Articles, news and testimonies
When sharing the Good News of the Bible with aged parents or older friends, one of the challenges is that they simply can’t see the text of the book clearly enough. It’s for this reason that we have a large print edition of the The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus. The bigger text is a lot easier on the eyes. The pictures, charts and maps are larger too so anyone can read the book with ease.
Resources: The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus (Large Print Edition)
We recently received an email from someone who was taking the mandate to be an Ambassador for Christ very seriously. The first story in the email is about being proactive and offering to do a study with a friend. The second little story illustrates how God can use us when we (as individuals and as a church) are ready to share the Good News at any moment. Some encouragement for a Monday morning!
Editor’s note: Previously, we had shared Kaspar’s story on how he came to put his trust in Jesus. In this post, we present Alys’s* side of the story.
I grew up “religious” but have always felt an inner emptiness. I kept asking myself questions concerning the meaning of life. I couldn’t find satisfaction for my soul—neither in philosophical views nor in wealth and success.
During my school years I became friends with a Christian woman. For my birthday, she gave me a book entitled, Der Fremde auf dem Weg nach Emmaus (The Stranger on the road to Emmaus in German). At that time, the book did not really interest me, so I put it aside on a bookshelf and there it sat.
Continue reading “These healers used white and black magic for their treatment”
A testimony from Kaspar.* (Read the follow-up post from Alys.)
Ever since I was a child, I thought I was a Christian. I lived my life how I wanted, spent a lot of time at wild parties and did everything that I thought was fun. I thought I was living life to the fullest. All of this went “well” for a while, but when a long-term relationship broke down I began asking myself what the meaning of life really was. Nothing was fulfilling anymore. Initially, I didn’t find a satisfactory answer to these questions and so I was filled with a deep and cavernous void. Everything seemed pointless to me–having a family, going to work or making a lot of money. When my father became seriously ill I asked myself where he would go after his death. I did believe in a heaven and a hell, but I still couldn’t be really sure. I became ever more depressed and could even understand people who had committed suicide. Life made absolutely no sense.
Continue reading “I was filled with a deep and cavernous void”
Question:
Hi! I’m really thankful for The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus and how God is allowing us at our local church to make disciples. But I have a question: we are planning to do a VBS in June, and I’d like to offer follow-up classes for kids that are interested, and I’m wondering what material would be best? The ages would be 4th-6th graders (10-12 year olds) who are unchurched, with the exception of children from our weekly kids’ club, and I think the Lamb is just too “young” for them, but I’m afraid The Stranger would be too advanced for them. What would you suggest for that upper elementary/early junior high age?
Continue reading ““The Lamb” vs “The Stranger”. What should I teach as a follow-up to VBS?”
Editor’s note: This testimony came to us in French and has been translated into English.
I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour when I was 12 years old. At that time, I had recognized that I was a sinner—the deep desires of my heart were wicked and separated me from God. Thanks to Jesus Christ, I was reconciled to God.
After my conversion, I followed the Lord, not without struggle, until halfway through my sixteenth year. I knew that I needed God and His Word in my life, and yet, at the beginning of the summer of my sixteenth year, I decided to follow my own path, doing whatever I pleased. Upon telling the Lord what I intended to do, I opened a beer which I drank to celebrate the choice I had just made. I knew in my heart that this decision would continue long after the summer holidays. That was the beginning, until not so long ago, of a life filled with alcohol, drugs and sex. I abandoned the Lord for 25 years.
Continue reading “I walked away from God and celebrated with a beer”
We received an amazing call at our office just this past week from an 89 year old lady, Martha*. She wanted to order a few copies of “The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus”. She told us that she had just completed a long-distance study of the book with a friend. How did she accomplish this? Well, Martha and her friend would read a chapter on their own and then they would get on the phone with each other. Since Martha’s friend had better eyesight, she would read aloud the same chapter and the two of them would discuss it as a way to review the material. They did this routine over a number of weeks and finally they finished the book! Martha told us that her friend—who was not doing well spiritually—now had a much stronger foundation for her faith.
Here’s short but heartwarming story we received from Sheffield.
My husband and I lead the International Ministry at our church here in Sheffield. We reach those from other countries who have come to Sheffield to either study or live.
We are planning on using The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus with our group as part of our teaching plan. At the moment we have eight Internationals with us plus twelve people in our team.
(This post is part of our “Give away the gospel” series.)
We received a note from a parent on how her two children have a passion for sharing the gospel with their friends.
Our 4th grade daughter decided that she wanted to give The Lamb as a part of her Valentine’s to her classmates. We are not allowed to distribute these at our public school, so she plans to mail them. Our 7th grade son takes [copies of] The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus wherever he goes to give to his friends. There is no greater joy than when your own children walk in the truth!
—Caitlin*
We think we can learn so much about giving the Gospel from them. They use every opportunity to share the good news to people in their lives, even Valentine’s Day. Maybe we can pause to think how we can share the good news with those in our lives.
(*Names changed as per GoodSeed policy.)
Photo Credit: “I Love Apples” by Andrew Mitchell is licensed under CC BY 2.0
(This post is part of our “Give away the gospel” series.)
Lunar New Year is coming! Chinese, Vietnamese and Koreans in Australia, Canada, the US, Europe and, of course, in every corner of Asia, are getting ready to celebrate this major festival on the Lunar calendar.
If you were to visit a Chinese home during this season, you might find greetings and wishes in red and gold adorning the house, while pots of New Year plants and lanterns grace the entrances. Mandarin oranges would be carefully arranged in baskets alongside jars and trays of New Year goodies. The air would be filled with the aroma of pots of delicacies gently cooking in the kitchen. Occasionally, you might hear the booms and clangs of drums and cymbals of a passing lion dance troupe or the tunes of New Year music coming from a music player.
Continue reading “Give away the gospel during Lunar New Year!”