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The Big Question

"If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know which will grow—perhaps it all will."¹

And as Jesus said to His followers, "But you will receive power when the Holy [God's] Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."²

I once heard a comment that a fellow Christian made on how instead of singing, "Onward Christian Soldiers marching as to war," said we should really be singing, "Like a mighty tortoise moves the church of God, brothers we are treading where we've always trod."

The sad reality is that, as we've mentioned before, according to the Barna Research Group, the church in the U.S.A. today is in decline. Furthermore, according to an adjunct professor from Fuller Seminary, "The fastest growing church in America today is the church of none." That is, more and more people are dropping out of the organized church. Especially during the times we are living, online services are on the rise, but so are the amount of people drifting away because they neglect cultivating their personal relationship with God and the fellowship with other believers. 

Jesus commissioned His followers saying that they were to "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone,"³ and again, Jesus said, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men."⁴ This is a call to every believer.

When we are willing and obedient to this call, God will present the opportunities for us to share His Gospel with those around us. Witnessing may look different for each of us, and that is okay! At times it will be a one-time conversation, while other times it will be a continual conversation until God's timing is right for the individual. The important thing is that we are consistent in telling others about Christ with our words and actions. Consistency leads to building trust. When people trust us, they will be more willing to hear the message we want to share.

If you are afraid to witness, like many of us have been at one time or another, tell God about it and ask that He give you the words to share what He wants you to share. IF we are available for God to use, He will do so.   

One thing I learned from our good friend and mentor, Dick Innes, is to pray the following prayer every morning and make it our goal for the rest of our days:

"Dear God, I am available again today. Please make me usable and use me to be an effective witness for Jesus today. Please help me to be 'as Jesus' in some way to every life I touch. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen.”


1. Ecclesiastes 11: 4, 6 (TLB).
2. Acts 1:8 (NIV).
3. Mark 16:15 (NLT).
4. Matthew 4:19 (NKJV).

Today's Encounter was written by: Crystal B.