Caroline and I have been working together for about a year now and have built a strong friendship. Last winter, I felt convicted that I hadn’t shared the gospel with her, even though we had trust and a good friendship, so I prayed and asked for an opportunity to share with her.



The day after Easter she asked how my holiday was, and I used it as an opportunity to talk about church, the resurrection, and Jesus. She grew up going to church, so I asked her when she became a Christian and started walking with God, even though I knew she didn’t have a relationship with Jesus. She said she had always gone to church, but she wouldn’t say she was walking with God. I then shared my testimony with her.

That conversation opened up more spiritual conversations. We started reading the book “Not a Fan” together and talking about it occasionally. It turned out she felt very guilty about the way she was living her life and that she wasn’t “doing things for God.” I explained the gospel, that it wasn’t about what you do for God but what God did for us on the cross and gave her Pastor J.D.’s sermon on Hosea to listen to.

The next day she said she listened to the sermon but still felt guilty. I shared The Bridge diagram with her and then asked if she wanted to start reading the Bible together. She said yes! I gave her John Piper’s “Taste and See” Bible study, and we talked about the verses every other day. She came to church with me that Sunday, and we had a long conversation after about her fears of becoming a Christian— things like what her friends and family would think and what would happen if she didn’t follow God perfectly.

We continued to read the Bible, and about a week later, she asked me what daily repentance looks like. I explained that there is daily repentance—understanding that each day we sin and need God—but there is also an initial repentance for salvation, where we confess that Jesus is Lord and Savior. She continued to ask about daily repentance (not salvation) so I asked her if she had become a Christian. She said, “Yes! I did that Tuesday night! I feel like a different person, and I want to know what it means to repent, because I see that in some areas in my life I’m being selfish.”



We’re now reading the Bible together. Caroline has joined the small group that Chris and I lead, and she is really excited about what God is teaching her. And, she shared her testimony and was baptized in August at the Downtown Durham campus.

Praise God!

by Alexis Sponaugle, Small Group Leader