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Don’t let moments to share the Gospel pass you by…

Don’t let moments to share the Gospel pass you by…

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Friday Evening:


“As soon as I realized what it was, I hung up. I reported it to the scam site online. I get those calls all the time. I feel bad for people who fall for those scams,” Georgia told me over coffee after dinner.


 
Monday Morning:

“Dirty crooks. I told them where to go and I’m embarrassed to say that your grandmother would have rolled over in her grave if she heard the kind of language I was using in her kitchen. I don’t even own a computer, yet they think I’m going give them $99 to clean out some bacteria.”
“Papa. It’s a virus.” I explained.
“Well I don’t care what they call it. They are just a bunch of dirty crooks.”

 
Monday Afternoon:

“I had to cancel my credit card. In all my years of pastoring, I’ve never seen my wife so furious. She threw the computer off the back deck into the bushes.
I didn’t realize it was a scam. When I did, I hollered at them and told them I was calling the police. We argued for probably twenty minutes before I realized that I was not going to get my money back, and that my computer was probably a goner. I’m hoping our AV guy at the church can wipe it clean or something.” 

 
Monday Evening:

 
I guess I probably should’ve been expecting it, but it still caught me off guard.  “Nick,” from “Microsoft” called me to let me know I had a virus. After I explained that I had only Mac products, he back-peddled.


I thought over my friends' reactions I had witnessed over the past couple of days. Indifferent. Sinful. Furious. I knew my reaction needed to be different. 


“Can I ask you something, Nick?” I knew I was in danger of him hanging up on me any second, so I boldly asked, “Do you know how much God loves you?”


Anticipating a negative reaction, I was surprised to hear him calmly say, “No.” I repeated myself. Again, “No.” Then, while anticipating him hanging up, I went on to share a very brief explanation of the gospel and God’s love for him, despite his current... well... not-so-desirable choice of profession.


Much to my surprise, he asked me to explain. Within a few minutes, I was praying with Dev (his real name) to ask Jesus to be his personal Savior.


He asked me how I knew these things, and I explained to him that it was God’s word. He told me that he lived in an area of the world where it was illegal to own a Bible. He asked if he could call me back the next day for another lesson. I agreed and told him I would be praying for him. We’ve had four phone calls now. 
 
 
The reality is we all get these calls. Many times from people living in areas that are completely unreached with the gospel. Take advantage of those moments. They don't need to be screamed at. They need to know the source of hope for their desperate lives.  Compassion, reaching the unreached, is the call of every follower of Christ. Our compassion and love is because of who God is, not who they are.


My challenge to you: next time you get one of these phone calls, use it as an opportunity to share the gospel with someone who may have never heard it before.  




Rachael Groll

Rachael Groll is a guest editor and author for Warner Press. She is also a Children's and Outreach Pastor at Living Waters Church in Meadville, Pa and is currently promoting her new book, Go: Beginning a Kids Outreach Ministry

Rachael has shared some of her experiences on social media and her blog, RachaelGroll.org. Networking with children's pastors across the nation, she has helped others start Sidewalk Sunday schools and outreach ministries, and has recently begun a new role in public speaking.