Energy employee experiences life-changing power of the Gospel

The Reliant Energy company boasts “the power to change lives” and “the energy to make it happen.” While that may be true in a physical sense, prospective customers likely find the company’s ability to bring about eternal life-transformation somewhat lacking. One Reliant employee, during a witnessing encounter with Southwestern Seminary students, was confronted with this truth, and after hearing the life-altering message of the Gospel, he realized that while electricity may be important for comfortable living, only Jesus has the power to bring about real change.

Master of Divinity student Jeff Wingard and two other Southwestern students evangelized in the neighborhoods near the seminary campus as an “Everyday Evangelism” team, Nov. 1. Each was afforded the chance to share the Gospel with multiple people, and they eventually came across Jose, a Reliant employee, who was speaking with a customer at his door. Even though the customer did not speak English, the evangelists attempted to share the Gospel with both of them.

Jose displayed an openness to talking about the Gospel, though the evangelists discerned that he based his beliefs on his feelings. Unfortunately, because Jose was on the clock and his customer was waiting for him, the Southwesterners had to rush their Gospel presentation, and they left before Jose had time to fully understand what they had said.

“We left there and continued to visit other homes,” Wingard says. “[But] as we were visiting, the thought of Jose basing his beliefs on feelings kept coming to mind, and the Lord was prompting me to go speak with him again.”

After completing another Gospel presentation with a man on the street, Wingard turned and noticed Jose walking back to his car. Wingard called out to him and then engaged him in further conversation.

“I began to talk with him about the difficulties of basing his salvation on feelings,” Wingard says. “He believed that Jesus came and died for the sins of all people and even believed Jesus was raised from the dead, but we spoke with him about what it means to repent and believe and accept Jesus as Lord of his life.”

The Southwesterners asked him if he had ever called upon Jesus for the forgiveness of his sins and confessed Him as the Lord of his life. “No, I’ve never done that,” he answered. Wingard asked if he wanted to do that today. Jose replied, “Yes, I want to do that.”

After Jose prayed to receive Christ, the evangelists gave him a Bible, recommended he read the Gospel of John, and invited him to church the following Sunday. The next morning, Wingard awakened to a text message sent him by Jose.

“Thanks for everything, man!” Jose wrote. “I just finished reading John. Well, not everything. But thanks, man. I’ll see you on Sunday.” Jose had learned that Jesus alone has “the power to change lives,” and the Holy Spirit provides “the energy to make it happen.”