“Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[1]
The first time I remember sharing the gospel with someone was in 2010. God granted me repentance and faith in Jesus Christ on December 19th, 2009. Prior to that date I thought that I was a Christian but would have never confessed with my mouth Jesus as Lord.[2]I was privately practicing the spiritual disciplines: weekly going to church to hear the word preached, daily reading the Bible and praying. I started practicing these spiritual disciplines after reading The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.However, I was not about to share the gospel with anyone. I do not think that I even knew what the gospel was. I had heard the word gospeland wanted to know what it was but was afraid to ask someone out of embarrassment. The last time asked someone, the man that I asked led me in a sinner’s prayer, but I do not remember him telling what the gospel was. After I prayed that prayer I believed that all I needed to do was pray and ask God to forgive me.
I called on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to save me on December 19th, 2009, after watching the movie Fire Proofstarring Kirk Cameron. The law and the gospel was clearly presented in that movie. During the following week a battle ensued; Satan, the flesh and the world raged but at the end of that week I resolved to follow Jesus Christ as Lord. On December 27th, while in Sunday school class, our teacher was talking about New Year’s resolutions. I wrote down on a blank envelope which I still have.
Two things:
1. Allow Jesus to be Lord over my life daily. Make that commitment to him daily and allow his Holy Spirit to fill me.
2. Do to others as I would have them do to me. Do this in all aspects.
I signed my name and dated the envelop, December 27th, 2009.
How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”[3]
I looked up Kirk Cameron on the internet after my conversion because the Lord used him in the movie Fire Proof to convert me to Christ. I began watching The Way of the Mastertelevision program with Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron. I began listening to sermons by Ray Comfort: Hell’s BestKept Secretand True and False Conversion. I realized that I had previously been a false convert and had become a true convert when I called on the name of the Lord to save me. Therefore, I decided to learn how to share the gospel using the method that Ray Comfort call’s The Way of the Master: preach the law prior to preaching the gospel.
Why preach the law prior to preaching the gospel?
1. The Law shows us our guilt before God and stops us from justifying ourselves. (cf. Rom 3:19)
2. The law shows us that we are sinners. (cf. Rom 3:20)
3. The law defines sin. (cf. Rom 7:7)
I do not remember the exact date that I first shared the law and the gospel with someone, but I do remember the year (2010) and the circumstances. A college age man came to the door of our home selling something. I do not remember what he was selling but I do remember asking him, “Are you a good person?” He answered “Yes!” I asked him, “Can I ask you a few questions to see if that is true?” He said, “Yes!” I shared the law and the gospel with him and told him that he must repent and believe in the gospel to be saved. I asked him, “Are you going to do that?” He answered, “Yes!” I put my hand on his shoulder and prayed to the Lord on his behalf.
I had shared the gospel with this young man and he appeared receptive. I thanked God for granting it to me to glorify his name. I was emotionally elated and was set on fire from that point on to share the gospel.
However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”[5]
On Sunday, January 29th, 2012, I had read on social media that a group of missionaries in Nepal were stoned. They had been preaching the gospel outdoors. A crowd gathered around them listening to what the missionaries had to say. Then one of the missionaries espoused the words of Jesus from John 14:6; Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” The crowd erupted in anger and began stoning the missionaries.
It was a Sunday morning when I read about this. Later, while in church service we sang, I Surrender all to You; listening to the words of that song, with the report of these missionaries fresh in my mind I was convicted to make evangelism a concerted effort in my life. I began going out to a street corner with a cross and handing out gospel tracts to everyone who walked by. Later that year I began preaching outdoors with Sports Fan Outreach international at the Super Bowl, at our local college and the court house. The Lord has given me a desire and an ability to memorize Scripture, so my preaching outdoors is very simple. I recite portions of The Gospel According to Johnwhile passing out copies of the book. If anyone engages me in conversation, I stop reciting and share the law and the gospel with them. However, most people walk by pretending that I am not there and a few hurl abuses; nevertheless, I am out there because “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”[6]
