Be There
A few days ago, a young man walked up to our God Mobile booth at the North Georgia State Fair. Across the top of our booth, in letters you can’t miss, is a simple question:
ARE YOU GOING TO HEAVEN?
So I asked him.
Without hesitation, he gave me a resounding answer: “No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t believe in God.”
“Well,” I said, “God believes in you.”
He wasn't impressed, but it began one of the most fascinating conversations I’ve had in a long time.
For about 45 minutes, we talked. He told me what he believed and why. I shared some of what I know about God and why I believe it.
Then, somewhere in the conversation, I felt a nudge from the Lord: Ask him about his father.
So I asked. His countenance changed.
He began describing a heartbreaking situation in his family.
His father, who professed to be a Christian, had been secretly practicing a lifestyle that deeply damaged his marriage and family.
Then, when this young man told his mother that he no longer considered himself a Christian, her angry response pushed him further away.
We rarely know the whole story of the person standing in front of us.
Before the fair, I had prayed, “Lord, give me words of knowledge. Give me words of wisdom.” And He did.
Asking about his father opened a door I could never have opened on my own. From there, I listened, asked questions, shared my story, and told him what I believed. I spoke the truth in love and stopped when it was time not to push any further.
All of it was part of being there.
The next day, I turned around at our booth and saw him again. He and a friend were sitting with someone from our God Mobile team. His friend’s head was bowed as he made a profession of faith in Jesus.
I thought that was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen.
Until the next day.
I was walking through the fairgrounds when I saw my new atheist friend again. We greeted each other, I gave him a big hug, he introduced me to another friend, and we talked briefly.
About half an hour later, he walked into our booth with his friend.
He walked right up to my table and said, “Would you tell my friend?”
I’ve really never met an atheist evangelist before.
But he provided the opportunity, and I had the privilege of leading his friend to faith in Jesus.
I still don’t know everything God is doing in that young man’s heart. But I know this: God is doing something.
And I’m glad I was there.
JUST BE THERE
We see it in our lives and throughout Scripture. God works through people who are willing to be there—making ourselves available to God and to the people He wants us to reach.
BE THERE FOR THE PERSON IN FRONT OF YOU
The person at work who seems hostile to Christianity may have a story you’ve never heard.
The neighbor who never seems interested may have questions they’ve never felt safe enough to ask.
The person who calls himself an atheist may be wrestling with things much deeper than the arguments he is making.
Engage. Ask questions. Care. Pay attention to the Holy Spirit.
Jesus did this constantly. He could speak to crowds, but He also stopped for individuals—the woman at the well, Zacchaeus, blind Bartimaeus, Nicodemus.
He saw people. So can we.
Watch, listen, and be there.
BE THERE WHEN GOD OPENS THE DOOR
Sometimes God opens a door through a spiritual gift, like the word of knowledge He gave me. Sometimes through a question or a crisis. Sometimes we just see, hear, or sense a need.
In Acts 8, the Spirit directed Philip toward an Ethiopian who was sitting in his chariot reading Isaiah. Philip noticed what he was reading and simply asked him a question. It opened the door to share Jesus, and the man believed and was baptized.
Philip was there.
We can do the same as we pray:
“Lord, show me what You are doing. Give me wisdom. Direct me. Provide divine appointments. Give me words. And when You open the door, help me walk through it.”
BE THERE EVEN WHEN YOU DON’T FEEL READY
Many of us stop at:
I don't know enough.
I don't have everything in my life straightened out.
I'm not an evangelist.
What if they ask me something I can't answer?
For years before my first God Mobile outreach, I would say: “I'm not an evangelist.”
Though evangelism is not my main spiritual gift, I remembered that Paul told Timothy—who was a pastor—to “do the work of an evangelist.”
So I finally decided to step past my limitations and went.
Go. Be there. See what happens.
BE THERE AND TRUST GOD TO DO WHAT YOU CAN’T
I hadn't sat down with many people one-on-one and simply walked them through the plan of salvation. But then I got to the God Mobile.
We have a little booklet that lays out the gospel directly from Scripture. I didn't need a sermon. I didn't need a theology degree. I didn't need a clever presentation.
I just needed to sit down with somebody, open the booklet, share the Word of God, and trust the Holy Spirit.
In my first two days, I saw 11 people come to the Lord.
Not because I suddenly discovered that I was a gifted evangelist.
The Word of God works. The Spirit of God works. And God works through believers who are willing to be there.
Jesus said:
“There are many people to harvest but only a few workers to help harvest them. Pray to the Lord, who owns the harvest, that he will send more workers to gather his harvest.” — Matthew 9:37–38 NCV
People are praying for the ones they love.
A mother is praying for her child. A husband is praying for his wife. A friend is praying for a friend. They’re asking God to send somebody who will reach them.
We can be somebody. We can be part of God’s answer to prayer.
The harvest isn't somewhere far away. It is all around us—in our neighborhoods, our workplaces, our families, and right now among the hundreds of thousands of people coming through the North Georgia State Fair.
Jesus said to pray for workers. What if we’re the somebody He wants to send?
Be somebody.
Be there.
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