I have this strong feeling that our generation is redefining the way we reach the lost in the name of Jesus. I did not sign up for the World Race so I could land on foreign shores and shout at the locals to “Turn or Burn!” or knock on the doors of peoples homes and harass them about their spiritual life. We are rising up as a generation of believers that simply listens to the people Christ has placed in our lives and allow Him to transform their lives through conversation and investment into the hearts of the lost.
There is a park here in Perth that we have gone to multiple times a week to visit with the folks that show up for the free food and tea. (A homeless feeding for all intents and purposes). My teammate Sharon and I met a young man the first time we went there and have seen him every time since. He is from Bangladesh and came to Perth to study at the university. His English is much better than my Bengali, but for the most part our conversations never went deeper than the weather and activities of our day. Still, each time we visited the park we sat with him and he seemed to enjoy our company.
But yesterday was different.
I was honestly not excited about going to the park. I was tired and did not feel like ministering to anyone. My teammate and I found a nice spot in the warm sun and kicked back for a moment. As we were busy rambling about ourselves, our friend walks up and joins us. We were having our usual chat when another racer, Raj, came to join us.
We knew that our friend would be returning to Bangladesh this week and as he was enjoying his warm meal, I got the urge to ask him this question.
“Do you like ice cream?”
(I had no idea where this came from and was just as surprised as he was by the question)
When he replied with a Yes, Sharon and I walked to Maccers (Mcdonalds) to get 30 cent ice cream cones to share with our friend before he journeyed home.
While Sharon and I were away from the conversation, Raj was able to grab the attention of His heart.(This is Where God was doin work with through the Ice cream)
When we returned we all enjoyed our cones and shared about our beliefs and desires. What started as a bit of a religious debate, was transformed by the Lord into a beautiful revelation of this young man’s heart. He opened up to us about the struggles and guilt in His life. We were so blessed to speak truth over his life. Telling him that he is Loved and Adored, that God is proud of him and wants him to walk in freedom.
We got to pray with him, bless him, and encourage his heart.
As we were parting ways he said “Wow, I am so blessed, 3 people prayed for me today.” and then gave us all a hug!!
These are the moments that make the it all worth it. We cheerfully skipped back to the base, pumped up and excited about God letting us be apart of what he is doing in this guy’s life. God affirmed in us the impact we can have by just showing up for people. We do not have to pitch a tent and shout in the streets to reach the lost, we just have to be willing to listen and share the things God has done in our lives.
Who has God placed in your life to listen to today?
How can your prayers bless another?
