The Hands and Feet if Jesus

The other day we were listening to a speaker who told us a story of a Papua New Guinean who walked onto our center that week, looking for a missionary who could tell him more about Jesus.

The story impacted my heart and got me thinking of several things:

·         How many times, especially in America, are we “too busy” to stop and tell people about Jesus?

·         With American culture the way it is, would anybody be that bold to ask the question, genuinely wanting to find the answers? Or perhaps a better question is, if there be someone so innocent as to ask?

·         With all the political correctness, tolerance and diversity issues, would we even know how to speak the truth about Jesus, or would be too scared to “offend” someone?

It was a great reminder that we live in a fallen world and people desire the truth, and people need Jesus!

Many of you know my aversion to speaking in public. And my gifting is not proclaiming “Jesus is Lord” from the corner market. I would rather build a relationship and plant the seeds. If this person seeking Jesus would have come to our door, what would Chad or I have done? I pray that we would have presented the gospel in a clear and concise way. But in reality, I know for a fact that I would have been tongue tied and wanting to say the “correct” things so badly that I might have been paralyzed. God would need to use my “inabilities” and lack of clear Tok Pisin for His glory.

How many of us have fallen in to the trap of paralyzing fear? I am NOT saying we should scream, rant and rave about hell and damnation. That, in my humble opinion, is why fanatical Christians give many of us a sour taste of our mouths. Yes, there are many that have a gifting for preaching and we all commanded to go out into the world and spread the gospel. Even if people don’t “pray the prayer” when you talk to them, you have planted the seed and the Holy Spirit will continue working on the person.

Let us not get so “comfortable” in our busy-ness and within our Christian communities that we don’t plant the seeds. We may never know who planted the seeds in this Papua New Guinean man’s heart to start the process, or the circumstances surrounding him coming onto our center. But he did find a “missionary” and the Holy Spirit worked in that man’s heart and gave the missionary the right words to say just for him.

That man is now a brother in Christ and is devouring all the materials that are available for him in his own Tok Ples (his language). He is even going back to his village to face to the consequences of his former raskol (criminal) behavior. For this culture in PNG, as it is to some extent among all of us, voluntarily confessing your sins if you weren’t caught “in the act”, is almost unheard of.

Our prayer for him is that he will be able to find forgiveness and reconciliation with the courts and police, even if it means time in the kalabus (jail) or paying retribution to his victims. Another prayer would be that he would continue to have this hunger for God and seek other Christians out that can mentor him. And he would be one of those that are instrumental in leading others to Christ in his village and Tok Ples. That he would be bold to speak the truth into people’s lives and listen closely to the prodding of the Holy Spirit.

Be on fire for Jesus Christ and be humble and know that it is the Holy Spirit doing His work through him for the Glory of God. For His power is made perfect through weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Let us not be paralyzed by fear or grow weary of being the hands and feet of Jesus in the different ways God has gifted each one of us! (Ephesians 4:11-14)

Tingim! Papa God, em i laikim yu tumas.

Remember! God loves you!