On a recent vacation I had a very interesting divine appointment.
We were on our way back home and I stopped at a random Marriott property for a bathroom break. I had never been to the hotel before. It just happened to be at the exit I had taken. As I was waiting to use the lavatory, there was a young man vigorously scrubbing his hands ahead of me. He greeted me and said he liked my hat. I thanked him and he said he was washing cigarette smoke off his hands and that he needed to give cigarettes up. I agreed with him and mentioned that they were deadly and that my Father had smoked for years.
Then I asked him how clean his soul was? As he turned around to dry his hands, he mumbled something and said that he was a good person. I shared that there was none righteous and our good works were as filthy rags. I gave him two tracts I had in my shirt pocket and witnessed to him about how God loved him and sent Jesus to die on the Cross for his sins.
Then I told him that I was not even staying at this hotel and had only stopped to use the bathroom on the way home. I impressed upon him that our meeting was a divine appointment orchestrated by God, for his sake. After encouraging him to read the gospel tracts, he left to meet his friends or family waiting in a black truck.
I got back in my car and headed home, amazed at God’s timing and the opportunity to witness to this young man I will never see again, on this earth.
What if that young man would have thrown the tracts in my face or in the trash can? Of course, I would have been disappointed, but I realized that it was his choice to accept or reject the message. The Lord had at least given him the chance to believe.
As U.S. Christians, we should not take this responsibility to be a witness lightly. In Britain TODAY, witnessing to someone can be considered a HATE CRIME, depending on whether or not the person witnessed to is offended by the witness. In Red China open witnessing is prohibited. Tomorrow it may be the U.S. or Canada.
Therefore, let us be about kingdom business and be a witness. We should not be fearful or cowardly about sharing the gospel. If the witness is rejected, it is actually Jesus they are rejecting.
Let us remember the words of Jesus:
“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:38
Let us not be ashamed of Jesus or His message, but be full of Holy Spirit boldness, for the sake of those that are PERISHING.
Grace and peace and boldness be multiplied to you.
Carl
Psalm 119: 38 