An Airplane, a Eunuch, and the Loving Soul Strategist
I’ll never forget that flight. I was sitting by the plane’s window, and a young man was sitting in the seat to my left. I felt the Lord’s nudging me to start a conversation with him, so I said something like, “Great weather, isn’t it?” I have no memory of how it happened, but the conversation swiftly went into spiritual depths by the young man’s own initiative. I never anticipated such a conversation when I had seen him boarding the same plane I was boarding. But before it was over, I was talking Jesus with him at 30,000 feet while I’m sure every passenger around us heard every word we were saying.
As things turned out, the young man had been in and out of intimate relationships with multiple women, and he had strayed far, far, far from the Lord. He explained that his grandfather was a pastor. I can imagine that his grandfather and grandmother both had been on their knees praying that somebody would intersect their grandson’s path and tell Him he needed to fully commit his life to the Lord. That somebody was me. I don’t know what happened in that young man’s life after his encounter with me, but I do know the Lord used me to speak to Him about renewing his commitment to Christ. I also know my message was well received. I spent the next several months praying for that young man as the Lord brought him to mind.
When we talk about sharing Christ around the church, we often speak in terms of the church reaching the lost as a sign of church health. However, it’s important to remember that the church is made up of people. It’s the people in the church who should be sharing Christ just as I did on that airplane. However, too many times, good church people, even church leaders, will sit through a whole plane trip…or bus trip…or train trip…and never speak to the person sitting next to them…or never engage anyone they meet in a conversation about Christ. Unfortunately, good Christian people who love the Lord may allow other forces to overtake their willingness to share their faith. Those forces might be fear and intimidation or a lack of awareness of how God is moving to orchestrate a conversation.
However, fear, intimidation, and a lack of awareness can be dramatically diminished when we realize how the Lord works in placing people in our lives. The Lord can arrange to open conversations about Him if we stay tuned to Him and recognize the clues. I believe that is exactly what happened with me and the young man on the airplane. The Lord purposefully placed him next to me and skillfully orchestrated a conversation that went into spiritual depths that young man needed to hear. When we understand this is a pattern the Lord utilizes, we can be empowered to know that we are participating with a Loving Soul Strategist who isn’t willing that anyone should perish (II Peter 3:9). He goes before each person in prevenient grace to bring about his or her salvation if he or she will accept Him. With this understanding, we can trust Him to alleviate any fear, ease intimidation, and through Him, we can have the courage to simply engage in conversations about our faith…about what the Lord is doing in our lives…about how Christ has brought us freedom and joy. All the Lord asks is that we be willing to partner with Him to share our story for His glory.
I’m reminded of a situation in Scripture where our Loving Soul Strategist orchestrated a meeting between Philip and an Ethiopian eunuch for the purpose of Philip sharing the gospel with the eunuch. Acts 8:25-35 tells the story of the Lord leading Philip out into the desert at exactly the right time to intersect the Ethiopian. As it turns out, this man held a powerful position with the queen of Ethiopia, and his salvation would make a significant difference in spreading the gospel with those He influenced. Philip “just happened” to intersect the eunuch at the time he was reading Isaiah’s prophetic passage about Christ, and Philip wasted no time obeying the Lord in striking up a conversation with him. The eunuch was ready to place His faith in Christ, and our Loving Soul Strategist knew that.
If Philip hadn’t obeyed the Lord in going into the desert and hadn’t approach the man to start a conversation, but instead had shrunk away from the calling, I believe the Lord would have prompted someone else to speak to the eunuch because that’s the stuff His prevenient grace is made of. Therefore, Philip would have missed out on an amazing opportunity to participate in God’s soul strategy. And when we shrink away from the Lord’s promptings to engage in conversations with people, we miss out on invigorating opportunities to witness people commit their lives to Christ. Thankfully, Philip didn’t shrink from God’s promptings. He approached the eunuch and simply said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” That’s all it took. The Loving Soul Strategist took over from there.
One of the characteristics of a healthy church is that the Loving Soul Strategist is using attendees to draw people to Him for salvation, recommitment, or going deeper in their faith. Christ’s Great Commission to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15) still rings true today. If our culture is going to be changed for Christ, if revival is going to come, church people need to stop thinking “the church” needs to reach the lost and start thinking, “I need to reach the lost.” Church folks need to decide their desire to please the Lord and share their faith is greater than any fear or intimidation that Satan so skillfully uses to inhibit their testimony.
While all churches, no matter the size, are pivotal in leading people to salvation, it is my personal belief that God is calling small churches to be the conduit of an amazing outpouring of His Spirit that will impact the masses. And small churches are capable of impacting the masses because of their vast number, with over 80% of churches across denominational lines averaging 100 or fewer in attendance. If attendees in each small church would commit to praying that their church would reach one person per year for Christ and commit to a personal willingness to be used of the Lord to fulfill that goal, our culture would be revolutionized for the Kingdom of God.
Are you willing?
Strategy: During church prayer time, have each church attendee decide to pray for the salvation of someone they know needs Jesus and write that person’s name on a card. Then, they will tape that card to their bathroom mirror. Every time they look in that mirror, the participant will pray for the salvation of the person they have named and also pray that the Lord will put someone in their lives they don’t know with whom they can have a “Philip encounter.”
Dr. Debra White Smith
The Wesleyan Woman
