The Holy Spirit had been speaking to Bob Rose, AGWM Personnel pastoring the International Church of Rome, about the masses of tourists at the Coliseum. Though their focus has been on the church itself, Bob could not shake the idea of evangelizing the people at this colossal icon. So in June, “Christians@Coliseum” was launched on Sunday evenings. In the place where Christians were once persecuted, the Gospel is freely being shared!
The Holy Spirit had been speaking to Bob Rose, AGWM Personnel pastoring the International Church of Rome, about the masses of tourists at the Coliseum. Though their focus has been on the church itself, Bob could not shake the idea of evangelizing the people at this colossal icon. So in June, “Christians@Coliseum” was launched on Sunday evenings. In the place where Christians were once persecuted, the Gospel is freely being shared!
One would think that sightseers would be so enthralled with the Coliseum that they would have little time to listen to someone talk to them about Jesus but the opposite is true! The Coliseum evangelists come immersed in prayer, trained to be sensitive to opportunities, and equipped by the Holy Spirit. They have met people from countries where missionaries are not allowed and speaking of Jesus is forbidden. For many of them, this is their first opportunity to hear the Good News!
Lily, a Chinese woman, had never heard about Jesus. She eagerly took all the tracts and literature offered to her and brought her family close also so they could hear the story of what Jesus had done for them.
Massimo, a young Italian man, sat for over an hour and asked questions. He prayed a prayer of repentance and invited Jesus into his heart.
Ibrahim, one of four Muslims that were witnessed to, could not hide the hunger and questions in his heart about Jesus.
Maria, a vendor at the Coliseum, stopped selling her wares in the piazza as she began to fall under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. She repeated a prayer of salvation and sighed with relief as she felt her sins and burdens slip away.
One of the church members saw a young Italian couple and then God gave him a vision concerning them. When he approached them, they said they were not interested in what he had to say. But when he told them that they had just come out of a particular restaurant located quite a distance away from the Coliseum, they were amazed and asked how he knew. When he told them that God had revealed this to him, they listened, for truly the Holy Spirit had been dealing with them. They asked Jesus into their heart as they realized that God cared enough about where they had been and had brought someone into their path to share the Gospel.
Every week the stories come back of how the seeds of the Good News have been planted and souls have been saved. How thrilling it is to see His Kingdom expand!