Africa (MNN) — During a recent e3 Partners trip to Africa, the e3 team had a chance to share the Gospel with their translator’s family. Their translator, Kofi, was a Christian, but his family was not. He asked the team if they could come to his home and share the Gospel with his loved-ones. The team said yes. On the day the team went with the translator to his home, somehow Kofi’s brother discovered the plan and shared it with the other family members.
The team arrived at an empty house, apart from Kofi’s mother-in-law. There they waited for his immediate and extended family to return.
Encountering Christ
(Photo courtesy of e3 Partners)
Once people gathered, they began by sharing about the dangers of human trafficking while offering education on the topic. Then, e3’s Jeff Johnston says an opportunity opened up for sharing the Gospel. Kofi’s uncle Zain was convicted by the Gospel message. He believed it was good and true. But, Zain was fearful.
If he became a Christian, Zain was scared of what his community would do to him when they found out. At his age, it would be difficult to defend himself from potential attacks. Still, this was not the only concern holding Zain back from saying “yes” to Christ.
“He said, ‘I’m an old man…I’m too late, you know. I’ve spent my whole life worshipping other gods, and I’m an old man now’. So, he thought he couldn’t become a Christian in his old age, that it was too late to make up for all of the time he’d spent worshiping other gods and all the other things he’d done in his life.
“Then the team shared with him the story of the sinner on the cross becoming a Christian essentially on his death bed and the way Jesus said that he would be in paradise with Him. They said Zain was moved by this story, just awestruck by the grace and mercy of Jesus,” Johnston shares.
A few days later, the e3 team returned to check-in with Zain. It was then Zain confessed a belief in Christ. Today, Kofi disciples his uncle Zain, whose faith continues to grow. However, Zain’s story is also a reminder of how as long as there’s breath in our lungs, it is never too late to start a relationship with Christ.
Ways to Respond
So, how can we let this story impact our day-to-day lives? By realizing opportunities to share the Gospel and the love and mercy of Jesus Christ.
“We need to go share that same message with everyone else because there [are] millions of people across the world that haven’t heard the message of the Gospel, and haven’t heard that their sins are forgiven, that Jesus has already defeated sin and death and saved us and given us an opportunity to have salvation through Him,” Johnston says.
(Photo courtesy of e3 Partners)
Pray for Zain as he grows in his relationship with Christ. Ask God to protect him and give him boldness in his faith. Also, pray for the Gospel to transform the lives of the rest of Kofi’s family.
Will you help someone realize it’s not too late to know Jesus?
Find out how you can join e3 on a trip here!
e3 also offers free online training for anyone who wants to communicate better the Gospel message or their own testimony. Johnston specifically recommends the “Your Testimony in 15 Seconds” video.
Header photo courtesy of e3 Partners.
