Shoe Repair Man Comes To Christ But Still Depressed!
Hi everyone
A little while ago (in a blog) , I wrote about how I gave a “Two right answers” card to a shoe repair man.
Well, the following is an explanation of how the Holy Spirit followed this man up. It’s pretty remarkable.
As you know, I met this man called Paul in a shoe repair shop. I wrote about my encounter with Paul in my March blog this year.
I gave him a “The Two Right Answers” business card and he went home and watched the gospel via www.biblein11.com
Unbeknown to me, and two weeks later, a friend of mine whom I had trained in evangelism (Nicole) also went to have some shoes repaired by Paul.
She also gave Paul a “The Two Right Answers” card.
I didn’t know Nicole had done this, and Nicole didn’t know that I had given him a card two weeks earlier.
Well, Paul went home and heard the gospel via the video and gave his life to Christ.
When I went to pick up my shoes, he told me all this.
Yet he told me he was still suffering from depression. We talked extensively about his and I prayed for him in his shop.
I wondered how I was going to keep having on-going contact with Paul as my life is jam packed already. I rise at 4am each day and I retire at around 10pm. I rarely watch TV.
Plus, I don’t think I have the patience. Well, I know I don’t. To be honest, I was a bit troubled by this.
When I was at church on Sunday, I sat down next to a man (also called Paul) who has a career dealing with people suffering from depression. He is a psych nurse.
He was delighted to hear my story and couldn’t wait to go and talk to Paul and help him!
He said that his kind of situation really energised him and he couldn’t wait to go and see him and start helping him.
Oh my goodness, isn’t it great how the Body of Christ works together to build the Kingdom!
Hi Julian, Many thanks for this follow up. I had wanted to ask you for it several times. I wasn’t anxious for a quick positive result as the Holy Spirit works to God’s timetable not ours. My reason was that I associate with one church which nurtures well but I see little evidence of any bold spreading of the gospel. On the other hand my mid week church is another denomination whose new Pastor has a passion for friendship evangelism. Last week in reply to this Pastor’s address I suggested there was a place for both friendship and boldness depending on the circumstances on how God tests us. Thank you I think your blog illustrates that friendship takes time and we simply run out of it sometimes. As a caring old man I would urge you to take intelligent care of yourself so you can continue to serve God and us for many years ahead. May God bless you more and more.
HI Alan
Friendship evangelism is very misleading phrase.
Please download my chapter to see what I mean. https://drive.google.com/drive/#folders/0B7xzcZRi29iKYVJzQlQ4TVltSHc
Ideally we need to make friends with the lost.
But if the gospel is not shared with them, no evangelism has taken place. Friendship, in and of itself, is ‘ploughing’ but not evangelism.
The truth is we have to get the gospel to all our friends, and to total strangers. The command from Jesus was to reach the whole world, not just our friends.
Every blessings Alan, and keep up the great work down there.
Julian
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Julian
"I have been an evangelist for nearly 30 years. I have travelled to many countries, motivating and equipping the Church to evangelise.
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