Enjoy Equip Care Ministries' latest Blog on the power of sharing the Gospel to the point of need and without judgment of others. God is good and sharing His Good News is the mission. Acts 4:12 "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
My name is Ruth Strait, and I am a faithful servant to our Lord Jesus Christ. It is my goal that when I go out publicly that I attempt to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who might listen and converse, as I welcome prayer with and for others. Sometimes the setting is ideal, and at other times, like this day, one needs to push through unusual obstacles which may otherwise deter one’s comfort level.
This particular day, it was a mid-Monday morning and I needed to get a ride to a local big box store to get my laptop back in running order, so I called for an uber as I was out of town on business. My knowing that it would not be a long ride to the store, maybe about 6 or 7 minutes at the most, I began to gather my purse, pack up my computer in prep for my ride expected in 15 to 20 minutes or so. While preparing to go, I got a notification that my ride would arrive earlier than expected and was only less than a couple of minutes away. As I hurried and stepped outside just as my ride arrived, I only then began to center my thoughts on how I might bring Jesus into my encounter and conversation. As the car pulled up, I got into the back seat of car, and my driver, named Tony, said hello in both English and in his native tongue in Albanian. My first thought was “wow, how cool to be greeted in two languages…” and then my thoughts were stopped short as I was immediately overtaken by the smell of the car which reeked of cigarettes and the pungent smell of one’s attempt to mask the cigarette smell with one of those tree scented car fresheners. I immediately realized that this ride was not going to be the comfortable few minutes which I originally thought it might be. Here, for me, was the crucial moment of push through where I needed to remain focused and undistracted by something which could have been an easy distraction. Here, I had a decision to make. Do I remain determined to introduce God into a pleasant conversation with Tony regardless of how uncomfortable this car smelled, or would I judge him and succumb to griping, complaining or grumbling to him about how awful this car smelled. It was bad!
After adjusting my train of thought and trying to adapt to the smell, my next thought was Holy Spirit You are in charge. Please give me the long suffering to place Tony first, before my comfort in this situation.
As we drove off, Tony verified the address and we commenced with small talk. He asked me how my day was going, and I asked him how long has he been in Boston and such. Within moments, I felt that the Holy Spirit was strongly leading me to ask Tony right away if he knew Jesus. He said "No, I don't know Him, haven't met Him and would very much like to. Do you know Him?" he asked me. "Please tell me more," he pleaded. Wow, I immediately thought to myself, "Oh wow, thank you for Your leading Holy Spirit that I did not judge and dismiss this person." From there, the words flowed…and in less than five minutes, I was able to explain the Gospel, how we are sinners, how God forgives us when we repent of our sins, and that Jesus so loved us so much that He willingly died for our sins for us to go to heaven so that we may have eternal life. He asked me in a most surprising way, “I am a sinner?” And I replied with an emphatic “Yes. We ALL are sinners and that is why all need Jesus. We are to repent of our sins, and when we do, we will have His forgiveness, and we can spend eternity in Heaven with Him!” I then asked if he wanted to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior and he very gladly said "YES!!"
I and Tony prayed together asking for forgiveness and inviting Jesus in as his Lord and Savior! He was smiling a mile wide and then I concluded our prayer for his safety as he drove as an occupation. As this ride came to a stop, I do not think I've ever seen anyone as grateful as Tony was at that moment. It was so awesome to know that there will be a new brother in Heaven with me one day, along with all of the other Believers in Christ Jesus!
Through this experience, I realize that not only was the time spent with Tony short, but that our time here on earth is short and that we are not guaranteed tomorrow (James 4:14) much less our next breath. It was not easy to overcome the smell in Tony’s car, but I continue to thank God as I chose to persevere and step out in faith, in boldness resiliently. It is my aim to tell the Gospel, share God's love, and hope with people everywhere.
Today, and in the coming months as you might face a similar setting or circumstance, remember those that don’t know Jesus are only one invitation away from Him. You can make all the difference in another's life just by speaking His Truth and being prepared to go as Jesus did. He too went into unpleasant company and met people right where they were. May we do likewise!
God bless you as you love and lead in Him today and always for God’s glory. If you need confidential prayer, you can contact us at https://www.equipcareministries.org/contact
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