'I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.'
Philemon 1:6
The story in full...
I had been asked to preach at a church in Buena Vista, Colombia, Sunday morning. When we pulled up outside a closed shop front, I thought this was the church. There were a few girls wearing yellow tee-shirts that said, 'Jesucristo Es El Señor' (Jesus Christ is Lord), so I assumed they were believers, greeters, and that we had arrived. I was wrong!
We were invited to come inside and upstairs, where the shop owners lived, the employers of these young ladies: Adelaida and Ipolito. After sitting down and becoming acquainted with this couple, they asked the girls to come in and sit down, and then turned to me and asked that I share about Jesus with these girls. They said to me, 'These girls have heard the gospel but have not given their lives to Jesus.' The couple then left the room to make coffee, to give us time alone.
I was at a loss. I turned and looked at the girls, them at me; I had just been told they knew the gospel but needed to know Jesus. I introduced myself and asked them their names, and we went round the circle. I then said, 'So you know about the message of Jesus Christ?' They nodded. I then asked them to tell me about their own faith, who Jesus is to them. One or two of them volunteered a comment about knowing, praying, going to church, but did also indicate that they were not Christians, had not received Jesus into their lives. We chatted a minute, and I encouraged the girls - since they aleady knew the message of Jesus - to consider thinking on it some more, even praying to Jesus, reading scripture, and asking Jesus to confirm himself to them. I asked could I pray a blessing over them. They agreed, and we bowed our heads.
Just as I was about to pray, the lady of the house, Adelaida, came out of the kitchen and addressed me directly: 'Excuse me, Pastor...' (as they were calling me) 'These girls really need to accept Jesus into their personal lives. They already know the gospel, and have come to church, but they need Jesus in their lives!' She went on, pointing and speaking, 'This girl here, although she looks so young, has 2 children and her husband has been murdered. She lives in a very dangerous neighborhood near here. This girl beside her suffers from deep depression.' Both these girls welled up and began to cry silently. Adelaida went on, 'This girl here is surrounded by witchcraft. This girl here comes from a Christian home but has left the faith, and only joined our team of employees yesterday...'
I looked at these girls. They all looked different to me in an instant - sheep without a shepherd, harrassed and hurting. Compassion flooded my soul. I was enraged at the darkness. I was broken to pieces. Yes, they needed Jesus in their lives! I turned to the girls with a new song in my heart, a new flame in my soul. I simply asked, 'So do any of you want to receive Jesus into your lives? He loves you! He sees your hurt! He wants to touch your lives and protect you. He will forgive your sin, and heal the scars of sin that have come against you!' The girls were all crying.
I then went around the circle one by one, looking them straight in their eyes and asking them personally if they wanted to give their lives to Jesus, right here, right now in prayer. I invited them to take my hand and we would pray together. The first girl looked back at me, weeping but stalling. I said, 'Think about it for a minute.' I turned to the next girl... Same thing, each one, till I arrived at the last one. The last girl looked at me, and said, 'Yes, I do want to receive Jesus,' and she gave me her hand. Before praying I went back the opposite way around the circle, asking one more time if they wanted to put their hand in also, and put their lives in the hands of Jesus. One by one they put their hand in. The last girl was weeping, and just could not lift her hand. I reached out and took her hand and joined it to ours. By this time the pastor had come to the house, and he was pacing and praying and praising. It was he who snapped a couple pictures of our time together, a time that has branded my soul with a fresh vision of Jesus - '... a fuller understanding of what we have in Christ.' (Phil 1:6)
We prayed, we cried, we embraced, we talked. Just this morning I had the pleasure of meeting with them again on video call, and they had brought a new girl to the 'group' to meet with us. These young women of faith have created a messaging group with my wife and I to stay in touch, stay encouraged. They put this group together, and named it 'Jesucristo Es El Señor.' This morning it was my wife who prayed with them through video.
I told these girls this morning that when I saw Jesus reveal himself to them, I saw Jesus in their eyes. They reflected the face of Jesus to me, like Moses reflected the glory of God to the Israelites. My life is forever changed, and a passion for the 'door' that is Jesus Christ has gripped me afresh. (John 10:9)
After preaching that morning at the church, I was invited back to the same house, and Adelaida and Ipolito had seated the girls - their employees - at the family table, and served them a special lunch to mark their 'birthday' in Jesus.
