Life Church’s Founder and Senior Pastor, Craig Groeschel, recently shared a powerful memory on an Instagram video, recounting how a single verse from the Bible, given to him by a young man on campus, transformed his life.
In the video posted on Thursday, Groeschel reflected on his college years when he felt lost and burdened by sin, unsure of which path to take. He described the feeling of guilt and loneliness that consumed him during that time. It was then that a young man in a suit and tie approached him on campus and offered him a green Gideon new testament Bible for free.
Taking the young man’s gift, Groeschel began reading through the Bible, starting from the Gospels and progressing over a week to Ephesians chapter 2. As he immersed himself in the verses about Jesus’ grace, something profound happened—he was completely transformed.
In the video, Groeschel shared a photo of himself with a man holding a green Testament Bible, stating that this man was likely the one who gave him the life-changing book. The pastor expressed how he later met the man, named Mike Davis, and the joy they both experienced in realizing how the word of God has the power to transform lives.
In a September 2019 Facebook post, Groeschel mentioned that while he couldn’t be entirely certain, it seemed highly likely that Mike Davis was the one who gifted him the Bible. Davis was actively involved in distributing Bibles among college students during the same time Groeschel received his copy.
This heartfelt recollection serves as a reminder of the profound impact a simple act of kindness and sharing the word of God can have on someone’s life. For Groeschel, that young man’s gesture set him on a path of transformation, ultimately leading him to become the influential spiritual leader he is today.
Narating his encounter with the transformation though the word in the Bible, Pastor Craig took to instagram to share this: