INSIGHTS FROM THE LATE BILL BRIGHT
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Divine Encounter in Atlanta

Salvation has come to this home today (Luke 19:9, NLT).

Dear friends:

While in Atlanta, I stopped at a shopping mall to purchase a tie. The store manager offered his services, and while choosing a tie to match the suit I was wearing, I spoke to him about Jesus.

I explained to him that I was in town to meet with a number of Christian leaders to talk about ways to bring our nation back to God. Then I asked, "Are you a Christian?"

He said "No." I then asked him if he had ever considered becoming a Christian, and he said that he had.

I showed him the Four Spiritual Laws booklet. As I read through the booklet, I came to Law Four, which explains how to receive Christ and ends with this prayer: "Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be."

I asked, "Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?"

He assured me that it did, so I suggested that he pray it aloud, which he did. And as soon as he finished, I prayed for him.

Then I asked him if he knew where Christ was in relation to him. He assured me that Christ was now in his life. I went on to explain how, according to God's Word, he could not only have assurance of eternal life, but grow as a Christian. As is my practice, I obtained his address to send important follow up material.

It may seem unusually bold to witness to a store clerk, but the key is you must be led by the Spirit. I always ask God to use me, to make divine appointments, and He always does. He will for you too if you ask Him.

When we approach someone about Jesus, we do not know what is going on in that person's life. For all we know, this could be their last day on earth. They could die that night from an automobile accident, a heart attack, a sniper's bullet, or by suicide. You never know if you will be their last hope for eternity. Keeping that perspective will help us stay motivated to witness, and to be an instrument of our Lord, "to seek and to save that which was lost."

Yours for fulfilling the Great Commission each year until our Lord returns,

Bill Bright

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The late Dr. Bill Bright was Founder and President/Chairman Emeritus of Campus Crusade for Christ, an organization which began as a campus ministry in 1951 and now has more than 27,000 full-time staff and up to 500,000 trained volunteer staff in 196 countries in areas representing 99.6 percent of the world's population. In the past 50 years, Campus Crusade for Christ has seen approximately 6 billion exposures to the gospel worldwide. The film, "JESUS," which Bright conceived and funded through Campus Crusade for Christ, is the most widely translated and viewed film of any type ever produced. Since its use began in 1980, the film has been translated into 839 languages and viewed or listened to by over 5.7 billion people in 228 countries. Dr. Bright was also the author of more than fifty books. Dr. Bright recently co-founded Global Pastors Network to "Touch, Teach and Train" a group of 5 million new house churches around the world 24/7/365 at http://www.globalpastorsnetwork.org.

Copyright (c) 2003, Bill Bright. All rights reserved. However, readers may copy and distribute this message as desired, without restrictions in number, as long as the content is not altered. Forwarding this e-mail to friends is encouraged. For many evangelistic and spiritual growth materials, visit the Campus Crusade for Christ Web site at http://www.ccci.org. See http://www.campuscrusade.org for Bill Bright's own materials.