I was sitting with my family in a hotel restaurant in a city that I had never heard of before I came to China.  The couple that was dining with us was both doctors that we had just met at our hotel.  When we finished our meal, we would depart to go our separate ways, likely to never meet again.

I knew that God wanted me to try to reach the man with the Good News about Jesus, so I asked him, “What do you think about Christianity?”

He smiled and quickly replied, “I think that it is a fine religion, but I am an atheist and believe in the big bang theory and evolution.”

I looked down at my food, said a quick prayer and replied, “You’re a smarter man than I am, so I’m not going to argue with you about the big bang theory and evolution.  However, I choose to believe that God created the heavens and the earth.  He made it all and it was very good.  The first humans walked in perfect harmony with God and had a close relationship with Him.  Those people ended up sinning against God by doing the one thing that He commanded them not to do and because of that, we have earthquakes, cancer, famine, war and we all must die as a result of their sin.”

I continued, “But I also believe that God loved us enough to want to save us from our fallen state.  He sent His own Son to pay the price for our sins by dying on an old Roman cross and being raised from the dead on the third day.  Because of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice for us, we can be back in right relationship with God just as He intended it to be.  All that we have to do is believe in His Son, Jesus Christ.”

As I looked at the man, his lip began to quiver.

“One day, Doctor Shao, do you think that you might want to have Jesus forgive you of your sins so that you can be made right with God?”

He looked at me and said, “Yes, I do.”

I knew God wanted me to prod, so I replied, “Do you want to do it right now?”

He said, “Yes, I do.”

There in the middle of the crowded restaurant in a city on the other side of the world during a meeting between two individuals that seemed to everyone to be nothing more than a chance encounter, we bowed our heads as Dr. Shao invited Jesus Christ to be Lord of His life.

That, my friends is why Jesus died on Calvary so long ago.  He came to seek and to save the lost, regardless of where they are from or the color of their skin.  In Luke 19:10, Jesus says, “For the Son of Mancame to seek and save those who are lost.”

He came to make a way so that we might be saved and made right with God.  How about you?  Do you believe in Jesus?  All it takes is a simple prayer to invite Him to be Lord of your life.  Won’t you invite Him in today?