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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 what to say when you find yourself waiting in line.
Initiating a conversation with a total stranger is sometimes very difficult, but I believe it shouldn’t be when we know that what we have to share is a matter of life and death! It is so hard to talk to strangers that most Christians do not share their faith because of this daunting task. The following true story is an example of how much God wants to use us, even while we’re waiting at “Isle Five”. The question is… are we ready and willing to be used?
One summer as we were traveling across America, we found ourselves running out of water very quickly in the dry terrain of Arizona. So we stopped at Walmart to pick up two more ice coolers. I proceeded to the check-out, placed the coolers on the moveable counter, and then handed the clerk our tax-exempt card. Rod, the cashier, wearing a standard blue vest, typed in our tax-exempt number. He got a funny look on his face and then typed it in again. After hitting the print button, Rod removed the piece of paper and handed it to me. It simply stated that our religious tax-exempt organization was not tax-exempt in Arizona.
“Ma’am, I’m really sorry, I’ve never seen this before. Let me call my supervisor; it should only take a few minutes,” he assured me. Rod then reached up and turned off the light at aisle five. I turned to the woman standing behind me to alert her of the delay. I thought for a moment that maybe I would have some time to talk with her about the Lord, but as soon as she saw the light go out she moved to another aisle.
Within thirty seconds, Rod’s supervisor, Mark, arrived wearing a red Walmart vest. He read the piece of paper, typed in the numbers again, and acknowledged that he too had never seen anything like this before. He informed me that he would have to speak with his supervisor to determine what could be done and that it might take several minutes. I chuckled to myself as I wondered what color vest the next level of management would be wearing. I replied, however, “Thank you so much. I’ll wait.” When I realized that Rod could not serve another customer, I knew this was a “Divine Appointment”. There we both were, idle at aisle five!
To engage him in conversation, I asked Rod to tell me how long he had worked at Walmart. He said it had been five years. I asked if he had a family and he told me that he was married and had two sons. Without hesitation, I then asked him if he knew that God loved him.
Rod smiled and answered, “Oh, yes, I think I know God loves me.” Holding up the wooden cross that I wear around my neck, I asked, “Do you know what Jesus did for you?” and again he quickly relied, “Yes, He died for the sins of the world.
“You’re absolutely right,” I said. I then asked Rod if he went to a local church and he said he attended St. Mary’s. I added, “Since I’m obviously not from this area, is that a Catholic church?” Learning that it was, I used our common Catholic backgrounds to connect with Rod by saying, “I learned about God and Jesus as well as lots of good, moral lessons for living while growing up in the church. You’re probably teaching your children these same things, too?” Rod did enjoy taking his family to church and I praised him for that. “Rod, let me ask you another question. When you die, what do you think will happen?”
He looked up at me with hesitation and responded, “Well, I sure hope I’m going to go to heaven. That’s how I’m living my life, trying to do what’s right.”
“Boy, that’s exactly what I used to think too, Rod!” I said. Then one day, I started to read the Bible for myself.” I shared some of my personal testimony with Rod, and emphasized the fact that we can never get to heaven by our good works. We will always fail. Once again, I held up my cross and asked, “Rod, if you and I could earn our way to heaven by being good enough, why did Jesus have to suffer so much pain and die on the cross?”
“Wow…that’s a really good question.” By now, Rod was hanging on to my every word that I was sharing about the Lord.
I pulled out a GOOD NEWS witnessing card and started to share it with him. “Rod, I know that you recognize that we are all sinners. You know that our sin separates us from God. Salvation isn’t about church membership or just living by the “golden rule”. If we die without trusting Christ as our Savior, we will be separated from Him forever.” I asked Rod to read with me Ephesians 2:8-9 from the card. I looked directly in his eyes and said, “Rod, God’s Word says that we must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, repent of our sins, and ask Him into our heart and life. It is true that good works follow our act of faith, but you must realize you’re never going to be good enough to get to heaven just by doing good things. Heaven is only possible through the shed blood of Jesus on the cross of Calvary and when we acknowledge that He died in our place, paying for the things we have done wrong.”
