From Gang Life to Gospel: Ariel Aguilar's Story of Faith | Just Talking About Jesus

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts! Before he was a pastor, church planter, and missionary, Ariel Aguilar ran with gangs. In this conversation with host Jan Johnson, Ariel shares how a medical crisis — his wife's cancer diagnosis during pregnancy — became the turning point that led him to give his life to Christ. From there, his story takes us through freezing mission trips in Mongolia, a young man named Togi who came to faith weeks before he passed away, and Ariel's current ministry, Door Knocker Apologetics, where he trades ten minutes of listening to a sales pitch for fifteen minutes to talk about Jesus with whoever shows up at his front door. Practical, funny, and deeply rooted in scripture, this episode will change how you think about the next conversation you have with a stranger. Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/oliver-massa/ brighter-days License code: KTTDO32WFSGDAR5H Chapter Markers 00:00 Welcome & Introduction 01:01 From Gang Life to Giving His Life to Christ 02:00 Pastor, Church Planter, and Missionary 02:50 The "But God" Moment: Jessica's Cancer Diagnosis 04:02 Making a Deal with God 06:04 The Birth of Micah and Marrying Jessica 06:46 The Miracle of Johnny Glenn's Word 09:38 Micah Today 10:48 What Drew Him to Missions 11:32 Mongolia and the Cold That Had to Be God 12:09 Hospitality Among the Mongolian and Chinese People 13:31 The Story of Togi 16:41 Togi's Passing and Eternal Hope 17:44 Getting a Mongolian Name: Dala 18:37 Door Knocker Apologetics Begins 20:03 The Ten-Minutes-for-Fifteen-Minutes Deal 23:40 Starting the Conversation: "Are You Spiritual?" 24:24 The Columbo Tactic 24:38 Role-Playing a Door Knocker Conversation 28:25 The Four Questions: Creation, Purpose, Morality, Eternity 30:24 "It's the Same God" — Addressing a Common Objection 33:08 Why Christianity Is Different from Other Religions 35:37 The Dentist Bill Illustration 36:28 Final Word: Go Love More Welcome to Just Talkin' About Jesus. I'm Jan Johnson, a seasoned believer who loves relationships and, you know, just talkin' about Jesus. Here you will find testimonies of those who God has changed through his grace. Stories of feeling unworthy because of being sex trafficked, or of radical redemption of a woman who grew up with abuse, neglect, abandonment and drugs. A story of an abortion survivor. This and more. Lean in now. Consider subscribing to this podcast, YouTube and Substack- all with the same name: Just Talkin' About Jesus! https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus https://jan-johnson.com/ https://justtalkingaboutjesus.com/ https://janjohnsonauthor.substack.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@JustTalkinAboutJesus Thanks for listening! If you have a story to tell, check out the form on my website- justtalkingaboutjesus.com. I'd love to connect with you! No, really.... hit me up!