I was going door-to-door looking for opportunities to minister and pray for people. It was a low income neighborhood. The houses were small and packed in next to each other. As I finished one side of the street, I noticed that on the other side some children had come out to play in the front yard.
Next door to them was a man sitting alone on his porch, drinking from a can. I moved towards the house with the children. Usually when children are there, you can gently approach the house, ask from a distance if you can talk to mom or dad, introduce yourself, and ask if you can make the kids some balloon animals. Usually at that point, you have the parents and the kids gathered around while you make balloons and are able to tell them about the Gospel.
I didn’t intend to leave out the man on his porch—I had planned to go to the house with the children first and let him watch and listen, which I thought might peak his curiosity and open the door for a conversation there as well. I’m saying this to explain my intention because as soon as I headed toward the children’s house, he called out to me, “What! Am I not good enough for you to talk to?!”
My heart sank. I hadn’t intended for him to feel invisible or like I didn’t care but I could easily see how he might have perceived my actions this way.
I stopped and turned to him.
“Not at all,” I called back. “I have balloons and just thought they might want some balloon animals but I’d love to talk with you for a bit.”
I expected rejection. He had a mad glare in his eyes. I had obviously offended him. He sat kind of hunched over and was drinking from a beer can.
He paused.
“What are you selling?” he said with a tone.
“I’m not selling anything,” I replied, walking towards him on the porch.
“Jesus Christ changed my life and I was just wandering if I could share my story with you.”
“If you want,” he said, although he didn’t seem very interested.
I sat down on the porch next to him and began to tell him how Jesus saved me and gave me real life, how before I came to Christ, I didn’t really know what peace and joy were, and that God has a gift of eternal life for anyone willing to receive him.
I asked if he’d like to know more.
He said yes.
I shared with him the plan of salvation of how Jesus saves and right there on the steps of that porch in front of that small house next to the yard where the children were still playing, he bowed his head and prayed to receive Christ as his Lord and Savior. Afterwards he looked at the beer can that was still in his hand and then, to my surprise, he flung it into the front yard.
“I don’t need that now,” he said.
I don’t think I’ll ever forgot how that beer can spun through the air, spraying a stream of liquid across the ground.
Jesus changed lives in the Bible and He still changes lives today.
The Bible says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:13-15).
Thank you to those who have partnered with us to send us out with the Good News. And thank you to those of who are our co-laborers, sharing the truths of God’s Word in the various ministries that the Lord has given you.
Partner with Us
You can partner with us in sharing by donating HERE. Or you can send a check to 330ministries, PO Box 9303, Tyler, TX 75711<-
Your gifts help touch lives around the world.
Follow Us:
Share these resources:
