imaging equipment.

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I asked him if he read the Bible much. He said it was difficult…

Photo credit: Francisco Diez on flickr

Last week, TERM Seminar attendees in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, were trained on how to guide a friend to a clear understanding of the Bible’s message. They were also challenged to prepare a “Be Ready Box” so that they will have gospel tools available to give away at a moment’s notice. When believers are ready, God often begins to nudge people their way with whom they can share the gospel. For Ned and Marion,* a couple who were at the seminar, opportunity came sooner than they expected—like immediately after the seminar!

They emailed us after their six-hour drive home, to tell us what happened on Saturday evening after the last session. Ned wrote:

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