There is a great battle within our hearts when we are confronted with our sin and the Gospel of Christ. In the story below, you will read about a man who cried out, “I’m sorry Lord!” after hearing how loving and forgiving Christ is to a sinner like himself. Pastor Alexander shared the Gospel with this man. He desires to see people leave their sins behind and follow Christ. He shared from his heart that night. The next day he felt compelled to find a large-print Bible for the man to read. Alexander sacrificed his time to deliver this Bible personally and pointed him to a church that would welcome him when he was ready to come.
That’s where the battle rages. This broken man has now heard the Gospel. He feels the sorrow and wants a new life. But the temptations of alcoholism and drunkenness so often take over and can lead one astray. The battle within his heart is real. Victory can only be found in Christ. Please pray for this man as he is fighting on the front lines. It’s life or death. Also pray for Alexander, an SGA-supported missionary pastor, whose heart is burdened for sinners, that he may witness the victory!
From pastor Alexander in Central Asia:
“While being at a missiology class in the evening, afterward I went about my business. It was a dark and cool evening. A man about 60 years old came up to me … smelled bad, had a black eye, and asked for money. He did not hide what he was asking for—a drink, referring to the fact that he felt very bad. During the conversation, he told me that his name was Alexander, that his drinking buddy had stolen money from him and now he was drunk. I explained my position that if I gave him money for a drink, I would push him to hell. I asked the man, “where would you go if you drank and died today?” He clearly understood where I was going. My testimony of a loving and forgiving Christ was very vivid. I offered to pray for him, and Alexander agreed.
I prayed out loud on the street, calling on Christ to touch Alexander’s heart. During the prayer he cried and shouted out loudly that he was sorry to God. Next, I offered to buy him some groceries and we walked toward the store. All along the road, I was telling him how God can transform his life. He repeated one phrase several times: “no one had ever spoken so simply and clearly to me.” I went to the store and bought groceries; there I asked for a pen and a piece of paper and wrote my phone number at his request. After giving him the groceries, I prayed for him for the second time, that trusting in Christ Alexander would leave his sins and follow Him, he repeated several times: “I’m sorry, Lord.” He promised that he would not drink and went home to have dinner. I recommended reading the Word of God so that he would have strength to resist sin. Alexander said that he had the Bible and the New Testament at home, but because of his poor eyesight he could not read it.
The next day I found a large-print Bible at Minsk Theological Seminary. I called Alexander and we met. He was happy to meet me and thanked me for his testimony and for the products. He had received the large print Bible and was very pleased. I took him and showed him where the Light of the Gospel Church was, and we said goodbye. He promised that we would meet again, and I would not recognize him— as he would be shaved, better dressed and ready to go to church.
My surprise was when I received a call a month later. The number of this man, Alexander, popped up on my cell phone. He thanked me for his words about Christ and said, “God sent you to me.” He told me that he reads the Gospels in large print, asked for forgiveness that he had not attended church yet, and that periodically the sin of drunkenness overtakes him. We agreed that we would meet soon and talk. I pray for Alexander’s repentance and coming to the Lord. Please pray for him, it is difficult for him to quit and give up alcohol, his soul wants to come to the Lord to knowledge, but it is difficult to leave sin.