To read part 1 of "Tragedies, Redemption and Discipleship, Click Here.
Bob was getting involved in a prayer group at his church and intentionally prioritizing God in his life. Bob had received healing and forgiveness from the Lord and he wanted to share that with others.
“For the first time in my life, I had a desire and compassion to really listen and help others by telling them about the love of God and to pray with them,” said Bob.
His friends from his prayer group encouraged Bob to be open to praying with others and to share the Gospel. However, he had a lot of fears about doing so and how it would fit into the culture of his work. His friends prayed over him asking the Holy Spirit to take those fears from his heart. During this prayer, Bob experienced an intense burning in the palm of his hands. He opened his eyes to see if his friends had done something. Not understanding, he shook it off as a sign of God’s love for him. When he shared his experience with his friends, they told him God wanted him to pray for others and to lay his hands on them when he prays.
Shortly after that prayer experience, Bob had a graduate student from Pakistan come to his office. The student was not feeling well. He came to ask if he could be excused from doing the homework. He had sinusitis and it caused him much pain and he wasn’t able to concentrate. Bob was listening to the student and he felt the Holy Spirit prompting him. Bob asked him if he could pray for him and if he could lay his hands on him. When the student gave his consent, Bob prayed a simple prayer asking for healing. At that moment, Bob felt a sensation like electricity coming from his hands. The student felt it on his head as well and afterwards he shared his experience with Bob. The student was healed instantly of his condition and he successfully completed his graduate program without experiencing sinusitis again. Even more, it sparked an interest in him to learn about God. Up to that point, he was not a Christian and hadn’t heard the Gospel message. He became interested in learning more and started attending church with Bob.
Another time, Bob noticed a graduate student who was from China and he looked very distressed. This student was usually upbeat so Bob knew something was bothering him. He inquired if the student was okay and he said he was really worried about his family and friends and his country. This was the time when the Tiananmen Square protests were occurring and there was a lot of unrest as to what would happen. Bob said they should pray. The student responded that he didn’t know what prayer was and he didn’t know how to pray. Bob said that he knew how to pray and with the student’s approval, Bob asked the student to repeat after him the words to a simple prayer, “Jesus, if you are real, please come into my heart because my heart is troubled. Jesus, if you are real, please help China at this time.”
When they finished, the student was crying. He told Bob that while they were praying, he felt the burning love of God in his heart. He was crying tears of joy. This student had never heard the Gospel before so he and Bob started a Bible study. They read through the Gospel of Mark and Bob did his best to provide explanation and to answer his questions. By the time they finished, the student became a believer and was baptized. Thirty years later and Bob is still offering a weekly Bible study with students.
Bob has many more stories of praying with others and witnessing the Holy Spirit heal physically and spiritually.
“At first, I thought the Holy Spirit gave me this gift to help relieve a physical pain. However, I found God had a deeper meaning. It was to pray with others, share the Gospel message, and allow others to experience the truth of God,” said Bob.
As a highly respected soil and water scientist, Bob has had the opportunity to speak and work all over the world. Graduate students from China who were a part of Bob’s Bible study went back home and started inviting him to come to China to collaborate. He has gone to China for the last 25 years. He works with other scientists and graduate students during the day. At night, he holds Bible studies where people come together and share about their faith and pray together.
“I’ve studied the faith and reasons to believe in God; however, I haven’t seen a lot of conversion of hearts by sharing those reasons. It’s through loving people, being a witness, sharing the Gospel and praying for people, humbly asking the Holy Spirit to show them that He is real. That is when I have seen people open their hearts to God and the Lord has revealed Himself to them. To have the ability to share about the Gospel within the science community and then to watch people respond to God has been amazing,” said Bob.
To read part 1 of "Tragedies, Redemption and Discipleship, Click Here.