During our time in Utah, we had the opportunity to evangelize to members of the LDS faith, going from door to door. This experience was challenging for me in many ways. Originally, it was intimidating to think that I could knock on the door of someone I was almost guaranteed to disagree with and share the true Gospel with them. Thankfully, it became easier! Between the two days, my partner and I approached nearly a dozen doors to start spiritual conversations. However, we were only able to engage in about four longer-form conversations.
When we came to our last door, I approached and knocked. Immediately, I was met with a loud shout, “Go away, get out!” This startled my partner and I, and we intended to leave. However, the man inside began to yell again, telling us to come back. We were wary of staying, but I felt comfortable enough to continue. When the man, whom we will call Daniel, came to the door, I started the conversation by saying, “Hi, we’re Evangelical Christians from Georgia engaging in worldview conversations; would you be interested in talking with us?” He responded with a resounding yes, and so we launched into several questions with Daniel.
After around ten minutes of discussion, Daniel’s roommate came and stood with us. We will name him Josh. Originally, Josh told us he didn’t have time to discuss with us the topic of grace versus works-based salvation, but soon Josh became very interested. Once Josh began to speak his thoughts and opinions, he took over the conversation. Slowly, he became more aggressive with his language and imposed his ideas upon us, clearly trying to convince us that what we believed was false. Soon Josh escalated even more with his attitude and tone; accusations began, and he became stern with us. At this point, my partner and I knew the conversation needed to end soon, but the Spirit within me told me to trust Him for just a little longer.
I could expand more thoroughly on the details of the arguments Josh made and how he treated us, but ultimately, I learned this:
We are called to be ambassadors of Christ, boldly proclaiming the truth of the Gospel, even when met with hostility.
This experience showed me how much Gospel presentations really aren’t possible by my power. The Holy Spirit truly gave my partner and me the words, tone of voice, and posture to present to Josh and Daniel. Despite the difficulty of standing underneath aggressive scrutiny, God’s grace and power were truly evident to me. I was never afraid of any accusation Josh made to us and was able to stand confidently before him. Through this, I realized just how true God, Jesus, and the Bible really are and was able to accurately and clearly display the one true Gospel to others.
Because of this experience, I want to live the rest of my life in these two ways. First, trusting God deeply with the protection He gives to His children, knowing full well that He is capable of far more than I can imagine. Second, to continue to boldly proclaim the Gospel and give reasons for the hope that is within me. (1 Peter 3:15.)
Thank you so much for reading, and may the Lord continue to encourage you to boldly proclaim the Gospel wherever the Lord has placed you!
Cory Smith, Class of 2027
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