I’m calling you from the casino!

(Editor’s note: So often we find that people stay clear of the church simply because they don’t understand what the Bible is all about. But when there is understanding, there is life transformation.)

One of our staff had the opportunity to preach at church one Sunday morning. He chose John 1:29 as the key verse to speak on: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

“Do you know what that truly means?” he asked the congregation. “Here is John baptizing people in the waters of the Jordan, when all of a sudden, he stops and points to an approaching man. And he exclaims, ‘Behold the lamb of God!’ What a strange expression.”

To get an answer to what John meant, our staff member turned back to Genesis and began explaining about the lamb. After the sermon, a man came up and introduced himself as George*. George admitted that he rarely ever stepped into church. It had been years since his last visit. He went on to tell our staff member that he really appreciated the sermon.

“You made so much sense!” said George.

Our staff member asked if he would like to learn more and offered George a copy of By This Name. George looked uncertainly at the thick book. “I’ll read it… but maybe not this summer,” he said hesitantly.

“Read it when you have the time. I’ll leave my contact information so you can tell me what you think or ask me any question,” said our staff member. George agreed.

More than a month later, our staff member received a phone call from George.

“I’m calling you from the casino!” said George. “I’ve been at the lounge area, reading the book you gave me. This book is making incredible sense! I’m up to chapter 5.”

The next time our staff member bumped into George, it was at the church parking lot. George was beaming. “I finished the book! Now I’m trying to get my wife to read it.”

It’s sometimes hard to imagine what might happen when you give someone a book to read. But George—a reluctant reader—was really gripped by the gospel message. Pray with us, that George will continue to grow as a believer and that his wife will also read, understand and believe the gospel.

(*Name changed as per GoodSeed policy.)