He began with an aggressive “give me” attitude…
Today we had an opportunity to share the Gospel with some folks here in the countryside of Haiti. We went out and shared with two people under the tree not even 50 feet from our starting point. While sharing with the second person, a slightly disturbed yet intrigued man rolled up on his motorcycle and sat, listening with great intent to the Blanc (white man) that was speaking – me.
I later engaged this curious motorcycle man by asking how he was doing. “Everything is just so-so.” We uncovered that he has no job, he drives trucks but can’t find work, and what he really wanted was me to give him either a job or money. No problem, right?
The Lord brought Acts 3:6 to my mind and I told him, “I don’t have a job or money to give you, but what I do have I will give you.” I had NO IDEA what I was about to share, but all I had to give was the Gospel of Jesus – the only thing that will sufficiently satisfy. My spirit was crying out, “Holy Spirit, here we go! Lead me, because I don’t even know where to start.” I started sharing the first thing that came to my mind. I shared what simply started as a story from my first job at Normangee High School. I was desperate for Holy Spirit to lead me because even in the moment I had no idea where I was taking this ordinary story from my life. Little did I know in the moment, I was being led quite well.
Isn’t trusting God sometimes like following a trail of breadcrumbs, trusting that it leads to His table at the great feast? I have learned to trust God more and more in times like this over the years and He has ALWAYS pulled through. Where presented opportunities, I step into the unknown, trusting that my Shepherd goes before me and I hear His voice (John 10:4). I go with a hungry heart of obedience and He finishes it off like this…
The Lord led me to use the story to integrate the Gospel and share it with him perfectly. As I asked questions and we shared in the moment, he realized we were quite alike – in great need at the core of our beings. As I shared who Jesus was and why God sent Him, this man was quite humbled, as was I. I was reminded that I can do absolutely nothing aside from what God allows me and this was a moment like many when I realized that I couldn’t believe all that was coming from my mouth. Upon completion of sharing Jesus’ heart for him, he was curious how his life could be redeemed and how God could make him new because he was restless.
I asked if he wanted to follow Jesus. “Yes” he said with assurance. He not only said it once but three times. I then asked something almost strange – I asked if it was his first time to ask Jesus to forgive him.
He shared that he was going to a church for a time and then started doing gentlemen things and the pastor was disappointed in him, so he stopped going. He never directly answered my question, but he did say he wanted Jesus to redeem his life and make things right in his heart. He wanted to lay his head down at night with peace knowing that God was making him whole.
I then noticed his countenance was drastically different from the start. He began with an aggressive “give me” attitude and ended with a humbled and full heart. He got not what he was asking for, but what he needed.
After humbly crying out for Jesus to save him, I asked Holy Spirit to fill him up, then reminded him that if he never has another job or if he is ever in great need that Jesus’ love is sufficient to satisfy every need of his heart forever.
Jean Pierre opened his eyes and looked at me like a brother, with utter thankfulness and humility – without an ounce of desire to take from me what he could get.
As he sat on his motorcycle, Jean Pierre’s last request was for me to pray for him every single day. I will fail in this task, but nonetheless, I ask you to join me in praying for him – that Holy Spirit will continue to fill him and that he will be discipled by a humble man of God that earnestly seeks after God’s heart.
Here’s the great news about this story – Jean Pierre is now going to tell people about what Jesus did for him! And on top of that, we get to go back out this afternoon for more breadcrumbs, watching Jesus bring more sheep into His pasture (John 10:16)!
