Skyping the gospel

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skype_study_2“Is there life on other planets? Are there other universes?”

“How do you hear from God? Does he have a voice I can hear?”

“What can I do to be safe from the devil?”

The questions came thick and fast. The Chinese man sitting on the couch across from Jon* and his wife Denise was sincere—and confused. He so wanted to know everything there was to know about God. But Jon and Denise knew that before they could delve into the answers to his questions, they would need to bring him back to the basics. He needed a foundation in who God was and what Jesus had accomplished on the cross.

They had first met Mingfang at a Bible study and were struck not only with his earnest desire to know God but also with his complete biblical illiteracy. The group was just wrapping up a study on the book of Job. Within minutes, it became obvious that the young Chinese man was floundering in his attempt to follow the discussion.

Jon and Denise approached Mingfang and asked if he would be interested in going through a study that would give him the whole story of the Bible and increase his understanding of God. Mingfang was beyond excited at the idea. So Jon and Denise began going to his apartment on a weekly basis to go through the Worldview Rethink curriculum with him and his wife.

Mingfang considered himself a Christian. That’s why he had come to church and then to the small group Bible study in the first place. But his “Christianity” was a blend of Eastern thought and his own efforts to be good enough for God. He was constantly asking what he had to do. His desire in life was to be a good person.

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I’m going to have to buy a flock of sheep so I can get right with God!

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flock_of_sheepAs Roger* and Lorraine testify of God’s ongoing work in the lives of people in their church and community, they can only say, “We give the Lord all the glory and praise for what he’s doing in our incredible weakness.”

Jed is one example of what God is doing through their ministry. He is an Australian aboriginal, active in his community despite extremely poor health. About five years ago, he started attending evangelistic meetings. Each month he would show up and sit through the gospel messages. He liked what he heard about Jesus and finally, after four years, was ready for some more in-depth study of the Bible.

For Roger, this was an exciting opportunity. Ever since he and Lorraine had attended a TERM Seminar presented by Paul Humphreys in Australia, they had both used GoodSeed’s materials extensively to teach others the message of the Bible.

When Roger started going through The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus with Jed, he discovered that Jed’s knowledge of the Bible was basically at zero. For starters, he didn’t know who Cain and Abel were and, as time went on, it became apparent that the Bible’s story was completely new to Jed. Despite the fact that Jed had heard many fantastic gospel messages over the last few years, in reality they had meant nothing to him. He had no understanding of who God was. Neither did he understand what sin is and how it impacts our relationship with God.

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We rearranged our lives to make sharing the gospel possible

organizerGoodSeed staff Jeremy* hung up the phone and stared at the hastily scribbled notes in his small notebook. Joy gripped his heart as he considered all that the Lord had been doing through the faithful witness of one couple, Ron and Laura. Jeremy had conducted a training session some years ago that the two of them had attended. It had made such an impact that they went home and began rearranging their lives so they could be more active in sharing the gospel.

Laura had told Jeremy over the phone, “Ron used to work construction on job sites long distances from home, which made it difficult for him to be involved in these studies. But God has helped us rearrange our lives so that he now has a job only two minutes away.”

Was this drastic change worth it? Laura said, “This is the easiest thing we have done with our lives… but not the quickest.” Sharing a clear gospel with others takes time, but the results are worth it. Both Ron and Laura felt that the tools provided by GoodSeed gave their outreach a greater impact.

Laura said, “When you learn to share the gospel this way [with these tools] it simplifies your life… you know what to do!”

Jeremy marvelled at what the couple had done. He smiled as he reviewed the stories they had shared with him.

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From India to Latin America… and to faith in Jesus

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Latin American cityOften the means by which a person comes to faith in Christ are unexpected and unique. For Dhiya,* it meant moving halfway across the world.

Weston and Clara are cross-cultural missionaries in Latin America. As part of their ministry, they teach English as a second language and enjoy welcoming the students into their home. The couple love building relationships with the people and are excited to see their students studying the Bible on their own and with others.

