following passages?
requested to help out with the preaching and teaching ministry at the church.
While Pastor Coniate was at the Hilltop, the Lord used him to influence the lives of the construction workers there. He lived, ate and conversed daily with the workers. And they came to know him very well. He became well-respected by them, and some sought his counsel for their problems. But they were not Christians. In fact, on one occasion, they tried to sacrifice a chicken as an offering to a tree which they believed was inhabited by a spirit. Pastor Coniate started a weekly Bible study on Fridays which was attended by most of the workers. And the best part of all is that 19 of them made professions of faith in Jesus Christ because of his godly influence in their lives.
Now, the contractor in charge of the Hilltop building project was a Christian and he was naturally delighted to hear about this. And some years later when the Hilltop project was over, this contractor paid a visit to his hometown on the island of Samar and when he visited his home church, he was pleasantly surprised to see some of those same construction workers now regularly attending the church and serving the Lord there.
Now you must remember that Pastor Coniate's purpose in staying in Antipolo was not primarily to start an outreach there. What was he there for? He was just going there to rest and recuperate. But a life that is godly cannot fail to have an influence on the lives of other people. I trust that his example will inspire us to do the same thing where the Lord has placed each of us: to live the kind of life that will be a godly influence on others and that will lead them to Christ. May the Lord Jesus be praised!
Discussion Questions
1. What additional reasons for godly living can you find in the following passages?
a. Matthew 5:13-16
16 A Christian in a Non-Christian World