Witnesses
Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15
Okay, this is my favorite soapbox page. When I was a child in Sunday School, they taught us that this verse was called "The Great Commission" and it was meant for every Christian to go around the world, or down the street, and tell the lost that Jesus is the way.
You hear a lot of folks talking about heaven these days. Everybody says the second coming of Christ is near, the signs are all around. A missionary friend of mine says people of every religion all over the world are saying "something" momentous is drawing near.
I get this horrible, scared feeling when people start talking about end time things, as they were so much when Y2K was approaching. I think about all the people I know who don't know Jesus, who have nothing to cling to, nothing to shield them from the bad times that are coming, and no hope of heaven. I am not afraid for myself. God and I will get through whatever comes. But, I am afraid for them and I feel burdened for them. I wonder if the Church - the whole body of believers - feels that same burden and is doing all they can do to tell them about Jesus. Enough! I should not have to tell you why you should be reaching out to anyone you can. And, I cannot tell you how to do it. God will make opportunities for you and instruct you if you will just make yourself available.
But, I can tell you how very easy it is. You see, God says no one comes to him without the Spirit drawing them. (John 6:44) When He sets someone in your way and presents the opportunity to witness, He is already working and He will complete the work. I wrote a song once called "I'm Not The Head." I think that's what I'm trying to say here. I don't do the worrying and planning. I just stand by to be the hands and mouth and feet. God is in charge. If Satan gets in your way, just remind him he needs to see the Boss about any changes in orders.
And Satan does get in the way. We all think of a thousand reasons not to witness. We think we're not good enough. (We aren't!) We think we don't know what to say. (We don't!) We think we'll be laughed at. (Have you read Paul's list of how many times he was shipwrecked, put in prison, left for dead, or persecuted?) It's not about us, though, is it? It's about Him and He is good enough; He does know what to say; and He will not be mocked.
One of my favorite stories is about a young man who was saved in the jail where I was working. When he awoke the morning after being locked up, I was ready with fresh coffee, a tract, and what I intended to say. I never got to say it. Just as I started to hand him the coffee, a prisoner down the hall demanded immediate attention. I barely had time to thrust the tract in the young man's hands and say, "Here, read this while you drink your coffee." When I got back to his cell, he was on his knees, crying. God had already done the work. All that was left for me to do was offer to kneel and pray with him while he invited Jesus into his heart.
This weekend I was buying fabric at a shop and the girl who was doing the measuring unfolded the bolt, rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, I hope there's enough!" She measured it off and had just a few inches more then what I needed. "God is smiling on you today!" she exclaimed. Witnessing might be that simple. Just giving God the glory when things are going right. You may never see your testimony bear fruit, but God tells us in the Parable of the Sower not to worry about that (Mark 4:3-20). Just plant the seed and He will take care of the harvest.
I do not believe any of us are excused from witnessing. And, personally, I'm counting a lot on the verse that says anyone who converts a sinner will cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:20) I figure, if necessary, I can tuck some of mine under that umbrella! I'm being a little facetious, but I'm totally earnest when I say the joy of knowing you've brought one person to Jesus will surpass anything else you've ever felt. To have snatched someone from hell and to see their life change is awesome!
And, finally, there is another facet that I wonder if we have neglected. I look back at some of the precious saints of God I have known, now gone to their reward, and I remember they spent hours every week praying for the lost around them. Are we praying so diligently for the lost, or are we too caught up in our own busy-ness to do more then murmur a nice, generic, "Save the lost," before we fall asleep at night?
Just one more story to illustrate. When I first started my present job and my office moved into a new building, I got out the first day and walked seven times around the block, praying for each person and each building in that block, claiming the whole thing for God. An elderly lady lived on the opposite corner on the back side of that block and saw me walking around and around it. She came out on her porch to ask what I was doing and I explained. She was so excited she would have gone with me, had she been able. However, she told me when I finished the last round to come in because she wanted to pray for me. When I stopped at her door, she was ready. She not only wanted to pray for me, but wanted me to join her to pray for her entire list. She had a wooden recipe box full of cards, each with the name of someone she was holding up in prayer every day. She inspired me. I began boldly writing down names in the front of my Bible and praying through that list daily. You'll now find a date beside many of them. It's the date they got saved.