A Friend for the Journey
Dear Friends:
Recently, a good friend returned from a work-study in Europe. He shared how he visited the home of C.S. Lewis and walked the grounds at Oxford University. He learned of how on an early Sunday morning in September 1931 C.S. Lewis, a devout atheist, took a stroll on Addison’s walk on the school grounds with his good friend, J.R.R. Tolkien. Their conversation that day, centered around the idea of the “true myth,” played a vital role in Lewis’ salvation and life transformation.
This exchange fascinates me for the spiritual rebirth in Lewis’ life was a result of a friend joining him in his life journey. His friend, J.R.R. Tolkien (yes, the one who wrote “Lord of the Rings” among other works) met Lewis at his point of need, shared the love of Christ, and allowed Lewis to encounter Jesus in His timing. This is what we are doing at Nework211!
People are going online searching for answers to life’s dilemmas. They are wanting, hoping, and even imploring someone in the Internet world to encourage them and provide a viable answer. This provides us with an open door to their hearts to join them in their life journey and share the love of Christ. The Holy Spirit moves, convicts, and elicits a response. This provides us another opportunity as we lead them from “searches to churches!” and connect them with a community of faith.
It is with your partnership that we are joining people on their life journeys as a friend and sharing with them the love of Christ. People who need to discover Jesus write to us. People who need to recommit to Jesus write to us. People who are walking solidly with Jesus write to us. People who are weak in their faith write to us. The commonality is that they need a friend on their life journey to join them and point them to their True Friend, Jesus Christ. That is what we do! Here are some comments that we received to highlight this point:
- A man in Germany asked for help, “With the depression, I lost my faith in God, in Jesus, again and again. Even now in so much hopelessness, each time with more, that I rather live in the expectation of having to die than that something good will come of it again. It’s like dying and the impression that God will have enough at some point or that he doesn’t exist at all …sorry.”
- A woman in India made a recommitment, “I need Jesus on my daily life to change that I would receive him as a personal savior.”
- A woman in Slovakia made a recommitment, “God, I don’t want my life to crash in ruins. Please take away the bad things in my nature. Make me over again and put Your love in me. Help me to build my life on Jesus’ teachings. Please make me Your child. Amen. Thank You Jesus.”
- A man in Sierra Leone made a recommitment, “I’d addicted to pornography for over 9 years. I started doing drugs 2 years ago now but yet I couldn’t brake free from this addiction. Also am playing football betting but I keep losing bets in an abnormal fashion. This problem as has keeping me broken always, and hopeless. I just want Jesus Christ in my life and change my lifestyle forever.”
- A man in Nigeria made a recommitment, “Thanks for reminding me of my Lord Jesus Christ, am returning back to Jesus. I forget Jesus, pls pray with me am in a serious depression, sleepless night thinking all through the night. Thanks continue to remain bless.” How to deal with anxiety.
- A woman in Eswatini made a recommitment, “How do I hear God’s voice when he speaks to me and how do I know it’s his voice. How many times am I supposed to repent. How to do an effective prayer.”
- A woman in the Democratic Republic of Congo, “I need to get out of the adulterous life I’ve been leading for 3 years, I know it’s wrong but I want to get out of it. I need divine strength.”
People need a friend in their life journey. It is due to your faithful prayer and financial support that we are online to answer them. Thank you for your burden to share Christ with people who need Him desperately. Our new friends online are encountering Jesus. Lives are being transformed. Families are impacted positively. Eternal destinies are changed. And God is glorified.
Blessings,
Mark
Dr. Mark Flattery
Network211 President
