One Encounter at a Time: The Gospels Power to Transform

The First Time Isn't Always Enough

Most of us can look back on a moment when we first heard about Jesus. Maybe it was in Sunday school, at a youth camp, through a friend, or even a stranger. But for many, that first encounter did not immediately lead to faith. Life was too loud, the pain too real, or the questions too big. The truth is, for most people, the Gospel needs to be heard more than once. Not because it’s weak, but because we are.

At The City Church Batavia, we’ve seen firsthand the power of repeated opportunities. We believe every person deserves more than just one invitation. We believe that God works through process, and that the Gospel has the ability to break through—not always instantly, but eventually, as hearts soften, minds open, and people begin to really see Jesus for who He is.

God's Love Is Patient

One of the most beautiful things about God is His patience. He is not in a hurry. He is not overwhelmed by our doubts or offended by our hesitation. Scripture shows us time and time again that God pursues people over the course of their entire lives. He keeps showing up. He keeps speaking. He keeps loving.

Think of Peter. Even after denying Jesus three times, Peter was met with grace and restoration. Think of the Samaritan woman at the well, who had lived through heartbreak and rejection. Or the thief on the cross, who had only moments left but still received mercy. These stories remind us that no matter how many chances it takes, God does not give up.

As a church, we are called to model that same patience—to continue offering love and truth long after someone walks away the first time. Repeated opportunities are not redundant—they are redemptive.

The Role of the Church in a Noisy World

We live in a culture full of distractions. Every day, people are bombarded with messages—some hopeful, but many harmful. In the middle of all that noise, the church has to be consistent. It has to keep showing up. Not with condemnation, but with compassion. Not with pressure, but with presence.

When someone walks into a church service for the tenth time and still has not surrendered their life to Christ, it can be tempting to wonder if they are really open. But we do not know the battles they are fighting. We do not know what God is stirring in their heart. Sometimes the tenth time is the breakthrough. Sometimes it’s the fiftieth.

That is why The City Church Batavia makes it a point to create welcoming environments, not just once—but every single week. Whether someone is brand new or has been attending for years without making a public decision, they are met with the same message: you are seen, you are loved, and Jesus is waiting for you.

Every Encounter Matters

One of the greatest lies people believe is that what they do does not matter. That showing up to serve at a greeting table, leading a small group, or inviting a friend to church is not making a difference. But we know better.

Transformation often begins in the small moments. A smile at the door. A message that hits just right. A worship song that speaks to someone’s soul. An invitation to coffee that turns into a life-giving conversation. These encounters may seem ordinary, but they are not. God uses them.

When we commit to offering people multiple opportunities to experience God, we are creating space for Him to work. The Gospel is powerful. But sometimes it needs time to work its way past the walls people have built. Every encounter makes a crack. Every time someone sees Jesus clearly, something shifts.

Stories of Grace on Repeat

There is something incredibly moving about hearing testimonies of people who were invited to church dozens of times before they finally said yes. Or those who drifted in and out for years before they encountered God in a way they could not ignore.

We know people who sat in the back row for months. Who came only because their spouse begged them to. Who listened with their arms crossed. Who left early. But they kept coming. And little by little, the Gospel did what it always does—it changed everything.

These stories are not rare. They are constant reminders that God is always working. He is not finished with anyone. And neither are we.

A Culture of Invitation

If we truly believe in the power of repeated opportunities, then we will build a culture of invitation. Not just once-a-year events or big outreaches, but a daily rhythm of inviting people into the presence of Jesus.

We will invite them into our homes, into our church, into our lives. We will see every moment as a chance for someone to experience the Gospel again—or maybe for the first time in a way that really makes sense.

At The City Church Batavia, this is more than a strategy. It is a conviction. We are committed to being a place where people can encounter God again and again until the truth of His love takes root. We believe the harvest is coming—and it often comes through persistence.

Don't Give Up

If you have been praying for someone for a long time, do not stop. If you have invited someone to church twenty times with no yes, invite them again. If you have loved someone who keeps running, keep loving. Because God is not done. And the next opportunity might just be the one that changes everything.

The Gospel is not just a message. It is a movement. And that movement happens when we show up again and again with grace, with hope, and with open arms.

Let us be people who create repeated opportunities. Who plant seeds faithfully. Who trust God with the timing.

Because lives are changed—one encounter at a time.