I Believe! – Page 4 – The GoodSeed Blog

Prison ministry: I know I’ve broken all ten commandments

Chainlink Fence

As Philip* walks down the corridor lit by harsh fluorescent lights, he quickly prays to prepare himself for what lies ahead. The prison guards are expressionless as they check him and his belongings. Satisfied that he is clean, they open the heavy gate and let him through.

Another guard leads the way. Philip knows his way around the prison but understands this is protocol. In this higher security facility, Philip is not allowed to bring in any books, papers or visual aids. All he has is what’s in his head and the set of DVDs he is carrying with him.

He is ushered into a spartan room with tables and chairs. At the front is a TV set and DVD player which he quickly sets up. Before too long, a door on the far end of the room opens, and inmates shuffle into the room. Philip looks up and smiles broadly at them. They smile back.

“Hello again,” he greets them. “Shall we continue with our study?”

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Over 90 and trusting Christ for the first time

90-year-old man

Since the launch of The Story that Matters, we’ve seen individuals and churches give out hundreds and hundreds of the 64-page booklet. One reason people like to use this small book is that it provides background and information about the God of the Bible (who he is and what he is like), the problem of sin and the salvation that Jesus offers. For someone with no background about the Bible, the booklet uses a historical narrative to introduce God in a way that makes sense.

Recently, we received an email from Amanda.* She had ordered ten copies and passed several to her sister who helps care for an elderly neighbour. Amanda relates what happened:

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Boy puts his faith in Christ after reading “The Lamb”

Recently, we heard from Wesley* on our Facebook page about a story unfolding in his church.

He’d been approached by a lady in his church who was concerned for her grandchildren. Wesley described GoodSeed’s book, The Lamb, to her and the woman immediately requested four books. When she received them, she gave the books to her grandchildren and waited to hear their response.

The mother of one of these grandchildren began reading The Lamb to her son each night before bed. The father, an unbeliever, would be sitting across the room, listening in.

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“I feel confident in my salvation now”

This is the second instalment in a two-part story. Read the first installment.

A Tale of Two Brothers: Jake’s Story

Paul encouraged Timothy to not “let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12 NIV)

In the following story, Jake* has modelled for me, a 30-some year-old believer, what it means to simply trust and obey the Lord as he provides opportunities to share the gospel.

Jake’s older brother, in turn, had earlier set an example for him by leading students through a simple explanation of the gospel in the schools he attended. Now, Jake is following in his brother’s footsteps, continuing to teach fellow students.

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“The Stranger” as an Intro Bible course at a Chinese international school

Students in classroom We recently received an email from a school principal. He asked several questions about our tools but he also shared how his school has been using our resources.

He writes, “I have enjoyed reading and teaching The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus. We use the book in an ‘Intro’ course for students at our international school in China! For several years now, we have been purchasing copies of The Stranger in three languages.”

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The simple, unassuming and authoritative nature of the book changed my life

A while ago, we received an email from Hayden* who lives Down Under in Australia. His story was a good reminder of two important factors in our outreach with others. First, our testimony in a community really does have an impact—for better or for worse. Second, we were reminded that simply giving a book away can also make a big difference in a person’s life.

Hayden shared how he had grown up attending church with his family, one of the few in his small community. While he was taught a lot about the Bible, he found himself ultimately rejecting God’s Word based upon what he saw in the lives of his fellow church members.

“I didn’t see the face of Christ in that place and the fruitlessness—in both numbers and maturity—was very confusing.”

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Time was running out

time running out Recently, Nora* sent us an email. It began with:

“Hi there. One of your staff members visited us some time ago and left behind some of the GoodSeed resources so we could purchase them. I bought a copy of The Lamb to help me minister to my sister-in-law.”

Nora’s sister-in-law, Lucy,* knew very little about the Bible’s message because of a mental disability. At 63 years of age, without the ability to read or learn most things for herself, her childlike mind had kept her seemingly isolated from this most essential message. Nora had struggled to think of a way to reach out to this precious family member.

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Christ becomes real to a Chinese atheist

This is Lien’s testimony which was originally published in her church’s newsletter. We have edited it for brevity.

The Bible says that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:4-5 NKJV). My name is Lien,* and up until just a few years ago, this verse made no sense to me as a young Chinese atheist.

Growing up in China without God

I grew up in Beijing, one of the biggest and busiest cities in the world. I had seen people going into temples and giving money to idols, wishing for good fortune. I had grown tired of people saying, “Be good” so that we could come back in the next life with good fortune. I had also heard about western religions from movies and books. These left me with the general impression that only good people can go to Heaven. I considered religion to be nothing more than a man-created tool to manage society and to advocate for morality. At the time, I did not consider the more important question, namely, what is morality derived from?

I also thought that religious people were bribing their way into Heaven by giving money to the poor people, doing good works and, in some cases, not eating meat or getting married. This kind of thinking never made sense to me. None of my family members were religious and so I did not grow up believing that there was a God.

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Please don’t go to the Bible study!

Pharmacy Some years ago, Kathy* was puttering around in the garden one afternoon when a couple on the sidewalk approached her. In the conversation that ensued, the two strangers quoted some Scripture verses. Kathy was excited. For some time, she had been longing to learn more about God but she didn’t have a clue where or how to get more information. Now, here were two people who were willing to share about the Bible!

Upon their return visit, Kathy invited the couple into her home and had a long conversation with them. She was keen to learn more and enjoyed the time together so much that she invited them over for a third visit. On that occasion, the couple invited Kathy to a Bible study.

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“The Lamb” for my father-in-law

Aileen’s* father-in-law, George, had been in a nursing home for some time. As his health progressively failed, the time came when Aileen learned that he didn’t have much longer to live. Though her family had prayed for George’s salvation for many years, he had never been open to the gospel. Aileen prayerfully decided to take a copy of The Lamb with her as she went to visit him.

Day after day, as Aileen sat at George’s bedside, she read the book aloud. He listened intently and gazed at the colourful pictures through rheumy eyes. Carefully he pondered the questions at the end of each chapter and answered them quietly but clearly. By the end, Aileen watched as George softened to the message of hope offered in this simple book, and she was certain he believed. What a relief to know her father-in-law was saved! At times George was too sleepy or weak to interact, so she spent that time visiting other residents, reading The Lamb to them.

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