Reaching the Unchurched – Part 3
Salvation at the Wayside Rest
On my way to Kansas City, I was trying to continue doing what Jesus had asked me to do . . . share the gospel. So when I stopped at a wayside rest in Iowa, I thought I would do just that.
There was one problem, however. I was dead tired. During the summer months I had gone door to door, sharing the good news, which was quite traumatic and exhausting, especially since by nature I was painfully shy.
So here in the wayside rest, I thought I would just get by with a lame attempt at sharing the gospel, which was to lay a gospel tract on the display.
Well, it was truly amazing how the Lord used my lame effort. I thought I would just use the men’s room and be on my way . . . and maybe someone would pick up the tract and read it. Mission accomplished . . . or so I thought. Ah, but I was not to get off so easy. As soon as I laid the tract down, a voice from across the pavilion called, “Sir, you can’t do that.”
I looked up to see a young man, about sixteen or seventeen, sweeping the cement.
“What is it?” he asked.
I was caught . . . and now I had to talk my way out of this embarrassing situation.
So I launched into a one minute testimony of my personal salvation. “It’s a gospel tract,” I said. “I just want to share what Jesus has done for me.” Then I told him very hurriedly how I was in a rock group, and very popular, but miserable . . . how I had surrendered to Jesus and he had totally changed my life . . . how I was now happy, that I’d found the answer to life.
It was a slam-bang testimony, not thought out particularly. I just ran at the mouth for a minute, really just trying to cover my tracks for leaving the tract where I wasn’t supposed to leave it.
To my complete consternation, this young man, who was a high school senior, started talking to me with hunger in his voice. He was a church goer, and had been all of his life, but no one had ever explained to him that he needed to accept Christ personally.
“How do you do it?” he asked.
“Well, you can do it right now,” I said. “Just bow your head and tell Jesus you are sorry for your sins, that you want forgiveness, and that you are asking Him to take over in your life.”
So he did it. He sat down on the bench, bowed his head for perhaps a minute, and when he looked up he was a changed man. You could see it in his face. It was shining.
“What do I do now?” he asked.
“Well, you can start reading the Bible,” I said.
“Where should I start?”
I wasn’t ready for that question. I started to suggest the Gospel of John . . .
His face lit up. “I’m going to start from the beginning and read it all the way through,” he said.
I couldn’t argue with that, so I didn’t say anything.
We had a few words. Then we shook hands, I welcomed him into the kingdom of God, got into my car and drove away.
As I continued on my way to Kansas City, I just shook my head, trying to take in what had just happened. I had led a young man to Christ, without even trying. How could it be that easy?
What came out of my mouth must have been put there and anointed by the Holy Spirit. I hardly even knew what I said. I just knew that I had told him what had happened in my life, how God had saved me and changed me . . . and he got it. He just bowed his head right there and made his peace with God. The whole scenario couldn’t have taken more than ten minutes.
The point of the story is that if we will just open our mouth and tell the reason for the hope that lies within us (I Peter 3:15), God can bring someone to salvation in ten minutes. It almost seemed like an accident, but it wasn’t, you see. This young man came to salvation, just because I was willing to open my mouth.
Sharing your faith isn’t that hard. Even if you are dead tired, just open your mouth and see what comes out. Then, witness what God can do in ten minutes.