Father, son accept Christ during Everyday Evangelism encounter

Nearing the end of their 4-6 p.m. window, the Southwestern “Everyday Evangelism” team considered ending their session, but given their close proximity to the seminary campus, they decided to knock on at least one more door. Directly across the street from the Riley Center, they did just that, and a young boy named Brian answered them. By the end of the ensuing encounter, both Brian and his father had professed faith in Christ.

“[There is] nothing quite as special as a father and son being born again on the same day,” says Master of Divinity student Bryant McRae, who spoke with Brian’s father, Rogelio. Fellow M.Div. student Jenny Kim, who spoke to Brian, adds, “Praise God, who can do what men cannot do yet by grace chooses to use us to share the Gospel with others and allows us to have the joy of witnessing the power of the Holy Spirit, who is mighty to save!”

The Sept. 1 divine appointment began when Kim introduced herself and her teammates to Brian, explaining that they are from the seminary and were trying to meet their neighbors in order to share the love of Christ with them. Kim proceeded to ask if Brian had any spiritual beliefs, and despite later revealing that his family attends a Catholic church, he said “no.”

“I tried sharing about how we can have a relationship with God by acknowledging our sinfulness, repenting of our sins, and believing in God,” Kim says. “I shared the Gospel through Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration, then asked if he wanted to have a relationship with God and be of the same faith.”

Brian’s first answer was “no.” Kim pressed him as to why, and in response to his concerns, she assured him that he can have “confidence in the Gospel that the power of the Holy Spirit can forgive us of our sins and restore our relationship with God.”

Kim asked him again if he wanted to repent and believe in Jesus. This time, he said “yes.”

At that point, a car alarm went off nearby. After the car’s owner resolved the issue, he approached the Southwestern team. Apparently, he was Brian’s father, Rogelio, and he had just returned home from work. While Kim continued her conversation with Brian, covering such topics as baptism and church membership, fellow evangelist Bryant McRae spoke to Rogelio.

McRae told him why they were there and that they had just “assisted” his son in finding salvation in Christ so that he would not spend eternity in hell, separated from God. McRae asked Rogelio some spiritually diagnostic questions and determined that he was not a believer.

“I then presented and explained the Gospel,” McRae says, “and then I told him I didn’t want him to go to hell if he died after our conversation. I believe he understood he was indeed a sinner and that Christ was the only means for attaining forgiveness for his sins.”

When McRae extended an invitation to respond, Rogelio accepted, and McRae proceeded to lead him in a prayer to profess faith in Christ. As Kim had done with Brian, McRae then told Rogelio the importance of living his life for Christ, joining a church and regularly attending, and taking opportunities to lead others to faith in Christ. Since then, both Kim and McRae have assisted the father and son in getting plugged in to a local church.

“It is always a blessing to be the chosen instrument God has used to assist in the salvific process of a fellow human being,” McRae says. “It brought great joy and thankfulness to see professions of faith in Christ from Rogelio and Brian.”

To learn more about Southwestern’s Everyday Evangelism opportunities, visit swbts.edu/everydayevangelism.