Christians everywhere seem to be stepping up efforts to evangelize…
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and wouldn’t you agree, it seems like lots of believers are looking for new ways to share the Gospel with people far and wide. Especially in closed or limited access countries like the Muslim world or on the Korean peninsula or parts of South America. Psalm 105 is the fuel giving energy to the fire, because it says, “Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.”
Now, as much as I would love to pack my bags and head out to other nations, I’m afraid my age and quadriplegia have limited me somewhat – although we are sending out more wheelchairs and Bibles than ever before through our Wheels for the World outreach, there’s no way I can keep up with the growth. So for myself, the Lord has put a burden on my heart for a different kind of foreign mission. I'm talking about the Armenian gentleman who runs a shoe repair shop nearby, and the Ethiopian woman who works at the discount beauty store, and three Iranians who run a nearby gas station. These people are intrigued by the smile I offer them from my wheelchair.
Despite their limited English, I try my best to share Christ. In fact, an Armenian friend hunted up some tracts and books I gave to the shoe repairman. I also gave the lady at the beauty store a copy of the Joni book in Arabic. And then, the other day, I stopped by the Texaco station and gave the elder Iranian serviceman a copy of the Bible in Persian. He flipped through it and jabbered something in Farsi about reading a portion of the Bible sixteen or seventeen years ago. I could tell he was glad to receive his own copy. As I drove away, I thought how wonderful that this man, who probably was raised a Muslim, had received the Word of God so warmly.
These are just a few people God has placed in my life, folks in my community I see all the time. I could tell you more stories about the Japanese gardener in our neighborhood, the Chinese owners of the Lotus Inn, the Mexican guys who clean our office and the Nicaraguan girl at the supermarket checkout stand. Even the few pockets of workers from south of the border who line Agoura Road near our office – whether they are illegally here or not isn’t the point; the point is they need to hear about Jesus. And so, all these people receive either Bibles in their own languages, or tracts (listen, Campus Crusade for Christ has a ton of foreign language tracts!). Sometimes I give them a Joni book if I have one in their language… it’s why I keep a bunch handy in my office in case we have visitors from overseas here at the Joni and Friends International Disability Center.
Psalm 105 is a command. We are to “Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.” And, friend, the way the world has now become a global community, with so many people immigrating to the United States from Africa and the Middle East, it’s clear that God has brought the nations to your doorstep in your community. I mean, think of it: Gas station attendants, waiters, repairmen, clerks in stores, bus boys, the dry cleaners, maître d's, and waitresses. I’d like to send you three of my Gospel tracts in English, and two in Spanish to help you get started – they’re free; just click on my radio page at joniandfriends.org and ask for my Gospel tract “When I Think of Heaven,” okay? Do it today. And until the next time, this is Joni Eareckson Tada inviting you to join me in making His name famous among the nations. Find a way to share with thirsty people in your community a drink of the living water. So, come by and visit me today at our radio page at joniandfriends.org and let us hear from you. Until next time, thanks for listening to Joni and Friends.
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