One Conversation: God Speaks Through a Casual Encounter

The Joy of His Friendship

As they were standing up to leave, Samantha smiled and said, “I am so excited to share this story of love and friendship with all of our roommates! I cannot believe someone could love us that much! To die for us! I am excited to meet with you again and learn more about Jesus. He is what I’ve been longing for, and I didn’t even know it.”

With huge smiles and tears blurring our sight, we hugged Samantha and Rachel and watched them walk away. Elsa and I sat back down on the stone benches, speechless. Our hearts were filled with peace and joy that reached the deepest crevices of our souls. Though the girls hadn’t heard a four-point outline of the gospel, they heard the story of love, redemption and forgiveness. Their eyes cried out with hope that just maybe they, too, could receive that type of love.

When we could finally speak, we praised our precious Jesus in heaven as our hearts swelled with a new love and appreciation for our relationship with him. In tears, we prayed for the salvation of those girls and the hearts of the 30,000 students on that campus. We were in awe, again, of how he allows us the privilege to share this amazing story of love and grace with others.

The Power of Our Story

Oh, the power of our story—of all Christians’ story! To experience the power of our story as it reaches into strangers’ hearts, giving them the hope that they can be pursued even though they have failed and been unfaithful! It is a story that enables them to feel for the first time that they are fully known and perfectly loved.

If we have a relationship with Jesus, then we have that love. The question is: Are we willing to share that love story with others? The greatest joy in the world can come through sharing the story that needs to be told—the story of love, the story of sacrifice, the story of Jesus.

Moment of Reflection

Because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.
1 Thess. 1:5

As I reflect back on that day in the garden, I am extremely humbled that God’s purpose for us was to show his power through us so that his name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

One of the most beautiful things is to see someone grasp the story of the gospel for the first time. It brings the gospel to life for you, increasing your joy, faith and relationship with him. Even when you still don’t fully grasp the gospel, you become amazed by how the Holy Spirit opens the ears and hearts of people who have never heard the story before. This story of Jesus—our Savior, Redeemer and Friend—must be told. It is too good to keep to ourselves. It must be, it will be, passed down from generation to generation, because it’s not just a story; it’s real. He is real.

As I walked through the conversation with Samantha and Rachel, these are the truths I discovered:

The Holy Spirit wants to show us how to share the story of Jesus over and over again, each time in a new, refreshing and impactful way to those who are listening. We just need to ask him to show us how (see Luke 11:9-13).

As we share the story with others, the Holy Spirit will include us on the journey of grasping once again the power and beauty of the gospel in our own lives. Often, we will leave the conversation feeling closer to him and incredibly grateful. The more we talk about our relationship with him, the fonder our hearts will grow toward him (see 1 Thess. 1:5-7).

As we come across obstacles in conversation and start to question whether we can lead the conversation to the topic of Jesus, we can ask the Holy Spirit to give us the questions to ask and the words to transition to the gospel. The Holy Spirit does not want to hide the story of Jesus from others. If we ask him to fill us and give us wisdom, he will show us clearly if the person is not interested, or he will give us a way to share the story with others. We must trust the voice of the Spirit as he guides us, and take the step of faith to ask what he puts on our mind to ask (see 1 John 2:20,27).

 

Taken from Follow My Lead: Responding to God’s Voice in Everyday Encounters by Holly A. Melton. Copyright © 2013 by Campus Crusade for Christ, Inc. Used by permission of Gospel Light Worldwide. All rights reserved.

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Holly A. Melton
Holly A. Meltonhttp://www.mattandhollymelton.org/

Holly A. Melton is national campus director for field ministries for Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ), overseeing more than 300 missionaries engaged in cross-cultural ministry. In addition to her work at Cru, Holly speaks all over the world as she teaches college students and other adults how to share their faith in Christ through conferences, retreats and training events.

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