I cannot begin to explain how exciting the past few weeks has been as I have been ministering the Gospel here in Oakland, and how we have seen very clearly God answer prayer. Just a few weeks ago I was sharing the Gospel with Vu, a young man who is a structural engineer and navy reservist. It was during that conversation that he said to me, "Mike is sounds like everything I want, but my heart is just numb." I assured him that God promises to take our hearts of stone and turn them into hearts of flesh.
Vu and I had a few more conversations yet the confusion was still there, yet he continued to come to church and is a part of our family. It was during this time that I was having it out with God. Not just over Vu, but with all the people who I had been sharing the Gospel with, it seemed that God was not changing their hearts. And if my theology teaches me one thing it is that I am not responsible to change a persons heart, only God can do that. I was seriously wondering why God was not doing it.
Two Friday's ago we hosted a BBQ. At one point in the night I walked outside and found Vu by himself in our back yard. When I asked him what he was doing he said, "Mike, I am out here praying to my heavenly Father asking him to show me what I am supposed to do with my life. I want Jesus to guide me and direct me." I yelled at him and said Vu you sound like a Christian. He looked at me and said that he had surrendered and realized he cannot do it on his own.
The next night I was going out with Vu to celebrate our worship leader's birthday. When I got into his car on the floor was a John Piper book. I asked Vu how he heard of John Piper and he said he is a Minneapolis pastor. I told him I knew who John Piper was but I wanted to know how he found out. He told me that he went to the Christian book store and had been reading that book everyday at lunch! I told him he better cut it out or soon he was going to know more than I do.
At our visitor's dessert for All Nations that we hosted at our house that same Sunday, Vu, Lewis, and I talked about baptism. This Sunday Vu will be baptized. God has been faithful. The reason that we are ministering here in Oakland is to see those who have never been in church before in their life come to know Christ. Both Karin and I are so excited and thankful for what God has done and we anticipate that this is the beginning of many here in the Bay Area coming to know the Lord.
Vu and I had a few more conversations yet the confusion was still there, yet he continued to come to church and is a part of our family. It was during this time that I was having it out with God. Not just over Vu, but with all the people who I had been sharing the Gospel with, it seemed that God was not changing their hearts. And if my theology teaches me one thing it is that I am not responsible to change a persons heart, only God can do that. I was seriously wondering why God was not doing it.
Two Friday's ago we hosted a BBQ. At one point in the night I walked outside and found Vu by himself in our back yard. When I asked him what he was doing he said, "Mike, I am out here praying to my heavenly Father asking him to show me what I am supposed to do with my life. I want Jesus to guide me and direct me." I yelled at him and said Vu you sound like a Christian. He looked at me and said that he had surrendered and realized he cannot do it on his own.
The next night I was going out with Vu to celebrate our worship leader's birthday. When I got into his car on the floor was a John Piper book. I asked Vu how he heard of John Piper and he said he is a Minneapolis pastor. I told him I knew who John Piper was but I wanted to know how he found out. He told me that he went to the Christian book store and had been reading that book everyday at lunch! I told him he better cut it out or soon he was going to know more than I do.
At our visitor's dessert for All Nations that we hosted at our house that same Sunday, Vu, Lewis, and I talked about baptism. This Sunday Vu will be baptized. God has been faithful. The reason that we are ministering here in Oakland is to see those who have never been in church before in their life come to know Christ. Both Karin and I are so excited and thankful for what God has done and we anticipate that this is the beginning of many here in the Bay Area coming to know the Lord.
posted by michaelstevensrev at 3:46 PM
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