Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
Luke 15:10
5. Discern opportunities and take advantage of them.
Every day, God makes opportunities available to us to preach the Gospel, and it behooves us to have the necessary spiritual perception to detect those opportunities. Paul the Apostle asked for the prayers of the Colossian Church: "Withal praying also for us, that God would open a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:" (Colossians 4:3). Learn to add this to your daily prayers- that God should grant you opportunities to preach the Gospel wherever you go. And when those opportunities show up, like we have learnt already, you must be prepared.
In Acts chapter 3, Peter and John were on their way to the Temple when they met this lame man at the gate called Beautiful. Peter commanded the man to rise in the Name of Jesus, and the Bible says immediately the man's feet and ankles bones received strength. Glory to God! But I want you to observe something that happened subsequently: "And all the people saw him (the lame man who had been healed) walking and praising God:...And when Peter SAW IT, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?" (see Acts 3:9-12). Even though a wonderful miracle had taken place, Peter spotted the opportunity to preach the Gospel to the multitude, and he did! The crowd gathered around in awe of that wonderful miracle- Peter discerned that it was a ripe harvest. He preached it. Verse 12 says 'when he saw it', he answered unto the people with the people. In other words, the gathering of the people was more than just mere curiosity to witness what had happened. The people wanted to know the Person who had performed the miracle- JESUS!
Lace your conversations with the Gospel, especially when you are talking to people you have newly met. As you discuss issues, discern ways by which you can put Jesus at the centre of it and make Him known to those listening.
This reminds me of a day that I asked a coursemate for her notes. This was my first time of speaking with her. However, she offered me her notebook to write. As I was writing, I prayed in my heart that God would help me to share the Gospel with her on returning the book to her. So after 2-3 minutes, I finished and returned her book. As I thanked her, I introduced myself to her and asked her a question: "Have you ever been sick of the same disease as your friend before?" She nodded. I asked her what she did after she found the cure. And then she went on to narrate the story. You see, the point is to always place the spotlight on the person first. In doing so, you can get their attention. One of the ways to do that is to ask questions. Well, I explained to her the problem of sin (the 'disease') that is common to all men and our need for a Saviour, Jesus Christ.
I was really glad to have shared the message with her, because she was a Muslim. And, glory to God, she believed it!
So, you can go ahead and pray for an opportunity to preach the Gospel even now. God will send a sinner your way so you can touch their life with the love of God. When that opportunity comes, don't make the mistake of thinking about what to say- it's unnecessary (see Mark 13:11).
#Bringafteryourownkind
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