Lessons from Victoria’s story
I had the pleasure of interviewing Victoria about how God has been at work in her life – a hugely encouraging story involving a Christian colleague, The Word One to One and a local church.
Watch the short video of Victoria’s story here:
Here are 4 key lessons that have stood out to me and my team:
Lesson 1: The power of friendship in the workplace (or any place really!)
Victoria, an executive co-head teacher of a group of schools, and Aaron, a building maintenance colleague, had worked together for a long time, and Aaron had always been open about his faith. In Victoria’s words, “I’ve always known Aaron to be a deeply committed Christian”.
Of course, it’s no accident that God placed Victoria and Aaron in those positions – in the same way, God places each of us where He wants us for His purposes. The workplace is where many of us spend most of our waking hours, and for some, we may be the only contact that our co-workers have with a committed Christian.
As trust deepens as we get to know people, often so does the opportunity and privilege for Christians to become, as author and evangelist Sam Chan describes it, “unofficial de facto chaplains”*. There is great power in being authentic, open and offering a listening ear that cares, encourages and prays for our colleagues.
“As trust deepens as we get to know people, often so does the opportunity and privilege for Christians to become, as author and evangelist Sam Chan describes it, “unofficial de facto chaplains”
The working relationship and friendship between Victoria and Aaron included talking about how important Aaron’s faith was, which led to Victoria asking for his help to find a good church. Victoria had attended church in the past, but not one that taught the Bible well, so she trusted Aaron to find one that would be right for her.
Aaron asked around for recommendations and accompanied Victoria on her initial visits. He also suggested they try reading The Word One to One together to help Victoria learn more about the gospel.
Lesson 2: The Word One to One complements local church ministry
At the heart of Victoria’s story is God working through His Spirit and Word.
The Word One to One offered Aaron and Victoria a simple and flexible way to explore a gospel together where they were, at a pace that fit their schedules. It gave space for Victoria to ask questions, discuss and think through who Jesus is and why He matters.
What Victoria was reading through The Word One to One helped her make sense of what she was hearing on Sundays and how it all fit together, and vice versa. She often brought questions from Sunday to discuss with Aaron too.
Ollie Land, pastor of Elmstead Baptist, reflected, “As we went through Genesis and as she was looking at John, a lot of this was helping her make sense of the world that she was living in.”
“Doing The Word One to One gave space for Victoria to ask questions, discuss and think through who Jesus is and why He matters.”
More and more church leaders are equipping their church families to journey with others by helping them become loving Bible sharers, with the help of resources like The Word One to One. Bible sharers help people encounter Jesus for themselves in a relaxed way, allowing God’s Word to do its work.
For many, reading a bit of the Bible with someone might be the starting point or pathway that leads to meeting more Christians and trying church when they are ready.
Victoria’s experience of church, especially the importance they placed on Bible teaching, spurred her on to keep discovering what the Bible says during the week. Beautifully, the people she met at church displayed what it means to follow Jesus and belong to God’s family. They welcomed, patiently supported, prayed, served and loved her.
Rachel Land, the pastor’s wife, also built a close friendship with Victoria, spending time wrestling with what the Bible says, praying and encouraging each other.
For others, contact with a church may come first. For instance, many local churches are doing wonderful work to love and serve their communities. The Word One to One has been a friendly next step for many who have come into church life through different avenues.
“The Word One to One has been a friendly next step for many who have come into church life through different avenues.”
It’s a great way to help people who are now curious to find out more about where Christians get hope and what – or who! – motivates them to actively welcome and serve others.
Lesson 3: God’s timing, not ours
Pastor Ollie says, “We have to be prepared to walk with people through a long journey.”
It often takes a lot longer than we might like for people to get to know and turn to Jesus. There can be various barriers that need to be dismantled, ups and downs as well as questions that need responses.
We would love to see people become Christians after a few solid sermons, or a 7 or 10-week course – but more often than not, they need to explore for longer, and they value people continuing the journey with them.
“It often takes a lot longer than we might like for people to get to know and turn to Jesus.”
The Word One to One is a guided walk-through of the entire books of John and Acts, with helpful notes in bite-sized episodes, so there’s plenty of material to support this journey.
Very often, the stories we hear of people coming to faith involve over a year of intentional Bible exploration, often alongside church services, events, courses and much prayer. For Victoria, it took about a year of reading The Word One to One and going to church before she repented and turned to Jesus. Another year passed before she publicly declared her faith through baptism.
Ollie Land, Victoria’s pastor, describes the moment: “She was so low key about it – ‘I don’t want you to make a big fuss, but I think I’ve become a Christian’ – and I’m like, ‘Well, I can’t not make a big fuss about that!’”
Having said the above, The Word One to One John and Acts series aren’t something you have to complete with people. Victoria and Aaron didn’t actually finish going through John’s gospel together! Victoria joined a church fellowship group and began reading the Bible on her own.
The Word One to One is designed to serve people where they’re at. And if, by God’s grace, they decide to follow the Lord Jesus part-way through, what a joy to keep reading, if possible, to help them grow as disciples.
No matter where we are on our faith journeys, there is always more to discover and love about the Lord through reading His Word and seeking to apply it to our lives.
Lesson 4: Starting in God’s Word and continuing in God’s Word as disciples
Finally, Victoria’s journey highlights the great value in looking at what the Bible says about Jesus in the early stages of exploring Christianity.
God works through His Word by His Spirit, and the Bible is where Jesus is seen most clearly. So, bringing people to the Word from the start means that when God opens their eyes to recognise Jesus as Lord, they are more likely to continue in God’s Word as disciples.
Rachel Land says, “It’s meant that her faith has, from the very outset, been based on the Bible, which has just founded it on something reliable and unchanging and irrefutable there in black and white. This is who God is, this is what it means to be a Christian.”
“Bringing people to the Word from the start means that when God opens their eyes to recognise Jesus as Lord, they are more likely to continue in God’s Word as disciples.”
Victoria continually goes back to the Bible to deepen her relationship with God and to find guidance and strength as she navigates daily challenges, makes decisions and seeks to honour God in her work.
When the Bible plays a central role in someone’s faith journey, it also gives them confidence that others need to see what it says about Jesus too. The beauty of using the gift of God’s Word for evangelism is that it takes the pressure off us, and lets God’s Word speak for itself.
What better way for disciples to make disciples than by relying fully on God and His Spirit to reveal the gospel in all of its glory through His Word!
*From Sam Chan’s brilliant book ‘How to talk about Jesus (without being that guy)’.
Find out how you can start sharing God’s Word today.
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