DO THE WORK OF AN EVANGELIST by Gary Wilkerson
I am a pastor, and my hours are filled with the work of my calling. But lately my heart has been stirred to do the work of an evangelist. Recently I asked God to open doors to five people during the coming week so that I could witness to them about Jesus. That very day I was sitting with my family in a restaurant when an elderly man walked by and placed his hand on each of our shoulders as he passed. It was a tender gesture and I reached out to talk to him.
The man’s name was Skip and he was eighty-five years old. He told us his wife had just been disabled by a stroke. “We’ve been married all these years, and now she’s lying in bed at home,” Skip said. “I’m overwhelmed with the work of caring of her. I just came out to get a little break.” When I asked if we could pray for him, Skip’s eyes welled up. He had been waiting to hear someone tell him that God cared.
Later that week, I shared the love of Jesus with a homeless teenager. Within days I had had meaningful, powerful encounters with others. Prayer not only opens doors powerfully but it opens our eyes to the needs at our very doorstep—and to God’s desire to meet those needs.
In each of our communities, people are ready to see a faithful church act on its belief that God desires to free people from every prison. They want to know there is hope for their despair. The Lord is ready to move as a result of our prayers; now He needs us to move forward in faith to see His power transform lives.
I urge you: Keep praying earnestly—for your loved ones and for everyone you meet. God may have already moved in their lives, even though you don’t realize it. So when you hear a knock at your door, be faithful to open it. Jesus is ready to amaze us all with His saving, delivering, transforming love.
The man’s name was Skip and he was eighty-five years old. He told us his wife had just been disabled by a stroke. “We’ve been married all these years, and now she’s lying in bed at home,” Skip said. “I’m overwhelmed with the work of caring of her. I just came out to get a little break.” When I asked if we could pray for him, Skip’s eyes welled up. He had been waiting to hear someone tell him that God cared.
Later that week, I shared the love of Jesus with a homeless teenager. Within days I had had meaningful, powerful encounters with others. Prayer not only opens doors powerfully but it opens our eyes to the needs at our very doorstep—and to God’s desire to meet those needs.
In each of our communities, people are ready to see a faithful church act on its belief that God desires to free people from every prison. They want to know there is hope for their despair. The Lord is ready to move as a result of our prayers; now He needs us to move forward in faith to see His power transform lives.
I urge you: Keep praying earnestly—for your loved ones and for everyone you meet. God may have already moved in their lives, even though you don’t realize it. So when you hear a knock at your door, be faithful to open it. Jesus is ready to amaze us all with His saving, delivering, transforming love.