 
You've Got to be Kidding, Lord.

You Want Me to Tell Who About You?

by

Chuck Antone, Jr.

# New edition ©2014 Chuck Antone, Jr.

First published 2010 by Lighthouse Christian Publishing.

Unless otherwise stated, Bible quotations are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE® Copyright ©1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked "Living Bible" are ©1971 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this book in any form which will be given "joyfully."

Hearten Publishing

P.O. Box 4404

Kailua-Kona, HI 96745

United States of America

antoneyboksu@gmail.com
Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Books by Chuck

A Word from Chuck

Please Note

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Bible Study Guide

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

Lesson 4

Lesson 5

Lesson 6

Lesson 7

Lesson 8

Lesson 9

Lesson 10

Lesson 11

Lesson 12

Lesson 13

Lesson 14
Dedication

To Ruby Nobles, our special friend, who is now in the arms of Jesus.

The following words are her thoughts: "Only if you are a proof-reader, can you appreciate and understand the complexity of the procedure. It entails much more than placing the commas, periods and semi-colons in the proper positions. What is the author trying to convey? If a sentence clearly detracts from his intent, it must be altered in a most subtle manner. God forbid that his train of thought be lost! Over time, practices in punctuation and writing as a whole do change, thus adding to the difficulty in trying to reach perfection. I have yet to return chapters to Chuck without thinking, 'Perhaps I should go over it one more time.'

"His scripts are fun and a joy. He writes the way he speaks, making it infinitely easier and as I read, I can 'hear' him telling the story. I was deeply touched by this manuscript because of his persistence, persuasive manner and eventual success in bringing those souls into the Kingdom. Think of the transformation in people's lives simply because he was bold enough to challenge the unsaved.

"I now ask God for help in recognizing every opportunity and to never allow me to let one pass by without my telling someone about Him. After all, the Holy Spirit will put the words in my heart and mouth. He will do the same for you, I promise!"

Endless blessings, Ruby Nobles.
Acknowledgements

To Jesus, my Friend and Savior, who gives me the opportunities to be His witness.

As always, to my wife, Doni, even though you have a million other things to do, you find the time to type my manuscript. . .and make all the necessary corrections, for how many times, I can't remember. And reading my writing is a gift, and you've got it. . .thanks!

My life would not have been the same without you.

To my two proof readers: Ruby Nobles and Donna Kahi, for your ideas that make the stories flow better.

And for putting the commas, periods, questions marks, exclamation marks (and the list goes on) in all the right places.

You are more than proof readers, you are my special friends.

To the three of you, many, many thanks for all your encouraging words.

They mean so very much to me.

Also I would like to thank Editor, Chris Wright, for coming up with great ideas, putting the cover together and the final editing of the first edition. Doni and I both agree that it was a pleasure working with you. We so appreciate you and all your help.
About the Author

Chuck and Doni have been missionaries since 1981. They live on the Big Island of Hawaii. They have two children, four grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

They have helped start churches in the Philippines, Hong Kong, So. Africa and also Taiwan where Chuck ministers four months each year.

They have also done outreaches in Japan, Indonesia and in the mainland USA. They have smuggled Bibles into mainland China and have hiked up mountains in the Philippines while being watched by the New Peoples' Army, a Communist group that lives and hides in the mountain areas.

Chuck was also arrested in a third world country and faced a year in prison for teaching a seminar on how to be a witness for Christ. After three weeks he was deported and sent back to his home in Hawaii.

He says, "Being a Christian is only boring when one makes it be boring."

Chuck is the Pastor of the Kona Coast Chaplaincy on the Big Island of Hawaii, and he along with Doni are the Directors of Go Spread His Word Ministries, Inc. founded in 1990.

You can contact Chuck at:

antoneyboksu@gmail.com

or write

P.O. Box 4404, Kailua-Kona, HI 96745

Chuck's books can also be purchased through major Internet sellers.
Books by Chuck Antone, Jr.

Lord, Send Me

The author's feelings and emotions while facing a one year prison sentence in a third world country.

Paperback only

You've Got to be Kidding, Lord. You want me to tell WHO about You?

Share the Gospel? Does the thought make you want to hide in bed with the blankets over your head? If it does, you're not alone, but help is at hand. Here is what Chuck Antone, Jr. says in this exciting book written with great humor and much understanding:

Are you ready to experience sharing Christ with the lost? Does one name keep popping into your mind? Has God been whispering in your ear? If so, be challenged, make that contact and see what God can do.

Be encouraged by just being available. Just be the instrument, the tool. Let God do the work. He is much better at it than we are, for He has had a lot more experience in bringing someone to His Son, Jesus Christ. After all, He is God, the Mighty One, the Powerful One, the Creator, Our Savior, Our Father, the One and Only God.

Paperback ISBN 978-1-9350-7934-7

Also available as an e-Book in most formats

You've Got to be Kidding, Lord

(See previous book for details)

This edition is in Chinese.

Paperback only ISBN 978-1-4818-2238-1

You Can't Be Serious, Lord. You want me to love WHO?

This book is written to encourage you to love one another. Not always easy, but it's a command from our Lord Jesus Christ. Has God ever told you or commanded you to love someone you find hard to love? Have you ever heard yourself say, "You can't be serious, Lord, you want me to love who?" And then when you give in and love that person, he or she can become your very good friend.

This book will help you to understand God's special love that He has for each of us. By reviewing 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter, and Galatians 5:22-23, the Fruit of the Spirit, we not only see His love, but the love we should have for one another.

At the end of each chapter you will be challenged to do just that. So have your writing instrument and a notebook ready and be honest with yourself.

Paperback ISBN: 978-1505514629

Also available in most e-Book formats

Paul's Island

Fiction. Volume 1. A Kit and Kat mystery. A mystery about eight university graduates who spend five days on the island. When one of them is murdered, the others help the Inspector solve the case. The two main characters are Christians with criminology degrees.

Paperback ISBN 978-0-6154-7577-6

Also available in most e-Book formats

High Seas Murder

Fiction. Volume 2. A Kit and Kat mystery. Kit and Kat have just set up their own private detective agency, and are ready to go on a Mediterranean cruise before they open up their doors for business. The cruise is meant to be a time of relaxation, but the onboard theft of a necklace worth over $3,000,000 needs their investigative skills. Soon it's not just stolen jewelry that Kit and Kat are involved with, as theft turns to murder on the High Seas.

Paperback ISBN 978-1-4681-2356-2

Also available in most e-Book formats

Barcelona Jones

Murder on Broadway

Fiction. Barcelona Jones is a Broadway star. Her new play, Murder on Broadway is a big hit with people waiting months to buy a ticket to see it.

At one evening performance, at the end of the first act, real bullets are put into the prop gun killing one of the cast players. Were the bullets meant for him or one of the other players?

Soon, another murder occurs, as well as two attempted murders: one of them on the star, Barcelona Jones herself.

Barcelona hires a private detective to investigate the crimes, and he completely falls in love with her on their first meeting.

Will her feelings for Sam, the detective, be the same? And who is the murderer? Could it possibly be Barcelona's friend and stage actress, Brenda Summers? That's up to you, the reader, to find out.

Paperback ISBN 13: 978-1-4949-6945-5

Also available in most e-Book formats

The Centurion and the Crown of Thorns

A fictional story about the Centurion who, at the foot of the cross, said, "Truly this was the Son of God."

As people leave the scene of the crucifixion, the Centurion, known in this book as Marcus, stays a little longer. While he's looking up at Jesus who is still nailed to the cross beams, a small earthquake happens. The crown of thorns falls off Jesus' head and rolls to the feet of Marcus, where it stops.

As Marcus bends down and touches the crown he senses a strong power coming from it. He immediately feels clean and new, and a great peace comes over him. He doesn't understand it but he enjoys the feeling.

He takes the crown home to share his story with his wife, who wants nothing to do with it. After all, she was one of the many who were in the courtyard yelling for Jesus to be crucified. On the other hand, his ten-year-old son is fascinated by what his father tells him, and is intrigued by the crown and wants to learn more.

Marcus and his son Antony become believers, and Marcus searches out ten Bible prophecies that Jesus has fulfilled. He wants to teach his son many things about their new Messiah.

The crown not only gives Marcus strength and peace, but it also has healing powers that bring him and his son Antony closer in their walk with the Lord.

As the story unfolds, Marcus learns how each of the ten prophecies was fulfilled. And because of this, he is now ready to completely give his life to his new God, especially after he has an opportunity to meet with the risen Jesus face to face, who tells him it is time to give up the crown of thorns.

Paperback ISBN 13: 978-1-4812-9390-7

Also available in most e-Book formats

Ava Montez -- Her Life and Death

Fiction. Who killed Hollywood legend Ava Montez, once known as the most beautiful woman in the world? The murder has been unsolved for over forty years. But that's about to change, when the New York Reader's reporter, Rae Collins, is assigned to do a story on the life and death of Ava Montez.

The murderer, who has felt safe all these years, is now threatened by Rae's interviews with the four original suspects. And she's already getting too close. The only way to prevent being caught and sent to prison for life is to murder again. And Rae is to be the murderer's next victim!

Paperback ISBN 978-0-6154-4522-9

Also available in most e-Book formats

Barsabbas

Fictional love story between a man and a woman, and their love for Jesus, as He teaches them from the book of Mark.

Paperback ISBN 978-1-6157-9058-6

Paperbacks books and e-Books (where done) are available from most online retailers.

