Opening the Word; opening the door to Jesus.
We sat down with Maggie, a Bible sharer in Wiltshire, to hear her wonderful story of seeing her neighbour and friend come to faith through reading The Word One to One together.
Thanks for joining us, Maggie! Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started with The Word One to One?
My husband and I have been Christians for a long time, for all our married life – a few years ago we moved here to Wiltshire, and then we went on holiday in Keswick where we heard Rico Tice speak one Sunday. In his sermon, he said, ‘Don’t think that you choose where you live; God put you there for a purpose, to tell those around you about the Lord and the gospel.’
That really challenged me, because the road we live on is full of people who are very well-off – and people who have got everything this world can offer often don’t respond very well to the gospel, because they don’t need anything. So when I got back, I tried really hard with our neighbours, and got absolutely nowhere except for one – she’s called Iris, she lives two doors down from us, and she was like a sponge to water. She really wanted to know more. So I took her to our church where she heard some good preaching, and soon I invited her to do The Word One to One with me.
“I tried really hard with our neighbours, and got absolutely nowhere except for one – she’s called Iris, she lives two doors down from us, and she was like a sponge to water.”
So she came round here to read with me, and she absolutely loved it! Funnily enough, at one point when this all began, I remember her saying, ‘Unless Jesus walked through that door with the holes in his hands, I can’t really believe it.’ Well, we tease her about that now! She’s so in love with Jesus, and she’s really involved with our church now.
Q. How did The Word One to One help you introduce her to Jesus?
It’s a great resource. It’s got John’s Gospel laid out really simply, and it helped her to come out with all these great questions which I had to go away and find the answers to give her! It was a wonderful help – I couldn’t have thought of any other way of sharing the Bible with her. It’s great to have the Bible and teaching from it there in front of you.
I actually started reading with another friend who’s an atheist, but we’ve had to stop because of the pandemic. But I’m hoping that we can start again once things open up a bit more.
“The Word One to One was a wonderful help – I couldn’t have thought of any other way of sharing the Bible with her.”
Q. Do you have any advice for someone looking at starting to share God’s Word with others?
I suppose from my experience, you really need people who have some interest in the Bible and Christianity. Of course, God can speak to anyone – but it’s a lot easier with someone who are open to exploring it with you. So look for people who are interested, and invite them to read with you!
Ready to get started? Check out our founder and author Richard Borgonon’s top tips for your first session.
Recommended Reads
