“Rick Meyer challenged each us to be bold in our
witness. He provided a great example of being bold in our witness—pray that we
will be bold”
The referenced example that I shared with the Sunday School class involved my following a prompting to speaking gently with love about Jesus Christ during a public seminar on Microsoft Excel in Oxnard, CA three weeks ago.
Upon hearing the name of Jesus, one man's eyes raged with flames of anger.
I trust and pray that the Holy Spirit continues to reveal the eternal relationship, including salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, to this attendee (John 3:16-21, 18-19, 20-21).
Some may suggest that one should not speak of Jesus Christ during a public seminar. Yet, obedience to Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit trumps everything.
God--The Father, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit--made EVERYTHING that is, has been or will be (Jn 1:1, 2, 3). This includes MS Excel. :)
In response to a Sunday School class email containing prayer requests, including the one above, I wrote the following:
Gentlemen,
Permit me to add a four or five more examples. Stories are
necessary.
I have a tape, yes a cassette tape, in my car of a speech given by
Dr. Ken McFarland at a convention in 1984. Dr. McFarland shared numerous stories to support, “We have a become a nation of slogans rather than thought.”
This is even more true in this modern age of social media and everyone wanting
to create their own slick one-liners due to failure to live what we know is
right. Linked-In and Twitter posts consist of virtually all impersonal, non-relational one-liners.
1.
At a get-together following my high school graduation, I visited briefly
with an underclassman whom I had never met. I felt an urge, prompting or hunch
to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with him. I was extremely quiet in those days.
I reasoned
that this wasn’t the proper time to share the gospel. I do not know his
spiritual beliefs.
About 30-minutes later he and a classmate died in a one
vehicle accident. I can’t control whether he is or was not a Christian, however
I can respond to the urgency that God displayed to me about sharing the gospel
whenever, wherever and however God places it on my heart.
2.
May 2007 at the Billy Graham School of Evangelism in Asheville,
NC: I visited with a gentleman who recently moved from a poorPOOR
rural African nation to America. He said that in his poorPOOR
African home they view the financially affluent in American cities as a
Missions Field.
3.
October 2008: I moved to a new town for a new job. I frequently
saw a neighbor, “Bob”, in front of his home across the my lawn. I waved, said
“Hi” as I drove to work, run and run errands. Each time that I saw him, I
thought, “One of these days I need to stop and visit with him”. “Not now, rather
when I have more time.” This continued for eight or nine months.
I was gone over
Fourth of July weekend. I did not see Bob the following week. I then learned
that he committed suicide Fourth of July weekend due to loneliness.
4.
April 2015--A message from a seminar
attendee:
“I realized why I needed to drive
an hour each way for yours (workshop). I needed to hear what YOU had to say. Actually, I
needed to hear what HE had to say through you!
You reminded me that we
literally are vessels of light for Christ, and that there is nothing more
important than submitting ourselves to His will. Thank you so much for shining
his light in your lessons.”
5.
April 2015--A message from another Running on Faith Ministry Inc.
supporter:
“As I
drove, I realized that you are really working for God. I know we all do but He
has put you in a special position. I don't know if you realize it or not but
you radiate.
Now I know what it is, you are radiating God's love.
I am so
grateful that God has put you in a position to help so many young people as
well as some older ones that have not yet experienced the love of Jesus, God's
principles for a beautiful, fulfilling life and the plan that He has for us
because of His deep, enduring love for us.”
To be clear, we can not make any one believe or not believe, rather
it is the power of the Holy Spirit and the person's response to the Spirit. However,
God does call us to obediently serve as bond-servants of Christ. I have failed to
do so as illustrated in examples #1 and #3 and MANY other times, too numerous to count.
Perhaps you are like me and have blown a plethora of opportunities to serve
God, ignoring His promptings due to feeling inadequate or too
busy. Fortunately, God is good and gracious, continually calling us and
offering new opportunities for us to correctly respond. This gives me hope,
Christ is the source of all Hope (1Ti 1:1, 1 Peter 1:3)!
As I recognize and reflect on abundant past mistakes, many that did not
seem like mistakes at the time, I cannot imagine how many mistakes that I am
currently making in failing to respond to appropriately serving God. How great is His Love,
Grace and Mercy for each of us who turn to Him through the Lord Jesus Christ!
Receiving His inner-peace and joy that surpasses all human understanding serves as an effective indicator of walking with Him as an obedient servant (Ro 15:13; Phil 4:7). Additionally, walking in the Spirit (Gal 5:16) yields the fruit of the Spirit in our lives (Gal 5:22, 23).
Is it possible that you may encounter fellow sinners in your daily
and professional life--believers and unbelievers--that need to hear the Love and
Grace offered from and through Jesus Christ (Ro 3:23, 3:21,22)?
Who will God place in your path today?
They may wear a fancy suit or dress, expensive cologne or perfume, drive a luxury
automobile and live in an exclusive neighborhood; yet they--like all of us--still need to hear and receive
the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In Christ’s love,
Rick
Rick E. Meyer
Running on Faith Ministry Inc.
214-998-9407
“My only reputation is with the Holy Spirit!” ~ Charles
M. Gibbs
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