The Bible Guy

To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, May 6.

By Andrew McChesney

R

emus is known as “the Bible Guy.”

He was a nurse, and his wife was an architect. They had a comfortable life with three children in France. By all appearances, they had everything that they needed to be happy. But something was missing.

Remus longed to be able to repeat the prayer of Jesus to His Father, “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4, NKJV).

Remus wanted to glorify God with His life. But how?

He wondered if his mission should be similar to that of Jesus’ when He proclaimed in a synagogue, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18, 19).

Remus read Jesus’ parting instructions to His disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19, 20).

Then he read in Ellen White’s book Colporteur Ministry, “The canvassing work, properly conducted, is missionary work of the highest order” (page 6).

Remus decided to become a literature evangelist. He wanted to be someone who, in his words, “tries to sell books to people who don’t want to buy them.”

Remus and his family moved to Galicia, a highly secular region in Spain. Among a population of nearly 3 million, only about 500 Adventists worship in five churches.

Remus started to sell Bibles and other books at outdoor markets, where people gather to buy farm produce, clothes, toys, books, and second-hand items. As he sold books from a stand, people began to call him “the Bible Guy.”

At one outdoor market, Remus saw a fellow vendor also selling books. He went up to the man and began to talk.

The man clearly didn’t want to engage in conversation, but he didn’t seem able to turn away.

“There is something unusual about you,” the man finally acknowledged.

After many conversations at the market, the man agreed to place several of Remus’ books on his stand for sale.

As a gift of thanks, Remus presented him with a Bible.

The man read the Bible at home and asked Remus for Bible studies. After a few months, he gave his heart to Jesus. Today, the man is trying to convince his daughter, sister, and mother to also accept Jesus.

He and Remus are friends, and whenever they meet, he calls out, “Hello, Bible Guy!”

Sometimes, Remus’ books sell themselves. Once someone stopped him as he was carrying several Bibles on the street.

“Is that a Bible?” the stranger asked.

“Yes, I’m selling Bibles,” Remus said.

“How much does one cost?”

“Ten euros,” he said, or about US$10.

“Give me one, please. I’ll buy one.”

In that case, Remus didn’t need to do anything to make the sale. He just had to leave his house. It was God who sold the Bible, he said.

Another time, a woman literally jumped for joy when she saw that Remus was selling Bibles.

“I have been praying to God for a Bible!” she exclaimed and then kissed her new purchase. “This is an answer from God!”

Another time, Remus traveled 70 miles (120 km) to reach an outdoor market. To his joy, he sold many books that day. But as evening came, he realized that he hadn’t sold enough books to cover the cost of the gasoline for the trip.

He wondered, “Was the trip worth it?”

Then an elderly man of about 90 came to the book stand.

“Do you have a Bible?” the man asked.

The man wanted to know if Jesus could possibly love him.

Remus spoke joyfully about Jesus and His love.

With tears in their eyes, the two men contemplated Jesus’ love.

Then the man bought a Bible.

It truly is never too late to get to know Jesus. Meeting the elderly man and sharing the love of Jesus with him was well worth the cost of traveling to the market. Remus hopes to see the man with Jesus in heaven.

Remus is happy to serve God in Spain.

“There are many people searching for the Bread of Life,” he says. “We can help them by giving them the Bible.”

He also is happy to be known as “the
Bible Guy.”

Spain has many cities and towns without a Seventh-day Adventist presence. Thank you for your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering three years ago that went to Spain’s Sagunto Adventist College to help train people to spread the good news about Jesus’ soon coming in the country and beyond.