For paperback order form and information on books and CDs:

P.O. Box 4404

Kailua-Kona, HI 96745

United States of America
A Word from Chuck

Dear Reader,

I have added five extra chapters to the new edition of this book. Have you ever felt like saying, "You've got to be kidding, Lord. You want me to tell who about You?"

Well I have. Sometimes I'm ready and sometimes I'm not. But yet, I know it's what God wants me to do, so I do it . . .some of the times.

Well, I pray that this book will help you to share Christ more. And that it will encourage you to know that not everyone we share Christ with will believe in Him.

So, don't give up! Every once in awhile the Lord will allow you to bring someone to Him. There's a Bible study in the back of this book, and if you're serious about being a witness for Christ please take the time to do the study. It will help you to be braver. It will help you to have more boldness. It will give you more ammunition which will make you more effective. And it will encourage you to share Christ more with the lost.

There will be times when you'll turn to the Lord and say, "You've got to be kidding, Lord. You want me to tell who about You?" And when He says, "Yes," then you will be ready!

Happy reading,

Chuck
Please Note

This e-Book was originally published as a paperback, and it is still available in that form. The paperback allowed pages with blank lines to be inserted as appropriate for the reader to write down their thoughts or responses to the questions in the lines. To get the best out of this e-Book you will need to keep a notebook and pen handy for the Lessons at the end, whether you are reading this on your own or as part of a church or home group.
Chapter 1

"I DON'T KNOW WHY I'M HERE IN HAWAII, BUT I JUST HAD TO GET AWAY FROM MY HOME, FAMILY AND FRIENDS."

With tears streaming down her face, she was telling what seemed to be an unbelievable story that was believably true. (It also brought tears to my eyes as I listened.) I asked God for guidance and His wisdom to help the woman who was sitting across from me in my office.

"My daughter is a teenager and an alcoholic," she continued. "And my son is also a teenager who has run away from home, and no one knows where he is. My husband has asked me for a divorce, and just before I left home to come here, the doctors found a tumor on my brain and told me I only have about six months to live. What am I to do?"

Wow!

"Yes, Lord, I get it. You want me to witness to her. She needs You."

The woman in my office wasn't a Christian, and I just met her the day before at one of our services. She was crying, tears of sadness that would soon turn to tears of joy.

She told me that she wanted to talk to someone, that she had many problems and needed to share them. I invited her to come to my office the next day, not knowing what the problems were. Making an appointment, and arriving just as she said she would, she was now relating her situation to me. She was looking for the comfort and peace that I knew I couldn't give, but the Lord could. . .if she was willing to receive it!

She repeated, "Why am I here? What am I to do?"

Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever asked those same questions? "Why am I here? What am I to do?" Have you ever felt your life had taken, or is taking, a wrong turn? And that your life is a roller coaster ride, even your walk with Jesus? And that you have taken too many detours? Remember, God's plan is the shortest distance between you and Him. It's straight, with no detours. No confusion. If there are detours in our lives, we put them there ourselves. Is your life full of quick turns, zigzags, ups and downs, turns that lead you to nowhere. Is it a life of confusion and turmoil? Confusion does not come from God. If we are confused, it's our own undertaking. Paul says, "GOD IS NOT A GOD OF CONFUSION, BUT OF PEACE." (1 Corinthians 14:33.) If you're confused, what have you done about it? Or better yet, what are you going to do about it?

Is your story similar to this woman's? Oh, maybe not as drastic, but things just don't seem to be going quite right? Are you able to find the peace and strength to endure such hardships, if and when they come your way? Does that peace that only Jesus gives just fall on our laps, or do we have to seek for it? Are you asking, "Why am I here? What am I to do?"

In John 14:27, Jesus says that He will give us peace, because He does not want our "hearts to be troubled or fearful."

In Philippians 4:7 Paul talks about the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension.

In other words, don't try to pick it apart!

Don't try to understand it!

Just receive it, accept it!

If we are to receive it, if we are to accept it, how do we find it to begin with? How do we find this peace that is long-lasting, and is given by our Lord? King David gives us a hint in Psalm 34:14. He says we are to "SEEK PEACE AND PURSUE IT."

Have you ever played "Hide and Seek?" Remember the "it" person? He or she would count to one hundred or so, sometimes forward, sometimes backward. While counting, everyone who was playing would run and hide before he or she was through counting. The "it" person would then go and seek to find the people hiding. Seek means to track down, trace, to scent out, try and find, to search or look for.

So what is the Psalmist, David, trying to tell us? He is saying, "Look, my friends, the peace you are seeking is there, but you have to look for it. How bad do you want it? Bad enough to go and search for it?" Like everything else in this world, the choice is ours!

The best way to start searching for this peace is through the scriptures, asking God to reveal to us and direct us in finding the true peace that comes only from Him. There are over 350 references to peace in the Bible.

The Old Testament word for peace, "Shalom," means completeness, soundness, well-being. It may also mean spiritual well-being. It can mean many things to many different people. No matter what it means to you, it's still a fact that true peace comes only from God, and it's His special gift to us.

In the New Testament, this fulfillment, this hope, this special gift of peace is through Jesus Christ, God's Son, and by Him, and only through Him, is it bestowed.

To find this peace, you must find peace with God. Then, and only then, will you receive the removal of all sin through the death of Christ the Savior. That's when you can start finding the inner peace that Jesus talks about.

So to find peace you must seek for it. In other words, to seek is to find and to believe in Jesus. Once we find it, what do we do with it? Remember David's amazing words, "SEEK PEACE AND PURSUE IT?" Now that we know how to seek for it, what does he mean by pursuing it? The dictionary defines pursue as overtake, to capture, to continue, to try and find, and to win. In other words, he is reminding us not to give up, for if we continue to pursue, we will win.

Remember hide-and-seek, when the "it" person was through counting and being reminded by all hiding, "no fair peeking," he would search for his friends. He couldn't, or rather wouldn't, give up until he was able to beat at least one person back to the base. When he found someone's hiding place, he would run as quickly as he could, sometimes with the one who was hiding right behind him, trying to reach home first. If the "it" person got there first, he would shout out for all to hear, "One, two, three for Mary," before Mary could touch the base and holler out "Free." Then Mary would have to be "it" the next time. What a relief that was to the person who had to seek and pursue!

Many times we played at night, and for the "it" person it was sometimes scary not knowing who might pop out and frighten him or her half to death! But we would not give up until we had caught at least one person so they could be "it." It was much more fun hiding than seeking! You always pursued so you wouldn't be "it" again. You never gave up, you searched until you found someone to beat back home!

If you're looking for peace, and you can't find it within the first hour or so, or in a week or a month, don't you give up either. Remember. . .Jesus never leaves us. He is always there. He never gives up on us, and He promises if we don't give up and continue to seek, we will receive what we are looking for. This is how Jesus puts it in Luke 11:9-10: "AND I SAY TO YOU, ASK, AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN TO YOU; SEEK, AND YOU WILL FIND; KNOCK, AND IT WILL BE OPENED TO YOU. FOR EVERYONE WHO ASKS, RECEIVES; AND HE WHO SEEKS, FINDS; AND TO HIM WHO KNOCKS, IT WILL BE OPENED."

Have you found that peace that only Jesus can give? If you haven't, stop right now, put this book down, take a few minutes, open your heart and invite Jesus to come and live in you. It's easy. Just say, "Jesus, I need You. I believe in You. Come into my life. I need Your peace right now, this very moment."

If you took the time to say that little prayer, you must have faith and believe that Jesus does just that. He comes into your life immediately, for our God refuses no one.

As my new friend in my office wiped away her tears, I asked her if she had ever invited Christ into her life. She said she hadn't, and that's when the Lord must have whispered in my ear, "Tell her how she can. Tell her about Me."

I was still new at this and probably whispered back, "Lord, You've got to be kidding!" But you know what? I did, and her tears of sadness turned to tears of joy as she invited Jesus into her life. She truly left my office that day a totally new person. She had found Christ. She had found the peace she was looking for. Her troubles were the same: she still had hardships, her daughter was still an alcoholic, her son was still missing, her husband still wanted a divorce, and yes, she was still going to die! But she looked completely different! It was as if a "new creature" was leaving my office – and she was. She had become born again!

Well, that's not the end of this story. About a year later, someone tapped me on my shoulder one beautiful Sunday morning at the beach service, and said, "I'm not sure if you remember me or not, but I'm. . ." and she started to relate her story to me.

I said, "Of course I remember you."

She went on to say her son and daughter were doing good, and she had married a wonderful Christian man. Her new husband knew that at any time she could go to be with the Lord, but he loved her just the way she was.

He was going to take her on a dream-come-true vacation! He was taking her to the Holy Land to walk where Jesus walked. She looked so happy. She still had her peace. She sought and found and continued to give herself to Him. And He, the Lord, was continually blessing her each day.

In the game of hide-and-seek, if most of the players had come "home" and you had caught at least one person who would be the "it" person the next time, and you could not find the rest of the players, you would holler out, "ALLY, ALLY, OXEN FREE." It meant you're free; you can all come home now.

Isn't that exactly what Jesus calls out to us when we receive His peace, when we receive Him? Can't you just hear Him calling out to us, "ALLY, ALLY, OXEN FREE . . . NOW THAT YOU KNOW ME, YOU ARE FREE. YOU ARE FREE TO COME HOME NOW!"
Chapter 2

"STOP THE CAR AND PICK UP THAT HITCHHIKER."

"You've got to be kidding, Lord. You know I don't pick up stray people. Besides, I promised Doni never to pick up people on the highway unless I know them."

While trying to talk the Lord out of wanting me to stop, my car pulled over and stopped. I found myself waving at the guy to come and get in the car.

He wasn't going very far, less than ten minutes away. He was going to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. He said he had been dry for about six months. I'm not sure how we started to talk about the Lord, but there we were right smack in the middle of a conversation about Jesus. It was all so easy, and every question and answer fell right into place.

We were almost at his meeting place when I heard myself saying, "Would you like to invite Christ into your life?"

I heard him say, "Yes, I would."

I pulled over, stopped the car and asked him to repeat the prayer to accept Christ. He did! In that instant he was saved! He became a child of God!

I looked up and saw that we were in the parking lot of his destination. He got out of the car a new person! I never saw him again. . .but I will!

Obedience, that's what God wants from us!

Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

I've arrived at the conclusion it's not up to us to lead people to Jesus, it's up to Him. We're simply to be available and obedient.

Many people say to me, "Don't you feel bad or guilty that most of the time when you lead people to Jesus, you never see them again? Don't you feel you should help them grow and come closer to God? Don't you feel responsible?"

My answer is definitely, "No." Earlier, I felt guilty when people asked me that. But many times when I'm preaching here or in foreign lands, I only see them one time. One shot, one opportunity to tell them about Jesus. God keeps reminding me that sometimes I'm a planter, sometimes I'm a waterer, and sometimes He allows me to lead them to Jesus. I'm not that important! It's God who is important; it's God who makes them grow. I just try to be obedient!

I must end this chapter with a great verse; I hope it helps you.

1 Corinthians 3: 6-9 (Living Bible), "MY WORK WAS TO PLANT THE SEED IN YOUR HEARTS, AND APOLLOS' WORK WAS TO WATER IT, BUT IT WAS GOD, NOT WE, WHO MADE THE GARDEN GROW IN YOUR HEART. THE PERSON WHO DOES THE PLANTING OR WATERING ISN'T VERY IMPORTANT, BUT GOD IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE HE IS THE ONE WHO MAKES THINGS GROW. APOLLOS AND I ARE WORKING AS A TEAM, WITH THE SAME AIM, THOUGH EACH OF US WILL BE REWARDED FOR HIS OWN HARD WORK. WE ARE ONLY GOD'S CO-WORKERS. YOU ARE GOD'S GARDEN, NOT OURS; YOU ARE GOD'S BUILDING, NOT OURS."

You can be a seed planter, you can be a waterer, and at times you can lead someone to Jesus.

Are you ready for your first challenge? Ask the Lord to reveal someone to you whom He would like you to either plant (maybe just a tiny seed), or water (a more bold approach), or maybe, just maybe, our Lord will let you lead someone to Him. Whatever it may be, remember, it's God who will make them grow. Rejection or acceptance is not your problem. You are just being obedient to God.

Being obedient will be your satisfaction! You will read the word "obedience" often in this book! Because one of our greatest joys as a Christian is to be obedient to Him, to humble ourselves before God, just as Jesus did. We may be rejected, made fun of and even mocked. That is nothing compared to what Christ did for us. He was obedient unto death. Philippians 2:8 says, "BEING FOUND IN APPEARANCE AS A MAN, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF BY BECOMING OBEDIENT TO THE POINT OF DEATH, EVEN DEATH ON A CROSS."

Through Christ's obedience many came to know Him. Through your obedience, many will do the same!
Chapter 3

"WELL, GIVE US A MINI-SERMON. THAT WILL BE ENOUGH."

I was asking a mother and her two sons, who were probably in their early twenties, if they would like me to hold a complete service. They were the only ones who showed up for our church service that morning in one of the hotels on the famous Waikiki strip.

I was hoping they would say No, so my wife Doni and I could go to breakfast before we went to our next service on the beach behind one of the major hotels in Waikiki. We knew there would be at least 300 people attending, and it would be more exciting than preaching to just three people.

That's when the mother said, "Well, give us a mini-sermon. That will be enough." I thought to myself, "What is a mini-sermon? Three minutes? Five minutes? Ten minutes? What did she have in mind?"

That was when the Lord revealed to me that we were to witness to this family of three. "You've got to be kidding, Lord," I pleaded. "They are not interested. They're only here because they've lost their money and plane tickets."

They came because they wanted someone to pray for them. They wanted a miracle. Where else to find a miracle, but in church? They told me they were looking for someone to pay for their plane tickets to get back home.

In the book of Acts, the beginning of chapter 3, as Peterand John go up to the temple to pray, a crippled beggar asks them for money. Peter says he has no silver or gold (money), but what he has is Jesus Christ – and the man is healed. At this moment I probably felt a little like Peter.

I didn't have any money (this was my early missionary days) but the Lord reminded me that I did have something else I could give to them, and that was Him. The Lord gave me a challenge, and I was ready to be obedient. I wasn't necessarily willing, but I was ready – if that was what the Lord wanted me to do. I was ready to lead them to Jesus. But were they ready to believe and receive Him?

All five of us sat in a circle, and we opened with prayer. I could tell that the boys were wishing they were somewhere else, like on the beach or surfing somewhere. Anywhere but here. The mother wasn't that keen on staying either!

Before I began, I asked each one of them if they were Christians. Just to make sure, I turned to the first young man and asked, "Are you a Christian?"

He said, "No."

Then I looked at the second son and asked, "Are you a Christian?"

He said, "No."

Then I turned to the mother and asked the same question, and she replied, "Sort of," while shaking her open hand like we do to make a "maybe" or "I'm not sure" sign.

For the next half hour or so, Doni and I explained what it meant, and how one can become a Christian. They were all listening very intently, and on occasion would nod their heads in agreement. This was going to be as easy as slipping on a pair of old, worn-out loafers. I thought, "They are ready." I could see now why God wanted me to witnessto them. . .He wasn't kidding. They were eager!

When I was all finished, I turned to the first son and said, "Would you like to become a Christian today?" I was taken by surprise when he said, "No, I would not."

Then I faced the second son and asked, "Would you like to become a Christian today?" Again the answer was a definite, "No."

My last hope was the mother. I was sure she was ready. She had listened to everything we said, and I could tell the message was sinking in. I thought, if she says "Yes," I will ask the boys again. I was sure they would reconsider when their mother accepted Christ. So I asked mom, "Would you like to invite Christ into your life today and become a Christian?"

You can imagine the shock and disappointment I felt when she said, "No."

The disappointment, I must confess, didn't last long. For almost immediately, the Lord revealed to me that we had done just what He wanted us to do. The decision, He reminded me, was theirs to make, not mine. Before they left, we gave them Bibles and many tracts. We knew we had been used by God. We were just small instruments, smaller than the tiniest finishing nail to be used to witness for Him. What a great feeling that is. We knew the Lord would put someone else in their pathway and prayerfully lead them into the arms of Jesus. We planted, someone else would have to do the watering, and when the day would come for them to know Jesus, it would be God who would make them grow.

Obedience, that's what God wants from us. He wants us to have faith in the Gospel and in His Son, and that is obedience to Him. In reality, it shouldn't matter if people

we witness to accept Christ or not. Oh, we would like them to, but what really matters is our obedience. When we are obedient to Him, then the Word of God is being spread, no matter what the outcome.

In the book of Acts 6:7, Luke says:

"THE WORD OF GOD KEPT ON SPREADING; AND THE NUMBER OF THE DISCIPLES CONTINUED TO INCREASE GREATLY IN JERUSALEM, AND A GREAT MANY OF THE PRIESTS WERE BECOMING OBEDIENT TO THE FAITH."

Are you being obedient to God? Are you witnessing when He wants you to, or are you witnessing only when you want to? For instance, I'm sure you have heard of "divine appointments." You know, someone calls and has the wrong number. Do they? Someone rings your door bell looking for the person who lives next door, and they say, "I'm sorry, I must have the wrong house." Do they? Do you use every opportunity to share Christ? I must confess, I don't always, but the longer I'm a Christian, the more I try to use these divine appointments the Lord puts in my pathway to bring glory to Him.

Be on the alert. Be ready. God wants to use you to bring glory to Him. Use the opportunities God puts in your pathway to be His witness.

Sometimes you will succeed in bringing someone to Christ, and sometimes you won't. But never give up, because God does want you to tell "who" about Him.
Chapter 4

"EXCUSE ME, PLEASE COULD YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT CHRISTIANITY?"

This is the second time for me to type this chapter today! The first time I lost it all. For some reason, my word processor failed to save my first rough draft. Was I disappointed. . .Yes! Give up? I wanted to, but no, I'm not going to! Maybe there is a lesson to learn here. Maybe that lesson is when the Lord puts someone in your pathway to witness to. . .do it! Even if that person rejects your efforts, don't give up! You may be disappointed, but don't give up! Remember the mother and her two sons at the chapel service? Well, if you don't give up, then this chapter is an example of what will happen when the Lord gives you another chance to be obedient to Him.

I had just finished a speaking-singing engagement at a church in Taiwan, a country I visit often. The Lord has given me a very big burden to help Him save the Taiwanese people. As of this writing, Taiwan is less than four percent Christian. I have visited this country and its wonderful people many times. The burden is a good burden, for I enjoy witnessing for Him, and I love the people.

At this time, I spend about four months each year in Taiwan. And I always come back home blessed at what God does, as many commitments are made to Him while I'm there. So you can imagine how excited I was to hear the

words, "Excuse me, please could you tell me more about Christianity?"

