"He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." (Psalm 126:6)
Every good Christian wants to be a faithful witness wherever he is and whatever he is doing. That is why it behooves Christians to always walk in the ways of the Lord and look for opportunities to share His love and His grace wherever we find ourselves in our busy lives. Executive Director of Nehemiah's Vision, James Hall, shared this story with me recently and I asked if I might share it with our blog readers. The incident was encouraging to me personally, and I believe it will be to you as well.
The only problem with the above exhortation is that sometimes our flesh is weak and our brain is heavily laden, and we simply don't feel like being much of a witness. Jim candidly admitted that near the end of yet another long meeting with professionals connected to the rebuilding effort in Galveston County, he was feeling tired and a little bogged down with the endless details and paperwork.
The ministry of Nehemiah's Vision had been talked about during the presentation and the crowd gathered that day learned that faithful volunteers join our paid staff and work on homes and churches to get them ready for folks to live and worship in following a disaster. The county has good acclaim for the work that is being done by this ministry.
Near the end of the meeting, a fellow attendee, perhaps a county employee, whom Jim had seen before, but did not really know, walked over to the table and asked a question. "I know what the ministry of Nehemiah's Vision does, and I have seen their work, but what I don't know or understand is why volunteers agree to come to help folks they don't even know. It is hot in Southeast Texas and the weather is often humid. The work is laborious and tiring especially in this heat. How do you get people to pay their own way to come and do that?"
Jim honestly said that his mind was busy, his body was tired, and that he gave him a rather pat answer. "Well, these people are Christians and they want to serve the Lord by helping other people. It is a way of witnessing or sharing their faith." Jim said the man looked somewhat confused and he realized right away that his answer had not been the best he could have given the inquirer. Jim said he thought about it for a split second, and decided to take the plunge. He gave the man two or three scriptures and wrote the verses on the back of a business card. He did care about the man, but it just did not seem to be the best time and place to witness for the Lord and to give a complete and clear plan of salvation.
The man took the card with him and Jim said he prayed for him as he drove home, but really did not think that much more about it since work demanded to be completed.
Jim and his wife attended church at First Baptist in Vidor on Sunday morning. "I was surprised when a man I knew tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'Someone is in the foyer to see you.'" Jim said that he immediately thought of our workers and our jobs. "Has something gone wrong on a job site? Why would they be calling for me on Sunday morning during church?" he wondered as he made his way to the foyer.
There stood the man who had asked questions of Jim at the county meeting. The man shook hands with Jim and said, "I just came by to find you to say thank you for sharing the Gospel message with me. I went home, looked up the verses, prayed and trusted Christ, and felt that I wanted to let you know." Jim said his heart was beating faster and faster and he told the man how happy he was that he had trusted Christ.
"But how did you know where to find me?" Jim asked quite stunned. Jim doesn't always attend the same church because he often has to present the ministry to various church groups. The newly saved man said, "Oh, I did not know where to find you, but since you work in Vidor, I figured you probably went to church near there." He had stopped in a small coffee shop and asked if anyone knew where James Hall who worked for Nehemiah's Vision went to church. One of the employees said, "Well, they've did a lot of work at First Baptist right after the storm. Try there, and I'm sure they can tell you."
And, so he did. He met the church member in the foyer who happened to know Jim and know that he was in service that morning.
All of our soul-winning experiences do not turn out like this one did. We are commanded by Christ to go forth and sow the seed. Someone else may do the watering and someone else may harvest the fruit. Our job is to sow wherever and whenever we can. Thank God for faithful witnesses in every line of work and in every profession. How blessed are those in which we can see our labor. It gives us the strength and the joy to keep pressing on toward reaching others for the Kingdom.
By Brenda Cannon Henley
Galveston County Site Director for Nehemiah's Vision
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