Transformation

THE INSTANT TRANSFORMATION OF FELIX

by Dr. Muriel Larson

Seeking to reach Hispanic people for the Lord who lived near the Mexican border in Texas, two evangelists decided to hold tent meetings in the area. They started going separately from door to door, talking to people about Christ and inviting them to the meetings.

However, Jerry felt hampered because he knew very little Spanish.

"Lord, send me an interpreter," he prayed as he went from one house to the next.

When he knocked on the door of the next house, a short, heavyset man of about fifty answered. "Buenos dias, senor," he greeted. "Me llamo Jerry. Como se llama usted?"

"Felix," the rather distraught-looking man answered.

"I am from the green tent," Jerry said in Spanish. "Do you have Jesus Christ in your life?"

"No," Felix answered.

"Oh, me!" he sighed to himself. "How I wish I knew more Spanish! Well, maybe Felix speaks English." Jerry asked him--and he did.

"Oh, tremendous!" Jerry exclaimed. "Would you like for me to tell you how you can go to heaven someday?" Felix nodded.

"All right, Felix, let's kneel here together while I show you the way."

Felix took off his hat and knelt humbly beside Jerry, his face troubled and serious. Opening his Bible to Romans 3:23, Jerry said, "This is what the Bible says: 'For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.' Do you understand that?"

"Si, senor, we are all sinners," he agreed, squeezing his hat in his hands.

Then Jerry took him to Romans 5:6 and 8 and explained those verses. "Do you understand that Jesus Christ died for you, that He paid for your sins on the cross'?"

Felix nodded.

After showing several more Scriptures to Felix, I asked, "Would you like to receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior right now?"

Felix said he would, and he prayed and asked Christ to forgive him his sins and come into his life. After that, he arose from his knees. "Felix, are you saved?"

"Oh, senor, I am saved now!" he grinned, wiping a tear from his cheek. His countenance was completely changed. Gone was the distraught look, and in its place was a radiant smile. Now Felix had something special, and he knew it.

PRAYER FOR INTERPRETOR ANSWERED

"Felix, I'd like you to go with me," I said. Actually I was thinking of inviting Felix to go to the tent meeting that night, thinking he would come by to pick him up. However, Felix thought Jerry wanted him to come right then.

"Wait, I want to change my clothes," he said. Soon he returned and followed me out.

"Where are you going'?" Jerry asked.

"With you, senor," Felix answered.

"Oh, what am I going to do with Felix all day?" Jerry wondered. Then suddenly it hit him: he had just asked the Lord to send him an interpreter, and here he was! So Jerry praised the Lord.

"Felix, let's go from door to door here in your neighborhood," he suggested. At the next house the woman only spoke Spanish, so Felix began to tell her what Jerry said. He kept right on going, talking to the woman fervently.

Before long, Felix got down on his knees and the lady got down on hers, and Jerry followed suit. The lady started crying. Felix said something, the lady said something, and finally they arose.

FELIX BECOMES INSTANT EVANGELIST

As the two men started to walk away, Jerry asked, "Felix, what happened back there?"
"She has Jesus now, too."

"Well, what did you say to her?"

"Exactly what you told me."

"Does she have a family?"

"Yes, her husband's in the back." So the two men returned to the house to talk to the husband. Jerry said his few words, and again Felix took the ball. Before long, the husband was on his knees asking God to save him.

Then fifteen children were called in from the backyard--his, hers, theirs, and some neighbors. Felix started working on them one by one, until all fifteen had knelt to pray with him. I tried to tell him he could deal with several at a time, but he was too busy leading souls to Christ. We were at that home for over an hour.

FELIX BRINGS HIS CONVERTS TO MEETING

That night when Felix came to the tent meeting, the 27 people he had led to the Lord that day followed him down the aisle at invitation time.

Felix went out every day after that to lead people to Christ. His favorite saying was, "I want to serve my Lord--I'm doing this for my Lord!" So every night, Jerry saw him coming down the aisle with all the people he had won that day. Soon the evangelists had so many Spanish-speaking people coming to their meetings that they called in a Spanish-speaking preacher to interpret for them.

It was a great revival! And the majority of those who came forward to make professions of faith showed the sincerity of their decisions by later being baptized and becoming active in gospel-preaching churches.

After six weeks in that area, the evangelists moved on to another place. But the meetings they had started continued under the leadership of the Spanish-speaking preacher. During the nine weeks in which they were held, some three thousand people came down the aisle to confess Christ as Savior.

After we left that area, we received reports about how Felix was growing in the Lord and continuing to help with the work that had been started there.

During the months that followed, six new churches were started; and mission churches that had been struggling began to thrive. Who can tell what great things might happen when just one person like Felix is transformed by Jesus Christ?