What would you say?

What would you say?









In the 1997 movie, The Apostle, Pentecostal pastor Sonny Dewey happens upon a car accident. Taking his Bible with him, he approaches one of the cars and finds an apparently dead young woman and a dying young man. Sonny tells the young man that it looks like it is too late for his companion and that he might be slipping away as they speak. He says that Jesus is waiting so that, whether he lives or dies, he can have eternal life in heaven. He asks him if he wants that. The young man nods in assent. Sonny asks him if he is ready to follow Jesus for the rest of his life, whether his life were to last for years or just for a few minutes. The young man again nods in acknowledgement of acceptance of Jesus Christ into his heart. Just before Sonny leaves the scene, the young man whispers, "thank you sir". Sonny says, "dont thank me, son, thank Jesus Christ". It is a powerful moment in the film.

Have you ever thought about what you would say to an unbeliever in a situation where you had a short time to tell them about Jesus Christ?

Before continuing, I want to share an experience with you. Several years ago I was flying with a copilot who apparently was not a believer and/or follower of Jesus Christ. We were on a 3 hour flight and I had some time to share the Gospel with him. However, after I got home and for the next week, I thought about what I would say if I only had a short time to share my Christian faith. A few weeks later, I was going to lead a devotion at the mid-week prayer service at our church. I wasnt sure what to talk about and a few days before the service I had a dream. In the dream, I was in a building that was about to collapse. As I was going down the stairs, I came across a man who was trapped by debris. He was dying and he knew it. I tried to get him out of the debris, but it was no use. The man told me to save myself and get out of the building. Out of desperation, I could only think of one thing to do, and that was to share my faith with the dying man. I asked him if he knew about Jesus Christ, and he said he was not sure. I chose to tell him four things:

1) John 3:16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
2) Romans 3:23. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
3) Romans 6:23. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
4) Romans 10:9. If thou shalt confess the Lord Jesus Christ with your mouth, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

In my dream, I then asked the man if he understood these things and would he like to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. He said yes. I then just told him to tell God that you want to do this. The man prayed and accepted Jesus into his heart. In my dream at this point the man disappeared and I ran down the stairs and got out of the building just in time to see it collapse. After I had this dream, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt what I needed to talk about at the prayer service. I called it the "One Minute Gospel".

There are many ways to tell the basic facts of the Gospel to an unbeliever; but the important thing is to be ready to tell someone about Jesus in a short period, if necessary. We are all aware that we dont know when a crisis may strike in our lives and God may use any of us to share His message of good news with others. It may be that one day, you are the one who passes by a car wreck and has the opportunity to share the Gospel on short notice. So, what would you say?

Blessings!
George