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Greetings, my friends, this is Dr. Judy with a message from God’s Word in my series – GOING BOLD FOR GOD. Today’s testimony story and lesson focuses on looking and listening for the Lord’s direction.
We couldn’t have ordered a more perfect day for bicycling. It was early morning as we pedaled down a major highway in West Virginia. Just ahead, the sun was rising and panoramic views of the countryside surrounded us. Spinning down a hill, we noticed a car parked on the right shoulder with its hood up. The smooth road and fabulous day tempted us to coast on by, but I immediately knew we needed to stop. Since several of us were riding together, we did not hesitate to offer our help.
An unhappy man was sitting in the driver’s seat of the disabled vehicle. Naturally, we asked if there was anything we could do to help. Frustrated and muttering under his breath, Phil said his car had a full tank of gas, had just been serviced, and had never stalled before. We offered to make a call for him on one of our cell phones. He shook his head, saying, “I called my son-in-law already and he’s on the way. But Thanks anyhow.” One of the other riders started talking to Phil, so I watched him carefully as she spoke. He exhibited all the classic signs of “I don’t want to talk to you about this.” She was gracious and very caring in her conversation, telling him that we were Christians and just wanted to help if we could. His response was, “I’ve got everything in life I want. Don’t waste your time on me. Others have already tried. You can just go on about your merry way and I’ll be fine.” My teammate looked at me, not sure where to take the conversation from there.
After I silently prayed to God for the right words to say, I moved closer to the car and remarked, “You know, Phil, when we first got here, you said your car never broke down before. Is that correct?” He agreed. “So, why do you think it happened now, on this road, and at this time?”
“Who knows or even cares,” he said impatiently. “I just want to get the tow truck and get my car fixed.”
“Well, do you have a good mechanic?” I asked. “Oh you bet I do. I have the best mechanic in town. I’ll get him on this right away and it will be running good as new in no time.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear that you have a fine mechanic. Let me ask you this, Phil. If you were going to build a house, would you find the best contractor available?”
“Oh you know I would. We don’t compromise on things like that around here,” he said emphatically.
My next question led into spiritual things. “Phil, have you ever done anything in your life that has not been real good?” I quickly admitted that I myself had done some things I wish I hadn’t. Continuing to speak candidly, I pointed out that most of us have told a lie or maybe said something in anger. “Don’t you agree?” He answered, “Well of course. I’ve gotten upset and told lies. I don’t have the best control over my temper. I kind of fly off the handle once in awhile.”
“You know Phil, I continued, according to God’s Word, all those bad things are actually called ‘sin’. The Bible tells us that if we have told even one lie, we are liars. Have you ever gotten a ticket?” I asked.
“Oh yeah, I’ve gotten plenty of tickets.”
“Well, what did the judge say, Phil? Maybe something like, you could pay the fine or else go to jail? I’m sure you realize that life is made up of choices. When we sin, how do we get rid of it? Do we pay a fine or do some jail time? What do you think happens? Can we do enough good things to erase the bad?”
Phil quietly looked down and said nothing. I got his attention by holding up the wooden cross I was wearing around my neck, and then I asked, “Do you know what Jesus did on the cross for you, Phil?” He hesitated and glanced back down to the floorboard, so I went on, “Jesus died on the cross and paid the penalty for my sins and yours. He did all that for us because He loves us. He paid the fine and the price for our sins.”
At that point, I noticed Phil’s attitude change; he suddenly seemed interested in the message I was sharing with him. “Phil, it’s a wonderful blessing to have family, friends, and a great mechanic. But when you die, where will you spend eternity?”
To my surprise, Phil pleaded, “Oh please, don’t ask me about that. I try never to think about dying and what will happen next. My daughter and son-in-law have shared this message with me for years, and they say they pray for me.”
I assured him, “Phil, you don’t have to be afraid. Just like you need the best mechanic to fix your car, we need a Savior to repair us because of our sin. I believe that’s why we’re here and the reason you had car trouble. You needed to hear this message of hope and salvation again, and be challenged to make a choice with this information. If you died today, Phil, I asked, would God invite you into His home in heaven?”
Without hesitation he answered, “Oh, No way. I’m not perfect, not even good – at least not good enough to get into heaven.” He paused a moment, and then added, “In any case, why do I need to make a decision now? I’m only in my 50’s. I have plenty of time left before I die.”
“Phil,” I warned him, “none of us knows the day or time when we will die. How many people have you known who died at a young age?”