"Sure," I said. "Sit down. What religion are you?"

I expected her to say Buddhist or Taoist (those who worship their ancestors). But instead, she said, "I have no religion."

Oh, how I love words like that!

I proceeded to tell her how much our God loves her. He loves her so much that He sent His one and only Son to live on the earth for approximately thirty-three years. I told her that He loves her so much that He gave His life so she could live eternally with Him. The ultimate sacrifice, His life for hers! And that His death removed any sin that she might have, no matter what it was.

And that at the cross, when Jesus shouted out, "It is finished," that was exactly what He meant. What does it mean, that every sin anyone could commit was removed? Any sin she had done in the past, or may be doing now in the present, and any sin she may commit in the future was totally washed away. But the catch was that she had to confess God's Son, Jesus Christ, as her Lord and Savior, and try the best she knew how to give Him control of her life. In other words, give all of herself to Him, and turn away from her sins the best she could.

It's truly amazing that, when God's in it, how easy it is to lead someone to His Son. In less than fifteen minutes she became a new believer with no hesitation, as the Lord had prepared her heart. She was ready to receive Him into her life.

I introduced her to the pastor there. A member of his congregation had invited her to the service that night. They were both university students. Oh my, how I wish I had

accepted Christ when I was a teenager.

That same week I was invited to go into one of the universities in the city where I was staying. The invitation came from a good friend who is one of those rare Christians in Taiwan, a professor at the university. The subject I was to speak on was, "What it is to be Christian?" It was my friend's class, and I used myself as an example. I usually start out by saying, "I am a husband, a father and a grandfather. I am also a Christian." To some of them, they don't know what a Christian is since most of them are raised in a Buddhist or Taoist home. Some have never heard about Christianity or even seen a Christian before.

I had two classes twice a week for two hours a day. There were about fifty students in each class – not many, considering there are about 15,000 students in the university.

After I spoke on salvation and the Kingdom of God, and sang, I had them ask questions. I was surprised that they asked any at all. Some were personal such as, "How old are you?" I should be used to that, as it's the question most frequently asked. But eventually some good questions came up, one in particular, "What is eternity in Heaven?" This is a question that seems so easy to us who have faith, but difficult for others who do not.

It had to be simple and easy for them to understand. So many times, we make it sound so difficult that it scares people away.

I told them that eternity is to live forever in the presence of God, where there is no sorrow, pain, mourning or death. And to be there, all you had to do is believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. It wasn't Hare Krishna, nor Mohammed and not even Buddha who could

save you. Since most of my students were Buddhist or Taoist, or a little of both, I told them that I had read many books about the man who brought Buddhism into their country. But I had never read where he claimed to be God. I told them that he was a teacher and a good teacher, but it was the people who made him God. But he definitely wasn't God or the Savior of the world.

This is how I explained it to them:

"Say I came to this class every day for a year and I taught you many things, such as how to live a better life, how to find peace here on earth, and many other wonderful ways to live a good life. And I finally convinced you that Jesus was the only way to Heaven.

"You all grew to love me and trust me. You all believed everything I had to say. I was helping you to cope with areas in your life that you were struggling with. I was showing you how to live a happier and more peaceful life.

"Then out of the blue, one day you all came to class and I wasn't there – for during the night I had died! For weeks you mourned me. You talked about what a great teacher I was. Then someone comes up with an idea. 'Let's start praying to Chuck. He was such a great guy, let's make him our god.' Everyone thinks it's a marvelous idea. Then someone says, 'Hey, I have a picture of him. Let's hang it on the wall and pray to it.' 'Yes, good idea,' still another says. Then someone else says, 'Hey, I work with clay, I'll make a statue of him.' Then everyone starts bowing down to me. You start elevating me up. You begin to make me a god.

"Now, I never claimed to be a god while here on the earth, but you and others start praying to me and start calling me your god. Does that make me a god? No! Does it

make Buddha a god because people started praying to him and bowing down to him? No! Remember, Buddha never said he was god. . .but man made him into a god!

"Jesus, on the other hand, said, 'THE FATHER AND I ARE ONE.' He said that they were in perfect unity. Jesus also said, 'I AM THE WAY, AND THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE; NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER BUT THROUGH ME.' (John 14:6.)

"Jesus told a woman at a well that the Messiah she was looking for was He. If that is not enough, Jesus, when He was here on this earth, healed the sick, made the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and the lame to walk. He cured all sickness and healed diseases. He could do this because He was truly God in human flesh, God who came to this earth to show us the way to Heaven. If that is not enough. . .Jesus Himself rose from the dead, and appeared to over 500 people. Many of them had seen Him put to death. They saw Him die on the cross. Now they saw Him alive and well. Only a true God could do that. Why? Because my God has power even over death.

"Look into the tomb of Buddha and what do you find? Bones! Look into the tomb of Jesus and what do you find? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Why? Because Jesus rose bodily from the dead just as He said He would. Amazing? Yes! True? Yes, because nothing can kill our God, and in fact, He is still alive! He is alive in me and in all who believe on His name."

Well, some of the class believed that day, and some didn't. But many seeds were planted. Some left that classroom without Him, but four left that day with Jesus in their hearts.
Chapter 5

"I GET MY ENERGY FROM THESE CRYSTALS."

Doni and I had just finished dinner at one of the hotels here in Kailua-Kona where we live. She had forgotten her purse, and went back to retrieve it. I was looking in a window of a jewelry store, and I didn't even realize that what I was looking at were crystals. I saw this reflection in the mirror of someone standing behind me. I moved to one side, and that's when I heard a voice say, "I get my energy from crystals."

I turned to face a young man in his early twenties. The Lord had brought me someone else to witness to. I told him that I drew my energy from Christ, and then started to tell him the plan of salvation: God's love, God's forgiveness and His promise of eternal life. He told me that in the past week I was the second or third person to tell him about Jesus. Once while he was hitchhiking, someone picked him up and told him the same things I was telling him. Yes, Lord, I get the message: "You're not kidding. You do want me to witness to him."

Just about that time, Doni returned with her purse. She saw me talking to the young man, and knew I was witnessing, so she passed me up and went to the car. After about a minute, I said, "I'm sorry, I have to go. My wife's waiting for me in the car."

I missed the blessing! The Lord had given me the

chance. Many people had planted the seed. Some may have even watered it. Someone else was going to receive the blessing! Oh, I witnessed, I shared about Christ, but this time I missed the boat, for he was ready!

Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever said, "I don't have time to tell someone about Christ"? Were you afraid of being persecuted, laughed at or even rejected? Actually those are good things! After all, Christ was rejected, laughed at and persecuted, and we are to be like Him.

I know it's difficult at times not knowing for sure if we are going to know all the answers someone may ask us while we are witnessing to them. But we should always be ready. It doesn't mean we have to go door-to-door or approach someone in the streets. What it means is to be ready when God puts that someone in our pathway. After all, it's the Holy Spirit who speaks for us. If we let Him, it will be His words that come out of our mouths.

Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell us that it's the Holy Spirit who will speak for us.

Matthew records Jesus saying in verse 20 of chapter 10 of his Gospel, "FOR IT IS NOT YOU WHO SPEAK, BUT IT IS THE SPIRIT OF YOUR FATHER WHO SPEAKS IN YOU." And Jesus Himself tells us that when we witness, we will receive the power of the Holy Spirit. Rely on His promises when God puts someone in your pathway and you're not sure what to say. Send up a prayer, and then let the Holy Spirit speak and do the work.

Remember, when we witness, it has to be from God.

Many times in the past when I witnessed, my tongue would feel too big for my mouth. The palms of my hands would be sweaty. The words just wouldn't come out. That

was "self!" But when it's God, when it's the Holy Spirit nudging us to witness, everything flows so easily. When everything seems so simple – that's God! There is a big difference between "self-time" and "God-time!" Let God's time be the right time, and it really doesn't take much time to witness for Him.

When Doni and I were singing at the New World Shopping Center in Hong Kong, they told us we couldn't preach or talk about God or Jesus or Christianity, but we could sing about His love. We did this, of course.

When they were scheduling us, they asked us what our professional name was, such as the "Supremes," "The Hawaiians," or "The Two Tops." But all those names had already been taken! So we said, in Hawaii we are just known as "Chuck & Doni." When we arrived to do our program, the sign said, "The Chuck & Doni Show!" We felt a little like "Punch & Judy!"

After the music presentation, I went back to the dressing room. One of our team workers who lived in Hong Kong was talking to a young fellow about Christ. When I walked in, she said, "He only has about three minutes because he has to go to work." Then she added to me, "That's not enough time for him to accept the Lord."

I said, "Oh, that's plenty of time."

She left, and I continued on about inviting Christ into his life. Two minutes later, he said he was ready to do this.

I said, "Not yet, we still have one more minute to go!"

About thirty seconds later, he was repeating the prayer to ask Christ into his life. When we were through, his cell phone went off, and he had to leave for work. God's perfect timing! The young worker who had talked to him before told me she had gotten his telephone number, something

that I had neglected to ask for. She was going to call and invite him to their Bible study.

Time. . .we all have time!

Here is a survey I read once about not having time to pray, go to church, read the Bible, share Christ, or what else they may come up with. You might have read it also; it's a reminder to you or someone else you may know:

There are 168 hours in a week. After working 40 hours on the job, there remain 128 hours. Allowing 56 hours for sleep, which is eight hours per night, there are still 72 hours left over per week. If you spend 21 hours per week for meals, which would be three meals a day at one hour for each meal, you would still have 51 hours left in the week.

