He stood there wringing his red bandana – upset, uncomfortable, and out-of-place at my front door at 11:00 p.m. on that cold February night. The young cowboy/logger from northern B.C. wanted to know if there was a job he could do for God at the summer Ranch Camp my husband and I directed in central Saskatchewan. Normally, I would have jumped at the chance to hire a great Christian male camp leader, but the Spirit quietly prompted me to ask him if his parents were in agreement. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he admitted that although his mother was, his father, who wasn’t a Christian, was not! There was logging to be done!
“Tim,” I said, “you need to go home and pray about this. I believe God wants you to be a witness in your Jerusalem first, before you work for Him anywhere else. Honour your Dad, and you will honour your heavenly Father. Call me May 1st. Let me know what God has done.”
Who or What are We Sharing?
What does Father God say about our missional lives? Let’s take a look at Jesus’ commission to His disciples . . . us included:
‘Then He said, “Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God’s good news to one and all. Whoever believes and is baptized is saved; whoever refuses to believe is damned.”’ (Mark 16: 15,16 The Message)
‘Then He said, “You can see how it is written that the Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day, and then a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in His name to all nations—starting from here, from Jerusalem! You are the first to hear and see it. You’re the witnesses.”’ (Luke 24:46-49 The Message)
“And when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and in Samaria, even to the ends of the world.”(Acts 1:8 The Message)
We are Jesus’ followers. We are His witnesses. How are we faring? How is our excitement level registering? Are we exhibiting that total life-change to every one we know?
You say, “But I’m shy . . . I don’t want to impose my views on people . . . I can’t do this by myself.” Yet Jesus says, “you will be able to be my witnesses”
Ask Yourself
- Do I really believe Jesus’ words in Mark 16?
- Have I experienced that total life change through the forgiveness of my sins?
- Do I believe that I am Jesus’ witnessing representative right here, right now?
- How am I affecting my Jerusalem: my street . . . my next-door neighbour . . . my husband, wife, child?
Excitement and Awe
With tears of excitement and awe, Tim called me early the morning of May 1st. His dad had come to him the night before, and asked Tim if he wanted to work in a camp during the coming summer. Dad had figured out a way to manage the logging without him for a few weeks.
Tim’s faithfulness in his “Jerusalem” resulted in his Dad allowing Tim to attend Bible college a year later. God honoured Tim’s faithfulness: his father said yes to Christ one year before his death from cancer. Tim followed God’s leading to become a missionary pilot with Mission Aviation Fellowship. Tim and his family are now home and serving in their local church . . . back in their Jerusalem.
by Linda Ellsworth
Linda directs Camp Norland.
