Make Friends Who Make it to Forever
Within moments of my personal conversion to follow Christ at nineteen years of age, I was immediately struck with a simple but life-changing realization: my sister was just like me—raised in a Christian home, open to the Gospel message, yet not saved. So, approaching midnight on November 9, 1978, still overflowing with freedom from the weight of my sin and experiencing those first precious moments of new life in Christ, I declared to Jerry, who had just led me to faith, “My sister is just like me, and we need to go down the street now and tell her about my salvation and encourage her to follow Christ. I know she is ready.”
Jerry was taken aback and tried to persuade me to wait until morning. I wouldn’t have it. I answered with urgency, “Let’s go, now!” Reluctantly, Jerry came along as I ran to my sister’s door and rang her doorbell close to midnight.
Long story short—after a heartfelt discussion and sharing how I had come to Christ, my sister placed her faith in Jesus that very night. My sister is my FRIEND, and I desperately wanted her to make it to FOREVER. Little did I understand then, the Lord was already preparing my heart to live as an evangelist, spending the rest of my life intentionally sharing the message of the Gospel with others.
As I reflect on life since my conversion to Christ, I pray your story includes the same passion to share the Gospel—using your personal testimony to connect with friends who need to make it to forever, Heaven. Each year provides special seasons filled with natural opportunities to invite friends, family members, coworkers, or neighbors to church services where they can hear the saving message of Jesus clearly proclaimed. Perhaps there is an upcoming service provided by your church that will be a perfect opportunity to invite a friend who might make it to forever.
Jerry taught a powerful training series titled Make Friends Who Make It to Forever, at our church, created to help believers grasp the simplicity of evangelism that would point people to Christ. In that series, we were invited to ask essential questions: Who am I as a follower of Christ? What does God call me to do? And why must I personally share the message of salvation?
I was honored when Jerry asked me to present on the subject of intentionality—living as a personal evangelist on purpose. This opportunity came immediately following a one-week intensive course during my Master of Divinity studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Our professor that week was Dr. Cky Carrigan. The course was promoted as a theology class, so I arrived expecting deep academic discussion. The room was filled with twenty-one eager students of various ages, laptops open and notebooks ready.
Yet within the first twenty minutes, Dr. Carrigan delivered a message not on knowing God but instead about the urgency of rescuing lost souls that it quite literally arrested our hearts. He reminded us that every human being is created in the image of God—the Imago Dei—rooted in Genesis 1:26-27, declaring humanity to be God’s image-bearers, endowed with divine dignity and indescribable worth.
In one powerful moment, Christian theology, worship, apologetics, and ethics merged into a single piercing call to action as he quoted the Apostle Paul in Romans 10:14–15:
“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?
And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?
And how shall they hear without a preacher?
And how shall they preach unless they are sent?
As it is written,
How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things!”
By the time Dr. Carrigan concluded, the classroom was overwhelmed with emotion. Tears flowed openly. Soft prayer whispers filled the room. Some of us quietly stepped outside just to gather ourselves. The weight of conviction lingered in our spirits for the rest of that day.
We left transformed—renewed with holy urgency to reach the lost.
Throughout the week, Dr. Carrigan modeled evangelism in everyday life, urging us to witness on purpose. One afternoon stands out vividly. While dining together after class, he shared Christ naturally with our server. Before leaving, he scribbled his contact information onto a sugar packet and handed it to the young man, inviting him to reach out anytime.
That simple act forever marked my heart.
By the time I stood to share my message in the series, the fire within me was ignited. I even created personal witness cards, compelled to offer the Gospel to every person the Lord brought across my path.
I began by reminding believers of a powerful truth: we are all evangelists, and evangelism must be lived intentionally. The prophets—Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel—each lived this calling. And God the Father Himself is the greatest evangelist of all.
We see this beautifully displayed in Genesis 3. After sin entered the human story, God immediately pursued His children.
First, in verse 9, He asks the essential question:
“Where are you?”
God knew their physical location, yet He still called out. Perhaps we already “know where” someone is in life—but they need to be seen, loved, and gently invited into spiritual conversation.
Second, God engages uncomfortable truth. In verse 11:
“Who told you that you were naked?”
and,
“Have you eaten from the tree…?”
Sharing Christ may be uncomfortable, but love never avoids truth.
Third, God covers them with compassion. Genesis 3:21 tells us:
“The Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.”
God restores dignity, offering a renewed future of hope and belonging.
I understand the struggle many believers face with intentional evangelism. Fear—what I call “Evangelia-phobia”—often paralyzes hearts. Others feel apathy, lacking urgency for lost souls. Some, shaped by confused theology, believe salvation will happen without personal witness.
But Scripture teaches otherwise.
I concluded by inviting believers to imagine the chain reaction of obedience if we simply started sharing on purpose. The Bible speaks of the Book of Life—God’s divine registry of the redeemed:
Moses — Exodus 32:32–33
David — Psalm 69:28
Daniel — Daniel 12:1
Jesus — Luke 10:20
Paul — Philippians 4:3
At the conclusion of the service, my father joined us on stage as Jerry introduced his personal Book of Life—a teaching tool my dad created and used faithfully during eighteen years of jail ministry to illustrate how names could be written in Heaven through faith in Christ.
When Daddy passed away in November 2022, he had personally led 2,173 men to salvation, inviting each to write their name in that Book of Life.
Today, that book sits on my bookshelf, within view as I pray and write. I often pause to reflect on Daddy’s faithfulness—how creatively and intentionally he shared Jesus with everyone he encountered, right to the end. Sometimes I pull the book down and slowly turn the pages, lingering over handwritten names—each representing a redeemed life—, and I often wonder how many of those men are already in Heaven, walking the streets of gold alongside my daddy now.
As you listen to this message, my prayer is simple—that you would trust Jesus to lead you as you step into what may feel uncomfortable and reach out with the Gospel. He will lead you. Ask Him for guidance and for the right words. He is faithful to give them.
Be a good listener. Ask thoughtful questions that open genuine conversations about faith. Remember—we do not have to know all the answers. Don’t be afraid of difficult or unexpected responses. God does not call us to have everything figured out; He calls us to be obedient.
Commit to being a messenger… a vessel… a willing witness that God can use. Even if you only plant the very first seed in someone’s heart, that moment matters for eternity. God is the One who brings the harvest—but He invites us into the joy of planting.
Make friends who will make it to forever.
I am honored to call Dr. Carrigan my friend and grateful to share his words below.
Endorsement
“Cristie Jo possesses all the skill sets, spiritual gifts, and ministry experiences that accompany extraordinary leaders. I find her to be a remarkable woman of God on the mission of God who understands the Great Commission and coaches others to do the same. She is an active, intentional personal evangelist. Her outstanding devotion to the Lord, her husband, her family, her church, and her community gives her a powerful platform to equip others to live this exceptional life in Christ.”
— Dr. Cky John Carrigan
Associate Pastor, Cornerstone Baptist Church
Darlington, South Carolina
Former Professor of Missions & Evangelism,
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
