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Kind Act Leads to Christ

It all started in an Iowa storm. Matthew and Courtney Anderson were driving by one of those ubiquitous Fourth of July firecracker tents. A sudden squall violently lifted the firecracker tent off the ground. The vendors were seemingly helpless and began cutting the tent’s holding cords.

Matt and Courtney bounded out of their vehicle and pitched in to help. Together with the vendors they salvaged what the wind and rainstorm did not destroy.

The storm passed, but left the vendors homeless with rain damaged merchandise. (Tents cannot be locked so the sellers sleep in the tents for security.)

Now what were Josh, Debra and Ariana to do? Realizing their plight, Matt and Courtney paid for a night at the nearby Super 8 Motel.

I don’t know what all was shared that Saturday evening. What I do know is the firecracker vendors walked in during the middle of the church meeting Sunday morning. They were welcomed and one of the men said, “You are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”

After the meeting, church people sat with Josh and Debra as they wept profusely. Josh used up the first box of Kleenexes and began to use the second.

Eventually, one of the men proffered the question, “Have you ever given your life to Jesus Christ?” Through tears, Josh answered negatively. “I don’t believe in Christ,” he admitted.

Much conversation ensued. Josh heard the good news: “Jesus Christ died for your sins. He rose from the dead.” Josh heard the good news several times. Something began to dawn on him. Finally, as best he could, he submitted his will to Christ as Savior.

After prompting, Josh began to pray. I advised him about Jesus’ words in John 10: 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I asked him to ask God what to do next and to listen for the whisper of the Spirit. After bowing his head and praying, he said, “I think God is telling me to move back to Oregon where I have roots and family. “

Dinner at HyVee Restaurant followed. During lunch, his daughter, Ariana, showed interest in Jesus. She asked questions. “What does it mean to ‘open the door’ to Jesus?”

She “opened the door to Jesus.” That’s when the above picture was snapped as Josh and Debra affectionately hugged her. Who knew

The Church of the Living Water provided two nights of lodging at the Super 8 Motel. Meals were offered.

Amazing what God’s love–one act of kindness–will do. God bless Josh, Debra and Ariana. God bless Matthew and Courtney.

One reason this website exists is to honor those who lead men, women and young people to Christ. We encourage Chicken Evangelism–Share Christ before you Chicken Out!

When you tell your experience of witnessing, it will encourage others. Do you know of an incident where a kind act leads to Christ?

Here’s Larry Miller’s salvation testimony.

I notice people. Luis Palau taught me to pray, “Lord, stamp eternity on my eyelids.” A conversation like this is not unusual for me. An adventure awaits every first encounter. And since I snapped his picture, I decided to publish Larry Miller’s salvation testimony.

Larry Miller was sitting on a bench at Walmart. Since I had to wait also, I sidled up to the bench beside him. I told him I was waiting for an oil change.

He didn’t say much at first, but I after conversing a moment or two I told him God had healed me of cancer. That got his attention. We had something in common besides a wait at Walmart. He related that he had prostate cancer in the past and now felt better than he ever.

He and his wife prayed a lot before he underwent radiation. It sounded like he was a believer in Jesus Christ, so I asked him “Have you received Jesus Christ into your life?”

That question tripped his trigger. Now I could not get him to stop talking. He told me that it happened about 15 years ago. He had earlier seen his mother suffer and die from cancer. When he saw how much his mother suffered he did not want any part of that. He knew he had to change his life.

He was going to a Quaker church at the time. He decided to sit down and have a talk with the pastor.

During the talk with the pastor he received his Savior Jesus Christ.

He said that conversation about 15 years ago changed his life. He emphasized that he lost a lot of friends because of that decision. “I thought they were my friends, but they weren’t really friends.  They were not really my friends, they were just drinking buddies. Now I got a bunch of new friends. And my life is different. When you receive Christ, your life changes,” Larry asserted.

About this time Larry’s wife arrived. Wait over.

With Larry’s permission I took a picture of him and his wife. “I’m not ashamed of Jesus Christ,” he announced.

“Have you ever led anyone to salvation through Jesus Christ?” I asked. “I’ve tried to.  If we believe it, we’ve got to tell it!”

Larry and I shook hands as he wished me a good day. “Praise God, God bless you,” he said as he was going out the Walmart door.

I led someone to Christ! (New story submission from website)

Publisher’s note for “I led someone to Christ.” Thanks to you, Linda, for telling your story. This is a great example of Chicken Evangelism. Linda is sensitive to the Holy Spirit. And by the way, the photo above is not of Linda and the one whe led to Christ.

While on a retreat at a local Christian Conference Center the Lord allowed me to pray for a member of their kitchen staff. I homed in on her because the Spirit of the Lord revealed to me that she was carrying a heaviness in her spirit and in her sadness she was just going through the motions. She related to us how three family members very close to her had died in less than a years time and that she had not recovered from these losses.

The lady agreed to let me and two of my companions pray for her. I then asked her if she would like to receive Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior, to which she also agreed. Leading her through the sinner’s prayer after having quoted to Her Romans 10: 8-10 gave me great joy as the heaviness seemed to lift from her countenance.  I quickly understood that another soul had joined the ranks of the redeemed of the Lord!

Benjamin Follows God

Benjamin is  a young man from the Czech Republic who recently visited in the United States. He gave his life to Jesus Christ the first or second time our son Matthew met him. (That’s Chicken Evangelism — share Christ before you “chicken out!“) Shortly after, Benjamin received the fullness of the Holy Spirit including speaking in tongues. By that time he was already witnessing and sharing his faith. He is a new convert actively making disciples.

