“Meat.” It was the third time I wrote his name down on a sticky note and put it on the wall during an evangelism strategy leadership gathering. I was leading leaders to look for ways to celebrate the conversations the individuals of their church had with the lost about Jesus. The board was filled with orange sticky notes with the name of one lost person they were praying to reach.
ClampAs the individuals of the church began a conversation about Jesus, they would change the color of the sticky note to signify that they were in the process of making a new disciple. If the individual was baptized, it would change a third time. So I said, “Will someone pray that I have an opportunity to talk with Meat this week?” Be careful what you pray.
On Friday, I drove up to Rokeem’s home, who is practically my son, and Meat was sitting in the front yard. I had been praying for him for a month, and I called him over to the car. “We need to talk sometime,” I said. “Why not now?” he asked.
I got out of the car with my two young boys, Caden and Connor, and proceeded to tell him the story of Jesus. As I was sharing, I realized that this was the first time my sons had watched me share my faith and lead someone to Jesus. I was pleased to find out that Rokeem had already talked to him about Jesus a few weeks before and prayed with him! I shared with him that I had been praying for him. We prayed and talked about when he would be baptized. I stood and asked “What’s your real name?” He shook my hand and said, “Demetrious.”
Caden and Connor, who watched me share my faith, have now shared their faith with a friend at school. Mom and Dad, your children will do what you model for them. We are celebrating over a special trip to a wrestling match and a NASCAR race! I love boys.
If every Baptist took the responsibility for just ONE person a year and prayed ONE prayer for God to use them to reach the ONE, 3.6 million would have an opportunity to see, hear and respond to the whole gospel in South Carolina in less than a decade.
If you come to the South Carolina Convention Building in Columbia, you will see dozens of names our staff has written on sticky notes. The colors reveal with whom we have already started the conversation about Jesus. On one you will see “Meat.” Every sticky has a name and every name has a story. Become a part of their story and start the conversation. ONE prayer – ONE person.
– Clamp is evangelism group director for the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Follow Lee on twitter @leeclamp or on his blog at www.leeclamp.com.