I felt like I was going to be sick. I was so nervous about what I was going to go do. I’d heard the stories. I’d received about an hour of training, and now it was time. I walked from our home for the month, to Coleraine’s town square, with a few of my squad-mates. It was very cold, and it began to rain as we walked. We met Scott, an evangelist who works at Causeway Coast Vineyard Church, who was waiting for us. He talked with us for a few minutes, prayed, and then we all spread out to evangelize in the streets.
Let me go back to the training we received a few days before. Coleraine has been seeing a real harvest come in; but it is the result of many years of prayer. About 7 months ago, Mark Marx, another evangelist of CCV came up with a way to present the gospel through street evangelism in a very easy and loving way called the miracle question. It is actually a group of three questions. The first question is “Excuse me, can I ask you a question?” If they stop, you then ask, “If God could do one miracle in your life today, what would you ask him to do for you?” This is where it gets tricky, because there are several different ways people answer this. Whatever the answer, it is a way to simply pray with them, and help them to know that at the very least someone cares, and let them know that there is a God who cares for them. The third question is “What do you think is the greatest miracle God could ever do for you?” Wether they answer or not, you have the opportunity to share the gospel. Because of the heart of the church, and years of praying for the people of Coleraine, the evangelism team at CCV has led over 1200 to Jesus on the streets since February.
When Scott talked to us that day, he used the analogy of an apple tree. God is standing at the tree, shaking it. It’s not our job to pick the apples. Our job is to catch the ones that fall. When people don’t want to stop, or don’t receive what you’re saying, they aren’t ready. They aren’t rejecting you, but the one inside you. Hearing that really helped take a lot of pressure off, and made it easier when people didn’t stop, or want to receive Jesus. Another thing he used, which I found very helpful, was the picture of Jesus knocking on a door with no handle on the outside, only the inside. It was great to be able to give people a visual of what we were talking about.
That day, despite the rain, and my fears of speaking out, I helped lead a mother and her daughter to The Lord. Over the next few days, I went out in groups of two with fellow squad-mates to the streets. It was nice to feel supported by each other in The Lord. Through the help of the Holy Spirit, we were able to lead 7 people into life with Jesus! Experiencing the joy of helping someone meet Jesus is incredible. It showed me that all the discomfort and fear I’d felt climbing out of the boat, was so worth the joy and reward of being obedient to him, and allowing him to stretch me, use me, and demonstrate his faithfulness and unfailing love.
“I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. “
~ 1Cor 2:3-5
Here is a picture of downtown Coleraine on a sunny day