We continue to keep in touch. Following are a couple of emails we have received from Benjamin. They are printed exactly as he wrote them.

Hi Mark

We are reading bible daily and that

English Teacher Leads Client to Salvation

Pubisher’s note: When Jesus announced, “The fields are white for harvest,” (John 4:35), He was giving an oft-overlooked secret for effective evangelism.  Chicken evangelism means “share Christ before you chicken out.” Shelly Stalker is a good example of one who shares faith early in a relationship. 

Shelly’s Story

I recently returned from Oaxaca, Mexico, where I taught English classes for the last 3 years. After settling in Tucson, I started advertising that I was willing to teach conversational English.

Our First Meeting

One Hispanic man met with me about the classes. We will call his name Juan.We conversed and he asked about why I had been in Oaxaca. After I explained that I had been there as a missionary, Juan asked me if I was Christian. I said, “Yes!” Then I responded, “Are you a Christian?” To which he replied “No, I am Catholic.” I asked Juan if he understood the difference and he answered, “No.”

After that, I gave a pretty detailed explanation of grace and how Jesus came to give it to us as a gift and that we can not possibly earn it. We then moved on to other conversation and made an appointment to begin classes the next week on Sunday evening.

Our Second Meeting

The next Sunday evening, we got together and and it wasn’t long before Juan started asking me questions about my faith. He told me his sister was a Christian and that she was different than the rest of the family. I then explained that God wants to have a personal relationship with each of us and that He is my best friend. I talk to God about everything and ask Him for help or guidance throughout my day.

Juan asked me about why there are so many bad things happening in our world if God is really God. I said, there are many bad things that happen in this world, but there are many good things also. God is good and He wants the best for us, but we must make a choice to allow Him to help us. We must make a choice to serve Him and love Him. He is there to help when things go bad, if we are willing to listen and be obedient. It isn’t always easy, but I have joy and peace throughout it all because of Him.

Chicken Evangelism in Action

We sat for a few moments until I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to push a little and ask him the all-important question. So I asked, “Would you like to receive Jesus as your Savior and have Him come into your heart?” Juan said,”Yes!”

So, I led him in a simple prayer asking forgiveness of sins and for Jesus to come into his heart to live and help him. He repeated the prayer after me. The smile afterwards said that peace had now come into Juan’s heart!

Then we began our English lesson!

Demonized Man Speaks “Jesus!”

Demonized Man Speaks “Jesus!”

A demonized man came and sat down at the table beyond us. He was young, cropped with black hair, and dark in complexion. In fact, darkness seemed the aura around him. With face contorted, he appeared angry and slightly unkempt. He walked uprightly supported by a cane. An older man, who we later learned was his father, accompanied the demonized man.

Before the Demonized Man Entered the Restaurant

We were seated at a table in an open door restaurant in Bernal, Mexico. My wife and I, along with our friends, Lino and Cathy Padilla, were enjoying a meal and catching up on the news when the man and his father appeared. Something tugged on my mind to go over and pray for this man. As I continued to discreetly observe his dark demeanor, I became increasingly convinced he was oppressed by demons.

Being rather quiet and reserved by nature, I resisted the impulse to minister with the fellow. We kept visiting with our friends, but the prompting to pray with the demonized man didn’t leave.

I was Scared

To say I was scared is accurate. It is not my nature do do what I kept thinking God wanted me to do. Further, I didn’t know what would happen. Hesitation prevailed, and that was OK with me. At least for a while. But the Holy Spirit is relentless . . . .

The Tipping Point

Our meal was over. I knew I had to go one way or the other: Get up and get out — or get up and go over and talk with the demonized man. The tipping point came when I realized our friend Lino was a native-born Spanish-speaker. He is also a gifted evangelist who may have even seen someone rise from the dead as he prayed for a girl on a street. With Lino around, I decided to go for it.

What Happened as We Began to Pray for the Demonized Man

“May we pray with you?” (That’s a common question for Chicken Evangelists.) I addressed him, more as an announcement than a question. He looked startled, but something in his response suggested openness. We immediately began to proclaim the blood of Jesus over the demonized man.

The War

Some might say, “All hell broke loose.” I prefer to say, “All heaven broke loose!”  I was loud. The neighboring tables emptied quickly. We said to the man, “Say, ‘Jesus!’” The demonized man began to say “Jesus!” as best he could. The young man contorted his mouth and began to try with utmost effort to speak. His one word sounded like, “Jash-sus.” But he was smiling, shouting this one word loudly with mighty effort.

What Happened with the Man?

I don’t altogether know what actually happened with the young man. Was he  delivered in total or in part?  I’m not sure. He spoke only the one word — the name of Jesus. What I do know is a major change took place. He became jubilant! He was happy and excited!

God was glorified in at least 3 ways. I obeyed God. The man became grateful and exuberantly joyful. God chased away a demon.  Moreover, the young man spoke “Jesus!”

I wish we could follow up on this young man. There’s more, but he had made a start. Better, God had made a start.

Why talk with strangers? Why practice chicken evangelism? Because Jesus did. As a matter of fact, nearly all of Jesus’ outreach was with strangers. Check it out. How many times can you think of where Jesus evangelized His friends? Christ is in us, and we’re in Him. By His grace (and it takes grace) we do what He does.