Ray Aker couldn’t believe his ears. The Oklahoma native had spent the past two years sharing Jesus in a rural area of China without seeing a single salvation — until now.
God had brought Aker and a small team of Southern Baptist volunteers to a man named Solomon who lived with his family in a dirt-floored shack in an isolated mountain village. Aker told the gospel story and Solomon immediately believed. But it was what he said afterward that Aker can’t forget.
“Twenty years ago, I understood in my heart that there was one God above all,” Solomon told Aker. “But I didn’t know anything about Him. So I prayed every day that He would send somebody to tell me who He was.
“God answered my prayer today when He sent you to me.”
“That was probably the single most powerful experience that I’ve ever been a part of in ministry here,” Aker said. “I didn’t do anything special. … God ordained that moment in time.”
Immediately Solomon began telling others about the one, true God and quickly led six villagers to faith, including his wife and two daughters. The local witchdoctor took notice.
If Solomon didn’t stop sharing, the witchdoctor threatened publicly, he would be cursed and die in three days. Solomon refused to be silent, and on day four when villagers saw that he was still alive, they wanted to know why.
Aker said Solomon told the whole village about Jesus. In one day 80 people gave their lives to Him.
“These people live in daily fear of evil spirits,” Aker explained. “Everything they do — which direction their house faces, when they get married, what they eat — it’s all based on trying to appease these evil spirits.
“The fact that Solomon didn’t die rocked their worldview.”
Four years later, God has used Solomon’s influence to bring more than 400 people to faith across three neighboring villages. Three house churches have been planted. Aker said the good news is now spreading to a fourth village.
“We went from zero (believers) … to 147 in about five months,” Aker said. “I will never make it to every single village of our people group — it’s impossible. … That’s why we have to train and raise-up believers … to reach the rest.”
But the villagers aren’t the only ones whose faith has grown as a result of Solomon’s work.
“If you had asked me back then … did I think God could do these things? I’d say ‘Yeah, I think He could. But I haven’t seen it.’ I believe in my head God can do it. Did I believe in my heart that He would do it? Back then, if I was being honest, I’d have to say no,” Aker said.
“God had been preparing Solomon for 20 years … I’m just thankful God allowed me to be a small part of it.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — Names were changed for security reasons. (BP)
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