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Pandemic Evangelism

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  • Pandemic Evangelism

    It's really been interesting - this 'pandemic' has given many opportunities for evangelism that I never considered.

    We had an email a couple weeks ago from a guy who was watching our Church services on TV.
    It started out asking a question about the unpardonable sin (let's leave that topic for another thread) and he believed he had committed the unpardonable sin.

    Naturally, an email out of the blue could be a , but it could also be somebody in need.
    I responded with a serious treatment of the subject, basically assuring him he had not committed the unpardonable sin, or the Holy Spirit wouldn't be 'bugging' him about it. (I was more eloquent than that)
    I gave him the name of a pastor in his area that I thought would do a good job of personal counseling.

    I heard nothing for a while, and thought, "ok, a ".

    Then, this morning, in the mail, a Christmas card with a sizable charitable donation, thanking me for taking the time to answer his question.
    A letter inside the Christmas card explained that he had been separated from his wife and kids because they were "too nutty religious", were always fighting, and "I had screwed up so bad that God would never want me".

    He was a warfighter - a soldier in Afghanistan (yes, we still have soldiers there) who, apparently, was suffering from PTSD.
    The pastor to whom I referred him (I got his name off a referral board) was, unbeknownst to me, a warfighter from the first Iraq war, who had come home to enter the Ministry, particularly interested in PTSD cases.

    Both men had trained at the same bases (in different eras) and had served in several same locations, knowing some of the same commanding officers.

    Long story short, Ben (let's call him that) accepted Christ as his Savior, has been reunited with his family, and wonders how in the world he could ever have thought his wife was "too nutty religious".
    "She's just a beautiful woman who loves Jesus", Ben wrote.





    The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

  • #2
    Your story has underscored for me, as your stories always do, the sovereignty of God. I have seen that in the life of my sister this year following her husband's death in March. Things have happened for her that no human hand could have orchestrated. Only God can work these things out in ways that we don't know about until we get confirmation, as you did in the Christmas card.

    When we seek to do God's will, what a joy and a blessing to see the outcome!

    Thank you for sharing this. I LOVE your stories!


    Securely anchored to the Rock amid every storm of trial, testing or tribulation.

    Comment


    • #3
      Wow, now THAT is a Christmas miracle!

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Sparko View Post
        Wow, now THAT is a Christmas miracle!
        Yeah, all I did was a search for a church in his zip code that appeared to be on the conservative end of religion.
        The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
          It's really been interesting - this 'pandemic' has given many opportunities for evangelism that I never considered.

          We had an email a couple weeks ago from a guy who was watching our Church services on TV.
          It started out asking a question about the unpardonable sin (let's leave that topic for another thread) and he believed he had committed the unpardonable sin.

          Naturally, an email out of the blue could be a , but it could also be somebody in need.
          I responded with a serious treatment of the subject, basically assuring him he had not committed the unpardonable sin, or the Holy Spirit wouldn't be 'bugging' him about it. (I was more eloquent than that)
          I gave him the name of a pastor in his area that I thought would do a good job of personal counseling.

          I heard nothing for a while, and thought, "ok, a ".

          Then, this morning, in the mail, a Christmas card with a sizable charitable donation, thanking me for taking the time to answer his question.
          A letter inside the Christmas card explained that he had been separated from his wife and kids because they were "too nutty religious", were always fighting, and "I had screwed up so bad that God would never want me".

          He was a warfighter - a soldier in Afghanistan (yes, we still have soldiers there) who, apparently, was suffering from PTSD.
          The pastor to whom I referred him (I got his name off a referral board) was, unbeknownst to me, a warfighter from the first Iraq war, who had come home to enter the Ministry, particularly interested in PTSD cases.

          Both men had trained at the same bases (in different eras) and had served in several same locations, knowing some of the same commanding officers.

          Long story short, Ben (let's call him that) accepted Christ as his Savior, has been reunited with his family, and wonders how in the world he could ever have thought his wife was "too nutty religious".
          "She's just a beautiful woman who loves Jesus", Ben wrote.




          One could almost think that your directing him to someone, who's name you got off a referral board, who couldn't have better suited for dealing with this was more than mere coincidence. Almost like the person in question was guided to him.

          I'm always still in trouble again

          "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
          "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
          "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
            One could almost think that your directing him to someone, who's name you got off a referral board, who couldn't have better suited for dealing with this was more than mere coincidence. Almost like the person in question was guided to him.
            That's certainly what "Ben" believes.

            After the holidays, I hope to have an exchange with this Pastor.
            The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

            Comment


            • #7
              This is a good lesson that somebody who is outwardly hostile to the gospel may not be as much of a lost cause as people assume. After all, something still was leading him to want to watch church services on TV...
              "I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by KingsGambit View Post
                This is a good lesson that somebody who is outwardly hostile to the gospel may not be as much of a lost cause as people assume. After all, something still was leading him to want to watch church services on TV...
                For some reason, in real life, I'm actually drawn to people who are hostile to the Gospel. I see them as the "hot" or "cold" rather than Lukewarm, and I believe God can do something with them. Remember my Democrat Liberal Lesbian Jewish exec admin who used to antagonize me so? She's actually been to my Church, and has offered to buy dinner for my wife and me.
                The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post

                  For some reason, in real life, I'm actually drawn to people who are hostile to the Gospel. I see them as the "hot" or "cold" rather than Lukewarm, and I believe God can do something with them. Remember my Democrat Liberal Lesbian Jewish exec admin who used to antagonize me so? She's actually been to my Church, and has offered to buy dinner for my wife and me.
                  Pretty much why I still try with the atheists on this site. I even pray for them on occasion. Speaking of which, what happened to JimL? Haven't seen him around in a while. I hope he is OK.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Sparko View Post

                    Pretty much why I still try with the atheists on this site. I even pray for them on occasion. Speaking of which, what happened to JimL? Haven't seen him around in a while. I hope he is OK.
                    Charles or somebody said that Jim was sick of us all and decided to go away.

                    or words to that effect.


                    Securely anchored to the Rock amid every storm of trial, testing or tribulation.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by mossrose View Post

                      Charles or somebody said that Jim was sick of us all and decided to go away.

                      or words to that effect.
                      Recently star, Tass, and JimL all quit posting simultaneously, but started posting again after a week or so. I wouldn't be surprised if "wormtongue" was whispering in their ears again

                      I'm always still in trouble again

                      "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
                      "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
                      "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        A timely article on what the church can do to share the Gospel during this time https://carm.org/about-the-church/wh...e-coronavirus/

                        Comment

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