He thought for a moment, and then admitted, “Several. You’re right. We don’t know, do we?”
I continued our conversation, quoting several Scripture verses, including John 3:16, 1 John 1:9, and Ephesians 2:8-9, sharing God’s love, forgiveness, and gift of eternal life. I told Phil I had always thought that if I was good enough I might earn my way to heaven too. But then I heard this same message, read the gospel of John from the Bible, and asked the Lord to forgive me of my sins and invited Him into my heart and my life.
Referring to our GOOD NEWS witnessing card, I let him read the verses and look at each statement. With tears in his eyes, Phil looked up at me and asked, “Judy, will God forgive me? Can I really be saved and know I’ll go to heaven?”
From the corner of my eye, I saw a pickup truck pull up behind Phil’s car, but he was oblivious to it. I answered him with a big YES and I asked if he truly believed in Jesus and would he like to pray here and now to receive God’s free gift of salvation. He exclaimed, “Oh, Yes, please!” I led Phil in the prayer of salvation, and afterwards he got out of his car, hugged me and several others, and thanked us a hundred times over. At that point, he noticed the pickup and said, “That’s my son-in-law, the one who has been praying for me. Let’s go tell him.” When we greeted Daryl, Phil blurted out, “Guess what? I’ve just been saved!” Daryl threw his arms around him and the two men stood there, literally crying for joy. Daryl commented that he had passed our ministry truck back in town, so he knew when he pulled in behind us that we were witnessing to his father-in-law. He had stayed in his truck to pray, just as he had been doing for so many years!
IN CONCLUSION …… Let me share that
I had many thoughts running through my mind that morning. Phil appeared not to be interested in things of the Lord at all, so I seriously considered just continuing down the road after telling him that we would pray for him. But I listened to that still small voice inside and trusted the Lord. I was obedient to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
Even though we probably all pray for situations like this, we often miss them because we are going too fast in life or have other things that are on our mind. We need to ask the Lord to show us how encounters like these can be opportunities to share the love and Good News of Jesus Christ. We should always keep Jesus as the center of our attention!
I believe I can only be His witness when I genuinely love people enough to want to share Christ with them.
I like to think of it this way: Just as we would not start a job without having the right tools and equipment, neither should we start each day without the strength and the power we need to overcome life’s challenges. Being properly equipped to be the God’s messengers is the responsibility of every Christian. You can find that in 2 Corinthians 5:20. We must be prepared with prayer to meet the tasks that face us every minute of every day. Many Christians either forget or ignore some of the basics needed to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. This can leave us ill-equipped to make godly decisions.
I believe Christians must be willing and able to explain who Jesus is, what God has done in our lives, and how the Holy Spirit enables us to share our faith and what it means to. C.S. Lewis said that sharing our faith with a non-believer is like one beggar telling another beggar where to get food.
But, by telling others how the Lord brought us to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ is a great way to testify. It is important to identify the highlights of our testimony so that we can incorporate segments into our witnessing opportunities. We want to include the “before, how, and after” of our conversion when we share. It takes practice to keep it simple and uncluttered, without unnecessary details. We want our story to be personal, and easy to connect to something we already know about our listener. We need to avoid religious words and expressions that non-believers would not understand.
Probably one of the best guides for sharing your personal testimony was written by Charles Swindoll in his book, Come Before Winter. He suggests the following …
1. You want to be listened to, so be interesting.
2. You want to be understood, so be logical.
3. You want the moment of your new birth to be clear, so be specific.
4. You want your testimony to be used, so be practical.
5. You want your testimony to produce results, so be warm and genuine.
I like that. It’s helped me a lot as I’ve gone out and been witnessing for Jesus Christ all these years.
THE FINISH LINE!
And remember this: the one thing people want most in life is to be loved, and there is no greater joy and blessing than to introduce someone to Jesus Christ, the source of all love.
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If you are not sure where you will spend eternity, please contact me or a Christian friend as soon as possible, we have some GOOD NEWS we want to share with you.
I would also like to help you with witnessing materials. If you need New Testaments, tracts, GOOD NEWS witnessing cards, a wooden cross to wear around your neck, or would like a copy of my book, UNTIL THE ROAD ENDS, please contact me at judy@wheelpower.org and visit our web site at www.wheelpower.org.
ALSO FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR PRAYER REQUESTS.
AND MY CHRISTIAN FRIENDS, I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO STAY FAITHFUL and obedient TO YOUR MISSION AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU AS YOU
GO AND BE BOLD FOR GOD!
