[QUOTE@right@180=“Oh, now I get it.” — Kevin, a new believer in Christ]RICHMOND, Va. (BP) — When Kevin approached a group of missionaries-in-training at a bus stop, all he wanted was a few dollars to pay for gasoline. Seminary student Katherine Waters* agreed to help if Kevin would allow her to share a story with him.
Kevin consented. So Waters proceeded to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
The ensuing discussion filled the next hour, with Waters and her teammates explaining the Gospel and clarifying the truths of Scripture. Having forgotten his original intent, Kevin listened with an open mind, repeatedly saying such things as “That makes sense” and “Oh, now I get it.”
“It was truly beautiful to see his eyes being opened to the truth of the Word,” said Waters, a student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
At the end of that first hour, Kevin placed his faith in Christ and, as Waters put it, “it was amazing to see the Holy Spirit instantly start convicting him.”
Kevin began asking questions. Reflecting on all the sins in his life that he would have to give up — including drugs, alcohol and worldly music — Kevin inquired, “So can I still do this? … Can I still do that?”
“You could see his fleshly desires being confronted with the Word and Spirit of the Lord,” Waters recounted.
Kevin then asked what living for God should look like. In response, Waters and her teammates spoke with him for another hour, discipling him regarding how to live as a follower of Christ.
Waters and another team member met with Kevin again the following Sunday to encourage him and disciple him further. They spoke about such matters as church, baptism, the Lord’s Supper and the importance of sharing his faith with others.
“It was a great time of encouragement,” Waters said. “He actually asked us if you were allowed to baptize yourself, because he knew he was supposed to be baptized, and so he had gone home and tried to baptize himself in his kitchen sink! How sweet to see God working in a life that would be so fervent to follow Christ in obedience. … Of course, we told him the point of baptism is to be a public display of one’s faith, so he is going to find a church to baptize him.”
Reflecting on the overall experience, Waters said it was “pretty incredible to see my Savior work in Kevin’s heart. I was so blessed to be able to experience that and glorify God through God’s saving power in Kevin.
“Isn’t our God so good,” she said, “that He chooses to allow us to witness and participate in His incredible work of changing lives?”
*Name changed to protect future mission work.