If you pray and read your Bible for one hour each day, you would have 44 hours in a week left over to do whatever you want to do. Or if you pray and read for just a half-hour each day, you would have 47½ hours left to snorkel, surf, sew, read a good book, take a nap or whatever your heart's desire is. Or perhaps witness for Jesus.

So, you see, we do have time to be in God's service! Let me encourage you: don't pass up the opportunity to share Christ with the lost. Take the time. After all, someone took the time for you.
Chapter 6

"CHUCK, PLEASE COME WITH ME TO THE AIRPORT. MY FRIEND IS CLOSE TO BEING BORN AGAIN. MAYBE YOU CAN LEAD HIM TO JESUS."

One of my co-workers was taking her friend to the airport. He wasn't a Christian. She wanted me to go with her to tell him about Jesus. But I told her No, that I was too busy and had too much studying to do.

My wife and others in the office all insisted that I should go. I probably wasn't really that busy. I just didn't want to go with her. I finally gave in, arguing with the Lord all the way to the car. I told Him I didn't want to be doing this.

My co-worker told me that she was thinking to herself, "Lord, Chuck doesn't want to go. Why did I insist?"

When we got to the car, she said she felt we should pray first. I was in agreement, and actually felt much better after we prayed. But I still wasn't anxious to meet this man. I wasn't ready to be rejected! Have you ever felt that way? Does that hold you back sometimes in witnessing? You're just not ready to be rejected?

We stopped and picked up her friend who was really a nice guy. He was going to Los Angeles to make a recording. He brought a couple of his cassettes, so we listened to them on the way.

I told him that my son, Charlie, lived in Los Angeles and was working for a recording studio. He said, "You must be proud of him." I assured him that I am.

It was difficult to make conversation with him. My attitude wasn't the greatest. I still wasn't happy that I was there. I was becoming a little nervous knowing I was going to witness to him, and didn't want to be rejected, laughed at or persecuted! At that moment, I didn't want to be like Jesus! I wasn't that brave! Have you ever felt that way?

We arrived at the airport around 11:15 a.m. I told him that I would help him with his luggage. My co-worker asked, "Should I park the car and meet you at the gate?"

I said, "No, I'll be right back."

Little did I know what the Lord had in mind for us. I went ahead while he said goodbye to my co-worker. When he caught up with me, we had to wait to have his luggage checked at the agriculture station. There were thousands of people milling around. It was one of those extremely busy days. People running and waiting everywhere!

The first thing he said was, "I sing spiritual songs, but different from you. I've been talking to the Holy Spirit."

The first thing I said was, "Have you ever accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior?"

He said, "No, but I would like to."

Wow! Was this going to be easy or what?

I said, "Let's go over there," pointing to a vacant concrete bench.

He replied, "I really would like to check in first."

I said to him, "Don't keep putting this off. Your plane may crash! Invite Christ into your life now!"

Pressure. . .not a good tactic! Why I told him that, I don't know. I don't advise telling someone that their plane

might crash just before they're getting ready to board their flight!

After we checked him in, they told him he had five minutes before boarding. He was getting nervous and he didn't want to miss the plane, and I didn't blame him.

He said, "You know, Chuck, I'll be back in a month."

I said, "You shouldn't put this off. But I don't want to pressure you."

He responded, "This is the first time I haven't felt pressured. I would like to do this."

Can you believe that? Even after I had told him that his plane might crash, he didn't feel pressured! God was certainly in all of this.

Then he said, "You seem so mellow for living in Waikiki. I can sense something different about you."

I told him that is was Jesus!

He next stated that he had to make a phone call. Another of Satan's blocks!

I said, "Okay, I'll go with you."

He was still nervous, fearing he might miss his plane, and wanted to watch the gate to make sure there were people waiting, and not already aboard the plane. When I again saw a quiet place to talk, I wanted to stop, but he said, "No, I really want to go to the gate."

I said, "Okay."

We arrived at the gate and there were many people still waiting. It was now about 11:55 a.m. and now I was the one getting nervous! I knew the Lord was in this, and it was to be his "new day." But Satan was in it, too, and was causing confusion. We went to the phone booth, a half-circle with no door.

I looked around to find a spot where I could share with

him. Seeing a quiet area I said, "Okay, Lord, that's it."

But that was my spot, not the Lord's! I went over to the phone booth.

"They have me on hold," he said. Another Satan attack! Right then I felt Satan was having his way, and told the young man how I felt.

He asked, "Why does there have to be a good and bad, and Satan?"

I explained as quickly as I could that Satan is real, and that God wants us to choose His Son on our own. I told him it was "free will," which he understood. . .amazing!

He kept looking to see if his plane was boarding. It still wasn't. I said, "Don't worry about your plane. Jesus wants you to invite Him into your life today. He will have the plane engine not working, or something will happen to delay the flight."

Still on hold, he said, "Can I accept Jesus while I'm on hold?"

I said, "No, we might be interrupted."

Jesus whispered, "Of course he can."

So I said, "Of course you can. Let's do it." I prayed for him, and asked him to repeat the Sinner's Prayer. Just when we got to the part, "I want You to come into my life," the other party came on the line. I waited, and he was put back on hold. I continued, and again his party came on the line, and again, I waited. He was put back on hold, and we finished the prayer.

His party came on, and he finished his conversation and hung up. I told him I still wanted to pray with him. When I was through, I opened my eyes. His were still closed for just a few seconds longer. I saw peace on his face, and when his eyes opened, they were teary.

"There's one question I must ask you," I said. "Where is Jesus in relationship to your life now?"

Pointing at his chest, he said, "He is in me."

I said, "That's the right answer. You are now born again."

By the time I got back, an hour had passed. My co-worker was still waiting. Amazingly she had not been asked to move her car by airport security until after I told her what had happened. We hugged, and tears came to her eyes. She was blessed. She had been praying for her friend, and had talked to him many times earlier. She was the important tool used by God. She had done all the groundwork. I was there at the right time. In fact, I was where I didn't want to be!

She told me later, "After you were gone for awhile, Chuck, I knew something was happening. I took out the Four Spiritual Laws booklet, and began to pray for him. When I got to 'Peace,' I asked God to give him peace."

And he did! A peace that will last forever!

Obedience is what God wants from us. Even when we don't want to witness, we must. God does not kid around when it comes to sharing the Gospel with the lost.

Why should we witness? Why do we do it even though we know we might lose a friend or a loved one? Is it worth all the rejection we might receive? How important is it to witness for the Lord? And the answer to all these questions is. . .because it's God's command to us.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:19-20, "GO" "MAKE" "TEACH." In other words, He says, "Don't hesitate, but create and educate the people."

In Mark 16:15 Jesus said, "GO INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO ALL CREATION."

It's very important for us to go, and preach and share Jesus.

Jesus' last words while His disciples were looking at Him, just before He was taken up on a cloud at His Ascension, are in Acts 1:8, "BUT YOU WILL RECEIVE POWER WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS COME UPON YOU; AND YOU SHALL BE MY WITNESSES BOTH IN JERUSALEM, AND ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA, AND EVEN TO THE REMOTEST PART OF THE EARTH." His last words could have been, "Love one another." He said these words, but they were not His last. He could have said, "Pray for one another." He said these words, but they were not His last words. His last words were His command to us. . ."Be My witnesses."

I'm sure you have heard of an elevator and an escalator. I like to think of Jesus giving us His last command on this earth, and then being taken up on a "cloudevator" with the promise that someday He would return the same way. In the "Great Commission," Jesus said to also make disciples of all the nations.

In His commission, He also says to teach or educate His people to observe all that He commanded us to do, and that He would never leave us.

In Acts 1:8 He tells us that when we witness for Him He will give us the power of the Holy Spirit, and will always be with us. So don't be afraid; remember, we are not the ones who speak when we witness, it's God through the power of His Spirit

His promise: That He will always be with us, which is His comfort for us.

In Joshua 1:5 God said, "I WILL BE WITH YOU; I WILL NOT

FAIL YOU OR FORSAKE YOU."

With that in mind, His command, His promise, we are to go and teach and share. If nothing else, we can tell others what our life is like now that we are believers. What has happened to you since you became a child of God? Yes, we do have a job to do on this earth. We are to go, make and teach His disciples. In other words, don't hesitate. . .stretch yourselves. Create. . .help build new disciples for Jesus. And educate. . .teach and help them to observe all that Jesus has commanded.

Yes, you're to be His witness. Are you being challenged yet?
Chapter 7

"SARS = Savior And Redeemer of Souls."

I was in Taiwan during the SARS epidemic. At first, the Southern part of Taiwan where I was ministering was safe, but once SARS seeped into the hospitals, it spread quickly. Of course, the people became very afraid. The media, TV and newspapers talked about it continually. The English paper that I read there is about twenty-six pages long, and each day there were at least thirty-five articles about SARS. No wonder the people were so afraid to leave their homes! Department stores required you to have your temperature taken, and all the employees wore masks. Even I didn't venture out too much, except for ministry times. Many restaurants insisted you had your temperature taken before you could go in to eat.

SARS stands for Severe Acute Respiration Syndrome, but I began telling everyone that it stands for Jesus, that He's the "Savior And Redeemer of Souls."

I was asked to speak to a group of fourteen parolees at the Court House. Yes, I had to have my temperature taken before entering. When I was through sharing about Jesus and gave the altar call, no one raised a hand to accept Him. This was disappointing to me, as usually at least three or four in a group like that would receive Christ.

