Last week, you read Caths‘ story of lordship in Is it him or Me?. This week, I’d like to share my side of the story, and tell you how someone shared the gospel with me.
First off, friends, this fellow to your right is Kenny Rogers, legendary country icon. He’s earned several hits on the pop and country charts, including Lady and Islands in the Stream, a duet with Dolly Parton.
To me, however, he’s more than just that, because he founded a little restaurant called Kenny Rogers Roasters, and it was in this restaurant that I entered a relationship with Jesus Christ.
That’s right, I accepted Christ at Kenny Rogers Roasters.
How can you say “No” to Jesus over this?
On August 17, 2001, my wife’s good friends Daisy and Jayme arranged to meet up with me over lunch, supposedly to plan for Caths’ 24th birthday celebration. We talked a lot, we laughed a lot, we were excited.
Somewhere in the course of the conversation, the two girls found an opening, and boy, did they take it. They swiftly and efficiently told me about Jesus, about whom I’d heard before. I knew my Bible; I won Bible contests in school. What I didn’t know, however, was head knowledge and heart knowledge are two very different things. I knew about Jesus, but I didn’t know Jesus.
Truthfully, I don’t remember exactly in what way Jayme shared the gospel, but here’s what I do remember in how they shared the gospel:
- They weren’t judgmental. At some point, they asked me if I knew where I was going when I died. “Heaven,” I said, and I then went on to enumerate the reasons why I was awesomesauce. The entire time, they didn’t condemn me, nor did they give me the “all your works are pointless” speech, which would have automatically closed my mind to anything else they would have said. They just listened.
- They weren’t pushy. After Daisy and Jayme shared the gospel with me, they asked me if I wanted to accept Jesus into my life as personal Lord and Savior. Then they waited. They were bold, but not pushy. There was no pressure, there was no overbearing push to do it.
- They weren’t weirdly religious. I’ve been shared to before, by believers whose eyes got wide open as they shared, and used words that were so blatantly God-God-God. I liked that it felt casual and conversational. By the time that I’d accepted Christ, I was dumbfounded at how simple it seemed.
Um… blink your eyes, please.
Little did I know that Caths was praying for this moment for quite some time. She certainly didn’t see it coming, certainly not at Kenny Rogers Roasters. I don’t even remember what I ate that day. But I do know I tasted from the bread of life, and it was gooooooood.
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If you’re a believer who doesn’t know where to start sharing the gospel, you can start by mastering the message of the GOSPEL:
God created us to be with him.
Our sins separate us from God.
Sin cannot be removed by good deeds.
Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again.
Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life.
Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever.
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This blog post is in response to the Week 2 question, “Share the story of when you accepted Christ. How was the gospel shared to you, and what was so compelling about it?” from #myVictoryStory, a testimony activity of Victory Philippines. For more information on #myVictoryStory, click here, and to read other responses, please click here.
Read other Evangelism blogs!
1. Joseph Bonifacio, How Will They Hear
2. Emmanuelle Gomez, When Bad Things Happen to Good People
3. Paolo Punzalan, Radical Love That Demands a Radical Response
4. Jenn Punzalan, Bad News, Good News
5. Dennis Sy, Jesus is More Than a Ticket to Heaven
6. Sofia Paderes, Open Door, Closed Heart
7. Ganns Deen, The Miracle at Kenny Rogers Roasters
8. Ernie Aragon, The Great Passion
9. Karess Rubrico, Walk This Way
10. Jek Valle, The British Singer
11. Carla Peralejo-Bonifacio, Dare to Share
