Last night our team got to serve another love meal to refugees alongside hellenic ministries (we did one meal before and worked at the camp). If you remember an earlier post, I had been asked to share the Gospel before the meal but there was a men's choir in town and they sang instead. This week however there was no men's choir. Jason reminded me 20 minutes before we left that I was sharing the Gospel. I immediately started praying that God would speak through me because I knew that my rods would not be enough. Everyone on my team was really excited for me, I just wish I could say that I was as excited as they were. But truth be told, the closer the time came, the more afraid I became. The devil was working overtime to shut my mouth. When I stepped up to the mike, I thought I was going to vomit.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Hellenic ministries. Before we serve you I just want to share with you something important that I believe. . ."
What followed was a very shaky, very nervous, presentation of the Gospel, which sounded hollow and feeble in my ears as I replayed it in my head while two interpreters repeated in Farsi, and Arabic. I left the stage feeling shaky and defeated. I knew that I would not have been convinced by what I had said. I reached the upper room where my team was and was greeted with smiles and high fives. That made me feel well enough to serve the meal with them.
The meal went well, the men and women were nicer tonight and more polite to the girls. There was only one serving time so we got to clean up quickly. After we cleaned up a man who works with HM pulled me aside and said something very fast in broken English, I didn't want to believe what I thought I heard. Someone wants to receive Jesus. It was true. Rafi, a man who has been in Greece two months and has been living on the streets wanted to make Jesus Lord of his life! All of the men gather around him as I got to pray with Rafi to receive Jesus! He was all smiles and hugs after that. He explained that his goal in life is to find the ultimate truth. He said that Islam didn't satisfy that desire but when he came to HM he said there was something different. He admitted "Jesus is the ultimate truth." and that he hasn't felt this kind of peace before.
The message of the Gospel is the most important message, only God can know who it will touch. It doesn't matter how poor the presentation is, it is sharper than any double edged sword and will touch hearts no matter what. I felt terrible, I thought I failed or blasphemed or stumbled with my words, but God was speaking though me into Rafi's heart and into others hearts who did not come forward. Last night when I was thanking God for what happened, I felt Him smiling down on me, proud of me and chuckling, "I Am God, and you are not, I love you more than you will ever understand and I have created you for this."
Pray for Rafi, as he is still living in an Islamic community, that he will be protected and that his new faith will grow as he desires to learn more about Jesus! By the way, this is the second man we have seen come to Jesus, when we were told that no one would respond. The Spirit is MOVING here in Greece. This crossroads of Europe will be a light to all the places it touches, in Jesus' name!
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