Bible Gateway

Here’s how one person’s testimony pointed me toward Christ – and why your story can do the same with others.

He was a hard-drinking, glue-sniffing, drug-abusing, hate-filled urban terrorist who had been in and out of the court system ever since he threw a hammer at someone’s head when he was eight years old. He rose to second-in-command of the Belaires, a vicious street gang that ruled parts of Chicago. And ironically, he became a significant influence in my journey toward Christ.

How did he do it? As you’ll see, Ron Bronski merely did something that anyone – even you or I – can emulate and which God can powerfully use as we reach out to others.

After various scrapes with the law, Ron got into big-time trouble when he was twenty-one. A member of a rival street gang brutally assaulted one of Ron’s friends, and Ron vowed revenge. Soon he tracked down the assailant’s brother, whose name was Gary. Ron thrust a gun in Gary’s chest – and quickly pulled the trigger.

Click. The gun misfired. Ron pointed the gun in the air and pulled the trigger again; this time it went off. Gary fled down the sidewalk with Ron in pursuit, shooting as he ran. Finally one of the bullets found its mark, tearing into Gary’s back and lodging next to his liver. He fell face forward on the pavement.

Ron flipped him over. “Don’t shoot me, man!” Gary pleaded. “Don’t shoot me again! Don’t kill me!”

Without an ounce of compassion or a moment of hesitation, Ron shoved the gun in Gary’s face and pulled the trigger once more.

Click. This time the gun was empty.

A siren wailed in the distance. Ron managed to escape the police, but they issued a warrant for his arrest on a charge of attempted murder. With his previous police record, that would mean twenty years in the penitentiary. To avoid prosecution, Ron and his girlfriend fled Chicago and ended up in Portland, Oregon, where Ron got his first legitimate job, working in a metal shop.

By divine coincidence his coworkers were Christians, and through their influence and the work of the Holy Spirit, Ron became a radically committed follower of Jesus.

Over time, Ron’s character and values changed. His girlfriend also became a Christian and they got married. Ron became a model employee, an active church participant, and a well-respected member of the community. The Chicago police had stopped looking for him long ago. He was safe to live out the rest of his days in Portland.

Except that his conscience bothered him. Even though he had been reconciled with God, he hadn’t been reconciled with society. He realized he was living a lie, which as a Christian he couldn’t tolerate. So after much deliberation and prayer, he decided to take the train to Chicago and face the charges against him.

When Ron appeared in criminal court, I was there working as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune. In contrast to the other defendants, who were always offering excuses for their behavior, Ron looked into the judge’s eyes and said, “I’m guilty. I did it. I’m responsible. If I need to go to prison, that’s okay. But I’ve become a Christian and the right thing to do is to admit what I’ve done and to ask for forgiveness. What I did was wrong, plain and simple, and I’m sorry. I really am.”

I was blown away! Even as an atheist, I was so impressed by what Ron did that he didn’t need to approach me to talk about his faith. I asked him about it.

Over a cup of coffee, Ron recounted his entire story as I scribbled notes. Frankly, his tale was so amazing that I needed to corroborate it. I interviewed his coworkers, friends, and pastor in Oregon, as well as the street-toughened detectives who knew him in Chicago. They were unanimous in saying that something had dramatically transformed him. Ron claimed God was responsible. Though a skeptic, I was thoroughly intrigued.

Ron expected to spend two decades behind bars, away from his wife and little girl. But the judge, deeply impressed by Ron’s changed life, concluded that he wasn’t a threat to society anymore and gave him probation instead. “Go home and be with your family,” he said.

I had never seen anything like this! After court was adjourned, I rushed into the hallway to interview Ron. “What’s your reaction to what the judge did?” I asked.

Ron faced me squarely and looked deep into my eyes. “What that judge did was show me grace – sort of like Jesus did,” Ron replied. “And Lee, can I tell you something? If you let him, God will show you grace, too. Don’t forget that.”

I never have. Hearing Ron tell me the story of God’s transforming work in his life helped pry open my heart to God. Without a doubt, Ron Bronski was one of the key influences in my journey toward faith. Today, more than thirty years later, Ron is pastor of a church near Portland – and we’re still friends.

What did Ron do that was so effective in reaching out to me? He simply lived out his faith and then told me his story. Granted, his was an amazing account. But every follower of Jesus has a story to tell. And here’s a counter-intuitive secret: you don’t have to have a dramatic account in order for your testimony to influence someone for Christ.

In fact, sometimes the more mundane stories are the most effective. After all, not many people can relate personally to the story of a street-gang-leader-turned pastor. But chances are that there are a lot of folks who can identify with a story like yours.

Want to increase your motivation and skills in sharing Christ with others? Check out The Unexpected Adventure, a six-week devotional full of stories about personal evangelism from me and my buddy Mark Mittelberg.

This article is drawn from Lee Strobel’s free email newsletter Investigating Faith. Each issue features in-depth articles about Christianity, faith, apologetics, and the Bible. Subscribe to have each new issue of Investigating Faith sent directly to your inbox!