When the Unreached Becomes the One Reaching Out

On the outside, Todd might seem like a shrewd businessman. He lives in Asia where he is CEO of a very large construction company; he has a beautiful wife and two kids who excel in academia. He is well known and respected.

But in person, Todd is down-to-earth, personable and always looking for ways to help. His life was changed several years ago when his wife, Lisa, urgently called him at work.

“Meet me at home right away. I have something important to tell you,” she said.

He dropped everything and met her at home. Lisa had been learning about the Bible with Cru staff members in a parents’ ministry group at the international school, and had just joyously decided to follow Christ moments before. She told Todd what happened and walked through the 4 Spiritual Laws with him. He prayed and accepted Christ immediately.

Two days later, He and his wife met with Cru staff to do a follow-up where Todd already began to exude his passion for the gospel.

“I finished reading the New Testament yesterday and I was really amazed at how the Bible said we should go about doing our work,” Todd said.

“If the people in my industry would follow these biblical principles, it would completely transform the entire industry,” he said.

Todd had the right idea.

Todd began to share the gospel with his peers – other CEOs and even government officials.

He would have dinner with friends and say, “Hey guys something important has changed in my life,” and would explain his story and share a copy of the 4 Spiritual Laws with them.

Since it was coming from someone they knew and respected, the presentation of the gospel and their openness to hear it were natural. They would ask a lot of questions and ponder the message. Todd meets with these men regularly and it is an ongoing conversation for them.

These were people who may have gone unreached if it wasn’t for Todd.

Todd noticed there was another need, not among non-believers, but for people who had become believers in the international school community. He saw that they didn’t have good enough English to thrive at an English-speaking fellowship. He also noticed people were having a hard time feeling connected at a heart level because of the different worldviews in the international community, since most of them had lived abroad.

Todd decided to start a fellowship for those with a similar background. With the help of a Cru staff couple, he started a fellowship that met only once a month and allowed them to continue attending the international fellowship meetings.

A year later, Todd and Lisa’s children asked to be baptized. When asked why, the children said they see how completely different their parents are and wanted the same thing for themselves. They now have a weekly Bible study. Todd and his wife are continuing to grow and use their influence for Christ.

What can you do to influence the people around you?

Here are a few steps you can take:

• Step 1: Pray for the people you interact with in your work. Pray specifically for individuals and how you can impact them with the gospel. Pray for opportunities to share with them.
• Step 2: Seek out other believers and invite them to join you in praying for these people. Meet regularly to build each other in faith and share encouraging stories.
• Step 3: Start a Bible study or fellowship in your workplace or community. Meet once a month to read the Bible and discuss life together. This could be a way to invite others to join you to hear the gospel.