I was able to share the message of salvation with Rod before I saw two men approaching. Mark, Rod’s supervisor, was escorted by a man wearing a white shirt and tie. “Miss Bowman, I’m sorry this has taken so long.” (Inside, I was praising God for the time to share with Rod) He continued, “I tried making a phone call to straighten it out, but to no avail. I’ve just never seen this error message before.”
“Maybe you don’t get too many travelers from Virginia,” I commented.
He then replied, “Well, at least you’ve got a positive attitude about it. I’m sorry there isn’t anything we can do. But I do thank you for shopping at Walmart.”
“We’ll pay the tax today because we really need these coolers. We trust God to take care of us, and I’m sure He’ll make it up somewhere down the road. God’s blessings to you,” I said as I handed each of them a tract, “and thank you for taking so much time to help.” They smiled, thanked me again, and departed.
Meanwhile, Rod was back to work, ringing up my transaction. I took my time paying the bill, praying that God would give me something else to say to Rod. When the sale was finalized, I said to Rod, “Before I leave, I just want to share this with you. You’ve heard the gospel message today. You realize it’s not about going to church, and it’s not about good works. It’s all about believing in Jesus and asking Him to forgive your sins and surrendering your life to Him as Lord. Once you’ve done that, the Holy Spirit will come and live within you, empowering you, Rod, to live a fruitful Christian life.” I turned the GOOD NEWS card over and showed it to him, “There’s a prayer of salvation on the back of this card that you can read and pray whenever you are ready. It’s between you and God, Rod. I’ll leave it with you and I’ll pray that you will want to make this decision and commitment sometime soon. I’ll also leave you this tract which is my personal story, you might enjoy reading it.” As I handed him both pieces of literature, I said, “Rod, when you’re ready to let Christ into your life, remember that you can pray the prayer on the back of this card.”
Rod reached out, took the card, and slowly looked up at me. With the simplicity of a child taking his first step, he said, “Can we do it now?”
Tears came to my eyes as I answered him, “Sure, Rod, now is a great time!” I led Rod in a simple heartfelt prayer; and with sincerity, he repeated each line, affirming his faith in Jesus and sealing his desire to trust in Christ alone.
Interestingly, Rod had never turned the light back on at aisle five. After he prayed for salvation, I shook his hand, and he came around the counter and gave me a hug. I went out to our van to get him a New Testament. I dated it with his spiritual birthday and inscribed a short personal note to my new brother in Christ. Rod smiled as he accepted his new gift, and I assured him the mission team would be praying for him. As we said good-bye, I turned back, smiled and said, “Rod, I’ll see you in heaven when we check out from this world to spend eternity with Jesus!”
Let me conclude with these final thoughts:
It occurred to me that I could have talked to Rod about the weather or our mission trip across America, or our visit to the Grand Canyon the day before, or I could have simply stood there and said nothing. I even considered calling my grandsons to say hello. However, the Lord prompted me with the boldness to speak up and turn the conversation to spiritual matters and what a blessing to see Rod come to Christ.
I believe these opportunities are available for all Christians, just pray and seek the Lord and forget about yourself and your agenda when you are out in the world.
For more in-depth teaching on how to talk to anyone, anytime, anyplace about Jesus go to our web site for a complete teaching lesson based on this story.
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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. An my dear Christian friends, I want to encourage you to say faithful to your mission, and may God bless you as you go and be bold for God.
ALSO FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR PRAYER REQUESTS.
AND MY CHRISTIAN FRIENDS, I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO STAY FAITHFUL TO YOUR MISSION AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU AS YOU
GO AND BE BOLD FOR GOD!
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THIS SECTION FOR WEB SITE ONLY:
TAKE A CLOSER LOOK
Let’s discuss this real-life situation.
• What would you have done?
