Blessings Church!
Today’s blog was written over three years ago in January 2023. I want to reshare it with an update at the end. Please bear with me if this seems lengthy. I have boldened the original blog.
Today a man entered the church named Alex. This man has a major addiction to drugs. In fact, he has overdosed numerous times according to his own word.
I asked him does he know what the Gospel meant. He had no clue. This was my entrance to share with him. Pastor Galvano and I were able to share the Gospel with him and warn him that death is the consequence of sin, but Jesus saves from this consequence. You could see in his eyes a desperate desire to change, but a fear to surrender.
Please keep this man in prayer. But I pose this question to you. Do you know what the gospel means?
Sometimes we assume those around us knows about God, but that is far from the truth. Most people do not know what Jesus has done for them. So I leave this passage with you as you continue into 2023.
Romans 10:14, “But how can they call on Him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about Him? And how can they hear without a preacher?”
I don’t care what our nation has been historically when it comes to its Christian roots. People today do not know the work of Jesus. You and I are God’s mouthpiece. So, if you have a hard time being that mouthpiece I leave you with two pieces of advice:
Can you explain what the gospel is? If not contact me, Pastor Galvano, or Bro Julio Negron and we can help you understand fully your salvation. When you are familiar with what Christ has done you will be comfortable to share both the bad news of sin and the good news of Jesus.
If you don’t know how to start a conversation start the way I did with Alex. Ask if they know the meaning of the term Gospel? Like I said before most people do not know the message of Jesus. This one question is just one of many ways to get a conversation started.
Finally, one last encouragement. God the Holy Spirit lives within you. Trust Him and be bold in your conversations. He will back you by giving you words to stand on.
Update: A few months ago, my brother reached out to me. He works in medical transportation and asked if I knew a woman he had been driving. At first, I couldn’t place her. But then he mentioned Alex.
Immediately, I remembered this was Alex’s mom, someone I had met briefly once before. How my name came up in their conversation, I’m not sure. But I do know this it was for the glory of God.
She went on to tell my brother that her son was deeply thankful for me. Through several conversations we had, he made the decision to leave Rochester and enter a treatment center in Buffalo to get clean. I knew he had gone, but I never heard anything after that.
Now I know the rest of the story.
He got clean. And not only that he’s now employed helping others who are struggling with addiction.
As you can imagine, my heart was overwhelmed with joy. But immediately, this Scripture came to mind:
Matthew 5:16 — “Let your light shine before others in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
In that moment, I realized something powerful. God was not only working in Alex’s life, but He was also revealing His work to my brother. A simple act of sharing the gospel became a testimony that extended beyond what I could see.
The sovereignty of God never ceases to amaze me.
So let this be an encouragement to you, church. Keep doing the good work. Share the Gospel! Not for recognition. Not for pride. But so that through your obedience, others may see and glorify your Father in heaven.
May our Lord keep you and bless you,
Pastor Luis Diaz