On the way home in the car, I asked the Lord why He had sent me there. I told Him if it was just to tell people about Jesus, He could have sent someone else. Just when I was through having my "pity party," the driver of the car, a friend of mine, asked if we could stop at a co-worker's home. She said the co-worker was a Christian and had been sick for almost thirty years, and wanted to know if I would go and pray for her. Of course, I said Yes!

This lady had a great testimony. Although sick with arthritis, crippled hands and feet, unable to walk without a walker, and always in pain. . .she looked great. Instead of her forty-three or so years, she looked as if she were in her early thirties! Jesus was really shining through her.

When she was in high school, she developed a fever. The doctors could not find the cause, neither could they find a cure. One of her parents' friends said they should take her to the biggest Buddhist temple because there she would find the biggest god! They took her, but still she found no release of her illness. Then another friend told her that the biggest God she knew was Jesus Christ. So they took her to a Christian church! She wasn't healed of her affliction, but she was released from her sins as she accepted Christ and received eternal life in Him. Although she received Jesus thirty years ago, you can still see the joy and peace within her!

She said that through all this, her parents never had accepted Christ into their lives. I immediately knew why the Lord had sent me out that day! Not for the parolees, as I thought, but for the Mom and Dad, who were both in another room.

I told the lady that I wanted to talk to her parents, but first I prayed for her. Even though she was in pain, she got her walker and we went into the living room where her parents were.

I told the parents how I could see that their daughter, although still in great pain, had great peace and joy in her life. I explained why. . .it was because of Jesus who lived in her. Then I explained the plan of salvation, and told them how much God loves them. It was so easy, for God had gone ahead and already planned the day for them.

They both repeated the prayer to invite Christ into their lives aloud, and instantly became new believers in Jesus! And now they, too, have peace and joy in their lives. And they will spend eternity with their daughter in God's Kingdom, where they will see her without pain, because finally she will have complete healing in her new life.

When we got into the elevator to leave, my friend said, "Praise the Lord!"

I agreed wholeheartedly! It's always exciting to share one-on-one or to small groups. You get to talk to them afterwards, and even hear later how they are doing.

It doesn't always happen this way. Sometimes you never know what seeds you have planted or what watering you have done. But every once in a while God reveals your efforts to you, and that is very gratifying.

Some friends of ours come to Hawaii usually twice a year. They have a condo here, so they often bring their family or friends to spend time with them. On Sundays, they bring them to our services.

Our church is outdoors, in a grassy area right alongside the great and beautiful Pacific Ocean. Every Sunday, our team sets up our tents, chairs and sound equipment. We claim it's the most beautiful church in the world, as it was created by God Himself. The sky is our ceiling, the grass our floor, and the beautiful ocean our wall. One of our team calls it our "moving stained glass window."

Whenever our friend brought his parents to Kona, his father, who wasn't a Christian, always wanted to go to the "church next to the ocean!" When he came, he wouldn't sit under one of the tents, but would sit on the sea wall looking out over the ocean waves, paddlers, ships, etc. We were disappointed because he never responded to the altar calls, nor did it appear that he even heard any of the messages. But, as I said, whenever he came to the Big Island, he always wanted to go to "the church on the beach."

This went on for years, until he became very sick and wasn't able to continue his visits to Hawaii. My friend and his sister would go and visit him, and tell him about Jesus. Days before he passed away, he told them not to worry about him. . .that he had accepted Jesus one Sunday with the Pastor at the church by the ocean!

Yes, every once in awhile God does encourage us to keep on keeping on for Him.

Are you getting ready to start planting those seeds? Even the ones you don't know you're planting? If so, then just keep talking about Jesus!
Chapter 8

"IS IT OKAY TO BLESS THIS HOUSE AND DEDICATE IT TO THE LORD?"

This story is about Ann and her family. Ann was in my Tuesday night Bible study in Taiwan.

Two of our Taiwanese friends had organized the study together. They are also the ones who arrange some of our concerts while we are in Taiwan. One Sunday they scheduled me in a mountain church which was a non-denominational fellowship. It was my first time there and about 45 minutes away from Tainan City where I stay.

It was a good service, and that day fifteen accepted Jesus into their lives, and five made rededications to Him.

Afterwards we went to lunch with the pastor, and then on to Ann's new home which was about one and a half hours away. Ann hadn't been to the church where I spoke, but had invited me to her home while we were at the Bible study. When we arrived, many people were already there. It was like an open house, and I had no idea why I had been invited.

The food was great. . .all freshly caught that morning: huge shrimp, crab, clams, oysters and many different kinds of fish. Since I had already had lunch, and my stomach can't take too much food all at one time, I had to be very careful. The shrimp were delicious. . .and very hard to stay away from since there were platters full!

In the group, there were only about six Christians. . .the others were mostly Buddhist. My friends wanted me to tell them about Jesus, but I kept saying, "No, they are not interested." They were eating, and drinking alcoholic beverages! They were ready for a party, not for Jesus! My thought was, "Lord, You've got to be kidding. . .You want me to tell who about You?"

But. . ."Surprise, surprise!" The reason I was there was to bless the house!

And when the time came for me to do the blessing, I asked Ann's husband (who wasn't a Christian), "Is it okay to bless the house and dedicate it to the Lord?"

He said Yes, and everyone there gathered into the living room and bowed their heads.

Ann was the only Christian in her family. She had four daughters, then ages nine to eleven, including a set of twins. None of her friends or siblings were Christians either.

I really didn't know how to pray. . .easy when everyone is a Christian, but a little difficult when they are not. But the Lord led me in a prayer, blessing the home and the family. He knew exactly what He was doing! When I was through and said "Amen," to my surprise when I looked up, everyone had left – except the seven of us Christians: Ann's husband, her four daughters and one of their friends who was about eleven years old.

Again, I knew this was the time and this was the reason I was there! The shrimp was delicious, but the reason for being there was for Ann's family and their little friend. I told Ann, her husband and the rest of them to sit on the couch together.

I told them the story about Jesus and His love, His forgiveness, and everlasting life in His Kingdom. I also told them I was going to say a prayer, and those who wanted to believe in Jesus should repeat the prayer. After the prayer, I asked if anyone had said the prayer and wanted to become a Christian, to raise their hand. God is so good. All six raised their hands!

Ann looked up and started to cry. Then her husband began to cry. And then the other Christians also began to cry. . .it was a great moment!

But that's not the end of the story! We all stood up, and I began to pray for all of them. At that moment, the mother of the young girl came in. I explained to her what had happened, and that her daughter had invited Christ into her life. I then asked if she would like to do the same, but she said No, fearing what her husband might think. As she was in tears, I could tell she wanted to belong to Jesus, but she had to make that decision herself. I then told her if she had any questions, to go to Ann, who, by the way, was her sister-in-law.

The next Tuesday at Bible study, I encouraged Ann to talk to her sister-in-law, and gave her my booklet My Gift to You, which goes through the Romans' Road, and includes a prayer to accept Christ. Ann was nervous, as she had never led anyone to Jesus before.

The next week, Ann came back and said that her sister-in-law had seen a big change in her daughter, who had now become different, and was even sharing scriptures with her. She couldn't understand where her daughter had learned them. She told Ann that she, too, wanted to become a

The Romans' Road starts on page 62 of this book. Copy the references into your Bible. You may need them sooner than you think!

Christian, so Ann led her to the Lord with the prayer in the booklet.

Need I say that I was excited! Another new soul in His Kingdom! At the end of the last Bible study, I gave everyone a My Gift to You booklet. I told them that it wasn't for them, but for them to give away to someone who wasn't a believer. I explained that when I returned in September, I would follow up on them. They all laughed rather nervously. It's very hard for the Taiwanese to share the Gospel!

Just as it's difficult for many of us!

Even though there are times we might say, "You've got to be kidding, Lord. You want me to tell who about You?" . . .well, you can be sure He does!

Don't be afraid. The Holy Spirit in you will give you the words, and God's wisdom, and His power to be His witness.

Remember, the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Be one of God's workers.
Chapter 9

"HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

We had just baptized some of the young people in our Bible study group, right there in the Pacific Ocean.

Our Hawaii ministry on Oahu, the Waikiki Beach Chaplaincy, was founded by Bob Turnbull in 1970. We hold our services every Sunday morning, right on the sands of Waikiki Beach. Many times we baptize people who have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior and are ready to move on to the next level of being more like Jesus.

That is what we had just done when I was approached by a woman on the beach who said, "Hey, what are you doing?"

While I tried to explain to her what was happening, she looked totally confused! So I asked her, "What do you know about Jesus?"

She said, "Absolutely nothing!"

"O Lord, not again," I was thinking! "You want me to witness to her. She knows nothing about baptism and absolutely nothing about You. This has been a great day – up to now. A good service and baptism is a time to celebrate, not a time to be rejected."

But you must do what you must do! No matter if you're rejected, laughed at or persecuted, you have to do what God says to do. . .even if you don't want to.

So I asked the group to start praying while I took the

lady over to the side, and we sat on a rock seawall. When I turned to look back at my prayer warriors, they were all standing up, holding hands and praying with their heads bowed, with hundreds of sunbathers all around them. I remember thinking, "Why don't they sit down!"

Since my new friend had said she knew absolutely nothing about Jesus, I started at the beginning, how He came to this Earth, how He died not only for the sins of the world, but just for her. And how He rose from the dead, and that He was God's Son. And if she believed and confessed, she, too, would receive eternal life in Heaven. It could happen to her, just like those she had watched that morning being baptized.

