When we take on a ministry of helping others by sharing God's word, and giving uplifting or hopeful information, we sometimes risk reaching the lost and producing fruit for the Kingdom of God. Sometimes, it seems like you are "preaching to the choir" as they say. Like everyone you are speaking to already knows all this, and you are just rattling your tongue. But, I try to remember, that everyone does have times that they need encouragement, and a gentle reminder that Christ cares. And yet, is it all fluff when we aren't winning souls?
Both ministries are valuable, but reaching the lost far exceeds the helping ministry. So I sometimes feel pulled between the two. Until I remember that the Lord can use you where ever you are. There was a time that I was daily among so many Christian friends that I could not name a single person whom I knew that was lost. And almost all of those persons were practicing Christians. Most of my ministry was to share prayer and encouragement as is my ususal practice now. But I hired a high school teen, and found myself flustered when he asked me one day, "Who is this Jesus, anyway?"
I had begun to pray that God would use me to lead souls to Christ, and He answered by sending me one person who in his whole life had not understood or even heard much about a loving savoir.
Over time, this young man began to seek Christ's salvation by asking multitudes of questions. He found himself at odds with his parents over it. And Satan stepped in and did some pretty scarey things to destroy my testimony and crush this young man's desire to know an answer to "Is God real?"
Eventually, he walked into my living room one day, and said, "Can you guess what happened to me this morning?" I had told him of how you could actually see in the eyes of chlldren the indwelling of the Holy Spirit when they accept Christ as Savoir. I was practicing piano and I didn't look up when he asked me to guess, so he wouldn't tell me until I stopped playing and looked up. Never once had it crossed my mind that he had asked Christ to be his savoir, but the instant I looked at his face I could see it in his eyes. I gasped and smiled and laughed and declared, "You asked Christ to save you! "
He could hardly wait to tell me. His hair was still wet. "I just wondered if you would see it in my eyes too, " he said. "And you did, so it must be real."
I laughed, "you mustn't go by my acknowlegement. You tell me what happened to you this morning." He then told me of how as he took his shower, and was washing himself clean, he thought of how simple it would be to just have Jesus wash his soul clean as well. So he just prayed, right there while the water ran down across his face, that God would do for his soul the kind of cleansing his Bible spoke of. And he said, "Immediately I knew you would be able to see it in my eyes that Jesus had cleaned my sins away too."
I don't know who out there needs to know that there is a definite time that Jesus spoke to their heart, and asked for the opportunity to walk in through the heart's door and do house cleaning. Maybe, someone is just not sure of their salvation. I pray for you. I long to be productive in winning souls to Christ while continuing to share the blessings of being a Christian. What I do isn't about good feelings, it is about knowing God, and letting him live in your soul.
A relationship with God is the most valuable gift you will ever get.
Lord I pray for a soul needing Christ today to find the path to getting the answers they need, so they might also come to a saving Knowlege, and open their own heart to the Spirit of God that indwells and keeps us. May they find the love that You offer, and not be afraid to submit their sins to your cleansing power. In Jesus Name, AMEN
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