The Surprising Invitation

“If I were to invite my neighbors to my home, would you be willing to come tell them how to become Christians?”

I could hardly believe my ears! I had never before nor have I since received an invitation to share the gospel quite like that. It came from Pat, who served as a janitor at the Thai church I helped to plant several years earlier. She was from a small village in the foothills just outside of town.

Months earlier Pat surprised us by saying that she loved Christians and wished she could be one. “You can!” I responded enthusiastically. It seemed too good to be true—a Buddhist woman from one of the most challenging places for the gospel wanted to become a Christian!

“No,” she laughed. “It’s impossible for me to be a Christian.”

“Yes, you can be a Christian,” I insisted. “It happens in your heart. You can choose to give your life to Jesus and follow His ways. He forgives your sins. He lives in you. That is what it means to be a Christian.”

Pat told me I didn’t understand the challenges of becoming a Christian in her village and it was impossible for her to be a Christian.

Every now and then Pat mentioned her desire to be a Christian, but no matter how hard I tried to convince her otherwise, she held strongly to her belief that it was not possible for her. I didn’t fully realize the pressures of the village and its leaders, but we prayed for Pat’s salvation regularly.

Then one day Pat came to me with her surprising offer. She wanted to try to gather several of her close neighbors so Janie, my wife, and I could teach them how to become Christians. Then perhaps they could agree to become Christians as a group. That, she believed, would make it possible for them to live as Christians in her village.

Over several years of weekly meetings in Pat’s home, many became Christ followers despite incredible challenges. Currently an after-school center is regularly teeming with children, and a church is developing.

- Mark Durene

Change The Map founder

Excerpt adapted from Mark’s book, Change the Map

THE BOOK IS AVAILABLE HERE