Her eyes filled with tears, and she said, "I'm seventy years old, and no one has ever told me that before."

I asked her if she would like to say a prayer and invite Christ into her life.

Without any hesitation, she said, "Oh yes!"

Is there a lesson here for all of us Christians? Yes, let's not take it for granted that everyone, no matter how young or old, has heard about Christ in a positive way. Oh, they might have heard His name mentioned before, but they don't know the Man behind the Name!

Remember, not everyone knows that if they confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, they will be saved. Or that with their heart they can believe, resulting in righteousness, and that with their mouth they can confess, resulting in salvation. That's what Romans 10:9-10 says. They may not know, but you know! So remember what Jesus says in Matthew 28:19-20, to "GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL THE NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM IN THE NAME OF THE

FATHER AND THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL THAT I COMMANDED YOU; AND LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, EVEN TO THE END OF THE AGE ."

God's promise is one we can share with others, or rather, a promise we must share with others – that once we confess Him, He will always be with us. He did it, and if it was good enough for Him, then it's good enough for us. If we want to be like Jesus, then we too must go and teach and make disciples of the people, just as He did.

You don't need teacher's credentials. You don't need to have a college education. You don't have to be as smart as Albert Einstein. All you need is a willing heart to be more like Jesus. Remember, Jesus told us in John 15:6 that He chose us to go out and bear fruit.

Don't give up, don't get weary. God wants to bless you when you stretch yourself for Him. In Galatians 6:9, Paul says, "LET US NOT LOSE HEART IN DOING GOOD, FOR IN DUE TIME WE WILL REAP IF WE DO NOT GROW WEARY."

The lady on the beach? She grew by leaps and bounds! She took a three-month course to draw closer to God, and walked close to Him until He took her home. By then she was in her late eighties. We lost contact for awhile, but about three months before she went to be with Jesus we re-connected. It was great catching up. Her daughter later called us to tell us she had passed away. The daughter wasn't a Christian when she called, but before she hung up, my wife, Doni, led her to Jesus. Is God good or what!

If you make yourself available, He will bring the people to you to witness to. As you start each day, tell God you're available to serve Him. Then wait and see what happens. Have you done that today yet?
Chapter 10

"HEY, I KNOW YOU. YOU'RE THAT CHRISTIAN I GAVE TOO MUCH CHANGE TO THE OTHER DAY!"

"You're that Christian!" That made me feel good.

A few weeks before, I was in a department store. I bought some little thing, and gave the salesperson a ten-dollar bill, and he gave me change for a twenty.

I said, "Thanks, Lord." (No, just kidding!) I said to the salesperson, "You gave me too much change. I gave you only a ten."

He said, "You're sure a nice man."

And I replied, "No, I'm a Christian, and that's what God would want me to do."

In my Bible studies, I always try to encourage my students to bring glory to the Lord in all they do; for us not to take the credit for our daily good deeds, but let God and Jesus be the Ones glorified.

In John 12:28, Jesus said, "FATHER, GLORIFY YOUR NAME." THEN A VOICE CAME OUT OF HEAVEN; "I HAVE BOTH GLORIFIED IT, AND WILL GLORIFY IT AGAIN."

This we must do. Also, our attitudes should always be to glorify the Lord in good times as well as bad times. This, at times, can be extremely difficult to do.

In Matthew 5:16, Jesus said, "LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE BEFORE MEN IN SUCH A WAY THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS, AND GLORIFY YOUR FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN."

People are to see our good deeds. If we hide them, how will the Father be glorified? Our good deeds must not only be good, but they must be attractive for others to notice them, so God can be glorified.

We are to be His ambassadors. Remember what Jesus said: "I HAVE CHOSEN YOU. . .TO SEND YOU OUT."

We're not chosen to sit at home and do nothing, but to be sent out to bring glory to Him, to be His representative in this world, and to be His advertisement. And we do that by being honest, loving, kind, considerate and displaying all of the fruit of the Spirit the best we can, in an attractive way. Again, that can be very difficult!

Have you ever noticed how attractive the people are on TV when they are selling a certain product? For instance, when they are selling a special shampoo, the person advertising it has beautiful hair. After she uses it, her hair doesn't fall out! If it did, you wouldn't run to buy the product; instead, it shines and is beautiful.

When someone is advertising a special toothpaste, they use people with beautiful teeth. After they use it and smile into the camera, their teeth are not black but white. They sparkle! Would you buy it if their teeth were blackened by the toothpaste? No, I'm sure you wouldn't!

And how about those wrinkle-free night creams? The models are in their twenties and don't have a wrinkle on their faces. Would you use it if they woke up the next morning looking as if they were eighty or ninety years old? I don't think so! When they wake up, their faces glow with beauty and no wrinkles. Well, guess what, we should try and be our most beautiful for the Lord also.

When we witness, we should look our best; we should have a glow of happiness, a glow of peace, and a glow of love. The way we act toward one another, the love we have for one another, the way we handle situations and even trials in our lives, and the way we overcome obstacles: that is what people will notice about us. In John 13:35, Jesus says, "BY THIS ALL MEN WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES, IF YOU HAVE LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER."

Yes, our hair may not be perfect, and our teeth may not be perfectly straight. We may have a few wrinkles (or more), but they won't notice that. What they will notice is your joy and love in the Lord. And they will want it, and best of all, it's free!

A few weeks later, I went back to the same store again, completely forgetting about the instance of too much change. While shopping, I noticed a young man watching me wherever I went. Each aisle I went down, I could feel those piercing eyes watching me! Finally I stopped, put my hands on my hips, and looked him straight in the eyes.

But before I could say anything, he said, "Hey, I know you. You're that Christian I gave too much change to the other day!"

I had forgotten, but he had remembered. He didn't say, "You're that nice guy." He said, "You're that Christian!"

Yes, God, let You be glorified!

I don't know if that salesperson who gave me back too much money ever accepted the Lord or not. But perhaps a seed was planted. Someday I will find out! But he'll remember that it was a Christian who gave him back the money. . .not just a nice person!

I want to encourage you right now to start planting seeds, start watering, start witnessing, and let God be glorified.
Chapter 11

"JOHN'S SISTER WANTS YOU TO COME TO DINNER."

My translator was referring to a phone call he had just received. John was the first person I led to the Lord right after I had arrived in Iria Jaya, in the country of Indonesia. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go. At the time I was facing a one-year prison term for holding a seminar on how to witness for Jesus in a mostly Muslim community. But their brother had just passed away, and she wanted me to come over and pray with them. So I reluctantly agreed. I wasn't sure if she or the other relatives who were going to be there were Christians or not. This could give me a chance to talk to them about Jesus.

I was under semi-house arrest for three weeks for sharing and teaching the seminar, and I was being deported out of the country the next day.

In my journal, before I left to go to their home, I wrote, "Maybe Jesus will let me lead them to Him."

She called back and asked if I would also sing a few songs for them while I was there. Again, I wanted to say "No," but of course I said "Yes."

After we arrived there, she asked if I would also share something from the Bible. I wasn't sure what I should do because of the situation. My translator said I shouldn't, as there might be a spy in the crowd. Since this was his country and he knew better than I did, I started to say

"No," when the Lord nudged me as if to say, "I'm giving you one more opportunity to tell people about My Son."

I'm sure I was thinking, "You've got to be kidding, Lord. You want me to tell who about You?" After all, I wasn't ready to face another prison sentence. Neither the Immigration Board nor the Police Department had given permission for me to continue to minister.

The hostess had invited forty people, and eighteen of them had so far arrived. The Lord impressed on me to share to those eighteen, and not wait for the rest to show up. I did, and yes, all eighteen made decisions for Christ! (This is shared in more detail in my book, Lord, Send Me.)

Sometimes God speaks to us to witness for Him, even when we think we are not ready. The moment we say, "You've got to be kidding, Lord," is when He is the most serious, and when witnessing is the easiest.

I've already told you there are times I'm nervous, even times the palms of my hands get sweaty, and my tongue gets too big for my mouth. But when I "let go and let God," it becomes a great reward. He really knows what He is doing! "PREACH THE WORD, BE READY IN SEASON AND OUT OF SEASON" is how Paul encourages Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2. And, of course, God is also encouraging us!

"Be ready," He says; "You never know when I'm going to bring you someone to witness to. All I ask is that you are ready, willing and able. All I ask is that you are obedient."

If you're reading this book and have never invited Christ into your life, now is the time. Say the prayer on the next page.

In 2 Corinthians 6:2:

". . .FOR HE SAYS, 'AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.' BEHOLD,

NOW IS 'THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,' BEHOLD, NOW IS 'THE DAY OF SALVATION.'"

Are you ready to receive your salvation? Jesus is ready for you! This is your day of salvation!

"Dear Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I believe You are the Son of God who died for my sins, and rose from the grave. Today I invite You to come and live in me. Amen."

If you said this prayer, please tell someone that you did, especially if you know another Christian, as they have most likely been praying for you.
Chapter 12

"HEY, LORD, IT WOULD BE GREAT IF YOU WOULD FIND ME A CHRISTIAN TO TALK TO TODAY. YOU KNOW, ONE WHO LOVES YOU AND WHO IS REALLY BORN AGAIN. I NEED FELLOWSHIP TODAY, LORD."

