Part One: Charlie*, Sarah*, and four friends were resting at a gazebo after a hike when they met Putra* and his family. As they all exchanged names, Charlie and Sarah could sense the Holy Spirit’s strong presence and were guided in the following conversation.
The Holy Spirit prompted Sarah to ask, “What does the name ‘Putra’ mean?”
Putra answered, “It has good meaning and bad.”
“Are you like your name?”
“Yes, I am like my name. I sometimes do good and sometimes bad. I lie and cheat. When I buy a chicken for Rp 20,000, I tell people I bought it for Rp 30,000.”
The Holy Spirit said to ask him, “Isn’t that sin?”
“Yes, it is sin.” Putra admits.
“Can you redeem or atone for your sins?”
“No, I cannot.” Putra says.
The Spirit said to ask, “If we know of a way to redeem you from your sins, would you like to know?”
“Yes, tell me!”
Then one of the disciples told the whole story of our sinless Jesus, who was crucified as a perfect sacrifice to be an atonement for our sins.
At that moment, a lady arrived, returning from a visit to the clinic.
“What is wrong with her?” the disciples ask.
“She has been coughing blood for the last three weeks.”
The small band of disciples moved to where the lady sat down with some friends and shared the story of Jesus healing the lady who had bled for 12 years. They asked if they could pray for her, explaining it was Jesus who would heal her, not themselves.
As Charlie and Sarah’s group turned to leave, Putra cried out, “How do I have access to Jesus?”
“Through prayers.”
“How do you pray?” Putra called out, then chanted a few Arabic prayers he had memorized.
“No, you pray directly to Jesus,” the disciples explained.
With that, Charlie and Sarah’s group left, determined to visit Putra later.
Next week, we’ll share the follow-up visit they had with Putra!
*pseudonyms
READ OTHER STORIES FROM CHARLIE AND SARAH BELOW
QUEENS, KILLER BEES AND MULTIPLICATION
“As we took our discouragement to the Father,” Sarah shared, “God reminded us of a seemingly unrelated experience a few
years ago …. with bees. read more …
JESUS HEALS AS IS WRITTEN IN THE QUR’AN
“This was the same lady, Ibu Muli, in whose home we now sat. She told us that immediately after the prayer, her back had been healed, and read more …
I TOLD HIM I WAS QUITTING
*Charlie worked in the IT industry. He specialized in indirect sales and marketing; he educated and supported hundreds of salesmen. He also led efforts to simplify read more …