A second chance at sharing the gospel

Peter* wanted to share the gospel with a 65-year-old friend named Thomas.* They watched The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus VideoBook together but Thomas did not understand the gospel message. He clung to the idea that to be right with God, he simply had to live a good life and follow God’s rules. A year later, Thomas became terminally ill with cancer. Peter visited him at the hospital and, over the course of two weeks, read aloud from The Lamb.

After the first week, Thomas still insisted that one simply had to live a good life to be acceptable to God. But as he learned of God’s ten rules, he began to see he was a helpless sinner. Then, Thomas came to understand how God could punish sin without punishing the sinner through the provision of a substitute lamb. He realized that unless God provided a way for him, he could not live with God in Heaven.

When Peter finished the book, he asked, “Thomas, who is your lamb?”

He replied, “Jesus is my lamb.” For the first time since they had become friends, he not only understood but believed the gospel! On his last visit with Thomas before he died, Peter inquired again, “Do you remember who your lamb is?” Thomas affirmed that Jesus was his lamb.

At the funeral, Peter shared how Thomas came to put his trust in Jesus for his salvation. Peter invited anyone who was interested to pick up a copy of The Stranger book. Three people did just that.

Thank God that Peter had a second chance to share the gospel with his friend. Pray, too, for those who took a copy of The Stranger. Pray that they will not only read but, in understanding, also believe the life-giving message of the gospel.

(*Name changed as per GoodSeed policy.)