I hadn’t been to ministry in over a week thanks to malaria round 2, a stomach bug, and a sinus infection. I was finally starting to feel better, but I didn’t want to push myself too far, too quickly, so I decided to only do a half day of ministry starting that afternoon. I spent the morning resting and in the Word. During my quiet time, my squad mate, Nathan, and I started talking about end times prophecy, the millennial kingdom, and heaven. I’m not sure what started the conversation, but we started reading through Revelation looking for answers to some of our questions.
Fast forward to that afternoon. My team and I started walking through a new neighborhood and believed the Lord was directing us to a house currently under construction. The guys working welcomed us in out of the sun and were open to talking with us. We shared why we were in Ghana and learned that they were all believers. We were able to encourage them in their walk and pray over them. While we were talking, our translator, Maybell, was talking to one of their friends off to the side. As we were getting ready to say goodbye, she said this friend had some questions for us.
We learned his name was Daniel and he was concerned about some things he had heard in church. He was afraid of the “world coming to an end” and judgement. They were the exact passages Nathan and I were reading and discussing that morning. I was able to share what I had read and tell him why as believers we have nothing to fear because Jesus already paid the price for our sins and that we won’t be subject to the coming judgment because we will be in heaven with the Father.
He asked how he can get to heaven. We told him that there is nothing he can do to earn his way to heaven. We told him that God loved him so much, that He sent Jesus to die on the cross to pay the price for his sins. That all he has to do is believe that Jesus died and rose again and ask Him to be the Lord and Savior of his life. If he does that, he can be confident that his sins are forgiven and he will spend eternity with the Father in heaven.
He then brought up a passage he heard in church that made him uncertain about salvation.
“Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” 1 John 3:9
He was told that people who are truly saved won’t ever sin again. He knows he makes mistakes and sins, so he was afraid that he would never make it to heaven. We shared with him the context of the passage and how as believers we are transformed and our hearts are changed. That we daily choose to pick up our cross and follow Jesus, but we don’t have to do it on our own. We have been given the Holy Spirit to help us. The Holy Spirit lives inside of us and guides us. The Holy Spirit convicts us and points us back to the Father.
We are still human, and as a result we will sin. We will sin, but there is grace. God knows that as long as we are living in this fallen world we will fall short, but He is there when we do. If we confess our sins He is faithful to forgive us. We do not have to live in bondage to our mistakes because when Jesus died on the cross He defeated sin once and for all. We are made clean by the blood of Christ and we no longer have to live in fear of judgement. We are not perfect, but God is, and He loves us so much He made a way for us to live in relationship with Him.
We were able to tell him that God wants nothing more than for him to turn to Him. We told him how much he is loved and that God wants to have a relationship with him exactly where he is at. He doesn’t have to have it all figured out or lead a perfect life to be worthy of God’s love.
We told him that it is okay to have questions and to seek truth.
I asked him if he believed that Jesus was the Son of God.
I asked him if he believed that Jesus died on the cross for his sins.
I asked him if he believed that Jesus rose from the dead and was alive.
I asked him if he was ready to repent of his sins.
I asked him if he was ready to invite Jesus into his heart.
He answered yes to all of my questions.
Daniel and I prayed together. He asked Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of his life.
Afterwards I was able to encourage him to keep seeking the Father daily. I was able to encourage him to keep seeking truth and growing in his knowledge and understanding of the Father.
I encouraged him to share the things he knows about Jesus with his family and friends. I told him how God has such big plans for his life and will empower him to do amazing things.
As we left, his whole attitude changed. He stood a little straighter, and he had a smile that wouldn’t leave his face.
I was able to welcome my brother Daniel into the family of God.
I told him that if we don’t see each other again in this life, that we will see each other in heaven and that I look forward to seeing what God does in and through him.
If God brought me on the race to do nothing more than have a conversation with Daniel, it has been well worth it!
