Silence is NOT Golden (Part II)

On Saturday, we left with a question to ponder. When has Christ come to me and said, "Do not be silent"? I told you I had a story, but first I must introduce who this involves. I met him back in 2003 when I was attending Friendship Baptist Church in Warner Robins. He was the lead pastor their and an absolutely humble, gentle, and God fearing man. His name is Tim, and he had a most profound story to tell one morning during his sermon. Here it is (in as close a detail as I can remember):

One day, Tim was driving his beat up old Honda down a typical Georgia farm road outside Warner Robins. As he was driving by a field, he spotted a farmer far out there on his tractor, tending to the field and preparing it for next season's planting. As he was driving, the Spirit started laying hard on his heart that he needed to talk with this farmer. The past few years had been particularly hard on Georgia with drought. At first, Tim hesitated. He drove on past the field, but before he got very far, he was convicted to pull a U-turn and go back down the road to where the farmer was working. As he reached an area where he could pull over, he stopped, got out of his car on the side of the road, and, in the suit and nice dress shoes he normally wore to the church, he started trudging off through the newly plowed field full of dust and Georgia red clay. As he walked, the farmer looked up from his tractor and gave the funniest look a farmer could give watching a man come cross his field in a suit and dress shoes. But, that farmer still shut down his tractor and got down to meet the nicely dressed man. Tim then proceeded to tell the farmer what he was doing in his field. He told him all about the fact that the Spirit had moved him to go out there and talk with the farmer, and let him simply know that whatever was happening in his life, God was watching him and looking down upon him with longing to know him personally. The farmer broke down about all that had been happening in his life. All the financial troubles with the farm, the drought, and how his life felt empty for some reason. Tim told the farmer about the endless, unconditional love of Jesus Christ and there, right in the middle of that field, the farmer committed his life to following Christ and having a relationship with Him.

I tell you this story because so many of us have a longing to talk with those in need about Jesus Christ, to tell them about all the love He has poured out upon us and how our lives have been changed because of Him. I also want to inspire you, as Tim inspired me, to go out on that limb and follow, without question, where God is leading us. I am not going to lie: it is hard, sometimes ugly work and there will be rejection (I hate rejection). And I would be a total fool to say that I have always listened to the pin-pricks of the Spirit moving me to talk with someone. But if we will trust in God to know what is best, and keep ourselves from questioning what work He has for us, imagine how we can impact the world? We must look past our own insecurities and toward the future rewards of Heaven. Not for us, but for those who do not have the relationship we do with Christ.

Try this on for size: Have you ever wanted to spite someone so bad you could taste it? Turn that spite towards our nemisis (Satan) and talk with someone about Christ. It could change their world................. and yours.

Posting from the cheap seats (in the words of my great friend Dale),
Jesus Freak Out!