How Will They Hear Unless Someone Tells Them?

I recently had a spiritual conversation with a man and I asked him a series of questions to understand his belief system. He said his spirituality lately was more about going into the woods and feeling close nature. I asked him if he used that time to pray to God or to connect to someone or something bigger than him. He said that he did. So my next question was about what this God was like in his mind to whom he prayed. He responded by saying that he is a higher power that guides him in helps him in life. I also asked if God, to him, was more of a personal being or a more impersonal being that basically got the world going and now leaves us to ourselves. He definitely believed he was a more personal Being.

I asked him if had any spiritual background before. He said he had gone to church some growing up. I then asked him if he had heard about Jesus, and if so, who was Jesus and if he had any relationship to Him. He began to explain that Jesus was a good moral person that did many miracles and helped people but that there were some other people that didn’t like it so they killed him on a cross. He wasn’t quite sure what got people so angry with him that they would kill him. I asked him if he was familiar with the Bible and if I shared some things from the Bible if he felt that would be a trustworthy source. He had favorable thoughts about the Bible but that his previous experience was opening it up and pointing his finger to a verse and hope he would get something out of it.

From there, I asked him if he wouldn’t mind me opening up the Bible with him and showing him some verses that would help him understand more about Jesus and why he came. The man was very open. I was able to share with the man the Gospel, the Great News of Jesus. I was able to tell him that we have all done things that displease God and that we have all rebelled against Him in many ways. I was able to talk about sin and the problem of our heart and separation from God because of it. I spoke about Jesus’ sinless life and how some wicked and envious men put Him on a Roman cross. Then I told him about the significance of the cross. That God the Father made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God through Him (Jesus). 2 Cor. 5:21

We talked about Jesus’ resurrection to life on the third day to show Himself victorious over sin and death and that as we place our faith and trust in Him, we too can have a new life and have the power to live that life through His Spirit.

The man I talked to had never heard the story of Jesus before except that He seemed to be good and, for some reason, he died on a cross.

Church, I am telling this story because it is a common story. I just happened to be there. I know there are literally hundreds of others like this man who went from a vague nature-appreciator to understanding the God of the universe had a personal interest in him. From there, he began to understand that the very same God who created nature, created him to be in relationship to Him through Jesus. People may not be as closed as we think they are to discuss what God has for them in Christ. We have the greatest news to share and people are desperate and without hope. We just need to open our mouth and tell them about the words of eternal life in Jesus. Let us keep in prayer and ask God for continued opportunities to share the Great News of Jesus.