‘Crazy thing’ happens during Gospel conversation

Jessica did not open her door all the way, so the evangelists assumed they were speaking only to her throughout their conversation. The team had been evangelizing door to door the entire afternoon as part of the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual Crossover effort, June 4-10, and just before beginning their break for dinner, they stopped at Jessica’s house.  

When Jessica answered her door, the team members introduced themselves, invited her to attend that weekend’s Harvest America evangelistic crusade, and then asked her if she had any spiritual beliefs. Jessica said she had recently been thinking about that very topic. 

She explained that she and her family were not presently involved in church but had been considering attending. She added that her mother was a spiritual person. 

The evangelists asked Jessica whether she thought God would allow her into heaven when she died. Jessica had no answer. The team then inquired if they could share with her what the Bible says about the subject, and they began presenting the Gospel to her using the Romans Road. 

When they finished, one of the evangelists, Mike Childs, asked Jessica if their presentation made sense to her. She said, “Yeah, it does.” 

Childs, an online master’s student at Southwestern Seminary, continued, “Is there any reason today that you couldn’t receive salvation in Jesus Christ?” Jessica answered, “Well, no.”

“Is that something you’re interested in?” Childs asked. Jessica was caught off guard. “Right now?” she said. Childs affirmed, “Yes, right now.” 

Jessica reiterated that she and her family were considering going to church, and she said that she could call on the name of the Lord and be saved there. Not wanting to pressure her but not wanting her to miss this opportunity, Childs assured Jessica that she did not have to go to a church in order to be saved; she could cry out to the Lord right now. 

“Then the craziest thing happened,” Childs says. “She had the door only half-opened. She looked behind her and said, ‘Do you guys want to do it too?’ 

“She opened the door, and her two sweet little children were standing there. Her son was 12 and her daughter was 9. And they were just so excited.” 

The children, who had apparently been listening from behind the door the entire time, came outside. They both joined their mother in expressing an interest in responding to the Gospel message. The evangelists walked all three of them through the Gospel one more time to ensure their understanding, and all three affirmed that they wanted to be saved. 

“And right there on the doorstep,” Childs says, “the whole family accepted the Lord.”

This was the last door on which the team knocked before breaking for dinner, but they showed no less devotion to their evangelistic task. God blessed such devotion by drawing the whole family—Jessica and both of her children—to Himself. “It was just amazing,” Childs says.