Two salvations make for ‘great day’ of evangelism

Chair of Evangelism Matt Queen says Thursday, Oct. 26, was a great day for evangelism. Considering that one of Southwestern’s “Everyday Evangelism” teams saw two salvations that day, surely few would argue with this assessment.

Master of Divinity student Jenny Kim and Teaching Fellow Charles Stewart were part of the evangelism team that led two middle school students to the Lord. The first of these, John, was walking home from school when Kim engaged him in conversation.

Kim inquired about John’s spiritual beliefs, and John replied that he is Catholic. When Kim asked if he knew who Jesus is, John said He is “someone who lived long ago.”

In response, Kim shared the Gospel with John, emphasizing the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, as well as His ongoing activity in the lives of believers today. Having further explained the need to confess this Jesus as Lord in order to be saved, Kim asked if John would like to make such a profession of faith. He said “yes.”

At that point, Kim brought Stewart into the conversation, and the two of them led John in a prayer of salvation. For follow-up, they gave him information about a local church, encouraged him to prayerfully consider getting baptized, and invited him to reach out to Stewart if he had any questions.

The second person to trust in Christ for salvation that day was an eighth-grade student named Angel. He was in his front yard watching his brother and their dog when the Southwesterners walked by, so Stewart went over and started talking to him.

“He was very respectful and listened carefully as I shared with him the Gospel using my Romans 6:23 cards,” Stewart says, referring to an oft-used Gospel tract. “While he indicated that he had asked Jesus to forgive his sins a few times while attending his Catholic church, he had not understood that he was to also submit his life and heart to Jesus as Lord. When asked if he would like to make this commitment and receive the eternal life offered in Romans 6:23, he said that he would.”

Before leading Angel in prayer, Stewart made efforts to ensure that Angel understood this decision and that he was making it without pressure from Stewart or anyone else. Angel affirmed that he himself wanted to give his life to Jesus as his Lord and Savior.

Stewart and Angel then prayed out loud in his front yard. Afterward, Stewart gave him a DVD of the “Jesus” film, a copy of the Gospel of John, a “Satisfied?” tract, and his personal business card. “I strongly encouraged him to begin reading the Gospel of John and to email me with any questions that he might have as he reads,” Stewart says.

Thus, in the span of a roughly two-hour window, two people had come to know the Lord. Though the wages of their sin was death, John and Angel had received the free gift of God, which is eternal life in Christ Jesus the Lord.