• Would you have realized that this was a “Divine Appointment”?
• Are you looking for ways to share the love and gospel of Jesus Christ with folks
you meet?
ROAD BLOCKS THAT KEEP US FROM SHARING OUR FAITH
At some point in your Christian life, I am sure you, like me, have had to examine why you do not share your faith more frequently, more consistently, and more joyfully. I hope you will take the time to look up and read each Scripture verse referenced throughout this booklet – only God’s Word can change us. Be honest with yourself. Pray and ask God to set you free from the things that hinder you in being His Ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20).
There are many reasons why Christians do not talk to others about Jesus. Maybe by answering the following questions you will be able to take a closer look at the road blocks in your life:
1. Is fear my problem? Am I afraid of rejection? (Psalm 27:1)
2. Do I know how to share the gospel and my personal testimony? (1 Peter 3:15)
3. Is my life so busy that I don’t even think about witnessing? (Psalm 46:10)
4. Do I recognize that God wants to use me and that my confidence comes from Him? (Philippians 4:19)
5. Am I too concerned that people won’t really see Christ in me? (Romans 1:16)
6. Do I lack true love and compassion for those who are lost? (Colossians 3:12)
TURNING GOD’S TRUTH INTO ACTION
God’s “Divine Appointments” – I believe He has scheduled them for each of us if we are bold enough and willing to take the time to realize that people everywhere are waiting to hear the truth. The one thing people want most in life is to be loved. There is no greater joy and blessing than to introduce someone to the source of all love – Jesus Christ.
Ask yourself these questions and pray for the Lord to show you His will:
1. HOW CAN I BE FRIENDLY TO A STRANGER?
a. SAY something personal. For example, make a comment about what they are wearing, about the weather, current events, etc. Say it with a smile and in a friendly manner.
b. INTRODUCE yourself early in the conversation with just your first name. Learn their first name and use it often throughout your discussion. People like hearing their name.
c. REMEMBER, people enjoy talking about themselves. Ask a question about their job, their family, their hobbies – something non-threatening. Use the L.I.N.K. method. (See page 23)
d. WEAR something that might serve as an icebreaker (e.g., a cross, Christian-style t-shirt, or hat).
2. DO I HAVE COMPASSION FOR THE LOST?
a. CARE, really care about people. Let them see that you are real and genuine. You may be the only Christian they are ever going to meet, so let the LIGHT of Christ shine through you, but don’t forget to also tell them who Jesus is. Jesus says in Matthew 5:16: “…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
b. LOVE, really love people as Christ does. Colossians 3:12-14: “Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony.”
KEY INGREDIENTS TO BEING A BOLD WITNESS FOR THE LORD
I believe that our earnest prayer and desire should be that we live according to God’s will, so we are ready to reach out to someone who is lost and needs to hear the truth. We must keep our priorities in proper alignment.
JESUS TAUGHT US……
• The first and greatest commandment is to: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” He also taught us that the second greatest commandment is to “Love your
neighbor as yourself” (paraphrase of Matthew 22:37-39).
• Our time is very valuable, so it is important to be aware of how we use every minute of every day. We should live out God’s agenda, not ours! (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
• Our hearts belong to Christ. Luke 12:34: “Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.” 1 Timothy 1:5: “The purpose of my instruction is that all the Christians there would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and sincere faith.”
THE FINISH LINE!
It is so important to remain faithful in prayer and be willing to be used by the Lord. We should strive to be sensitive to the people God puts in our path and prepared to start a conversation anytime and anywhere. Take a close look at the roadblocks in your life that are preventing you from talking to others about Jesus. Once you get past the road blocks, you’ll be blessed! God wants us to speak the truth in love and with compassion!
None of us wants to see someone die and spend eternity separated from God. Neither does the Lord desire for this to happen (2 Peter 3:9). So go the extra mile, knowing that it is the power of the Holy Spirit speaking through you that enables you to speak His truth in love.
