“For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance” (Acts 28:30-31, NIV).
Ochoco creek flows ever peacefully, the ducks, trees, new flowers, and green grass all remind me of our Creator. A gorgeous brittany runs toward me, so I ask his owner if I can pet him. Permission was granted so I kneel by the orange and white pup and wait for him to approach me. Not a word is spoken to the dog as I gently rub under his chin, but I do have a short conversation with his owner. As they slowly walk away I head back to the church building, praying as I go.
I need to take more walking prayer-times through the park. During this one I may have missed an opportunity to tell a dog owner about Christ. I can’t lie, I feel guilty, but the thought of witnessing to this man didn’t even register as we conversed. As I walked the bike path back to the church building I thought to myself, “I should have said something, I should have tossed some gospel seed out.” Dear reader, gospel opportunities come and go everyday, let’s aim to be faithful in those moments today.
In the moment is where a dog lives and breathes. Dogs do not stew over the past or hold grudges, and they are not anxious over the future. A dog’s life exists in the moment. And a good dog is faithful to you in the moment. On the other hand, humans often live in the past or make plans to be faithful in the future, but today often gets lost. We enjoy talking about how to witness to someone but don’t do it much. Here is an idea. To be a faithful witness in the moment take a conversation about dogs, quilting, or any topic, and introduce a new thought. Something like, “Isn’t it amazing to be out in God’s creation today and to know that you are a part of it? And did you know that He who created all of this died on a cross so that we can have new life?”
New life in Jesus Christ is everything. It gives us new eyes to see with, new attitudes, new goals, new passions, and new directions. In these new directions God tells us to make disciples. We begin by telling others of Christ, this is evangelism. The “others” in your life may be your children, spouse, parents, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, neighbors, friends, or a new acquaintance. And since we’ve been made new in Jesus witnessing to them should happen with ease. Fortunately, everything in this world can be related to God in most conversations. If it is a good thing, He is the cause of it. If it is a bad thing, He is the Redeemer. And since everything is created by Him (either directly or indirectly) we are constantly reminded of Christ. So in order to be a faithful witness, in the moment, we simply pick something and remind people of Christ. If they are interested in discovering more we explain who Jesus Christ is, and what His death and resurrection accomplished, and how it comes into play for sinners.
Sinners are everywhere and they are everyone. Thus, we have opportunities to plant gospel seeds wherever we go. To be sure, God does not require us to lead everyone to Christ by our direct witnessing. Sometimes it takes numerous times for someone to come to faith. Faithfulness for us is to tell others about Christ, that’s it. Tell the story about how you came to trust Christ as your Savior. Use some of your favorite verses, relax, and trust God to do the changing as the Bible teaches, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow” (1 Cor 3:6-7, NIV). God will make them grow. Salvation is a work of God. We want it to happen immediately but who among us likes to make a snap decision? I don’t. And so we should not expect someone else to make a snap decision when so much is at stake. Be yourself, try to listen to see what God is doing in them, call them to Jesus, and let them count the cost of following Jesus.
Speaking of Jesus I’d like to tell you another story. About 4 years ago I received a phone call from a man who was desperate. He had been released from the Oregon State Penitentiary. He had no money, no food, and needed some more nights at the Econo Lodge. When I got to the front desk I paid the clerk for two more nights and inquired on the ex-con’s whereabouts. When I got to his room I knocked loudly on the door and the door opened. I didn’t spend much time with the fellow. He didn’t seem interested in Jesus Christ, nor that Paul had been a prisoner too. The bible and the books that I gave him were not received well. I prayed with him and politely let myself out. I walked away happy, I knew I did what God wanted me to do. I kept praying for this guy and tried to follow up but wasn’t able to find him. Instead, he found me at Grocery Outlet last fall. He told me his story. Sometime after he met me he gave his life to Christ, joined a local church, and began serving God. Praise God! My part was simple. Like a faithful dog living in the moment, I took a few minutes to plant a seed when the opportunity arose. Little did I know that God had chosen this gentleman to be one of His children and that He was using me to plant a seed. He will use you too.
God uses us to communicate to others who His Son truly is and what His Son has done for them. Then we pray that the gospel seed might sprout and give way to a new life in Christ. Let’s be faithful today, living in the moment like a pup by using every opportunity to speak of His blessed Son the Lord Jesus Christ. He will use you.
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