I had been asked to preach at a church in Buena Vista, Colombia, Sunday morning. When we pulled up outside a closed shop front, I thought this was the church. There were a few girls wearing yellow tee-shirts that said, 'Jesucristo Es El Señor' (Jesus Christ is Lord), so I assumed they were believers, greeters, and that we had arrived. I was wrong!
We were invited to come inside and upstairs, where the shop owners lived, the employers of these young ladies: Adelaida and Ipolito. After sitting down and becoming acquainted with this couple, they asked the girls to come in and sit down, and then turned to me and asked that I share about Jesus with these girls. They said to me, 'These girls have heard the gospel but have not given their lives to Jesus.' The couple then left the room to make coffee, to give us time alone.
I was at a loss. I turned and looked at the girls, them at me; I had just been told they knew the gospel but needed to know Jesus. I introduced myself and asked them their names, and we went round the circle. I then said, 'So you know about the message of Jesus Christ?' They nodded. I then asked them to tell me about their own faith, who Jesus is to them. One or two of them volunteered a comment about knowing, praying, going to church, but did also indicate that they were not Christians, had not received Jesus into their lives. We chatted a minute, and I encouraged the girls - since they aleady knew the message of Jesus - to consider thinking on it some more, even praying to Jesus, reading scripture, and asking Jesus to confirm himself to them. I asked could I pray a blessing over them. They agreed, and we bowed our heads.
Just as I was about to pray, the lady of the house, Adelaida, came out of the kitchen and addressed me directly: 'Excuse me, Pastor...' (as they were calling me) 'These girls really need to accept Jesus into their personal lives. They already know the gospel, and have come to church, but they need Jesus in their lives!' She went on, pointing and speaking, 'This girl here, although she looks so young, has 2 children and her husband has been murdered. She lives in a very dangerous neighborhood near here. This girl beside her suffers from deep depression.' Both these girls welled up and began to cry silently. Adelaida went on, 'This girl here is surrounded by witchcraft. This girl here comes from a Christian home but has left the faith, and only joined our team of employees yesterday...'
I looked at these girls. They all looked different to me in an instant - sheep without a shepherd, harrassed and hurting. Compassion flooded my soul. I was enraged at the darkness. I was broken to pieces. Yes, they needed Jesus in their lives! I turned to the girls with a new song in my heart, a new flame in my soul. I simply asked, 'So do any of you want to receive Jesus into your lives? He loves you! He sees your hurt! He wants to touch your lives and protect you. He will forgive your sin, and heal the scars of sin that have come against you!' The girls were all crying.
I then went around the circle one by one, looking them straight in their eyes and asking them personally if they wanted to give their lives to Jesus, right here, right now in prayer. I invited them to take my hand and we would pray together. The first girl looked back at me, weeping but stalling. I said, 'Think about it for a minute.' I turned to the next girl... Same thing, each one, till I arrived at the last one. The last girl looked at me, and said, 'Yes, I do want to receive Jesus,' and she gave me her hand. Before praying I went back the opposite way around the circle, asking one more time if they wanted to put their hand in also, and put their lives in the hands of Jesus. One by one they put their hand in. The last girl was weeping, and just could not lift her hand. I reached out and took her hand and joined it to ours. By this time the pastor had come to the house, and he was pacing and praying and praising. It was he who snapped a couple pictures of our time together, a time that has branded my soul with a fresh vision of Jesus - '... a fuller understanding of what we have in Christ.' (Phil 1:6)
We prayed, we cried, we embraced, we talked. Just this morning I had the pleasure of meeting with them again on video call, and they had brought a new girl to the 'group' to meet with us. These young women of faith have created a messaging group with my wife and I to stay in touch, stay encouraged. They put this group together, and named it 'Jesucristo Es El Señor.' This morning it was my wife who prayed with them through video.
I told these girls this morning that when I saw Jesus reveal himself to them, I saw Jesus in their eyes. They reflected the face of Jesus to me, like Moses reflected the glory of God to the Israelites. My life is forever changed, and a passion for the 'door' that is Jesus Christ has gripped me afresh. (John 10:9)
After preaching that morning at the church, I was invited back to the same house, and Adelaida and Ipolito had seated the girls - their employees - at the family table, and served them a special lunch to mark their 'birthday' in Jesus.