THE BOY NEXT DOOR

Samuel, a young adult who lived a reckless life, once lived in my neighbourhood. In fact, he lived just next door to my family’s house. He had a reputation for hanging out with the worst kind of friends and was involved in all manner of vices–drinking, smoking, clubbing, stealing, fighting, you name it.

Being the third child of a single mother of four, his wayward lifestyle was a source of frustration to his mother and his rebellious behaviour made people question his upbringing. It got so bad sometimes that the police had to be called to intervene. All of this kept his mother in a constant state of worry and made her wonder where she failed in training him. But she took solace in the fact that his siblings were nothing like him–they were well behaved and responsible. And even though things seemed to get worse by the day, she never gave up on him and kept praying daily for Samuel.

One fateful day, everything changed. As usual, Samuel went about his usual rounds of mischief in the neighbourhood. He had stolen a huge sum of money and was on the run, but unlike on previous occasions, he didn’t get away. An angry mob chased him down and eventually caught him. They had him at their mercy, and after a quick deliberation on what to do with him, they came to a consensus to execute “jungle justice”.

He cried and pleaded for mercy, but all to no avail. They had him bound and soaked him in petrol in preparation to set him ablaze. But just then, out of nowhere, an old lady appeared and begged that Samuel be set free. The mob paid her no attention, but she was persistent with her plea and went as far as going on her knees. When the men saw that they could not ignore her, they decided to let him go for her sake.

Samuel left the scene with the old lady and followed her wherever she took him. In the weeks that followed, the entire neighbourhood was in a state of tranquillity, and no news of Samuel was heard. After about two months, Samuel was seen walking around the street with a Bible in his hands, going to church on Sundays and attending fellowships during the week. The news around town was that Samuel had given his life to Christ and had turned a new leaf.

Samuel’s transformation brought so much joy to his mother as her prayers were finally being answered. Her son had encountered the light of God and was truly transformed into a new being. Months passed, and Samuel, now a changed man, became a witness to this light that he had encountered. This was a shock to me. The boy next door had become a different person.

Just like the demon-possessed man of Gadara, who was delivered by Jesus and instructed to GO back to his friends and tell them what great things the Lord had done for him, Samuel went witnessing about the saving hand of God in his life to his friends. Samuel won the souls of his friends over to Christ. He had seen the light, and he could not keep his discovery to himself.

Not only did Samuel preach the gospel to people, but he also went from house to house making restitution for his previous sins. He returned all stolen items in his possession, and for those that couldn’t be replaced, he sought forgiveness.

Dear Reader, just like the boy next door, it doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done, there is still a chance for you to turn a new leaf. Samuel was on the verge of his death when God sent a saviour (the older woman) to rescue him. In the same way, God sent His only begotten Son to the World to save and deliver ALL men from the chains of sin and death.

After Samuel encountered the saving Grace of God, he knew beyond doubt that God loves him and has a plan for his life here on earth. He took it upon himself to witness the light he had received. Samuel realized the great commission that Christ gave us here on earth, which says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Mk. 16:15-16

Reading through the pages of the Bible, we see that God has been involved in the work of soul-winning right from the beginning. When Adam sinned, God went ahead to look for him and made plans to redeem him (Gen. 3:9-15, 21). Jesus also declared that the reason why He came to the World was to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). His primary purpose for leaving us here in the World up until now is to win souls (Mk. 16: 15). It is, therefore, clear that the issue of soul winning has always been God’s concern.

It was for this reason that He sent Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, to die on the cross to save the souls of men. He has now given everyone He has saved the ministry of reconciliation. This is our responsibility in the world, and we must carry it out diligently and faithfully. Soul-winning means deliberately looking for lost souls to bring them to Salvation and win them to Christ. Soul-winning is reconciling men to God through the instrumentality of the gospel.

Samuel was on the brink of meeting his doom until the old lady showed up and rescued him by pleading on his behalf and also showing him the way of Christ. So is someone out there waiting for you to bring light and life to their lives because just a word of prayer for someone or telling them that Jesus loves them is enough to restore them to Christ.

Another thing that should be noted in Samuel’s story is that it only takes someone who has been reconciled to God to reconcile others to Him. This is the first step to take since a rebel cannot reconcile another rebel to God. It was after his Salvation experience that he went about preaching to people. First, you must be reconciled to God.

Have you been reconciled back to God?? If not, this is the best time to do so. Romans‬ ‭10:9-10‬ says, “if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth, confession is made unto Salvation.”

Just say these words: Heavenly Father, I thank you for my life. I realize that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. Please come into my life. Be my personal Lord and Savior. From today I choose to follow you. Amen.

If you’ve said this prayer, Congratulations! You are a child of God. Old things have passed away, and you’re now a new being.

And to you who have been in the Faith; Have you gone out to tell someone that Jesus loves them today? Have you been a witness about this Christ that you believe in? The fact that you’re not an evangelist by gifting is not an excuse. Every child of God is commanded to go and preach the gospel. Become the old woman to the boy next door to you – it is an obligation.

And also, remember, the devil fights to retain the souls of men under his control, so the Salvation of souls involves spiritual warfare, much of which is done in the place of prayer. Every soul belongs to God, so ask him for souls to be won, and he will give them to you.

Lastly, know that there is no sinner Jesus cannot save. If he could save Samuel, the boy next door, and give him a fresh start in life, then He can do the same for you or that person you’ve given up on.

Action points

1. Come to Jesus all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and He will give you rest.
2. Confess that sin to God, run to Him, for His arms are opened wide to receive you.
3. Don’t neglect that man or woman that you know isn’t saved and needs to hear the Gospel of Christ.
4. Be sensitive to the Spirit’s leadings and always be on alert as an ambassador of Christ to tell someone that Jesus loves them.
5. Never write off a man or woman who hasn’t come to the knowledge of Christ and what He did for us all on the Cross of Calvary.
6. Pray every day for the lost souls in your family, area, school, workplace, etc., to encounter Christ.