By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer
LAFAYETTE (LBM) – When Clayton King encouraged nearly 6,000 students at the 2017 Youth Evangelism Celebration to share Christ with someone while they were in Lafayette, ninth grader Kylan Davis just a few hours later accepted that challenge by leading another person to a relationship with Jesus.
As Davis was enjoying a smoothie at a restaurant with fellow members of the First Baptist Church, Houma, youth group Nov. 20, he reached in his pocket and pulled out “The Road to Life” tract King used earlier in the afternoon as a guide to demonstrate how to share the Gospel.
Moments later, the Holy Spirit moved Davis to share Christ with Todd, a manager at the restaurant.
Apprehensive at first, Davis moved forward in obedience, nonetheless, asking the man if he had a few minutes to chat.
“When I asked Todd if he wanted to receive Jesus in his life, he said, ‘Sure,’” Davis said. “I could tell the Holy Spirit was moving. I never thought I would be sharing the Gospel with someone that day, but for some reason I reached for the tract that Clayton King used to walk us through sharing Christ.”
Now that he has experienced the joy of leading someone to Christ, Davis said he no longer is afraid to share the Gospel.
“A lot of the fear is in your head,” Davis said. “If you share the Gospel you might save someone … and that’s scary to Satan. He will try to plant ideas in your head to prevent you from doing it because he knows, if you are successful, that’s one less person in Hell.”
While leading someone to Christ was joyful enough, Davis experienced another spiritual high point a few days later when he decided to follow through with a decision he had been putting off more than a year – his own baptism.
A Christian since August 2016, Davis was waiting for “the perfect conditions” before getting baptized. But in late October, Davis accepted that would likely never happen, acknowledging that Satan was trying to prevent him from taking that step of obedience, too.
“When it happened, it was incredible,” continued Davis, who was baptized Nov. 26. “It gave me such a sense of peace afterwards. And I still feel that peace a few days later.”
Davis is one of 57 people – including 15 members of the youth group – baptized through late November at the First Baptist Church in Houma, which averages 972 in Sunday morning worship, according to Annual Church Profile statistics. Youth Minister Chet Bergeron said his students are stepping up to share their faith with friends and inviting them to church, noting that 19 members of his youth group made decisions for Christ at YEC.
“There is no doubt God is moving through Clayton’s ministry and I’m grateful that my students responded to God’s Word and stepped out into action by following through with baptism, sharing their faith, and encouraging one another along the way,” Bergeron said. “Kylan Davis was fired up to use the tool that Clayton King taught him during that last session we had with him and God blessed it. This not only encouraged Kylan, but the whole group as they were so excited to see what living out the Christian faith looks like on the front lines.”
