by Rev. Frank Liu
Cornerstone Reformed Church in St. Paul, MN
the Missions Banner, March 2022: Online edition
Everyday chores open up opportunities to witness to our neighbors. A biblical example of this is the chore of drawing water from the well, and how Jesus witnessed of Himself to a Samaritan woman who had a bucket but no Savior (John 4). An example for a winter, tundra environment is shoveling snow. Just the other day, a neighbor, to whom I’ve witnessed before, stopped by to say hi while walking and saw me shoveling my driveway. I knew that he lived alone and often drank (in fact, he was drunk on at least two occasions when I spoke with him). His two responses to the gospel call I delivered are worth repeating as reminders to us of biblical truth as we bear witness of our Lord Jesus Christ in all His glory.
The neighbor’s first response was more of the neighbor trying to call me out for what I was attempting to do: “Hey Frank, there you go trying to reel me in again” (hand gestures of fishing pole action and all!)! Isn’t this the very description that Jesus gave about evangelism and the gospel ministry: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”—Matthew 4:19? Like fishing, do you legitimately expect people simply to hop into your net and be caught, or bite onto a hook with no bait? No, you should expect the activity of fishing for men to require much prayer and labor. Would you expect the fish to be reeled in with no resistance? Isn’t that what makes real fishing such an enjoyable activity? No, they will have all kinds of excuses (following Jesus Christ will require that I change, and I don’t like change!), philosophical reasons (Jesus is so exclusive while the world is so broadly inclusive—it seems, of everyone and everything but Jesus), and moral reasons (I must be willing to submit to Jesus Christ as my Lord, and that means forsaking my sins). For most people, we don’t like the sudden need to exercise our mental muscles and energy to persuade people and in so doing, to expose our lack of spiritual swordsmanship (yeah, that verse, that goes like… that’s in the Bible, right?). We also don’t want to place demands on our emotional energy in helping people to wade through all of the ramifications of their faith in Christ. Fishing (for men and fish) requires both persistence and patience and a great deal of prayer. The faint of heart give up and buy fish at the supermarket, but there is no such equivalent for men. God commands that the faithful persevere, despite the regular disappointments in our efforts.
The neighbor’s second response was more of a challenge to me (and by extension, to you): “Do you actually believe this message?” This is a multi-faceted question. One aspect has to do with God’s exceedingly generous offer in the gospel: Do you believe that the holy and righteous God will actually forgives sinners who repent and believe in Jesus Christ (Mark 1:15)? That sounds too good to be true! But, not to believe God at His word would be to call Him a liar to His face, and God is true and never lies (Hebrews 6:18). He has said it and that is enough for me. Another aspect has to do with God’s power: do I believe that the Holy Spirit can actually change a habitual, hardened sinner who is dead-set in his ways of unbelief, sin, and destruction? We should have first-hand knowledge of God’s power to change, for He has and continues to change you and me (Titus 3:3-7). Our hesitance to tell others of this good news may at times be due to our own lack of faith. If so, be reminded of God’s great power, His readiness to save TODAY (2 Corinthians 6:2) and press on in your witness about Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10)!
Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and support for Cornerstone over the years. May the Lord continue to bless your labors for Christ’s church!
(pictured above: Pastor Frank preaching at a recent service at Cornerstone Reformed Church)