An unlikely evangelist?

We’re currently filming the next in the series of Jesus and You short, video-based evangelistic courses. It’s thrilling to hear people’s testimonies as they talk about hearing and responding to the message about Jesus. Some have been “spectacular” – others worry that their story is too “ordinary”! But each one reveals a miracle, as God changes people from rebels to disciples.

Yesterday, we filmed a friend of mine. She had a church-going childhood, but gave up on that as an adult. Much later, she and her husband moved house, and my friend got to know one of her new neighbours, an elderly gentleman who lived along the road. He invited her to join his homegroup, which she didn’t, and then to come along to church, which she occasionally did.

Others in the church encouraged her to join a course where she could find out more about Christianity, and ask any questions she wanted. That’s where I first met her. I had the joy of taking her through Mark’s Gospel, and the privilege of seeing her come to know the Lord. Many years on, my friend now works for the church she was first invited to, and has had the joy of seeing her husband become a Christian too.

Many people were involved in my friend’s journey to faith, but it all started with one man. Bill was a quiet, unassuming, elderly gentleman. If I’d looked round the church for likely evangelists, I’m sorry to say he wouldn’t have been on my list. But he befriended a neighbour; invited her to his homegroup; didn’t give up when she said No; invited her along to church; and had the joy, much later, of knowing she had come to faith.

Evangelism sometimes seems far too big and scary to get involved in, but I was left wondering what a difference it would make if more of us could simply be a bit more like Bill.