Step of faith - Chris Gadd's experience as an evangelist

The Lord used a simple gospel tract to save me back in the early 1980s. Shortly after my conversion, my wife Linda also came to trust in Christ as her Saviour.

As time went by the Lord began to give me a real burden for the souls of people that lived around me — people who were not hearing the gospel and who needed to be saved. I remember praying, ‘Lord, if it’s your will, send me to them’. I started a prayer meeting with a brother from our church who felt the same — to seek the Lord in this matter.

In God’s providence I was given a book which introduced me to the mission and work of Home Evangelism (formerly known as the CCA, the Christian Colporteur Association). This was the beginning of ten years of service in which the Lord used me to take his glorious gospel to people in their homes.

Made redundant

In September 2005 we were (along with several other staff evangelists) made redundant by the Mission owing to financial difficulties. What were we to do? Did the Lord want the work to end? Should we seek other avenues of service or secular work?

Proverbs 3.5&6 were very much with us at this time and as we prayed and asked others to pray, the Lord begin to make his will known to us. Our Bible readings, letters and telephone calls from Christian friends were all saying the same thing — continue in the work that God has given us to do, trust in him to lead and provide.

God’s enabling

The Lord enabled us to do just that and with the prayers and help of church leaders and Christian friends, we began the work of Somerset Gospel Outreach on October 1 2005.

Door-to-door evangelism, open-air preaching and the distribution of good evangelistic literature are the main ways in which I seek to take the gospel to people in Somerset. Where possible I seek to work with and alongside conservative evangelical churches to help and encourage them in obeying the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ. One of the real encouragements is that believers have felt called to work with me and we have a team of open-air preachers and door-to-door evangelists. Visiting is also done in villages where there is no evangelistic witness, but where there are people who need to hear the gospel.

We have seen the Lord’s hand at work in people’s lives, souls have been saved, backsliders helped and people encouraged to read God’s Word.

Two stories

One gentleman had been seriously involved with the Jehovah’s Witnesses. I remember asking him on my first visit to his home if he knew whether his sins were forgiven and that he had peace with God. He couldn’t answer that question and became very uneasy as I explained the serious difference between religion and salvation. However, he kept listening and also asked questions. At the end of this initial visit he was very concerned and admitted that what I had said to him was completely different to what he had been taught. He also took, and promised to read, a copy of John Blanchard’s Ultimate Questions, along with a gospel tract and church leaflet.

A few days later, I received a telephone call from the pastor of the church that I was working with to say that this man had contacted him and that he wanted to have a Bible and another visit. The Lord really seemed to be at work in his life. He told me on that second visit that the literature had really spoken to him, and he asked for further visits.

After several more calls to him, which gave further opportunities to point him to the Lord, he told me that he had stopped meeting with the JWs because he no longer believed that they taught the truth. They did send elders to try to persuade him otherwise but he sent them away. He also told me that he had terminal cancer.

Over the next few months his health deteriorated rapidly, with spells in hospital.

I will always remember my last visit to his home. Although by now very sick and weak, he wanted to see me. As I went into his bedroom I was very surprised to see him smiling and happy with his Bible and Bible notes open in front of him. The reason for his happiness and joy was that he had come to know and trust in the Saviour. He talked much about the Lord Jesus that day in a personal way, rejoicing in the One who is the Truth. This was the last time that I saw him in this world, as shortly after the Lord took him home.

Backslider

Another man was in a very backslidden state. He welcomed my call to his home but was very downcast. He opened up to me and told me that he had been converted while in prison and had been advised to find and join an evangelical church on his release, which he did. However, very sadly, owing to his past crimes, some folk in the church resented his being there and he felt it best to leave. I sought to comfort him by assuring him that God had forgiven him through Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary, and that if he wanted to he could come along to the chapel from which I was visiting and would receive a warm welcome.

One of the leaders of the chapel also made contact with him, inviting him to a service. He came along and was made very welcome and from that day attended services and meetings regularly, becoming a real help to the fellowship.

Faithful God

Deputation meetings have also been helpful and given opportunities to share about the work with churches throughout the country.

Deuteronomy 7.9 says, ‘Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God.’ And over the past 16 months we have wonderfully seen and experienced his faithfulness. As an itinerant evangelist, the Lord has provided for us as a family and also for the ministry enabling this vital work of witness to continue.

Do pray for us and feel free to contact us on 01458 442128.