Evangelism Augustine Style

After yesterday's great sermon by Pastor Paul on evangelism, I thought how great it is to think about our amazing God who is drawing our friends that don't know Him.

Saint Augustin was very instrumental in his lifetime as he served as a leader of the church in northern Africa. For the first thirty years he lived a life of sin in rebellion to God. But throughout his journey to Faith God used several close friends to plant seeds of the Gospel. But it was in a garden one afternoon where he recorded the events that lead to Faith in Christ.

There was a small garden attached to the house where we lodged… I now found myself driven by the tumult in my breast to take refuge in this garden, where no one could interrupt that fierce struggle in which I was my own contestant…. I was beside myself with madness that would bring me sanity. I was dying a death that would bring me life…. I was frantic, overcome by violent anger with myself for not accepting Your will and entering Your covenant…. I tore my hair and hammered my forehead with my fists; I locked my fingers and hugged my knees….I was held back by mere trifles…. They plucked at my garment of flesh and whispered, “Are you going to dismiss us? From this moment we shall never be with you again, for ever and ever.”….I flung myself down beneath a fig tree and gave way to the tears which now streamed from my eyes…. In my misery I kept crying, “How long shall I go on saying ‘tomorrow, tomorrow’? Why not now? Why not make an end of my ugly sins at this moment?”….All at once I heard the singsong voice of a boy or a girl I cannot say, but again and again it repeated the refrain “Take it and read, take it and read.” …. So I hurried back to the place where Alypius was sitting…. Seized [the book of Paul’s Epistles] and opened it, and in silence I read the first passage on which my eyes fell: “Not in reveling and drunkenness, not in lust and wantonness, not in quarrels and rivalries. Rather, arm yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ; spend no more thought on nature and nature’s appetites.” (Romans 13:13-14). I had no wish to read more and no need to do so. For in an instant, as I came to the end of the sentence, it was as though the light of confidence flooded into my heart and all the darkness of doubt was dispelled. (Confessions VIII)

From that day Augustine's life was changed. His conversion did not happen over night and God used several people to relationally build friendships that were stepping stones to Faith in Christ. Be encouraged that your friendships with others, as you live out the Gospel through the power of the Spirit, will result in the scene in Revelation 7:9-10:

After this I looked, and behold, ^a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb,^ clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

It's for God's Glory!