There are all kinds of creative ways to be a witness for the Gospel! No matter where you are or who you meet, you can have an effective outreach for Christ in your community.
God gave my friend Jennifer an evangelistic burden for waitresses.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and we are all evangelists. If you think you don’t have the gift, be sure you’ve at least got the calling. You are called to know Christ and make him known. It’s how Jennifer looks at it. And so, once every two weeks, she and her Christian friends regularly meet for lunch, but before they choose a restaurant, they pray. Once it’s decided where to go to lunch, they sit down and strike up a friendly chat with the waitress. They learn her name and ask for her suggestions from the menu.
Jennifer and her friends visit the same restaurant at least five times, always asking the maître d’ that they be given the same waitress. After so many luncheons, the women become friends with the waitress and invite her to church. Jennifer and her friends have been witnessing this way for years and after visiting scores of restaurants—and as many waitresses—they have seen fifteen women come to Christ. Now, my friend Jennifer would probably not say she is an evangelist; she is only doing what is required of her from Acts 1:8, where Jesus tells us to be his witnesses. So, we shouldn’t think she’s amazing. Jesus tells us in Matthew 10, “As you go, proclaim this message, that the kingdom of heaven has come near.” And right before he ascended into heaven, the last thing Jesus said to us – and if it’s the last thing, it’s got to be pretty important, right? – Jesus gives the command: preach the Gospel. And Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5 that we are ambassadors of Christ, as though God were making his appeal through us. So, what Jennifer and her friends have been doing all these years isn’t really amazing.
But what is amazing is her creativity. She and her friends not only have fun together over lunch, they make an outreach of it. Waitresses are, in fact, their main reason for getting together. Jennifer adds that it’s really just a ministry of kindness. It’s a desperately lonely world out there, and people feel so isolated. Hopeless. Like no one really cares for them. So, the idea of striking up a friendship with a waitress is nothing more than showing simple kindness. And so, think of the people in your own community; people at the market where you shop, the dry cleaners, the coffee shop; your place of work, or your college campus – there are people with whom you have made friends. They notice you and they like you. They look forward to seeing you. They can tell something is different about you. Well, how about doing what Jennifer and her friends always do? Simply invite them to your church. Tell them you know a whole bunch of other people who like to show kindness, too. Ask them to come to church, and then pray, asking the Lord to open their hearts.
No matter where we go or who we meet, we can have an effective outreach for Christ in our community. God would want it that way. It’s what ambassadors of Jesus do. They represent the message of the King. Having said this, I don’t think that Jennifer will ever organize a group called “Eating Out for Jesus,” or plan a budget or print up brochures. But she will keep on doing what comes naturally: being a witness for the Lord. So, follow suit. Better yet, follow Christ’s command and Acts 1:8, “Be a witness.” Go before Jesus and let him know that you want to be a witness for him and tell others of his love, then ask him to show you unique and creative ways to share the Gospel in your community. God bless you today, and thanks for listening.
© Joni and Friends