Last night Dave and I were watching the Sunday service from Gateway Church in Dallas, Tx. Pastor Robert Morris is our TV preacher. He always has a good word to encourage the body of Christ.
The last several weeks he has been teaching on the building up of the body of Christ. Some are given to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip and build up the body of Christ.
That’s us!
This evening we listened to Sunday’s teaching on the evangelist. An evangelist is one who tells the good news. The good news means gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ is that He came to bring salvation to all who believe in Him.
An evangelist is one who tells a story. We don’t have to be a seminary graduate or part of the religious elite to be an evangelist. Each one of us has a story of how the Lord has touched and changed our lives. When we share our story we are evangelizing.
I was raised in a church that said women shouldn’t be teaching men. In fact, I had a large number of men who felt it was their job to tell me I couldn’t teach. But God put it in my heart and gifted me to share so I couldn’t do anything less.
However, last night the memory that came to mind was when Dave shared his story.
The picture that precedes today’s blog is a belt buckle that Dave wore for years. It is the logo of our ministry, Christian Cowboys Assn. The ministry was to working cowboys and ranchers, taking the love of Jesus to their ranches and arenas.
“So he came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me. 19 So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach them to obey everything that I have told you to do. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of time.” Matthew 28:18-20 ERV
Go tell them your story!
Back to Dave’s story. We were on our way to a mule show in Gridley, CA. We stopped at a coffee shop somewhere north of Sacramento. We were with another couple who were going to minister with us at the event.
As we walked into the restaurant, Janet and I walked ahead of Dave and Brent. When Dave came through the door, a man sitting at the counter saw this buckle. He came off his seat and dropped to his knees right there.
Dave and Brent stopped to talked to the man and then took him outside to talk with him at greater length. The man told them he had been running from God and told the Lord he needed Him to prove that He was real. Just a few hours later, Dave walked through the door with his buckle declaring “Jesus Is Lord”.
It was as simple as that. Telling your story. Dave had been timid about sharing so God did it for him. That day that man recommitted his life to Christ.
If we look for opportunities, the Father will give us an opportunity to share our story!
