THE GOSPEL WAS SHARED!!!
I have become convinced that when we seek and pray for opportunities to share the gospel, and when we are dedicated to knowing the gospel, God gives us opportunities to share it. Well today, God literally handed me an opportunity to share the gospel about 10 minutes after I had prayed for such an opportunity.
As most of you know, this whole semester I’ve been developing a relationship with 2 international students from one of my management classes at ASU. This was the fourth time that we’ve had the pleasure of hanging out together and today the place of choice was IN-N-OUT burger yet again. YUM!!! DOUBLE YUM!!! TRIPPLE YUM!!! I knew that I had already been obtaining a platform in their lives because last time we hung out, Rodolfo said that I was the first American from their classes that had ever gone out to dinner with them or had taken an interest in getting to know them. Glory to God alone!! So, knowing that they will both be going back to their country at the end of the semester, and that we have become better friends, I prayed that God would bless me with a chance to share the gospel with Ramon and Rodolfo. I was reminded by my last blog that it is easy to be friends with someone, but it is much harder to actually share the truth. I was also reminded that they probably have other friends that they can hang with, but I don’t know anyone in their lives that would share the gospel with them. So, as I washed my hands in the IN-N-OUT sink before I got my food, I pleaded with God for an unforced chance to share the gospel.
After sitting down with my food, I bowed my head and prayed quietly before eating. Then we just started talking. I asked them both a bunch of questions about life here in the U.S. and what some of their best experiences have been. I then asked them what was the weirdest or most unique thing they’ve seen here in the States . . . yeah, I know I ask weird questions, but God still uses them. Rodolfo then asked me, “how about for you Brent, what is the most unique thing you’ve seen in other cultures.” Wow, I had no idea how to respond but God suddenly gave me a few examples. I mentioned a funny culture experience I had just had in Mexico with me using my very poor Spanish . . . they laughed and reminded me what “Mande’” means in Spanish. Then I mentioned another thing. In January when I went on a missions trip to Caborca we ended up giving away some Bibles to some of the indigenous tribal workers we were ministering to. As we told them that we were going to give away Bibles, we had guys literally running to come get their Bible. Some weren’t even dressed completely, but when they heard we were going to give some Bibles, they jumped out of their beds and came running. This sparked the conversation, and we went from Bibles, to authority of God’s Word, to the “Jesus Film,” to Gibson’s film “The Passion of the Christ.”
Both guys had seen “The Passion,” and Rodolfo had mentioned that he almost turned away in the movie because it was so graphic. I mentioned that indeed Christ was brutally murdered, but the part that many people don’t know is why. I asked them if they remembered the first scene with the quote from Isaiah 66:5:
“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”
God answered my prayer with Rodolfo’s next question, because Rodolfo inquisitively asked, “I’ve always wondered what that really means that he was wounded for our transgressions.” At that moment, my heart was filled with joy as I had an opportunity to lay out the gospel. I think I chuckled to myself because for the last two weeks in my Jr. High discipleship group, I’ve been having my guys share the whole gospel to each other. . . the gospel that is more than just saying “a Christian is someone that has Jesus in their heart.”
God gave me the opportunity to share the whole gospel. I shared about sin and man’s sinful nature (Ro 3:23 and Is. 53:5), worldly repentance verse Godly repentance, heaven and hell, imputation (I didn’t use this churchy word, but I got the concept from II Cor. 5:21 and Rom 5 across), Christ being the ransom, why God had to forsake Christ on the cross, the resurrection, Ro. 10:9-10, God’s holiness and perfect standard, God’s justice and need to punish sin, redemption only through the cross, Christ’s perfect life, Christ’s Divinity, the authority of the Bible, whether someone who didn’t believe in Jesus could get to heaven, and much more. I think that everything went so smoothly and I know that Rodolfo is now left without excuse. By the precious grace of God, I shared Christ and Christ crucified. I don’t know why God used me to share the gospel, but I am so glad he did, and I pray that he will continue to use my frail, weak, insecure, fragile, yet available vessel for His namesake.
I think that Ramon is a Christian, but I know that Rodolfo is not. Truly it is no accident that they came to the U.S. to ASU to my MGT 440 class to the seats right next to me with the desire to go to my favorite fast food restaurant IN-N-OUT burger. This experience simply reminds me of the amazing sovereignty of God and how our Father uses every circumstance in our lives to make His name known. . . God chose to use a missions trip that I had went on to their culture in Mexico, for a chance to share the gospel. Is God good or what!!!
“Dear Precious Father, I am amazed at your goodness, sovereignty, grace, holiness, and love. Thank you so much for answering my prayer to share the gospel with Ramon and Rodolfo, and for allowing them to be so interested in hearing the gospel. I pray that You would put your Holy Spirit into the heart of Rodolfo and that You would open his blind eyes to truth. Help me to do all things for your name and for your glory, and continue to give me chances to share my faith. Please cause the seed that was sown to fall into good soil dear Lord, and do whatever you need to in Rodolfo’s life to open his eyes. I love you Father, and it is in the powerful name of Christ that I pray. Amen.”
