The Great Commission

I think I failed to obey God today.  Not that I’m sure I do a wonderful job of obeying Him on a daily basis anyway, althouth I try, but this one was rather clear to me as I let my fears and insecurities get in the way of what God wanted me to do.

My son and I were leaving our local food pantry after having dropped something off, and as we were getting into the car and buckling up, I saw a woman sitting down on the curb right next to our car.  Her arms were full of bags of food and she looked rather weary.  I thought about how tough it must be to not have food in my refrigerator or those common “staple items” in my pantry. . .to not know where the next meal would come from if it were not for this food pantry ministry.  And then, I immediately froze.

Let me give you some background here.  In the last week, I have read two fiction books by an author I like very much named Terri Blackstock.  I picked them up at the library strictly based on the author, not knowing what they were about.  They were about evangelism–characters that felt a heavy burden to evangelize every day, many times a day, after receiving a temporary empowering by the Holy Spirit to see people’s “heart needs,” or spiritual needs.

These were the two books I read:

  The Heart Reader by Terri Blackstock       The Gifted by Terri Blackstock

And then you have to know that in my glove compartment of my car, I have several books–books that I’ve stocked up on for the exact purpose of evangelizing.  Don’t think anything special of  me, because although my desire to reach the world for Christ is bursting at my seams, and I send books and tracks out fairly easily, I have yet to have a face to face discussion about the saving work of Jesus Christ with a stranger I just meet on the street.  But I had these books in my car, just waiting for an opportunity to be used:

  He Did This Just For You by Max Lucado        The NIV Gospel of John

   Cross-Examination by Lee Strobel       The 3:16 Promise by Max Lucado

And then you have to know that I felt the Lord speaking strongly to me to go and talk to this woman. . .to share with her the hope that I have and that she too could have.  I felt it so strongly that I was motionless in my seat for what seemed like a minute or two, talking to myself about all the “what ifs.”  I did manage to open the glove compartment and pull out the books, but one of those “what ifs” grabbed hold of my timid heart and sent me putting the car in drive and heading home instead.

I can’t tell you the disappointment I felt.  God does not condemn, so I never felt that from Him, but I also knew that I had missed the exact kind of opportunity that I’d been preparing for and God had provided me. 

I say all that to say this. 

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.  No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:35-36).

“Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mark 16:15).

“So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord” (2 Timothy 1:8).

So what’s my next action plan. . .a plan to get ready for the next opportunity that I’m given?  Next on my reading list is the new Lee Strobel book:

  The Unexpected Adventure:  Taking Everyday Risks to Talk with People about Jesus

And I’m getting caught up on my recorded “Way of the Master” shows (the show that Kirk Cameron is involved in that teaches how to evangelize).  And I am looking into participating in this Christmas outreach program organized by Good News Publishers, detailed at www.goodnewsofchristmas.org.  And I’m praying that the Lord will give me another opportunity, and that I won’t fail next time. 

I hope these resources encourage you to “go and preach the good news” with passion, love, and confidence.