Harvest Ministries and Pastor Greg Laurie recommend a new book by Max Lucado called "Unbreakable Courage." He explains, "Unbreakable carries the implication of steadfastness. That when the waves crash against a rock, it is the waves that come apart and not the rock." That's right. Max Lucado discusses these insights and a whole lot more in his brand new book, "Unbreakable Courage." Yours for a gift of any amount at. Harvest. dot org.
So, what's your story, Jay John? Starting with what? What is with your name, Jay John? All right.
Okay.
So, Greg, as you know, I'm Greek Cypriot. Yeah.
So, I lived in Cyprus as a child. I grew up in London, and when you're Greek. You are Greek Orthodox now. Greek Orthodoxy is an expression of Christianity. Yeah, it is right, but it there is also a cultural element to it.
So your your whole culture, faith are into. Twined together.
So what I'm saying there is, it's a bit like you're Jewish. Yes. You're an atheist, but you're still Jewish. Yeah, sure. It's that kind of thing.
And we were not religious as a family. We went at Christmas Day, Easter Day. Yeah.
I didn't really know anything. I I didn't go around saying I'm an agnostic, but I was probably an agnostic. But when I went to college in London. Interestingly, my first day of college, this guy comes up to me. He introduces himself as a Christian.
I I don't think I'd ever met one before. Or I'd never met one that actually told me. And in my first year, Greg, he bought me a Bible. He basically helped me come and understand and encounter Jesus. When I got baptized, I remember this is what I said.
My friend Andy built a bridge from him. To me, and when he did, Christ Jesus walked over it. I love that, and that's Greg. What happened? And my, I was transformed.
What age were you? Sixteen was it? I was I was seventeen. Same age I was when I came to Christ. Yeah.
And you know where where it says in Romans about the transformation and the renewing of the mind. It's very interesting that the Greek word for the renewing of the mind is metamorphosis. Yes. Yeah.
That that's what I wish they kept the word metamorphosis in. Yeah.
You know, because that's what happened to you. That's what happened to me. I I was born again. Yes. But then there was this cultural poof.
With my family, because they thought I joined a cult, and so it was difficult, and it was hard, and and there were battles to try and be faithful to the Lord when you know my my family opposed it. Yeah, so. You know what you what Andy did for you. I know you've done for many others. I know that you have relationships with people that are well known.
That you have influenced privately. Doing everything you can to encourage them in their faith. You know, sometimes preachers will meet celebrities and and they'll kind of name drop them a lot and talk about them all the time. But I think what you're trying to do is work behind the scenes and actually help these people. And one person that you played a key role in them coming to Christ.
I just interviewed her was Christine Kane. Oh, I love Christine. And what an amazing story because it's she too is Greek. And and you took an, I mean, you. She's a non-believer, nobody of any.
I mean, she had the most insane childhood and upbringing, very tragic. But yet, you took a personal interest in her and built a bridge to her, and it resulted in her coming to Christ. And now, Christine influences people around the world. It's amazing.
Well, you know, I'll tell you my. I don't know how she told you the story, but let me tell you my version.
Okay.
So I was leading this mission, Greg, at Sydney University, yes, and the auditorium was not big enough.
So we had to move the meetings to the outdoors.
Now, you know, I know you're you're like me, Greg. We're we're very reluctant to kind of say it's a revival. You know, we're very cautious. But there were like four thousand students at the meetings, and I was preaching every day. Anyway, I finished preaching.
I got off the stage. And step down. Students were talking to me, and this girl comes. She interrupts everyone, and she says, "I hated what you said." I said, "Oh, I'm very, very sorry," and she says, "Well, I can tell you that church ruins people's lives." And I said, "I'm very sorry that you feel that." And I said, "Well, look, have you got a few minutes?" And she's like, "Why?" I said, "Well, if you've got a few minutes, how about you and I just go to the university cafeteria and we just have a coffee together?" And so she agreed, and we literally just strolled. Went into the university cafeteria, just got a coffee.
By the way, Greg, can I reassure you? I don't do that with every woman that I meet. Yeah, that it was one of those moments. The Lord was directing you. I felt the prompting of the spirit, and I sat with her.
I said, "Why are you so angry?" And you know, all this stuff came out. And I didn't try and defend. I didn't try and argue. I listened, and then I, you know, I gave her a few pointers. I said, "Look, I'm speaking tomorrow." That was a Monday.
I said, "Come Tuesday, hear me preach, and we have a coffee." We did. I said, "Come and hear me Wednesday, and then we have a coffee." She did. Come and hear me Thursday, and we have a coffee. She did. I said, "There's one meeting left, Friday." Come and hear me Friday, and we'll have a coffee Friday.
She's ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven. Unbelievable! That is Christine Kane, and I sometimes say, Greg, you know, I preach five times. I think it was the five coffees. Yeah, it's the five coffees that did it.
Yeah, the the personal interaction and and involvement in her life, and you know, she was under the conviction of the spirit.
Sometimes we think when someone argues with us, that's a bad thing. They may be closer to the kingdom of God than the pleasant, passive person who says, "Well, I liked your speech, thank you." But but you know, there's an expression when you throw a rock into a pack of dogs, the one that barks the loudest. Is the one that got hit, and you know, and it reminds us of Saul of Tarsus prior to becoming Paul the Apostle. What was he doing? He was going out of his way to persecute Christians, starting with the martyrdom of Stephen.
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