Your Local Mission Field

I have a friend named Steve, who is also a pastor. Steve is very effective at sharing the gospel both in the pulpit and out of it. Whenever you’re around Steve, you can be sure it’s only a matter of time until he asks someone this question: “Has anyone ever told you there’s a God in Heaven who loves you?”

I’ve watched him ask a coffee shop barista that question, with ten people in line behind us. I’ve been with him in restaurants where he did the same thing. He’s posed that question to random people on the street. And I’ve witnessed a variety of reactions.

Some people say no. Others don’t know what to say.

One day we were in a restaurant with two other pastors, and we were getting ready to order. The other pastors were having a theological discussion when Steve turned to the server and said, “Has anyone ever told you that God loves you?”

The server was genuinely touched by Steve’s question. He said, “No, no one’s ever told me that.”

“Well,” Steve said, “There is a God in Heaven who loves you.” And then he shared the gospel with him. Meanwhile, our friends were still discussing theology, oblivious to what was going on. A few more minutes went by, and Steve led the server to the Lord.

It reminded me a little of the church today. We’re busy with our discussions and our political debates, but it’s time to lift our heads and look around us. Jesus said, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few” (Matthew 9:37 nlt).

Sometimes we think we’d like to go to the mission field in another country to tell people about Jesus. But why don’t we just start by just crossing the street? There are opportunities in front of us every day. We simply need to be looking for them.