|  |  | |  |   | | | The Chain of Evangelism Tina Taylor - South Florida Church - Thursday, May 10, 2001
 A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing with him the image of a cathedral."
-Antonine de Saint-Exupery
God is bringing to life the expression, "the chain of evangelism" here in Gainesville.
We all know the goal and purpose; one disciple makes another disciple who makes another and so on. But there is nothing more glorious then actually seeing God bring to life this vision and bless the faith of his disciples through bearing much fruit. In Acts 17:26 it says that God, "determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live." For Kimia Jackson it all began four years ago when she was baptized as a young teen in the South Florida Church of Christ in 1997. Two years later she moved to Gainesville to join the mission team as a freshman at the University of Florida. When the mission team first moved to Gainesville she was challenged to live out the example of Jesus that is seen in the parable of the man with leprosy in Mark 1:40-45. Jesus ministered to people not just through words, but through his desire to truly touch people by looking for ways to meet their spiritual and physical needs.
As we all began our new lives in Gainesville, we sought out ways to do just that each day. God had already begun to work long ago in the heart of another freshman, Lawana Benson, a nineteen-year-old pre-medical student. Four months into the spring semester God blessed the faith and continuous prayer of Kimia, as she was able to baptize her now good friend Lawana. The chain did not stop there. Lawana, determined and zealous in her evangelism, met and befriended Johnny Lamar, a freshman who happened to also hold a spot on the awesome Florida Gators football team. Johnny, eagerly went on to spread the news of his new life to his friend Tonya Person. After studying out the scriptures with the sisters, Tonya also made the decision to make Jesus Lord of her life only weeks after Johnny had made the same decision. As the story went on, Tonya met Dominique Brown. Dominique, bursting with eagerness, shared with Vernon Harris who was baptized two weeks after Dominique! Vernon later met Pabel Martin at the gym, and was able to baptize him at the March Madness campus retreat. Of course it did not stop there. Pabel, motivated by his love to help those close to him, shared his heart with close friend Juan Madera and helped baptize him the next month. When asked when he wanted to get baptized, Juan's reply was "yesterday!"
The story will not stop there! God is always at work in the hearts of people. Looking back almost two years later, many "chains" have begun from that simple desire to touch the lives of people. Matthew 18:14 says," In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost." God has shown us, and continues to show all of the disciples, that our hearts must be like Jesus when it comes to evangelism - full of love, faith, and willing to truly touch someone's life. | | |
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