In your garden for a barbecue

When the relation of trust is established, it is important to be attentive to what God will do because it can allow circumstances to share your faith. It is clear that God has his time, that he adds appointments in his agenda for so-and-so. It is he who organizes these divine meetings. It's up to us to be available, to be at your disposal when it's time to bring the gospel to a person.

Ananias knew how to make himself available to pray for Saul of Tarsus. Philip knew how to obey the voice of the Spirit and let himself be guided to approach an Ethiopian eunuch. Peter agreed to go to the Roman centurion named Cornelius. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus had no difficulty in going from the natural level to the spiritual level. He knew how to switch a discussion to the spiritual.

One of the modern methods of evangelism that is bearing fruit today is "barbecue evangelism". It consists of organizing friendship meals during which Christians invite their friends, neighbors and colleagues. All people are not ready to set foot in a church, but they will enjoy going to a country meal where the atmosphere is relaxed. I remember a man who laid his wife every week at the door of our church and left immediately.

One day, with the members of the assembly, we organized a barbecue. Every Christian could invite his friends. To my surprise, the man came. It was a revelation for him : we were normal people, able to eat merguez and chops and especially to talk about something other than "our gospel". As usual, we prayed before the meal. We sang some hymns. Suddenly, I noticed that the man was crying. The following Sunday he was in church. A few months later, I had the joy of baptizing him. This "barbecue evangelization", so ungenerous in the eyes of some, had brought a soul to Christ.

Jeremy Sourdril