A Witness For Jesus

-Bill Petite

Can you remember the first time you actually shared your faith in Jesus with someone else? Maybe it was a family member or a friend. Whoever it might have been, they responded by listening willingly, thought you were crazy or actually wanted to know more! I remember being questioned about the change in my life. I stumbled through an explanation of how I was now a Christian and not a drunk anymore. People will respond in a number of different ways and that is to be expected. We should never cower and be afraid to continue telling others after we receive a negative response from someone. The important thing is to be obedient when we hear the Lord telling us to talk to someone about Him. The Apostle Paul heard that when he went to Corinth.

One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent!  For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” Acts 18:9-10 NLT*

When Jesus, by His Holy Spirit, speaks to us concerning the spiritual welfare of someone, we should act upon that directive and follow through. In the case of Paul in the scripture above, Jesus assured him he would be safe and there were many people in Corinth who would be saved. Jesus knew these people, He knew they would listen to Paul and He knew they were among His chosen for salvation. When we hear the voice of Jesus telling us to talk to someone, why should we question Him? Who are we to argue with Him? He already knows the person will listen. The person might just listen and move on, with the seeds which have been planted. He might hear the next witness and be saved or it might take 3 or 4 more witnesses. We don't know and it is not our place to know. Our responsibility lies in the fact that He wants us to tell others about Him. Be obedient and speak the truth to others when Jesus directs us to. He has opened the door for us when He tells us to talk to someone, so there should be nothing to fear. D.L. Moody put it this way, "If God calls a man to a work, He will be with him in that work, and he will succeed no matter what the obstacles may be."  That is so true; it doesn't matter if it is just going across the street to tell a neighbor about Jesus or going across continents to preach about the Lord. Before Jesus ascended back into heaven, He told his disciples the following,

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

We are to continue that work. The disciples started it and we are to carry it on. We simply have to make ourselves available. If we look around at our world today, it is easy to see there can't be much time left. We need to step it up because Satan has really stepped it up and wants to take as many people to Hell with him as he can. We need to be all about the Lord's work. Jesus said the harvest is plenty and more workers are needed (paraphrased). Be obedient to the Lord's direction and tell others about Him!
I was not always obedient when the Lord told me to talk to someone. The following is a story that actually happened to me and I did not want to be obedient. I wrote this for a writing contest which I never entered. I hope you enjoy and I pray it will be encouraging.

There will be those times in a Christian’s life when the Lord will present a situation to us and we will know without any doubt that it is God who is urging us to take action. I was faced with one of these some years ago while traveling from Phoenix, Az. back home to Barstow, Ca. My wife, Jeanne, and I were closing in on Needles, Ca. which was a normal fuel stop for us when making this trip. I checked the fuel gauge and decided I really didn’t need to stop but Jeanne wanted to use the restroom and get something to drink. I pulled into a gas/convenience stop and parked along the building away from the traffic which was crowding around the gas pumps. Jeanne went inside to use the restroom and get something to drink and I got out of the car to stretch my legs. As I stood next to the car, I noticed a homeless man walking across the parking lot. Now, it was the middle of summer in the Mojave Desert and the air temperature was in the neighborhood of 105 or hotter. The homeless man had on an army type field jacket, zipped all the way up and no shoes. The pavement had to be at least 120 degrees or hotter and he walked calmly across the lot. He had been carrying something that looked like a sign board which usually said something about working for food or something of that nature. I paid little attention to what he was carrying because I was totally amazed by the fact that he was calmly walking across that pavement in his bare feet. My first thought was, “This guy is crazy! He must be on something or he has fried his brain!” My wife had not returned to the car yet and for some reason I decided to put gas in the car while I waited. When I pulled around to the pumps in front of the building, it was then that I noticed where this homeless man had decided to make his stance. He had positioned himself off to the side of the main entrance to the store with a sign that read, “Need shoes.” I thought, “No kidding!” Then it happened. I heard the voice loud and clear, “Go over there and talk to him.” I knew it was the Lord and it was then that the argument ensued. “Lord, that guy is crazy. He walked across that hot pavement without shoes on! I’m not talking to him.” God made His next move. A pick-up truck pulled in on the other side of the island and the driver was headed for the store when he saw the homeless man and said, “Oh, you need shoes?” He turned around and went back to his truck and I couldn’t believe what I saw. The back of the truck was filled with old tennis shoes! He grabbed a pair that was close to the man’s size and gave them to him. Wow, what are the chances of this! The Lord then told me, “Go over and tell him how I gave the nation of Israel shoes that lasted for 40 years in the desert. Tell him about my Son Jesus and how I can give him shoes that will never wear out.” Of course I knew the Lord wanted me to witness to him and the reference to shoes never wearing out was actually pertaining to his salvation. I lost the argument. I went over to talk to the man but I wasn’t sure how to approach him so, the first thing to come to mind was, “Nice shoes.” I told him about the nation of Israel wondering the desert for 40 years with shoes that did not wear out and also told him that Jesus could do that for him. He seemed to be interested at first but then when I asked him about his knowledge of Jesus, he became a little irritated so I backed off. I went back to my car knowing I had done as God had asked. The seed was planted and now the decision was in the hands of the homeless man with shoes. My wife returned, made a comment about pumping gas and why and I told her it was God’s idea.

*All scripture is NLT