Gospel

SHARING THE GOSPEL IN A TERRORISTS' CAMP

by grace olumayowa aideloje 
06/29/14
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SHARING THE GOSPEL IN A TERRORISTS' CAMP

My pastor told us one day that a Christian who cannot boldly preach Christ and win souls have failed in his primary assignment.

“It was Jesus’ final call to all believers and if you are not winning souls for Jesus, you are like a fruitless tree. What did Jesus do to the fruitless tree in Matthew 21:19? He cursed it!  And in Luke 13:6-7, He ordered it to be cut down!” 

This made me really restless. I was an introvert. I had been a Christian for close to five years and hadn't won a soul for Christ. I love God and His Word and all I wanted was to be a productive Christian. I began to pray for the grace for evangelism. 

Weeks later, my prayers were answered. A 19-year old girl, Deborah, told me of how she and twelve other girls were kidnapped by terrorists while on field trip to Northern Nigeria. The terrorists informed them they were hostages to get the government to release three of their arrested members. They asked those who were Christians to lift up their hands. Deborah and four others did. Out of fear, two Christian girls did not indicate. The terrorists told Deborah’s group that they won’t be Christians for long. 

While the other girls ate good food, Deborah and her group were fed with dry bread and water. They did the dishes and laundry. However, the terrorists did not rape them as they did the other girls, because to them, Christians were an ‘abomination.’ 

Through it all, Deborah said she was at peace. A pocket-sized Gospel of John which she always carried with her gave her hope. She had kept it hidden in her dress. In the middle of the night, she would sneak it out and read, using the faint light streaming through the windows from outside. Then she would pray quietly for their release. Soon, the other Christian girls joined in the secret reading and praying. 

One of those nights, she heard one of the Muslim girls crying. She crawled to her to comfort her, read John 16 to her and prayed with her. In the next few nights, all the other girls joined the secret, quiet fellowship and confessed Jesus as Lord. They spent most of the nights reading the Gospel of John and praying. 

Two weeks after, soldiers ambushed the camp and rescued all of them. They had read the Gospel of John twice. Deborah told me only two of the girls went back to Islam. The others are growing strong in the Christian faith. 

I was challenged by her story. I asked her about the bible. She simply dipped her hand in her bag, brought one out and said, “The rule in my home is, ‘don’t leave the house without The Book.’ Since I was twelve, my mother taught me how to share the gospel with this.” 

Deborah told me about the website - http://www.ptl.org. I immediately checked it out. What I saw was an answer to my prayer on evangelism. 

Since 1893, the Pocket Testament League has been mobilizing and equipping Christians to read, carry and share the Word of God. Their free resources are a spiritual trove; free evangelism training that makes it easy for timid Christians like me to share my faith with others. I was particularly enriched with the Evangelism Boot Camp, a free, self-paced, 7-part online training course. It is simply amazing! 

Two years of using their Free Daily Devotional have grown my faith, improved my relationship with God, and increased my passion for reading God's Word. I have received deep insights, especially from the Gospel of John, through the 21-Day Challenge. 

Today, like Deborah, I can confidently witness, even to the most unusual people, in a variety of creative ways. The pocket-sized Gospel of John, for instance, comes in colorful cover designs related to people’s personal interest. There is a suitable cover for your boss, colleagues, that snubby neighbor, soldier, horticulturist, golf player or dog-lover - many attention grabbing covers in a variety of languages. I just hand them out freely, with loads of love and prayers. As they read, they make a decision for Christ. No words of man can be as effective for evangelism as the Word of God. 

Since I encountered the Pocket Testament League, my spiritual life has grown amazingly. 

Effective and rewarding evangelism tools are just a click away.