Recently I was teaching at the Word of Life Bible Institute in Schroon Lake, New York. I’ve been teaching there since the year 2000 and thoroughly enjoy it. There are a great group of students who are very eager to learn how to be more effective in speaking to others about Christ.
After class one day someone asked me a question that I’ve been asked many times. That is, “How do you talk to someone who doesn’t see themselves as a sinner?” The girl who asked that explained that she had a friend she was trying to witness to but the friend disagreed that she was a sinner and simply saw herself as a good person. The girl who talked to me mentioned that it didn’t matter what she showed her from the Bible, the non-Christian remained unconvinced. She tried everything she could to get her unsaved friend to see her need for Christ but nothing seemed to help.
I advised her, “Pray! Pray! Pray! And the thing to pray for in particular is conviction.”
I mentioned that it was a situation where the Holy Spirit had to do His work before she could do hers. Spurgeon use to say that before you could get people saved you have to get them lost. If a person doesn’t see their need for Christ they’re certainly not going to be open to the Gospel. They have to see themselves as a sinner to understand the need of salvation, but only the Holy Spirit can show them who they are. We can do all the explaining, illustrate as much as we can, and speak persuasively, but only the spirit of God can convince them of their sinful condition and need of a Savior. John 16:8 says, “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment”.
I encouraged the girl to keep praying and remain in close contact with the person because someone who doesn’t see their need today could see their need tomorrow. God has all kinds of ways of getting through. She simply has to continue to be faithful in being a friend to her and explain the gospel at every opportunity that arises. Then as the Holy Spirit works, she may have the privilege to lead her to Christ.
To Read
[Pray] also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains.
—Colossians 4:3
To Consider
You want to talk to a person at work about Christ, but you just haven’t found the right opportunity. Correction. You want to talk with many people about Christ, but the opportunities just don’t seem to present themselves.
Have you asked God to open doors for you to share the gospel?
When Paul wrote to the Colossians, he was a prisoner of the Roman Empire, most likely handcuffed to a Roman soldier twenty-four hours a day. No doubt Paul had the opportunity to share Christ in prison. At the same time, Paul and his coworkers, Timothy and Epaphras, were limited by the nature of their situation. So he asked fellow believers to pray “that God would open to us a door for the word.” He requested prayer for opportunity.
Opportunities for evangelism on the job come in numerous ways. They are as varied as the workplace itself.
- A coworker might come in one morning, trembling with the news that his wife has just been diagnosed with cancer. Your offer to pray for him may result in a future opportunity to share the gospel with him.
- A woman may confide in you as a another female that she has discovered her husband is having an affair. An offer to talk after work may give you the opportunity to comfort her, explaining that although she may feel rejected right now there is One who won’t reject her.
- Forgiveness extended to a person who misrepresented you may cause her to ask, “What makes you so different?”
- Volunteering a ride to work one morning—particularly one that takes you considerably out of your way—may be a great way to let others know that you care.
Acts of kindness like these may allow you the opportunity to talk about the One who cared for us even to the point of dying for us.
God will open doors for you to share the gospel. But are you asking Him to do so? And are you willing to put forth the effort and respond?
To Illustrate
A policeman I know trains as many as thirty officers at a time in tactical deployment issues such as those relating to mass shootings. He consistently has the opportunity to tell those he trains, “The thing we must remember about what we do is that when we leave in the morning, there is no certainty we will come home. Although that is true of any profession, that is particularly true of us because of the danger we face. But even though you cannot be certain you’ll come home to a house on earth, you can be certain you will go to heaven.” Then he shares his testimony.
What an opportunity—God has opened a door for my friend to share the gospel out of the work he does every single day.
To Meditate
Reflect on the unlimited power of God. Our God is so powerful that He can open a door today that was closed just yesterday.
To Pray
Ask God to give you an opportunity this week to share the gospel with a coworker, and then grasp the opportunity when it comes.
Duane Wessels, a You Can Tell It! master instructor for EvanTell, recently traveled to Nigeria and Ghana to equip ministry leaders to train their fellow believers in personal evangelism.
“The benefit of what God is doing is already evident. Church leaders are being re-energized to reach more and more unbelievers, not just fellow Christians. EvanTell’s new resources for children are enthusiastically received by the leadership. The demand is great. Thanks for your prayers.”
I had an unexpected, but welcome visitor today. He’s a civil engineer by trade, getting ready to finish up a major construction project at a local church. He’s in his 70’s, and lately has been particularly burdened by the recent tragic events in Myanmar and China. This burden has sparked his interest in being used by the Lord overseas, particularly in “third world” countries. He’s not sure what his next assignment will be, but has made himself available to the Lord. He asked me if I would be on the lookout for ministry opportunities where his expertise and experience would be of value. His humility, sincerity, and desire to be used by the Lord were obvious.
Here’s a man in the last half of his life who is totally open to be used by the Lord. He has what I refer to as “eternal perspective,” the desire to make a difference for the kingdom. I pray that the Lord will open just the right door of opportunity in His perfect timing. It is a privilege to meet and work with people who have put their future plans in God’s hands and are willing to go anywhere, anyplace, at any time for the sake of the gospel and the kingdom.
From one of the missionaries to the orphans. She is detailing how they are using the funds we were able to send her:
“I thank God so much for His provisions and using you as our parents. I am carefully using the resources you have given for most needed area. We went to the market and got some ambrelas (umbrellas), slippers (sandals), under wares, and school needs for the children (orphans). We will pray and use wisely the rest for helping the children as much as possible. Please tell everyone who are helping us; we have unspeakable thanks to them and pray for them too.”
Prayer:
Father, thank you that the funds we sent made it to our partners on the ground in Myanmar. I pray that you would continue to meet their most basic needs and protect them in Jesus name. I also pray that you would abundantly provide for us to send even more resources to this country in desperate need of the hope of the gospel.
Here is a letter from one of the indigenous missionaries relaying a big thank you from those receiving food and water and the gospel:
“As I mentioned before, our friends stay in small temporary tents. (This refers to a house church among the very poor Buddhist people and another area about 30 miles out of town which is nearby a prison. They have started another house church there with a prison guard who has accepted Christ. In both areas, they lived in bamboo shacks – now obliterated). They were thrilled for your love gifts of food and water and it means so much for them. There is no ferry boat to get across the river anymore so we have to take a small boat which is very dangerous because of the floods. Please pray for our safety.”
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for their bravery and heart for the lost. I pray that you would continue to keep them safe as they bring food, water, and your love to those who are now homeless.
