Witnessing Encounter

Hey readers - I know its been awhile since I have posted anything :(

I have been really busy with Sunday school Bible study, Wednesday night Way of the Master lessons, baseball, softball, wife graduating from college....yipes!

I did want to quickly relate a witnessing encounter I had with a security guard on St. Patrick's Day. I had about a hundred St. Patrick's day million dollar bills to hand out, so I called up my buddy Cam and asked him if he wanted to meet up in Canton before our softball game and go hand out tracts and try to have a conversation or two.

Cam never says no.

We meet up and start walking a popular shopping center handing out the tracts. There were a few people here and there, but they all seemed to be in a hurry to go to and fro. People were taking tracts but we couldn't find a single person who would slow down enough to talk with us. I told Cam that if no one is in the mood to talk to us, we might as well go down to the Hispanic portion of town and hand out our Spanish tracts.

When we drove up the the shopping center we were more than happy to see a couple hundred cars in the parking lot! We excitingly got out of the car and, with hands full of tracts, descended upon the masses!

One problem.

A couple hundred cars and only three people in sight.

We walked over to where a couple guys were sitting around and, hoping they spoke a little English, asked them where everyone was. "I don't know" Why are all these cars here? "I don't know"

Ok...make sure you read the back of that card. "Si, thank you" You're welcome.

Cam and I get back in the car disappointed that, despite all the cars in the lot, no one was there. As we were about to drive out of the parking lot I see a couple security guards sitting in chairs on the far side of the lot. I pull the car over there and hop out real quick and asked them why are all the cars here...where is everyone?

He proceeded to tell me the Disney was making a movie down on main street and they were watching the cars for the cast and crew.

Cool.

"Did you get one of these?" I gave both of the security guards a tract and asked them if they had a Christian background. One of the guards said yes, but the other said no. I introduced myself and Cam and the one who said he didn't have a Christian background said his name was Rodney.

Rodney was a very friendly guy who loved to talk. Cam and I only had about 45 minutes before we would have to leave to go to our softball game (we both play for our church softball team).

The conversation was pretty much one sided for quite awhile because Rodney loved to talk about much of a good person he was. So be careful how much time you have when you ask, "Would you consider yourself to be a good person?" to someone who loves to talk!!

When I was able to get a word in edgewise, I took Rodney through the Law and showed him that his justifying himself for the approval of God on Judgment Day, was nothing more than filthy rags in God's sight. I gave Rodney the good judge illustration to no avail.

Rodney still thought that his good deeds would earn him respect with God. It would have been nice to have had my recorder that evening so I could recall more of the conversation between us. Rodney did ask us lot of questions; and ask, and ask.

The Holy Spirit did an awesome job in answering all those questions!

In the end, after going through the Law a few times, showing Rodney from Scripture the wrath of God on those who transgress God's Law, describing the reality of spending eternity in Hell, the sharing of the glorious gospel, Rodney still kept coming back to his own righteousness and how that would be enough on the Day he stood before the Lord.

I just kept thinking of that verse, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but it's end is the way of death." (Prov 14:12)

Pray for Rodney that the Holy Spirit uses the tracts we gave him and the memory of our conversation to bring about conviction of his sins and that God brings him to repentance and faith in the One who did all the work necessary on that cross at Calvary.