Thinking about our favorite speakers, whom would you choose to reach someone like the co-founder of a Satanic movement in South Africa?

A South African Newspaper reports:

Riaan Swiegelaar, a former reverend at the South African Satanic Church (SASC), stepped down from his position on May 30, 2022.

Sometimes our focus on big-name speakers carries a subtle message that most of the heavy lifting in ministry in mission is done by those people. So how was Riaan reached? Here’s the way he tells it as reported in The Maravi Post.

“I’ve never known unconditional love in my whole life and up to today, there’s only four Christians in my whole life that have shown me what unconditional love is. I want to thank those four people. Words cannot express what you have done for me.“

…

He pointed out that love was shown to him during a time when he was a monster and an ugly person. In mid-May this year, Swiegelaar gave his last interview as a member of the SASC on the CapeTalk radio station. Following the interview, a woman working for the station, whose name he would not reveal, came to him and demonstrated God’s love in an unexpected way.

“I told her, ‘I don’t believe in Jesus and I don’t believe Jesus Christ exists’ because I didn’t. She came to me after the interview, after I said that and she hugged me and she held me in a way that I’ve never been loved. That’s all she did. She just said it was nice to meet me in person. A week later, on WhatsApp, through her status, I saw this woman is a Christian. I’ve never had a Christian do that…I’ve never experienced a Christian show that much love and acceptance unconditionally … after I said the things I said, she did that. That stayed with me.”

A week later, Swiegelaar was performing a satanic ritual by himself which he said was geared towards gaining more power and influence as a Satanist. He said:

“I did this ritual and I opened myself up and Jesus appeared and I was extremely cocky and I said, ‘if you are Jesus, you need to prove it.’ And He flooded me with the most beautiful love and energy and I recognized it immediately because that woman at the radio station showed it to me. That’s how I recognized the love of Christ.” – (I recommend the article in its entirety.)

I’m indebted to my friend John Ed Mathison, whose weekly blog of July 27, Who Fixes the Broken?, put me on to this story. John Ed observed:

Please note that it was the witness of a wonderful person who didn’t judge or condemn, but simply allowed the love of Christ to show through her. Jesus uses people to bring people to Him.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance. (Romans 2.4, ESV)

And Jesus?

The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, “Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!” (Luke 7.34, ESV)

Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. (1 John 2.6, ESV)