Today, if you hear his voice...

Today was my first real Evangelism Outreach Day. We fanned out across London in teams going into neighborhoods to meet and talk with people on behalf of God, of course, and a local ministry, "Cast Your Cares Upon Him Because He Cares for You." Yes, that is the name. It's a prayer ministry that holds prayer services twice a week for the community. I was paired with a 26 year old woman from Ghana, who shared with me as we walked to our assignment that this was her first time evangelizing in the streets. I smiled and said, "God knew just what He was doing when He paired us up."

God was using me to show her the ropes, so to speak. As we walked to a town square and, later to an outdoor marketplace, I was able to share some insights about discerning who to approach, praying after each encounter and how to engage in conversation with a stranger. She was a fast learner and did an excellent job once she got started. I let her handle all of the encounters since my accent was a dead giveaway that I wasn't from around there. She told me afterwards that she had learned a lot. And whatever fears she may have had were gone. I was so proud of her. I thank God for bringing us together.

I must share one encounter, in particular, that we had with a well-dressed old man. He attracted my attention because he was just standing on the sidewalk with no particular purpose on a busy street. I could see as we approached that he was frail and his hand was trembling (maybe Parkinsons). He appeared to be in his 80's, maybe even 90's. I asked if he needed help (a good way to begin in situations like this). Cynthia asked if he lived in the neighborhood, which he did, so she took over from there. At some point, I heard him say to her, "I don't pray," which surprised her so I took over to explore that question with him a little more.

It turns out that he does pray. However, he is a Muslim, so he believes in God, just not in Jesus as God's son. He believes that Jesus was a messenger of God. I attempted to explain the gospel to him but he kept repeating that Jesus was a messenger. I realized that I was looking at a  man whose time is quickly running out to make the decision to accept Christ into his heart as his Lord and Savior. And unless he does so, he is doomed to spend eternity in Hell. Instinctively, I was moved to pray for him right on the spot. I placed my hand on his shoulder and prayed as Cynthia watched. The opportunity for salvation was right there for him within his reach and he would not take advantage of it. Hebrews 4:7 warns: "Today, if you hear his [God's] voice, do not harden your hearts." This man was blinded (Isa 42:6-7), not so much hardened because he did listen to me. However, he had lived so long in this state, it was difficult to get through to him. Nevertheless, I prayed that God would have mercy and open his eyes before they close for a final time (Luke 12:20). When I finished, the old man smiled at me and kissed Cynthia on the cheek as we parted company with him.

I believe God arranged this encounter to give the old man another chance at salvation. Like everything else He does, I believe God gives us multiple chances until our chances run out. I will never know what will happen to the old man after I return to the States. I can only hope that when next we meet it will be in Heaven.