Evangelism this month looks a lot different from evangelism last month in the Ivory Coast. We are in a much more Christian area where as last month the area we were in was a much more Muslim populated community. So most people we talk to here have already heard of Jesus and know the basics about who He is and what the church claims about Him. At first it was odd talking to people when they said that they knew Jesus, they knew He was the Son of God and the savior of the world, because I was prepared to share these basics when evangelizing. However, when people said that they already knew this I was caught unprepared and didn’t know what to say next. I could tell just by talking to some of the people that their knowledge of Jesus was just that, head knowledge and it stopped there, they lacked the personal relationship that Jesus was offering, they didn’t fully understand His grace, mercy, and love for them.
As we go out and evangelize every morning , I saw a lot of this. I knew I had to push deeper so that these people could enter into a relationship with Jesus and experience Him in a way that they never had before. So about the third day towards the end of our evangelism for that day we stopped by a phone shop and started talking to the people there. One of the guys running the shop was named John, and I started talking to Him. I asked Him if He knew Jesus and He said yes. I asked him what He knew about Jesus and he gave me the basics of what he knew. He wanted to get back to selling his phones and I could tell he was getting impatient with me. Part of me wanted to let him go back to his phones because he didn’t want to talk to me and knew about Jesus. But that was the problem, He knew about Jesus but he didn’t know Jesus yet.
So after he gave me the good basic answer and expected and wanted me to leave him alone I just asked him, “Ok so who is Jesus to you?” He seemed confused and just looked at me but didn’t answer. So I told him who Jesus was to me and I let him know that Jesus was more than just a famous man who lived a long time ago and did great things. I told him that for me Jesus was my savior. I told him about how I used to be one way but because of Jesus I had been made new and I had something better now. I told him that without Jesus I had no idea where I would be but I wouldn’t have been where I was talking with him.
I told John a lot about myself and how I have struggled and how Jesus has saved me from that. It was weird. I had only known him for 5 minutes. But he responded to this. He wanted to know more. He wanted to know how he could start to leave behind the things of this world that he had been holding on to. Our conversation lasted for another 10 or 15 minutes and I was able to pray for him, build a solid relationship, and I can go back and see him again and continue to encourage him.
This was new for me because I never felt like I had the best testimony. I was by no means perfect but I didn’t feel like my testimony was super powerful either. So I felt like if I shared it with others it may have no effect on them and they wouldn’t walk away from our conversation wanting more of God. But we have no idea what other people have gone through and how God can use our story to reach anyone. Evangelism is not always about having and knowing all the facts, often times its about knowing what Jesus has done for you and sharing it with others. Its about your experience and how others can experience the freedom and redemption that is found in Christ.
So we shouldn’t be afraid or skeptical of our story. God can use any experience of His redemption and love to reach others in a powerful way. 1 Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that you have.” People are interested in who Jesus is and what He did but they are also extremely interested in why we believe in Him and give up our lives for Him. When we let them know it is infectious and they want more. So share your story boldly and let others know why you personally have the hope that you do.
Ghana is awesome and my team and I are having a blast! There is a lot of work to be done and we are pretty busy every day but it is all awesome and so much fun! Please keep my team and the other teams that are working in other areas around Ghana in your prayers. Pray for the people we will interact with, for strength and courage for us, and for God to be glorified. Thank you so much for your prayers, love, and support!
GLORY TO GOD!
