I first met Francois about a year ago when we joined our current church; Emmanuel Baptist Church Hoensbroek. He was one of those who gave us a really warm welcome. He leads the Sunday morning prayer meetings and it is clear to see his love for Jesus and for people. He has a certain genuineness about him that is quite rare to come across these days, even in the church.
It is very easy to see the light of Christ shining through Francois.
The story of how Francois got to know Jesus is without doubt a very touching one. It is one that vividly illustrates how much God loves each and every one of us, INDIVIDUALLY. It brings the parable of the lost sheep into perspective...yes our Lord will leave 99 to find 1 lost one.
Francois Janssen is a Dutch man, born and raised in The Netherlands. His devoted Catholic grandmother was the earliest Christian influence in his life. Through her he learned about God and Jesus and never questioned the Christian beliefs. However his understanding was that if you did your best to live a decent life and stayed away from "big" sins, it was okay and you will still make Heaven.
As a young man Francois loved and played sports. It was not long before he got into different addictive drugs ("coke", "speed"). In the Summer of 1995 he was at the swimming pool in Vaals (a small town in Holland) when a man he knew from the gym walked up and sat next to him, then asked if he believed in Jesus. Patrick is that man's name and he played a very vital role in Francois' salvation story. Francois' answer was "yes", because he did accept who Jesus was though he was not born-again. At that time Francois was reading a book on heaven written by a lady who had had a near death experience. So he was quite open when Patrick shared the Gospel and invited him to Bible Study in Vaals, which he attended for 3 months.
However, Francois was still in contact with old friends who kept being a negative influence in his life. He soon slid back into the world with drugs and the like. He justified his sin by telling himself that those faithful born-again Christians were fanatics, extremists and even cultists. He insisted it was okay to just believe and that "small sins" were not a problem.
A few weeks after he stopped going to Bible study, the leader of the study was driving past Francois on the street when he slowed down, pointed at him and said "you go to hell". He dismissed the man as being fanatic but could not forget the incident. It remained in his mind and he sometimes wondered if that man was right. Was he really going to hell?
Over seven years God pursued Francois. Once he was at the airport in Amsterdam (Schiphol) when a man walked across the large crowd he was in straight up to him and shared the Gospel. Why did he pass all the people in the crowded airport and head directly to him? Francois wondered.
He also remembers one day taking his nephews for a walk, when he took a cigarette break by himself while his nephews went off on their bikes. Sitting on a bench, he leaned forward and spotted a piece of paper between his feet. He picked it up and it was a Christian tract. His first thought was "Oh no, not these cultists again." He started reading the tract and when he flipped to the back someone had scribbled in pen "PS: this is not a cult."
In 1998, Francois had a particularly hard time. He was suicidal and deeply into drugs. He had a visit from Patrick and his wife which really encouraged him. They gave him a Bible and a book called "Es gibt einen weg Zuruck." ("There is a way back" in German) However he never read them but shoved them away in his basement.
In 2002 Francois worked at a big laundromat in Vaals where he met a devout Muslim who tried to convert him to Islam. They discussed religion extensively almost daily. He remembers the guy claiming Ishmael was the son Abraham almost sacrificed and he of course refused to accept that and insisted it was Isaac. Francois recalls having this strong desire to defend Jesus and Christianity to this Muslim guy. So he went back home and searched for the Bible Patrick had gifted him a few years back. Maybe if he read it he will know more and be able to share with his Muslim colleague.
As Francois read the Bible he had this longing to go back to Jesus. Although he had always believed, he knew he was on the wrong path and wasn't following the Truth. Initially he thought it was too late to return to Jesus after all he had done, turning his back on Jesus and not being faithful to Him. Then he remembered the book "Es gibt einen weg zuruck" by MacDonald. He dug it up and read it. It encouraged him and he could relate to a lot of what the author wrote; indeed after hearing the Gospel sinning is no longer enjoyable even when we slide back.
This was when Francois asked Jesus to come into his life. "I fell on my knees and wept like a baby and asked Jesus for forgiveness." are his words. Excited and happy about what he had just experienced, Francois knew he needed to establish contact with Christians so he reached out to Patrick, who was the only Christian he knew. It had been years since they last had contact so Francois only found Patrick's mother's number in the phone book. He called her and told her what had just happened to him and asked her to let Patrick know he would like to see him. Seven days after, Patrick called and on hearing the good news drove over to see Francois. Francois spent those 7 days praying and reading the Bible. Two weeks later Francois found and joined a church in which he grew in his new found relationship with Jesus.
