God's work on "The Lady at Subway"

Well, the other day I had the opportunity to go back to visit with the lady at Subway. I told her that I wanted to follow-up and see how things are going for her, and make sure that she acknowledged God's work in getting her electricity back on. She said, "It has been remarkable to see, through this whole thing, how faithful God is to me, even when I have not been faithful to Him." She went on to say, "I had the opportunity to talk to Joe on the phone- he's such a nice man." I agreed with her, but trying to get the conversation back on task, I said "Yet much more important than God meeting your need of electricity, God has a much greater need that He wants to meet in your life". She replied, "Oh yes I know, I've already gone to church a couple of times since this whole thing has happened; I mean, I was brought up in church and all, and have attended on and off in my adult years." I told her, "That's great to hear." Unfortunately I was side tracked from where I was going with the conversation, and she finished by saying, "Look you ought to stick around and have lunch." But I told her that I already had plans for lunch, though I would come back sometime in the future (I thought that would give me another opportunity to follow-up on her again). So I left; but while driving up 1st Ave, headed back to the church, God burdened my heart so much about how I had allowed her to side track me and that I didn't accomplish what I truly went there to accomplish. So, I was compelled to turn around and go back to finish our conversation. Now keep in mind that by this time I am arguing with God about what this woman is going to think if I come back and start up a conversation with her again. But setting aside my pride and doing what's right (no matter what), God won and I conceded. When I went back in to the store, she gave me a funny look, as though to say, "did you forget something?" I said, "You know, I failed to ask you a question that I had planned to ask, so I came back with the intent of posing my question." She said, "What's the question?" "I was wanting to know if you have ever come to the point in your life where you understood your need to give your life to Jesus" I asked. "Oh yes" she said, "about every other week I give my life to Jesus." She went on to say, "I've been raised as a General Baptist, so I understand how important it is to be saved."
I ask for you to continue praying for the lady at Subway, because it will be a journey that I will have to take with her, to help her understand what salvation is and what it is not. See the General Baptist doctrine believe that salvation is not eternal. In other words, if you sin and Jesus comes back before YOU confess that sin and get saved again (which means that man must DO something in order to be saved, other than trusting in what God has already DONE), then you will go to hell; it truly is a tangled web.
Before I left she said she might come to Mill Road and check us out. So pray, pray, pray.

Challenge to Share your faith (continued)

A little later after the copier Salesman left, the copier repair man came in. Now to give you a complete picture of this opportunity God has now put in front of me. Betty has been talking to this guy for the last six months or so, about his need to give his life to Christ. I came into the picture about three and half months ago. See this guy is young (under 35) and has spent most of his days chancing life. He has claimed to have medically died two or three times. Without a doubt he loves to do dangerous thrill seeking challenges, which has been confirmed to us by some of his co-workers. Understand that he has always been "engaging" in the conversations Betty has had with him, as well as the ones I began with him three and a half months ago. He never has displayed a sense of odd tension or awkwardness when talking about Christ. He has been a sceptic for most of his adult years, and has never hesitated to question why God would allow certain things to happen to people, if He were a loving God.
After my conversation with him three and a half months ago, he went on a medical leave of absence from work, because of a knee surgery. Just prior to his medical leave he found out that his cancer, that had been in remission, was now back in action again. So when I saw him yesterday I said, "You know the conversation I had with you right before your leave of absence from work?" "Oh yeah," he replied. "Have you had much of an opportunity to give it any more thought while you were off of work?" "Yes, that is one thing I have done a lot of lately- thinking. I've questioned why I was put here on this earth, and if I have actually accomplished what was meant for me to do." I told him that I would love to set down and talk to him about eternity and to try to answer some of his questions, if I can. And for the very first time, he responded by saying, "If you could help me make sense out of my life, then that would be great." This was a response unlike any response up to date. I said, "Hey that's what I'm here for; to help others make sense out of the senseless and puzzling questions in life." So pray for us as we make plans to get together soon. Pray that God will bring His conviction on Brick and that He will soften his heart to be receptive and responsive to the truth of God's word. Pray that he will repent and surrender his life to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ.

Challenge to Share your faith

My Third attempt at sharing my faith was an awesome experience. A saleman from Lang copiers came to the church office before lunch- which I had not eaten yet. It was another opportunity for me share my faith with someone. I've known this saleman for a couple of years now. I approach my conversation with him by asking, "Hey do you go to church anywhere?" He said that he did. I went on to ask him if he had ever come to the place where he realized that he needed to give his life to Jesus? He said, "Oh yeah, when I was a young man." I went on to ask him, "When you say that you gave your life to Jesus, what does that look like- what do you mean by that?" He was stumped and said, "I'm not sure what you want me to say." I said, "I don't have anything that I would expect for you to say, except what that looks like to you." He continued by saying, "well I've been a good person, and I've tried do right to those around me." To which I replied, "I had lived a good life as well, up until I had given my life to Christ. I thought that my goodness was good enough to get me to Heaven, but as someone had pointed out to me, my goodness was not enough to get me to Heaven, and if it had been, then Jesus was a fool to have died on the cross." At that point you could see the wheels turning in his head, as he said, "Wow I never thought of it like that." I continued to share with him how Jesus paid a price for my sins that I could never pay. I had realized that if I did not give my life to Jesus, I would split hell wide open. The conversation began to drift, so I challenged him to give more thought to our conversation. So pray for me as I will take the opportunity to follow-up with him at a different time.