Oh, the joy of having God use you to help bring someone to Christ! There is nothing like it. If you have never had that experience, it is time you ask the Lord to use you in that way–and if it has been a while, it is time to ask Him to use you again.
I was reminded of the unadulterated joy of seeing God draw someone to Himself recently as one of our online trainers shared about a new coach (online evangelism volunteer) who introduced his first person to the Lord.
Our trainer was on a Zoom connection with a new coach, “J,” who has some special circumstances … he is legally blind. Although he cannot see, J has figured out software that allows him to effectively serve online.
During his first chat, J was excited (and somewhat surprised) that the Millennial he was speaking to was open to having a conversation about Jesus. He didn’t jump right into the depths of the Gospel presentation, but he allowed the conversation to go there as he knew it is what the chatter really needed.
The more he got to talk about Jesus, the more excited he became. He loved sharing the hope and love found in Jesus, but when J was able to share God’s desire for a relationship with the chatter in a way that he would receive forgiveness, salvation and eternal life, his excitement grew.
As the trainer was encouraging J and watching him lead this hungry Millennial into a relationship with Jesus, she got tickled … J stood up and gave a couple of fist pumps of excitement and celebration.
This picture reminded me of what I started by sharing. There is NOTHING as exciting as seeing God move through you in this way.
You may be the most fanatical fan for your local sports team, but no winning game will encourage and inspire you as much as God giving you the words to share with someone who is lost.
You may celebrate victories in your business or nonprofit, but nothing will make you celebrate like God allowing you to see someone come to faith.
As I was revisiting this mental picture, it made me wonder why God used J in this way and what we can learn from it. Here are my thoughts.
- J refused to embrace his excuses. Moses had a long conversation trying to get God to send someone else (Exodus 3/4), but J did not. He had limitations. He had excuses, but he refused to embrace them. Instead, he embraced the grace and mercy that comes from a relationship with the God who uses weakness and limitations.
Whether it is what we don’t know, what we can’t do, or what we have done in the past, we cannot allow the enemy’s excuses to steal these opportunities from us. God wants to use you and me to bring Him glory and to bring salvation to many, but we must reject our excuses. - J made himself available. Whether it is our comfort and convenience or the plans that we made for ourselves, if we do not make ourselves available, we will miss amazing opportunities to be used by God.
Matthew 5:16 teaches us that our job is to “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to our Father in Heaven.” The first step in being like J is to simply allow the light of Jesus that He has ignited in your heart to be seen by those around. Just be available. Be you and let your light shine.
- J was intentional. Many Christians will make themselves “available” if the opportunity is impossible to ignore and if they lay out 45 different fleeces for confirmation, but the ones that God loves to use are those who are looking for opportunities. Those who are actively praying, hunting conversations and seeking opportunities. J’s heart has always been for evangelism and he saw Groundwire as a great opportunity to share Jesus.
Proverbs 6:4 says, “Don’t put it off, do it now! Don’t rest until you do.” I believe this is God’s attitude as it pertains to sharing His love, mercy and rescue plan with as many as possible. God used J’s intentionality and He will use yours as well.
Let’s be honest, J is not all that special (none of us are), but the message of the Gospel is. It is that message that captivates hearts. It is that message that changes lives. But J refused to embrace his excuses, he made himself available and he found intentional ways to share this message.
Jesus is our Savior but, in many ways, J is a hero. He allowed God to use him, and he experienced the amazing joy of watching God use him to impact the eternal destiny and the day-to-day joy of another soul.
Sean Dunn is founder and president of Groundwire, a global ministry with the mission to lead every youth and young adult into a personal relationship with Jesus by leveraging current media channels to connect with them wherever they are. More than 116,000 made commitments to Christ through the organization’s efforts in 2020. For more information, visit www.groundwire.net.