We met Charles, a young man struggling with homosexuality. A stranger named Richard showed up at the PERFECT time to tell us that he's a born-again Christian, and that God saved him from 25 years of the homosexual lifestyle and he's been following Christ as a heterosexual for 7 years. He prayed for Charles on the spot!
So just about everyone knows how I feel about ministering in the subways: it’s FANTASTIC!
I’ve GOT TO share the amazing thing God did…
In the photo to the right, my friend Wes is in the middle. He approached Charles, the man on the left, and struck up a gospel conversation.
I got in on the conversation too, and Charles let a number of trains go by to continue to talk to us. Charles is a 30-year-old young man who believes he is a homosexual. He grew up in a very legalistic and heavy-handed home.
Charles told us that when he was 12-years-old, his own mother, along with his Pastor, told him that there was no chance that he could be saved. He was 100% going to Hell and that was that.
Wes and I told Charles that until you’re dead, there’s always hope! Jesus can help us through any sin.
We told Charles that he is not defined by his sexual urges, whether homosexual, or heterosexual. We told him that heterosexuals struggle with sexual temptation too, but God expects us to not act out on our urges, and He provides the strength and ability through His Holy Spirit if we’re saved.
So we explained salvation to Charles and he appears to be a true follower of Jesus. But he’s hurting from being told the lie that he can’t help it but be homosexual and can’t help it but go to Hell.
Here’s where it gets AMAZING!
A man had been eavesdropping in on our conversation. He pulled me aside and told me that his name is Richard, he is a born-again Christian, he loved what we were saying to Charles, and that he was a homosexual for 25 years, but 7 years ago God saved him and delivered him from homosexuality!
What are the chances of this happening? This is an amazing “Divine Appointment” if ever there were one! Had Richard shown up 10 minutes earlier, or 10 minutes later, we would have missed him. The Boston Subway System is a big place. Had he sat at a different bench, or gone to a different train, this meeting wouldn’t have happened. But God sent Richard to talk to Charles!
Wes and I sat back in wonderment as Richard ministered to Charles. Two strangers God put together in the subway. Richard was the PERFECT person to speak the truth to Charles. Richard told Charles that God can save him from homosexuality, because Jesus had done it for him. Richard exhorted Charles to follow Christ completely, to read his Bible regularly with faith, and to resist the lies that there’s no hope. He literally put his hands on Charles and prayed over him a prayer of freedom! Wes and I were crying, it was so beautiful (you can see Wes looking emotional in the photo.) Charles was crying too. So was Richard. And I was too.
Richard had us all hold hands in a circle and right there, in the subway system of Boston, we had a group prayer time and lifted the name of Jesus! It was one of the most special things I have ever experienced and reminded me powerfully of why we go to where the unsaved are to bring the gospel to them.
Charles gave Wes and I his phone number and email address and we contacted him immediately. Charles has already gotten back to us! Charles wrote:
It was a divine experience and fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ and each other and I truly look forward to doing it again and again and again and I told you I haven’t been to church in about 12 years because of how much it hurt me about the way they treated me, and condemned me so I thank Jesus Christ for u and for today and may we grow in the Lord together and fellowship more often!!!!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 In Jesus name amen my friend!!!! 🙂
Please pray for Charles that we’ll be able to help him find a good, solid, healthy, Bible-teaching, loving church home. Please pray that God will build him up in the faith and deliver him from homosexuality and anything else entangling his walk with Christ. Please praise God for sending him our way, and for sending Richard at the PERFECT time!
I’m so excited!!!
Thank you for your prayers, notes of encouragement, and financial support. Without all of those, we could not be reaching the lost for Jesus Christ!
Please feel free to share this with others you think would be encouraged by it!
all for Jesus,
Mark (and family)
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