After the service at the jail, a young man of 35—let's call him Brad—approached me, eager to talk. He told me that just before he was transferred there, he had spoken with a fellow who had recently given his life to Christ.

The man was rough-cut and not an eloquent speaker, but the light in his eyes and the glow about him as he testified of how Jesus had saved him and filled him with such joy simply couldn't be denied.

Brad told me of a time, years ago, when he felt a touch of God that struck him to the core. But in the bustle of life, he didn't pursue it, and it faded into a distant memory. Hearing this man's testimony, however, rekindled a hunger and a fire within him to experience that reality again.

We talked at length, and I shared John 3:3 with him about the new birth and the joy of the Holy Spirit. He was eager to learn, and I have rarely seen a hungrier heart.

As I drove home, I couldn't help but think about the power of simply sharing one's testimony. In the space of a brief conversation with a stranger, Brad came face to face with "the ardent ecstasies and vital impulses" of the Holy Spirit.