Digging for Gold
A few weeks ago my wife had a meeting in downtown Pittsburgh so I decided to go with her and do some street witnessing in the city. I was excited about witnessing in a larger city and looked forward to the possibility for some great conversations. It turned out it was cold in downtown Pittsburgh in more ways than one. I was surprised at how many rejections I was getting. Some people would just walk by without even acknowledging me. I passed out a decent amount of tracts and had one great conversation with a guy named Tim. After about an hour I decided to go indoors and get some coffee and a bagel. When I paid for my order I gave the cashier the money along with a Million Dollar Bill tract. I said to him “Keep the million!†He laughed and said that recently someone tried to get change for one of these at a local grocery store. He said “When he didn’t get change from his fake money he started breaking things and the police came and arrested him.†At this point two other employees came over and asked what we were talking about which gave me the opportunity to give them Gospel tracts as well. They were both happy to get their Million Dollar Bills.
I sat in the bagel shop enjoying the warmth and not looking forward to going back into the cold and dealing with the bad attitudes that I was encountering. I decided that maybe I had done enough and maybe I had accomplished something by breaking into new territory. That thought didn’t last any longer than it took to form it and I knew that I had to push myself harder. I went ahead back out into the cold and ignored the fear and laziness that were trying to hinder me. One of the first people I talked to asked me what I was handing out. I said “It’s a Gospel tract.†He said “Oh, I’ve got the Gospel right here in my heart! I’m a Christian.†He said he had something for me and he gave me what’s called a Pocket Bible. It’s a small Book of John with an additional Gospel message in it. He gave it to me and said “You might need it.†I thanked him. Meeting him encouraged me.
According to Reference.com, an online encyclopedia, gold nuggets are rare, and even a small nugget will fetch 1.5 to 2 times the spot price of gold. Very large nuggets are extremely rare, and sell for very high prices. Ray Comfort said that witnessing is like mining for gold. You dig and you dig and you dig until you find that priceless gold nugget or in this case that person who is humble of heart and shows strong signs of genuine repentance. I thank God I didn’t stay in the Bagel Shop because if I had I would not have met Josepha. Josepha is a young woman I met not long after I the guy who gave me the Pocket Bible. She was like talking to a child about their new found curiosity of the world around them. She had so many genuine questions about God and having a relationship with Him. She was ready to commit her life to the Lord and intended on raising her unborn child in the ways of God. In the end I got to pray with Josepha and I told her what I usually tell the “gold nuggets†I find. I said “Josepha, if I came down here from Youngstown, Ohio for one person; it was you!†She smiled really big. As I handed her the Pocket Bible I was given just a few moments before, I encouraged her to read it and talk to God everyday.
Jesus indicated that there are many “gold nuggets†in the world. Matthew 9:36-38 says:
“36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.â€
Jesus said “The harvest truly is plentiful†which means that He sees a multitude of “gold nuggets†but He also knows that the workers are far too few for the task.
John 4:34-35 says:
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!
In these verses you can see Jesus’ compassion for the lost and the cry of His heart for laborers. He’s commanded us to go! If you care about what Jesus cares about then start digging for gold!
happened on 3.10.08
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