Recently they discovered that their ministry is not just to the Latino community. At a barbecue hosted by their ministry coworkers, Clara met a lovely young woman named Dhiya. With her husband, Rais, they had come from India on temporary work visas. The missionary felt drawn to the younger woman, but was amazed when Dhiya impulsively took hold of her hands and said, “You need to come to my house!”

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What were her true intentions?

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book study

Rachelle* seems to always be guiding someone through the gospel message using Par ce nom, the French edition of By This Name. Though she never sets out searching for an individual to teach, the Lord regularly brings people into her life who desire to understand the Bible’s message. Amièle, a young teenager, was one such seeker.

Amièle had a rough start in life. Her home life was defined by upheaval and uncertainty, finally culminating with a move to live with her grandparents. When a friend invited her to attend church, she agreed and began joining the teen class each week. Though she attended for a year and a half, she still understood very little about the Bible. As this became more apparent, her Sunday school teacher asked Amièle if she would like to study a book called Par ce nom. The teachers would be Rachelle and the Sunday school teacher and the participants would be Amièle, the teacher’s daughter and a young man who was not a believer.

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Can there be hope for such a man?

Storm and glassSometimes we are tempted to view certain individuals around us as “lost causes,” too far gone or too hardened to ever be reached by the gospel. Charlie* was such a man. Hearing how his life has played out, one would be tempted to think that there was no hope for him. He was a drunk and suffered from depression. Occasionally, he would explode into a fit of angry violence. And he was serving a long, long sentence in a maximum security prison for a double murder. Can there be hope for such a man?

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The clearest explanation of the sacrifice Jesus made for us

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Creek StoriesWe had previously shared the video testimony of Ashley Murphy, a member of Soteria Church who came to faith in Christ through reading The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus. Many others in this church have also come to faith through this book. Dave and Kelly Bell are two of these.

Here are quotes from their testimonies:

“The book, Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, I kid you not, is the clearest explanation of the sacrifice Jesus made for us and how we were separated from God prior to that… Reading that book established the understanding for me that Jesus is the bridge between us and our new connection with God.” — David Bell

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This can’t wait! There are only hours left

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time“Ming Wei, you need to come home urgently. Your grandmother might not last long!”

When he received the phone call from his parents, Ming Wei’s* heart grew heavy. Not only was he concerned about his grandmother’s health, he had a much deeper concern—he was worried about the spiritual state of his grandmother.

As an overseas Chinese student, Ming Wei had the opportunity to learn about Christianity and had become a believer just a couple of years ago. Now as he packed to go home to China, he was anxious about how to broach the subject of the gospel with his ailing grandmother. Since coming to Christ, he hadn’t found himself in this position before and he was at a loss as to how to talk to her about Christ. One thing he did know—time was short and this would be his one and only opportunity to address her eternal destiny.

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The darkness that I carried around was lifted

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Last year, Willow Creek Baptist Church (fondly known as “The Creek”) was a host church for one of our TERM Seminars. It was exciting for our staff to interact with the pastor and the congregation because many in the church had come to faith with the help of The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus. A number of their members have shared their testimonies on video.

Here is one from Ashley Murphy. This is a quote from her story:

It didn’t make sense before that. Reading through The Stranger, everything clicked, everything finally made sense. It was the first time that I ever felt that… Jesus did that for us, that I could have my sins forgiven. The darkness that I carried around… it was lifted…. That was huge because I’ve lived with it my whole life…. This has made such a difference in my home and my marriage…”

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Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t put a bullet in my head

Man aloneIan’s* voice over the phone was laced with despair. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t put a bullet in my head.”

On the other end of the call, Dennis could tell that Ian meant what he said. He knew this wasn’t a random comment. Ian’s suicidal depression was the result of a life gone completely awry.

In those brief moments before Dennis answered, he thought of Ian’s failing health caused by a workplace accident. He had gone from being very robust and active to being physically and mentally incapacitated. Dennis remembered how Ian had lost his job, friends, family, and his very identity as a result. His friends had abandoned him, his wife had divorced him, and his children had turned against him.

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