A Link in the Chain

posted by Navigators on May 11th, 2020 in Evangelism | Gospel

There are many gospel tracts and websites you may stumble upon today that ask that age-old question:

“If you died today, where would you go: heaven or hell?”

Perhaps you’ve asked yourself that question, too. Have you ever asked someone else? And if you did, what was their response?

There is a story called A Link in the Chain. You’ve likely heard of it. You’ll find many versions of the story, some of which are fictionalised, if you search for the phrase or the question on the internet. It’s the story of a man and his seemingly random question to total strangers on one of the more familiar streets of Sydney: “If you died today, where would you go — Would it be heaven or hell? For the Bible says it’s one or the other…”

It seems like a simple question. But is it? In our society today, you’ll probably get many different reactions, ranging from a positive response to downright anger for getting too personal, perhaps even denial of the existence of both. And maybe you have a different approach to leading casual interactions with your different communities of friends to deeper gospel conversations. No matter how you go about introducing the topic of eternity, there is something in this link-in-the-chain story about the way our lives can intertwine with others’, be it a slow-moving relationship or an unexpected encounter with a stranger with an even stranger question.

You may not yet have led a person directly to Christ. But, did you know that you could be one of the links in the chain of events that eventually led to someone’s decision to give their life to Jesus? Perhaps you told someone your personal testimony at a mutual friend’s dinner; perhaps you’ve shared an anecdote during a class or business speech that triggered someone’s curiosity. A regular morning greeting to your neighbour despite their lack of response; a gift of a meal to someone who’s been hit hard financially; a kind word written on a card. A simple question — to a perfect stranger — that echoes to eternity… These could all be a link in the chain.

This is the way Jack Griffin tells the story:

If you’d like to read a transcribed (shorter) version, here is a copy as told by Jack as well.

And just as Jack ends his story, we also hope that you have been challenged to be a link in the chain.

Check out the links to our related posts to read more stories of ‘ordinary people’ living out the identity of being on a mission for Christ to ‘go and make disciples’. Remember that leading others to Jesus often doesn’t happen overnight or after one conversation. It could take many interactions, many invitations, and many different people. Our mission is a lifetime’s journey; and who knows — perhaps you’ve been a link in the chain of someone’s story.