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Oreo Cookies
As one who is deeply concerned about reaching the lost evangelistically, I am always looking for opportunities to present Jesus to anyone ready to hear. In Ephesians 4:11,12, we read “and he gave some apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelist; and some pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…” I know my gift is that of an evangelist. Webster’s dictionary defines evangelism as the act of helping someone make a decision to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Late one summer day, I was driving to an area of apartments in Atlanta where my family had lived when we first moved to Georgia. It was now basically the inner city projects. I saw two young women pushing strollers with three or four kids walking alongside. I quickly looked in the backseat of my car to see if there’s anything there I could use as a witnessing tool. All I had was a bag of Oreo cookies. (Everyone needs to carry around bags of Oreos, especially have a lot of grandkids!) I parked my car, got the Oreos out, and approached the two women.
I introduced myself, explaining that I was an evangelist; that I asked for permission to tell their children about Jesus. I got down on one knee and started talking to the children about what God had allowed Jesus to do on the cross of Calvary. I use Oreo cookies as an example of the free gift of salvation given to us because of what Jesus did. I continue explaining to them that no one is good enough to get into heaven just by being told that they can’t do anything to earn their salvation or place in heaven. They have to receive that Jesus wanted to give them, the gift of heaven and salvation, just like they were about to receive the free gift of Oreos I was about to give them. I paid for the cookies that I would give them freely to those who would accept or receive my gift. I went on to explain that the only thing we have to do to receive the love of Jesus and his free gift of eternal life is to ask Jesus to come into our hearts. Then I asked them who would like to invite Jesus to come and live in their hearts and have me help them pray the simple prayer. All the children raised their hands and so did both mothers. I pray with all of them to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Now the gospel is free to anyone who wants Jesus in their hearts. However, there are times when it will cost us personally, either in time or money or effort, and this was one of those times. School was about to start in a few weeks, I asked the moms if there was a need to provide school supplies for all their kids that were in school. I humbly ask one of the ladies if she would trust me with her phone number so that I could bring school supplies to their kids. I also asked if she could be willing to ask others to come listen to me talk about Jesus; each would receive school supplies. She gave me her phone number. Next week I called her on my way to purchase school supplies. I just need to know how many kids she thought would be there when I came to share the gospel.
What she said next was amazing. She had up to 75 children who would be starting school and all were in need of paper, pencils, and everything necessary for schoolwork! I immediately thought, “no problem for my God,” remembering Luke 1:37 which tells us nothing is impossible for God. I called one of my main donors and told him of our dilemma. He responded with overwhelming love and said that he would drop a check in the mail to B2N immediately. Then he made an incredible statement of faith: “let’s dream big for not only this event but for other outreaches.”
The day arrived. I brought 100 books filled with all necessary school supplies. We cooked hotdogs and fed those children in the backyard of the apartments, many adults came also. I gave a simple message about Jesus, but I said it loudly so that anyone within earshot of my voice who wanted to receive Jesus could also respond. I then asked for a show of hands from those who would like to ask Jesus to be their Lord and Savior. I heard screen door swing open and saw hands sticking out of the doors and windows of many apartments. On that day, close to 100 people put their faith and trust in Jesus as their Lord, simply by my being available and using what I originally had with me, a bag of Oreo cookies!
Through follow-up visits and much love and encouragement, our contact person in those apartments took a step of faith and found a job. She eventually got off welfare, became an assistant manager at her local McDonald’s restaurant, and was able to buy a small house. What a a wonderful example of the free gift God has given to us all through Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection!
