Our World Race Gap Year Racers are all at our campus in Georgia for 3 months until they hopefully launch internationally in January. I saw “hopefully launch in January” but they are living missionally right here in America…this nation that needs Jesus.
They just got back from Louisiana helping with Samaritan’s Purse in disaster relief.
I got to teach them on evangelism today. Before I started teaching, testimonies were flowing of three people that have come to know Christ with Samaritan’s Purse since they left that they had shared with.
Lemme tell ya about Gap Year Racers. They are 18-20 years of age and full of fire, excitement and energy. It has always been so encouraging to be around them.
I start teaching and as I hit some topics, shoes start flying across the room toward me and eventually someone’s cap. That is the way they show they really liked something you just said. It’s like when I first started going to church in 1997 and people would holler back in response to the preacher…this is the 2020 version. I LOVE THEM.
I emphasized that we needed to listen first to the people we are talking to before we shared the gospel with them.
One of the Racers came up to me after I taught and said the Lord says you are a “Commander.” He said, when you talked, it made us stand at attention and he adjusted his shoulders back like he was sitting up straight.
I took half of the squad to the Square in downtown Gainesville. We split up into 2-3s and went out evangelizing.
Emma and Kayci went with me and we met “T” from Colombia (the country) on a bench. He quickly apologized for his English, but I could understand everything he said for the most part. I asked if he wouldn’t mind sharing his story.
He shared and shared. At one point he apologized for talking too much. I assured him we were thankful to hear.
His dad was in jail and he never really knew him. He worked hard at a young age in Colombia. He didn’t really get an education and got into a lot of trouble. His mom couldn’t handle him, so she asked him to leave. He came, illegally to Washington State from Colombia at the age of 16 with his older half-brother.
He learned English by listening. He, now in probably his 50s can speak, read and understand English, but not write. He works with landscaping here in Georgia and is currently homeless. He had some kids along the way and we got to meet one of his sons who came up while we were talking.
He has tried pills, weed, was addicted to meth for a year and has been an alcoholic. He assured us he never shot up anything. He said he has been in and out of jail here in America, but read the Bible in jail.
He said people came to him on the very same bench we approached him on and shared Jesus with him before. (insert YAS LORD….you will find Your kids) He said he felt so ashamed as he sat there with an open beer that day. And today, he said he felt ashamed, with a beer in his pocket as we approached him also sharing.
I shared the gospel with him and he said he gave his life to the Lord 3 months ago. The Lord has given him a Christian boss and he has been invited to church.
He said someone told him he was a hypocrite. I encouraged him all of us are hypocrites…that all of us say we believe the Bible and don’t live it out perfectly.
I opened the Bible and turned to Romans 3:23….that we have all sinned. I had him read it.
And then from Ephesians 2: 8-9 that it is by grace we have been saved through faith, it’s a gift of God, not of your own works so any man could boast
And finally from Romans 10:9-10 that we must make Jesus the Lord of our life.
I told him that i knew his dad was not a part of his life, but God would always be with him. I said God is pursuing him with sending people to him.
When we finished our time with “T”….you wanna know what he said to us?
Thank you for LISTENING to me.
That was it.
This is from a man who learned a language by listening.
He felt heard. I know the scripture we encouraged him with won’t return void. I know we shared Jesus. I know we encouraged him….as Kayci encouraged him with how hard he has worked. Those were all very important parts of loving him today.
And his summary statement as we were about to leave was “Thank you for listening.”
Insert deep breath.
I think, as a nation, if we took time to “sit on benches” across the board and listened more….the world would feel Jesus…we speak the same language of love in listening.
It’s His Presence that commands our attention.
It’s His authority in our lives that makes us put our shoulders back, sit up straight and live the life our Commander…our Lord called us to.
In my response, like Gap year Racers, I’ll throw my shoes prepared to bring the gospel of peace all day long at that message.
If we will listen to our Lord….the lives we would live and how His summary statement to us would be “Thank you for listening.”
