Endel Lee says a phrase from Acts 16:14 has new meaning for him after his
experience at the Olympics.
Endel Lee says a phrase from Acts 16:14 has new meaning for him after his
experience at the Olympics.
“And the Lord opened her heart to the gospel,” the biblical passage
notes.
That is exactly what happened in one instance as Lee and 20 students and faculty
members from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary spoke with hundreds of
people during an Olympic mission trip.
“It (Greece) was a very difficult place to share the gospel,” said
Lee, assistant professor of preaching and pastoral ministry at the seminarys
Leavell College.
“The hearts of the people – for many at least – were just not
open to listen to us. Usually, within a few moments of talking with someone,
you would have a sense whether or not they wanted to continue.”
In spite of resistance, Lee said the team saw at least three people make professions
of faith in Jesus Christ.
One of the hearts God opened to the gospel belongs to Angela, a young Greek
woman from Cyprus, Lee noted. She went to Athens as a volunteer Olympic worker.
A Christian working with the missions group who spoke some Greek began talking
with Angela and her friend Stella while he was reading the Greek New Testament.
The two women were intrigued because he was reading the Bible in their language.
After talking with him, they asked him to write a message in a journal they
were keeping to record the thoughts of Olympic spectators. He signed the journal
– writing that God had a plan for each of their lives. He included Scripture
references and gave each woman a Greek New Testament.
Lee reported that Angelas heart immediately was open to God. He said
he watched from a short distance as she heard the gospel and prayed to receive
Christ. “It was evident what was happening to Angela, …” Lee said.
“You could see it in her eyes.”
Lee and others quickly began the follow-up process with Angela, guiding her
to the first steps of Christian discipleship. Lee said the event was a display
of Gods glory.
Meanwhile, Stella also heard the gospel, but she was not ready to accept it,
he noted. Nevertheless, Lee said the team remained faithful in sharing Gods
message, learning to leave the results to him.
The team had planned to focus primarily on ministry aimed at Olympic fans using
a sports-based strategy, but their contacts in Greece preferred for them to
focus on reaching Greeks. Lee said the team had to adapt quickly to the change.
Team members conducted surveys in areas of Athens that had not been penetrated
with an evangelical Christian witness.
The team did find some success with sports-based ministry during two trips
to the beach. However, many of their most meaningful encounters happened on
the buses and subways of Athens, Lee said.
The team faced some challenges during the trip, he added. Along with resistance
to the gospel, the group endured extremely hot temperatures. Coupled with long
days, the heat sapped the strength of team members, Lee noted. The group was
up by 7:45 a.m. for morning devotions most days and out as late as midnight
many nights sharing with as many people as possible.
“The Greeks come out in the late evening; … thats when they eat
supper,” Lee said. “They are out in the streets doing their shopping
and being in the community; … thats when we needed to be there.”
Lee said the trip was a great learning experience for the students, who came
away with a greater respect for the work of missionaries, as well as with many
valuable lessons in personal witnessing.
“What we expect of our career foreign missionaries is really a tremendous
challenge,” he said. “The sacrifice they make is something we take
for granted.”
After the team arrived back at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New
Orleans, Lee took one more moment to teach the group. The team had flown across
the world in a day with little chance for their morning devotion. Thus, Lee
pulled the group together and challenged each one to share the gospel at home
faithfully.
“As challenging as the trip has been, if you can share the gospel in this
context (Athens), why in the world would you come back and not do it here?”
he told the students. “The mission field does not end when you step off
the plane. … We only step into another portion of the uttermost parts of the
world.” (BP)