Encounter No. 1. I offer gospel tracts as an icebreaker to kick-start a conversation. Today, I used coins with the 10 Commandments on one side and the Gospel on the other--because the law leads us to Christ (Gal. 3:24). I offered the first person a coin and asked if she had a church background, to see if the Lord would open up a conversation. She said yes, took the coin, but quickly walked off. Lessons: This was a success! NEVER judge an encounter by outward appearance. She received a coin with the Word. We are born again by the Word (1 Pet. 1:23). Our job is to obey the call to "go" and share the gospel (Mk. 16:15). God's job is to draw the unsaved to Himself at his time and in his way (John 12:32). God can reach her through that coin if she is lost. If she is born again, then she may have been encouraged by this simple act to follow the Lord and share the gospel herself if she is not already doing so.
Encounter No. 2. I offered her a gospel coin and she refused it. I politely offered a second time, trying to insist, but she refused again. Lessons: Paul literally pleaded with the lost to be reconciled to God in view of the wrath to come (2 Cor. 5). Out of love for the Lord and love for the lost, Paul warned every man that he might present every man mature in Christ. (Col. 1). That's why I didn't just walk off after the first time she refused the coin. Often, I will also say something like, "Nothing is more important than your eternal destiny" and try to get them to engage in a conversation about the eternal. If they still won't, I will then say something like, "please think about your eternal destiny before it's too late, because you never know when your last day will be!" Sometimes it is effective to use an analogy involving an offer to buy a person's eye for a transplant for a million dollars. Most people will refuse to sell one eye for a million dollars, and everyone I have asked will refuse to sell both eyes for $50 million, because their sight is priceless to them. I then explain that if their eyesight is priceless to them, how much more their eternal souls and how much more seriously should they really consider right now where they may spend eternity. This often gets people's attention. Don't be discouraged by those who flat refuse, even though it can be discouraging knowing that if they are lost they have an horrific eternity to face, paying for their own countless sins.
Encounter No. 3. I offered him a gospel tract and he had all the right answers. Lessons: This gentleman proclaimed that he was saved and going to heaven because he was trusting in Jesus Christ alone for his salvation. He used the right "lingo" and seemed to be enthused about it. We can never really know the state of a person's heart. But we can make assessments based on what people say and do. He said the right things. In that situation, I praise the Lord along with the person for their salvation. "That's great!" I will say. But I don't stop there. Jesus came to call followers, not just believers. The demons believe and tremble (James 2:19). I will typically follow up by asking, "Are you following the Lord today?" They often say yes or that they are trying or that they go to church. I will then ask if they know what Jesus said to do in order to follow him. Most people say no or take a guess. I point them simply to John 8:32 where Jesus said: "So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." The true follower spends time in God's word regularly and seeks to follow it. I encourage people to do that. There's a famous saying: "The bible will keep you from sin, but sin will keep you from the bible." I also will often ask if they share their faith with others regularly. That's a mark of a follower (Mk. 1:17). I encourage people to follow Jesus and to learn to fish for men while they still have time left.
Encounter No. 4. I offered the three of them gospel coins. I pointed out that they had the commands on one side the gospel on the other and asked if they knew why the commands were so important. They didn't really say anything. I began to explain that God has appointed a day when he will judge the world in righteousness (Heb. 9:27), and the commands were given to show us how far short we fall from God's perfect moral standard necessary to get into heaven. To illustrate, I began asking them if they had violated God's law. I asked if they had lied, stolen, or committed adultery. They admitted to countless lies, but denied stealing and then tried to deny committing adultery by looking at others with lust, until one lady barked indignantly: "Of course we've all done that. We've been church. We know the drill!" They began to walk off. We encouraged them consider their eternal fate before it's late. Lessons: This was a successful encounter, too. In fact, the only unsuccessful encounter is one that never happens. God can't use us unless we step out of the boat in faith and step into the fields that are ripe for harvest (John 4). They heard the law. The law points people to Christ. While the law certainly cuts and is often unpleasant, it is often necessary to break up the hard, fallow ground of a stony heart in order that it may be ready to receive the good seed of the gospel. The law reveals sin (Rom 7). They heard the word. They were challenged to consider their fate. We were faithful. God will be faithful, too. Don't judge by the outward appearance. Just be faithful, loving, and compassionate.
What lessons did you learn from FFF 1.11? How have you grown from the encounters you had? What, if anything, will you do differently if you face similar encounters in the future? Pray the Lord will make you a more bold, more regular, more effective fisher of men while you still have time left!
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