10 May

Jody Johnston

posted by Kaylan Christopher

If you were to randomly meet Jody Johnston on the street, you would immediately notice a few things about him: he’s a bold, unashamed 17-year-old and he’s not the least bit afraid of sharing Jesus with complete strangers. This Josiah Road blogger was gifted at a very young age with a passion and insatiable drive for telling others about Jesus.

At age three, Jody spoke with his parents about his desire to know Jesus and be forgiven of his sins. But because of his age, they thought it best that he wait awhile.

Despite his age, Jody knew exactly what he needed at that age—salvation in Jesus. More than a year passed by and Jody was still asking questions.

“My dad was asked to preach at a church in Houston, Mississippi—a little town just outside of Tupelo,” Jody said. “I went with him, and on our drive there I began to ask my dad questions—what heaven was like, what hell was like, who went to heaven, and who went to hell.”

After 20 minutes of exchanging questions and answers, Jody’s dad pulled over on the side of the highway and turned to face his son.

“I thought I was about to get into trouble for asking too many questions, but instead the opposite happened,” Jody said. “I was offered the greatest gift of all time—salvation from my sins and everlasting life! My father led me in a prayer.”

That moment was the beginning of several spiritual milestones that led to where he is today. “Since that time I have shared the Gospel with almost everyone I meet—and spread the love that Christ showed to me,” Jody said.

Two years later, riding in the backseat of his grandparent’s car on the way to a funeral, Jody led his cousin to salvation in Jesus. When he was eight, he learned the FAITH evangelism outline—a step-by-step way to share his faith. At age 12, God called Jody into ministry. And when he was 14-years- old, Jody traveled to Daytona Beach, Florida, for the “Student FAITH Challenge.”

At the “Student FAITH Challenge,” leading a team of five 15- to 16-year-olds, Jody and his group walked the beach, passed out water, and shared the Gospel with people for four hours. In that time, 26 people came to know Jesus.

Today, Jody is a high school junior, active in music, sports, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). He leads worship in his youth group, loves to play ultimate Frisbee and boulder, and he’s an advocate for several culture-changing movements: The Call, Bound 4 Life, and Pure Life Revolution.

As a young person, Jody knows his purpose, wants to impact this generation and culture, and seeks to serve the Lord with all his heart just as King Josiah did (2 Chronicles 34).

He said, “I am to do whatever He asks of me—whether [it’s] preach, teach, worship, or whatever for Him. … No journey is smooth, [but] my journey is one toward righteousness.”

His ministry with Josiah Road is one of the ways Jody feels he can help cause change. He said, “If we as a nation could learn what seeking God really is, we would see results greater than Josiah did. I see Josiah Road as the greatest thing to happen yet. It is going to be used to transform not only a generation, but the world.”

Filed in: Meet the Bloggers