gently persuaded

Last Friday night a large group of college students and young adults spent their Friday night at the Mall of America.  Our goal was not to socialize or window-shop, it was to proclaim to glory of the gospel of God to whomever would hear it in the hopes that they too would receive Jesus as their savior. 

The Mall has an increasingly diverse demographic of visitors.  I have personally found that the affluent white community is generally disinterested in having conversations about God and spirituality, and many of the members of our group and myself have experienced a hand-full of rejections from this group.  However, many of the people from other cultures are open to hearing the truth and we were glad to share it.  

We paired up in twos and I went out with my faithful brother in Christ, Kyle.  We were quickly amazed by the grace of God as we were blessed with a number of fruitful conversations.  Our first was with a man from India who believed in the Hindu religion.  When we attempted to explain the good news of Jesus with him, he explained that he believed that Jesus was one of many Gods.  We explained that Jesus was the one true God and the only way to come to the Father.  Although he was not open to believing at that time, we were grateful that he was opening to hearing.

We next came across a Nigerian man who was visiting the United States.  He was a Catholic, and his theology was tainted by the belief that Jesus' sacrifice was inadequate and that he had do good things to merit God's love.  We gently explained that Jesus was sufficient to cover our sins and that our trust ought only to be in him alone, otherwise we make out his sacrifice to be imperfect and we do not know him.  He kindly heard our message and we pray that it took root in his heart.

Another encounter we had was with a Chinese man named Peter who encouraged us with the story of his recent conversion and his plans to return to China to preach the good news.  We prayed with him and said that we would remember to lift him up in the hopes that many more would be saved through his witness.  

A final conversation I would like to share was with a Russian man.  He initially said that he did not want to speak with us, yet Kyle gently persuaded him to hear our message.  We shared with him the path of salvation through the Christ.  He continued to protest against our message, but did not end the discussion.  After a short while, his wife joined us and was eager to hear our message.  We praise God that she was open to hearing and hope also that the word of God has gripped her's and her husband's souls.  

These experiences made it very much worthwhile to devote a Friday evening to building up the Kingdom of Heaven.  Although speaking with strangers can be intimidating, God's spirit is more than capable of overcoming any hindrance.  Evangelism is not an optional activity for a Christian, it is a mandate of Jesus Christ.  When one is in the midst of sharing the Gospel with an unbeliever, the presence of God is experienced in a new and very pleasant way.  So, whether it be with us or not, I encourage you to be active in sharing your faith with unbelievers, and to keep in mind that we are always eager to have new people come alongside us and join us in our mission.

In Christ, 

Ross Tenneson