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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Evangelism (11/01/07)
I had an eerie dream one night. I dreamt that I was visiting a world fair in a huge auditorium. There were hundreds of booth, and each was colorfully decorated with a big banner above. People were gathering everywhere. Some had a bigger crowd while others had only a few.

I approached one with a larger crowd and looked up at their banner which wrote ‘Believe in Jesus and Your Sins Will Be Forgiven.” A hymn ‘whiter than snow, yes whiter than snow, now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow’ filled the air. Some were crying and some giving thanks out loud. In a loud speaker, someone in front was repeating the message that their burden will be no more, and inviting them to believe and be free. I asked a man standing at the back what he thought, and he said he had never so happy before.

It was indeed wonderful I thought to myself, remembering that I also had a similar experience when I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, that indescribable feeling of all the weight in my heart being lifted. I smiled and walked on by to a different booth, praying silently for those who came to this booth the first time may believe.

Another booth caught my attention with its awesome lighting. A choir sang out to the people with a message of no more tears in heaven and no more sickness, but only endless day and praise. The worship team led the people in an upbeat dance with uplift arms. Then a band started the song Rock of Salvation and some people were telling their friends that Jesus is the rock of salvation, the door to everlasting life, the way to find peace to God. ‘Amen, amen,’ his friend responded.

I walked on by to more booths. Some were doing a skit which attracted many teenagers, some were giving out free literatures, and one booth was trying to reach professionals while next to it gathered people who were laborers and factory workers. Another one people listened tentatively to an ongoing sermon, each nodding their head; further down people were bringing their friends and relatives to a booth with a great children service. There was even an area where people gathered for endless good food with joy and laughter.

All were very creative and outreached to all types of people, but as I passed by more, I felt something was missing in my heart, and so my eyes began to search around. At the front of the auditorium stood a booth, it was small and unattractive. Many passed by but only a few lingered behind. It had a table and on it was an opened Bible. I flipped through a few pages and some verses popped out to me, ‘For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’ And then my eyes flashed to another verse which said, ‘he must deny himself…take up his cross…’ Then my heart began to race as the pages started to flipped themselves to another verse, ‘anyone who does not give up everything he cannot be my disciple;’ What are these, what are these I asked myself as my eyes fell on yet another verse which says, ‘continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,’ then it flipped back to ‘not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven,’ and lastly it stopped on, ‘for I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.’

Then I looked up and saw its banner, it says ‘The Cost of Following Jesus.’ I stared as the music behind me started to fade, then I closed my eyes and confessed, ‘Dear Lord, please forgive me, how many times have I evangelized to others about your goodness but leave out your requirements; the confession and the repentance. You died on the cross for us; we ought to nail our sins on the cross also and be Christ-like. I pray that we may be completely true in our witness to others and tell the whole truth to them, for they do not come to believe in you through our effort but by your spirit, so that we may be blameless until we see you face to face. Amen.’
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This article has been read 790 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Beth LaBuff
11/14/07
You've very creatively woven your lesson into this story. You have a lot of detail to make the story come alive.

There are a couple words that I think I would change. PM me if you're interested.

I think you show a lot of promise as a writer. Your imagination speaks for itself! Nicely done.
Karen Wilber
11/14/07
Good message here. I like all the visual images in this story.