What happens after they say no?

Submitted by ausprouty on

What happens after they say no?

A friend of mine, Cam, recently told me what happened the first time someone invited him to a Christian youth group.

Cam was at boarding school and had grown up in a family where Christianity wasn't part of life.

So when a friend invited him to youth group, Cam gave him a very definite answer.

“No.”

In fact, it was more than a simple no. Cam told him that Christianity might be useful as a crutch for weak people, but he couldn't see any relevance in God for himself.

His friend walked away looking disappointed.

But something happened that his friend never knew about.

Within seconds, Cam began questioning his own answer.

How do I know there is no God?

Do I actually know enough to make that decision?

He realised that he wasn't making an informed decision at all. He was simply repeating what he had heard from other people.

Cam changed his mind almost immediately.

He decided, The next time someone gives me an opportunity to find out about God, I'm going to say yes.

But his friend never asked again.

Two and a half years later, when Cam was at university, someone else finally did.

This time Cam said yes.

That eventually led to him putting his faith in Jesus.

Cam describes that first conversation this way:

“That ten-second conversation changed my life.”

His friend probably thought the invitation had failed.

It hadn't.

I find that encouraging because we often have no idea what God is doing after a conversation ends.

Someone may say, “No.”

They may say, “I'm not interested.”

Or perhaps, “Maybe another time.”

Our responsibility isn't to make someone say yes. We can pray, care, take the initiative, and leave the results with God.

And sometimes we need to ask again.

That is one of the things we practise in MyFriends—walking alongside the people God has already placed in our lives, praying for them, noticing what God may be doing, and taking appropriate next steps.

If you would like some help doing that, I'd love to have you join us for the next MyFriends training.

If you have been thinking about joining us, there is still time to change your mind. Send me an email and I will send you the worksheet you need.

Let me pray with you.

Lord Jesus, thank You that You can continue working in someone's heart long after our conversation has finished. Give us courage to take the initiative, patience when someone says no, and wisdom to recognise when it may be time to ask again. Amen.

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P.S. Who do you think would be encouraged by this email?  Forward it to them and let them know they can walk alongside experienced cross-cultural evangelists by visiting: https://hereslife.com/encouragement

 (ChatGPT helped me organize Cam's story)