Although Sue was too depressed to leave her apartment, she mustered
enough energy one day to go online and search for encouragement. She
found a page that helped her see other people struggle with depression
and that Christ could heal the hurt in her heart.
Across the
ocean, Emad, who lives in a country where Christianity is not embraced,
searched for topics about eternity after his mother passed away. He
stumbled on a page explaining how Jesus is the only way to heaven, and
how to begin a relationship with Him.
The pages that Sue and Emad found are part of PeaceWithGod.net,
a ministry launched in late April by the Billy Graham Evangelistic
Association. Based on John 3:16, the site uses videos, testimonies and a
simple gospel presentation to explain how a person can be saved through
faith in Jesus Christ.
“Millions of people go online searching
for answers to their questions—questions about things like having peace
with God, personal pain, anxiety and dealing with stress,” said John
Cass, director of the Internet Evangelism ministry. “We know the
ultimate answer is Jesus, but we also want to help them find practical,
biblical solutions to their problems.
“This new website provides a
clear presentation of the gospel that gives all who visit a chance to
respond,” Cass explained. “A person may not say ‘yes’ right then. But,
we have had 300,000 people wandering around this site. They’ve heard the gospel. God’s Word is not going to return void.”
Since its
launch, tens of thousands of people from all walks of life have made
decisions to follow Jesus. Those who choose to provide personal
information are then contacted by a volunteer who will help connect them
with a local church or point them to Bible study resources.
“It’s
like having a Crusade or Festival in your own home,” said Cass. “And,
since we are able to follow up with many of them, we can see how they
are doing. This gives us the opportunity to encourage them to study the
Bible and get involved in a local body of Christ.”
While the primary goal for the ministry is to change lives for eternity, PeaceWithGod.net also offers solutions for believers who need a reminder of God’s love, or clarity on a point of confusion.
Cass
recalled doing a live chat with a man from St. Lucia who struggled
after he presented the gospel to a friend. He felt as though he didn’t
do a thorough and clear job explaining the plan of salvation.
“I
had the chance to remind him that God loves him and his responsibility
is to care about others and share the good news of Jesus Christ with
them,” Cass said. “You never know, a lot of times, what people take away
from conversations when we think we’ve failed.”
Soon, the
PeaceWithGod.net team hopes to provide chat counselors around-the-clock
and extend the languages available to Portuguese and Spanish. A
one-on-one online discipleship program is also in the works.
Used with permission from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
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