Sharing a True Gospel

Sharing a True Gospel

  Thursday, November 10, 2016 at 5:43 PM    Darren Lo

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This past summer, I (Timothy) had the opportunity to go to East Asia for five weeks to spread the gospel. In the process, I learned so much about God, evangelism, and myself. I went with a team of 15 other college students, and I believe that God sent each member of our team to East Asia with a unique purpose.

On a daily basis in East Asia, our team went to a Chinese language class at one of the local universities for two hours in the morning. Then, for the rest of the day, we had time to engage the local university students in conversations that would lead us towards the Gospel. It was through these conversations that I got to see God’s loving nature for all of His creation.

There were definitely struggles that our team went through, both physical and mental. Personally, living in a completely foreign environment for five weeks wore me out more than I thought it would. The weather was always hot and humid, some of the food led to stomach problems, and worst of all, we had to squat to use all the public toilets. Despite these physical hardships, I believe that the trip wouldn’t have been the same without them. The unfamiliarity of East Asia ultimately led to a realization of how different our cultures were, and how the Spirit works in East Asia regardless.

During the trip, my whole concept of evangelism was changed. Looking back at my idea of evangelism before the trip, I realized that I had often been compelled to share the “prosperity Gospel”, in which I told people that they should form a relationship with God for the sole reason that it will make your life better. During the trip, I learned that this type of evangelism gives people an incomplete picture of life with God, and gives false promises of what being a believer entails. True evangelism involves informing the person that they are sinful, and that they are headed towards eternal Hell if they choose life separate from God. Simply believing in the name of Jesus and “accepting him into your heart” once does not signify a relationship with Him. Recognizing this allowed me to leave East Asia with no regrets, knowing that I had told these students the whole message of the true Gospel.

Going to East Asia was an awesome way to experience a different culture. There were so many students there that were eager to talk to English speaking people. I remember the first students that I encountered to wanted to talk to me because of their upcoming English test! It was so encouraging to see the friendliness that the students in East Asia showed our team. We would approach random students and pretty much ask them to be our friends. Very often, they would be glad to exchange contact info with us and even treat us to a meal!

I don’t think that anyone on my team can say that they regretted going to East Asia for missions. God used this trip to teach us all different things. I can personally say that my life was changed, and I’m positive that everyone else on my team would say the same! Taking one summer or winter break off to go on missions is definitely a worthwhile experience, and I would encourage all of you to consider it!

-Timothy