As most of you know, this whole semester I’ve been developing a relationship with 2 international students from one of my management classes at ASU. This was the fourth time that we’ve had the pleasure of hanging out together and today the place of choice was IN-N-OUT burger yet again. YUM!!! DOUBLE YUM!!! TRIPPLE YUM!!! I knew that I had already been obtaining a platform in their lives because last time we hung out, Rodolfo said that I was the first American from their classes that had ever gone out to dinner with them or had taken an interest in getting to know them. Glory to God alone!! So, knowing that they will both be going back to their country at the end of the semester, and that we have become better friends, I prayed that God would bless me with a chance to share the gospel with Ramon and Rodolfo. I was reminded by my last blog that it is easy to be friends with someone, but it is much harder to actually share the truth. I was also reminded that they probably have other friends that they can hang with, but I don’t know anyone in their lives that would share the gospel with them. So, as I washed my hands in the IN-N-OUT sink before I got my food, I pleaded with God for an unforced chance to share the gospel.
After sitting down with my food, I bowed my head and prayed quietly before eating. Then we just started talking. I asked them both a bunch of questions about life here in the U.S. and what some of their best experiences have been. I then asked them what was the weirdest or most unique thing they’ve seen here in the States . . . yeah, I know I ask weird questions, but God still uses them. Rodolfo then asked me, “how about for you Brent, what is the most unique thing you’ve seen in other cultures.” Wow, I had no idea how to respond but God suddenly gave me a few examples. I mentioned a funny culture experience I had just had in Mexico with me using my very poor Spanish . . . they laughed and reminded me what “Mande’” means in Spanish. Then I mentioned another thing. In January when I went on a missions trip to Caborca we ended up giving away some Bibles to some of the indigenous tribal workers we were ministering to. As we told them that we were going to give away Bibles, we had guys literally running to come get their Bible. Some weren’t even dressed completely, but when they heard we were going to give some Bibles, they jumped out of their beds and came running. This sparked the conversation, and we went from Bibles, to authority of God’s Word, to the “Jesus Film,” to Gibson’s film “The Passion of the Christ.”
Both guys had seen “The Passion,” and Rodolfo had mentioned that he almost turned away in the movie because it was so graphic. I mentioned that indeed Christ was brutally murdered, but the part that many people don’t know is why. I asked them if they remembered the first scene with the quote from Isaiah 66:5:
“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”
God answered my prayer with Rodolfo’s next question, because Rodolfo inquisitively asked, “I’ve always wondered what that really means that he was wounded for our transgressions.” At that moment, my heart was filled with joy as I had an opportunity to lay out the gospel. I think I chuckled to myself because for the last two weeks in my Jr. High discipleship group, I’ve been having my guys share the whole gospel to each other. . . the gospel that is more than just saying “a Christian is someone that has Jesus in their heart.”
God gave me the opportunity to share the whole gospel. I shared about sin and man’s sinful nature (Ro 3:23 and Is. 53:5), worldly repentance verse Godly repentance, heaven and hell, imputation (I didn’t use this churchy word, but I got the concept from II Cor. 5:21 and Rom 5 across), Christ being the ransom, why God had to forsake Christ on the cross, the resurrection, Ro. 10:9-10, God’s holiness and perfect standard, God’s justice and need to punish sin, redemption only through the cross, Christ’s perfect life, Christ’s Divinity, the authority of the Bible, whether someone who didn’t believe in Jesus could get to heaven, and much more. I think that everything went so smoothly and I know that Rodolfo is now left without excuse. By the precious grace of God, I shared Christ and Christ crucified. I don’t know why God used me to share the gospel, but I am so glad he did, and I pray that he will continue to use my frail, weak, insecure, fragile, yet available vessel for His namesake.
I think that Ramon is a Christian, but I know that Rodolfo is not. Truly it is no accident that they came to the U.S. to ASU to my MGT 440 class to the seats right next to me with the desire to go to my favorite fast food restaurant IN-N-OUT burger. This experience simply reminds me of the amazing sovereignty of God and how our Father uses every circumstance in our lives to make His name known. . . God chose to use a missions trip that I had went on to their culture in Mexico, for a chance to share the gospel. Is God good or what!!!
“Dear Precious Father, I am amazed at your goodness, sovereignty, grace, holiness, and love. Thank you so much for answering my prayer to share the gospel with Ramon and Rodolfo, and for allowing them to be so interested in hearing the gospel. I pray that You would put your Holy Spirit into the heart of Rodolfo and that You would open his blind eyes to truth. Help me to do all things for your name and for your glory, and continue to give me chances to share my faith. Please cause the seed that was sown to fall into good soil dear Lord, and do whatever you need to in Rodolfo’s life to open his eyes. I love you Father, and it is in the powerful name of Christ that I pray. Amen.”
posted by Brent Klontz at 9:53 PM
2 Comments:
Praise God for the opportunity. How wonderful.
Brent, this was an amazing story - I love that you got to share with international students - to the nations on your campus!!!! I pray that God would use you more and more for His glory in this way - what an example you are, glory be to God.
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