He was a big drug dealer in the Northern Ireland, at the high end of the scale, part of a consortium shipping drugs from China.
He was on the street one day when Scott McNamara (picture right), an evangelist from the Causeway Coast Vineyard, stopped him and told him about Jesus. Something must have sunk in, because within minutes he was praying out loud to accept the Lord.
Scott asked for his Facebook name, and sent him a link: http://myhopewithbillygraham.org.uk/programs/the-cross
This link takes you to the film ‘The Cross’, in which Billy Graham tells the story of the Gospel.
A little later the drug dealer clicked the link, watched the film and sent back a text: “I’m feeling like my body is on fire.”
He shared the short film with his fellow gangsters. They were so struck by his dramatic change of direction, that they began asking questions. So it was that Scott received a phone call late one Saturday evening. He answered the questions over the phone as best he could, and then began sharing the Gospel.
“If Jesus were here now would you let him in?” Scott asked. One inquisitive individual felt the Holy Spirit so strongly that he accepted Jesus. Some two and a half years later, both he and his partner are continuing in faith.
Scott’s previous pastor of the Causeway Coast Vineyard had invited Scott to work in some of the rough areas of Coleraine and set him a vision of winning a soul a day. However, the Holy Spirit was working more radically than the church realised, and soon it was more like ten souls a day.
“This is apple-tree evangelism,” said Scott. “We’re looking for ripe fruit which is ready to fall.” He has developed a ‘reaping tool’ which he calls Jesus at the Door (JAD). “If Jesus were here right now,” he asks, “would you let him in?”
When people seem ready to ‘fall’, Scott sends them the link to the Cross.
Ryan (picture right) was one of those who received the link. A drug dealer from the age of 14, he had been through juvenile centres and prison. He had built a reputation of being very violent by the time Scott met him, aged 19. He had no church background and was constantly smoking cannabis.
When Scott told Ryan about Jesus, he was at the gym with David, a former boxing champion. So Ryan had to wait until he got home to find a quiet room, away from the others who were taking drugs in the house, and watch the film.
As The Cross played, Ryan felt a presence in the room and burst out crying. At the end of the film, he sent a text to Scott accepting an invitation to come to Scott’s home group.
In the evening he came with David, and his then girlfriend Sarah. All three surrendered their lives to the Lord that night. Scott has since baptised and married the couple.
Ryan is now on staff at Causeway Coast Vineyard, working with youth. He also runs the Alpha Course, both in the church and in a young offenders’ prison in Belfast, where he was once an inmate himself.
“I’m really passionate about opening the eyes of the Church to fields ready for harvest,” said Scott. “If we look through heaven’s lens, everyone becomes an apple which could fall today.”
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association would be happy to send a free DVD of the film ‘The Cross’ to any church or Christian ministry with a vision to use it in evangelism. Order a copy at http://shop.myhopewithbillygraham.org.uk.