Before I gave my life to Christ, whenever people came to evangelise to me, especially the Jehovah’s Witnesses, I would often create an excuse, like pretending to have an unexpected appointment, just to avoid the conversation.
When I joined GLH and heard about evangelism, my first thought was, “Evangelism is not my thing.” But I decided to give it a try. My first attempt, however, felt horrible. I kept repeating myself and struggled to find the right words.
Over time, things improved. I began evangelising in buses, which helped build my confidence. But I avoided both one-on-one evangelism and crowd evangelism. The only personal evangelism I did was with close friends—people I was already comfortable talking to, which made it easier for me.
This semester, when I heard we would be going for evangelism in the NDDC hostel at the main campus, I initially felt excited. I thought, “Yes, this is the time to win UNIUYO for the Kingdom of God and learn from my brethren!” But my first attempt was discouraging. People dismissed me with responses like, “I don’t want to hear you,” or “I don’t have time,” or simply ignored me entirely. Some would even walk away while I was still speaking.
This was so different from bus evangelism, where people are either compelled to sit and listen or at least don’t react as negatively. At some point, whenever I heard there would be evangelism in the hostel, I’d try to come up with an excuse not to attend. But because I knew I had to learn, grow, and give an account, I had no choice but to go.
Over time, personal evangelism became less of a challenge. But then came the next hurdle: crowd evangelism — like speaking to a group in a lecture hall.
On Sunday, 8th December 2025, Pastor prayed for evangelistic grace and encouraged us to reach out to people. As he prayed, I had faith and remembered that faith without works is dead, as James teaches (James 2:17). I also saw what looked like a vision; in it, my lecturer walked out of the lecture hall and motioned for me to gather the class together and preach to them.
On Friday, 13th December, I had classes scheduled from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. But when I got to school, the first lecture didn’t hold. Surprisingly, the second lecture didn’t either—this was unusual because the lecturer is very dedicated and rarely misses class. It felt like God was reminding me of the vision and prompting me to take action.
Looking at the crowd—my coursemates and students from other departments—I was terrified. I hesitated, even though I felt a strong impression in my spirit to speak. The burden to share the Word of God grew heavier in my heart, but I still tried to distract myself by studying my books. Though I understood what I read, I didn’t feel at peace.
The Word of God burned in my heart like fire (Jeremiah 20:9), and eventually, some of my coursemates noticed and encouraged me to speak since it was clear God had placed something on my heart. At last, I obeyed and stood up to speak.
As I stood, my legs were shaking, and I was so nervous that I didn’t even know where to start. I managed to greet them, saying, “Good morning, everyone. I would like to share something with you.”
I began speaking about bad company, drawing from what Pastor had taught us the previous Wednesday. From there, I shared about the importance of seeking God, and seeking Him diligently (Hebrews 11:6).
It was only after I spoke that I felt peace in my mind. Interestingly, when I came to the church meeting that Friday evening, the memory verse that was taught was from Matthew 10:27–28, which says:
“Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Since then, evangelism—whether personal or to a crowd—has become less of a challenge. I still struggle here and there, but I thank God for helping me overcome my fears and giving me the boldness to share His Word.
All glory to God!
— Bro C.D
22nd December 2024
© God’s Lighthouse