About fifteen years later Francois serves actively as part of a church family. He is especially active in the ministry of evangelism. He admits this new life in Christ is a journey with ups and downs but one he still visibly enjoys.
It is very easy to see the light of Christ shining through Francois.
The story of how Francois got to know Jesus is without doubt a very touching one. It is one that vividly illustrates how much God loves each and every one of us, INDIVIDUALLY. It brings the parable of the lost sheep into perspective...yes our Lord will leave 99 to find 1 lost one.
Francois Janssen is a Dutch man, born and raised in The Netherlands. His devoted Catholic grandmother was the earliest Christian influence in his life. Through her he learned about God and Jesus and never questioned the Christian beliefs. However his understanding was that if you did your best to live a decent life and stayed away from "big" sins, it was okay and you will still make Heaven.
As a young man Francois loved and played sports. It was not long before he got into different addictive drugs ("coke", "speed"). In the Summer of 1995 he was at the swimming pool in Vaals (a small town in Holland) when a man he knew from the gym walked up and sat next to him, then asked if he believed in Jesus. Patrick is that man's name and he played a very vital role in Francois' salvation story. Francois' answer was "yes", because he did accept who Jesus was though he was not born-again. At that time Francois was reading a book on heaven written by a lady who had had a near death experience. So he was quite open when Patrick shared the Gospel and invited him to Bible Study in Vaals, which he attended for 3 months.
However, Francois was still in contact with old friends who kept being a negative influence in his life. He soon slid back into the world with drugs and the like. He justified his sin by telling himself that those faithful born-again Christians were fanatics, extremists and even cultists. He insisted it was okay to just believe and that "small sins" were not a problem.
A few weeks after he stopped going to Bible study, the leader of the study was driving past Francois on the street when he slowed down, pointed at him and said "you go to hell". He dismissed the man as being fanatic but could not forget the incident. It remained in his mind and he sometimes wondered if that man was right. Was he really going to hell?
Over seven years God pursued Francois. Once he was at the airport in Amsterdam (Schiphol) when a man walked across the large crowd he was in straight up to him and shared the Gospel. Why did he pass all the people in the crowded airport and head directly to him? Francois wondered.
He also remembers one day taking his nephews for a walk, when he took a cigarette break by himself while his nephews went off on their bikes. Sitting on a bench, he leaned forward and spotted a piece of paper between his feet. He picked it up and it was a Christian tract. His first thought was "Oh no, not these cultists again." He started reading the tract and when he flipped to the back someone had scribbled in pen "PS: this is not a cult."
In 1998, Francois had a particularly hard time. He was suicidal and deeply into drugs. He had a visit from Patrick and his wife which really encouraged him. They gave him a Bible and a book called "Es gibt einen weg Zuruck." ("There is a way back" in German) However he never read them but shoved them away in his basement.
In 2002 Francois worked at a big laundromat in Vaals where he met a devout Muslim who tried to convert him to Islam. They discussed religion extensively almost daily. He remembers the guy claiming Ishmael was the son Abraham almost sacrificed and he of course refused to accept that and insisted it was Isaac. Francois recalls having this strong desire to defend Jesus and Christianity to this Muslim guy. So he went back home and searched for the Bible Patrick had gifted him a few years back. Maybe if he read it he will know more and be able to share with his Muslim colleague.
As Francois read the Bible he had this longing to go back to Jesus. Although he had always believed, he knew he was on the wrong path and wasn't following the Truth. Initially he thought it was too late to return to Jesus after all he had done, turning his back on Jesus and not being faithful to Him. Then he remembered the book "Es gibt einen weg zuruck" by MacDonald. He dug it up and read it. It encouraged him and he could relate to a lot of what the author wrote; indeed after hearing the Gospel sinning is no longer enjoyable even when we slide back.
This was when Francois asked Jesus to come into his life. "I fell on my knees and wept like a baby and asked Jesus for forgiveness." are his words. Excited and happy about what he had just experienced, Francois knew he needed to establish contact with Christians so he reached out to Patrick, who was the only Christian he knew. It had been years since they last had contact so Francois only found Patrick's mother's number in the phone book. He called her and told her what had just happened to him and asked her to let Patrick know he would like to see him. Seven days after, Patrick called and on hearing the good news drove over to see Francois. Francois spent those 7 days praying and reading the Bible. Two weeks later Francois found and joined a church in which he grew in his new found relationship with Jesus.
About fifteen years later Francois serves actively as part of a church family. He is especially active in the ministry of evangelism. He admits this new life in Christ is a journey with ups and downs but one he still visibly enjoys.
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