Ministry is sometimes more about being aware of what the Holy Spirit is doing around you, listening for His instructions, and acting in faith rather than sticking solely to whatever plan or goals you created the day before.
This is a truth I vividly learned a few days ago.
Here is the story:
We are currently serving in Swaziland. (There will be a post summarizing our ministry soon!). Aside from our daily responsibilities for the organization, our team was told that they wished for the men to begin a new ministry. Kevin, Tim, and I would begin spending our Mondays and Wednesdays at a pool bar a few miles down the road. This bar is filled with individuals in need of Christ, and playing pool with them is an opportunity to create friendships and eventually connect them to churches. We came up with a great plan: focus first on being a consistent and comfortable presence, become increasingly friendly with the men, and eventually build a relationship where they can trust us to share about the Lord.
Monday was a great start. We stayed for about an hour, played pool with some of the guys, said our goodbyes, and left.
While I understood the importance of slowly creating friendships with the men, I was praying that the Lord opened up opportunities to be bold in our faith on Wednesday.
I was reading the book of John and saw how Jesus ministered, focusing on the crippled, diseased, and the least of these. I read Acts where the Apostles went out into the streets praying for those in need for all to see.
Then Wednesday came.
On our way to the pool bar, there sitting on the floor was an extremely crippled and homeless man begging for spare change. I felt the Holy Spirit compel me to approach him. I got on my knees, looked him in the eye, shared how much Jesus loves him, and prayed for him.
We then went on our way to the pool bar.
The day was very successful, with the men becoming increasingly friendly. In the middle of our ministry, I sat down still hungry for more opportunities to boldly share the love of Christ. I prayed that the Lord would show me someone to approach.
A moment later I spotted a man walking past the bar. He only had one leg, with crutches made out of sticks, string, and shopping bags. He looked very homeless and I assumed he was heading to find a spot to ask for money. My soul tightened and the felt the Lord telling me to find this man. Without hesitation, I ran out of the pool bar and found the man sitting in the middle of very crowded square, surrounded by various shops.
I asked if we could pray for him. Then, surrounded by countless strangers, we put our hands on him and boldly prayed for Him. We shared how much God loved him, was always by his side, and would always take care of him. I asked if he had any doubts about the Lord. He didn’t answer but it was apparent that he understood the question. I assured him that he could put all of his trust in God. I told him that God sent us to pray for him and share with him, and that the Lord would continue to provide for him. We gave him some money to buy food, a warm smile, and went on our way.
While our assigned ministry was to the men in the pool hall, the Lord had other plans for that day. By staying aware of the voice of the Holy Spirit, we were able to share the love of Christ with two crippled men desparately in need of hope. The Lord used us to expand the Kingdom just a tad more in those two conversations, sitting with them when others wouldn’t even look at them. I had the burning desire to be bold after reading John and Acts, and the Lord gave me the opportunity.
I look forward to staying increasingly aware of the voice of the Holy Spirit, boldly proclaiming the love of Christ everywhere we go.
Here’s to another day of living in continual service to God and His Kingdom.
JM
