David is a successful businessman in the Pacific Northwest, and a long-time follower of Jesus. He is healthy and financially secure by most standards. Diane and David are planning to retire soon and are building a new home where they plan to settle in for the rest of their lives. But one thing was missing in David’s experience. Recently, David spoke of his longing in a prayer. He asked God to give him an encounter with someone he could lead to faith in Jesus. Then he waited and watched with his spiritual antennae raised.

It was months before the opportunity came. And he almost missed it! David went for a routine eye exam, and afterward, he stopped briefly to have his eyeglasses adjusted. The man who adjusted his glasses was God’s opportunity. David had been friendly with him in previous visits, so he engaged him in conversation. “How are you?” David asked him. “Not so well,” he replied. David asked him to elaborate. “What do you mean by ‘not well’?” The man told David about a tragic event that had recently occurred in his family. It almost paralyzed him to hear it. The only thing he could think to say in response was “What do you need? What can I do for you?”

The man’s needs occupied David for several days. David’s compassion and generous response to the man’s emotional and financial predicaments drew them closer and eventually resulted in the man giving David permission to talk about Jesus. But what would he say? How would he share the Gospel with him? David asked his mentor what he should do. His mentor suggested leading him through Christianity Explored.

David led the man through Lesson 1 in a coffee bar. It was awkward. People noticed what they were doing. It was not a safe place for David or the man. They transitioned to meeting by phone after that. The man’s work and family responsibilities did not allow him to meet with David for 2 hours to go over each lesson. But he faithfully completed the lessons in preparation for each phone call. “He is very smart,” says David. “He always
came with answers to the questions.”

David had never been through Christianity Explored himself. But coached by his mentor, he gained confidence. And, as a successful salesperson, David knew the importance of asking questions in order to help someone see clearly their need. David asked:

“What are you going to do with this truth? Who do you understand Jesus to be? What do you think you should do about it?”

Even before processing through all of the Christianity Explored lessons, the man understood that Jesus is God and that he came to forgive the sin of every living person. He prayed with David to confess his own sin, and to receive Jesus as his savior. Soon afterward he began to attend David’s church, was baptized, and shared his faith in Jesus with his family and friends. He is a new man!

David’s faith is stronger than ever. In God’s truth and faithfulness, and in the importance of having a method like Christianity Explored that any Christian can use to share the gospel of Jesus with those who are open to hear it. David is zealous to see other Christians learn to use Christianity Explored to share the best news a person will ever hear. David has also become an important member of the Christianity Explored leadership team in the Pacific Northwest. Thanks to God’s faithfulness, David also is a new man!

If David’s story leads you to recognize your opportunity to share the Gospel with someone, you can find the Christianity Explored leaders kit here.