Those were my words as I was off to the beach – the famous Waikiki Beach in Hawaii. Doni was at the office, and it was my day off. What better way to spend it but on the beach? The day was beautiful. The sand was like little crystals, all sparkling and white, and the ocean, as always, was a beautiful blue, and clear as the streets of gold, warm and very inviting. Living in Hawaii is almost like living in Heaven!

As I got closer to the beach, the Lord reminded me that there were many non-believers on the beach that needed to hear about Him and His love. I hesitated, because I was really looking forward to the fellowship of another believer. I finally said, "Okay, Lord, send me a non-believer," and then added, "Lord, how about one of each?"

After I was on the beach for about an hour, I went to get a cold soda. When I came back, there were two people sitting right in front of where I had been sitting, practically in my space! As I got closer, I recognized the girl. She had come to a former Bible Study I used to do on the beach. She was a Christian. With her was her husband who wasn't a Christian. Of all the hundreds of people lying on the beach

that day, was this a coincidence or was it God-ordained? I thought, "Thanks, Lord, You sent me one of each!"

We were able to share Jesus Christ with the husband. He said he had lots of questions, and knew he should be a Christian. He said he thought it was the right way. But still, he wasn't sure. I told him to come to my office, and that I would love to answer his questions.

"Better yet," I told him, "we have a Bible Study in our home on Monday nights," and gave him the address and time.

He said he would come. He did, and three weeks later he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior.

I wonder, if I hadn't asked the Lord to send me an unbeliever, would He have done it anyway?

Making yourself available, that's the answer. And what a blessing it is to be able to rejoice with the angels that another soul has been given eternity. If rapture comes before either one of us dies, I may be flying with him! We both will be able to meet Jesus face-to-face for the first time, together.

Are you trying? Are you going to be happy? Do you know that you, your family, your friends are going to be together for eternity? Don't give up on your family and friends. God never gives up on you.

"BEHOLD, I TELL YOU A MYSTERY; WE WILL NOT ALL SLEEP, BUT WE WILL ALL BE CHANGED, IN A MOMENT, IN THE TWINKLING OF AN EYE, AT THE LAST TRUMPET; FOR THE TRUMPET WILL SOUND, AND THE DEAD WILL BE RAISED IMPERISHABLE, AND WE WILL BE CHANGED." (1 Corinthians 15:51-52.)

When that happens, we, our friends, loved ones, the ones whom you have witnessed to, the ones you thought

were not listening but the message got through, they, too, will be changed.

Oh, these bodies we have now may be good enough for this earth, but they are definitely not good enough for Heaven. "We shall be changed!"

Can you imagine being perfect? That is a tough one for me. It's a little easier to believe about you being perfect, but me, that's a different story! Me, perfect like Jesus?

But that's what God's word says: "WE WILL BE LIKE HIM." (1 John 3:2.) But until that time comes, we are to fulfill our destiny for Christ. How? You got it! By being His witness.

Just think for a moment. Let your imagination go a little wild. Imagine you're witnessing to someone, and at that very moment the trumpet sounds and the Lord Jesus calls up the Christians – just as in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17:

"FOR THE LORD HIMSELF WILL DESCEND FROM HEAVEN WITH A SHOUT, WITH THE VOICE OF THE ARCHANGEL AND WITH THE TRUMPET OF GOD, AND THE DEAD IN CHRIST WILL RISE FIRST. THEN WE WHO ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN WILL BE CAUGHT UP TOGETHER WITH THEM IN THE CLOUDS TO MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR, AND SO WE SHALL ALWAYS BE WITH THE LORD."

Imagine you see the dead in Christ rising up. You're getting pretty excited! You know your time is near! You will be next. The moment has come that you have long been waiting for. You're going to go home to be with Jesus.

Now, the person you're witnessing to isn't receiving your message that Jesus saves. All of a sudden, you are gone! He or she is still standing there, looking at space! On the other hand, if the person is receiving and believing in Jesus, together you will be flying through the air to meet Jesus! That's when you realize you have led the last person to Jesus. Excited? I know I sure would be. I'm trying my

best to be that person who would lead that last person to Him.

Remember, Peter says Jesus is waiting patiently – not wishing any to perish (2 Peter 3:9).

Let's have a competition. Let's see who will lead that last person to Jesus. It will be one race I won't mind losing. But I'm going to try my best to be the one God will allow to lead that last person to Him. If you need strength and opportunity, say this prayer. Tell Jesus you're ready to witness for Him:

"Dear Jesus, I want to be Your witness. I need Your strength and wisdom. Give me the opportunities to share You with the lost. Let the Holy Spirit who lives in me give me the power and boldness to be Your witness. Amen."

On your mark! Get set! Go!
Chapter 13

"chuck, come with me. I'm going door-to-door to tell people about jesus."

My response was, "No way, Jose!"

"Oh come on, Chuck. You won't have to say anything. Just pray for me and I'll do all the talking."

My response was a definite, "No!"

"Okay, then just go with me. You can sit in the car and pray for me while I go to the door and share about Jesus."

Again I said, "No!"

I was a new Christian, and my pastor friend was scaring me half to death! Little did I know I would soon be sharing Christ whenever God gave me the opportunity.

As I've said before, I still get scared. And at times I even have doubts!

But, oh, what a great feeling it is when someone accepts Jesus as their own personal Savior, and knowing someday I will meet them again. It makes the rejection, persecution, and maybe even being laughed at, worth it. It's not only the angels that rejoice, but so do we.

When the pastor asked me to go and witness with him door-to-door, I didn't say No because I was afraid of rejection, persecution or even being laughed at. My problem was I was ashamed of the Gospel. We lived in a small town and I knew lots of people. What if someone I knew was behind one of those closed doors that we were

knocking on? What would I say? Many of them would be shocked, as many knew me from my old life of partying days.

At that moment I definitely wasn't thinking like Paul, the apostle chosen by Jesus. These were his words in Romans 1:16: "FOR I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL, FOR IT IS THE POWER OF GOD FOR SALVATION TO EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES, TO THE JEW FIRST AND ALSO TO THE GREEK!"

Have you, like me, ever been ashamed of the Gospel? Have you had a chance to witness, a chance to share Christ with someone you know who is not a believer? But you just don't do it. Maybe in a way, to yourself, without even knowing it, you're saying, "You've got to be kidding, Lord. You want me to tell who about You?"

Why would anyone think that way? In my case, I wasn't trusting the Holy Spirit to speak for me. One of the reasons I didn't trust Him was because I didn't know anything about Him.

I didn't know it was He who would give me the power I needed. Remember, I was a new Christian, and no one had told me about that. But you will know because I'm going to tell you about the power that comes from the Holy Spirit, so you won't make the same mistakes I made.

Remember in Acts 1:8 when Jesus said it would be the Holy Spirit who would give us the power to witness for Him? In other words, it will be God's Spirit who will do the talking, not you.

In Matthew 10:19-20 Jesus says we are not to worry about what we are to say, because it's not us who speaks but the Spirit of our Father who speaks in us. Pretty clear, isn't it? When we are not sure of what to say, when we're not sure of a scripture or where it is, we can call upon

the Holy Spirit. Take it from me. It works! And it's always so much easier than I thought it was going to be. Why? Because it is not I who speaks, but the Holy Spirit who lives in me.

Again, in Mark 13:11, Jesus tells us not to worry about what we will say. "BUT SAY WHATEVER IS GIVEN YOU IN THAT HOUR; FOR IT IS NOT YOU WHO SPEAKS, BUT IT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT."

And in Luke 12:12 Jesus says, "THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL TEACH YOU IN THAT VERY HOUR WHAT YOU OUGHT TO SAY."

Wow, is that encouraging, or what?

Life would be so much easier if we would just allow God's Spirit to speak through us. I'm not saying you have to run down the streets looking for someone to witness to, or even go door-to-door. But when God brings someone to you, and you know He wants you to witness, do it, and rely on the Holy Spirit to talk you through it.

Talking about door-to-door, I was asked to do it again. This time I was truly a different person. About twelve years had passed, and it was our first time in Taiwan. Doni and a translator were with me. And yes, I was nervous. But the Lord is good and encouraging. As we knocked on our very first door, an older woman opened it and greeted us. As we talked about Jesus and Heaven, she said she had never heard of either one. So we shared with her the plan of salvation. She was excited to hear about Heaven and asked how she could get there. We told her about Jesus, and she received Him.

Then she said, "Can you go to my son's house and tell him and his family about Jesus and Heaven?"

Of course, we said, "Yes."

Well, you guessed it. They all received Jesus as their personal Savior.

The Holy Spirit, who lives in every believer, did all the work. We were just instruments used to bring glory to God and His Son Jesus Christ.

Are you ready to be an instrument for Jesus? All it takes is a willing heart, and faith, and trust in Jesus. How is your faith today? Do you have enough faith to not only believe, but to go and spread the good news of Jesus with a friend, and to convince him or her that Jesus died for all sins for everyone – no exception? I know you have the power (the Holy Spirit), but do you truly have the faith? Put this book down, call a friend or relative whom you have been wanting to witness to. Share with them how Jesus died for them, how He loves them and how you want them to have eternal life. They may hang up on you, they may persecute you, and they may never be your friend again. But, on the other hand, they may become more than a friend. They may become your sister or brother in Jesus. Remember, tell them what's on your heart and what God has done for you. They might be just sitting, waiting for such a phone call! Are you nervous? That's okay. I'm nervous myself, for you.

Stretch yourself. This might be one of the greatest moments of your Christian life! I'm praying for you!
Chapter 14

"OKAY, THE SPAGHETTI'S DONE. I'M READY TO INVITE CHRIST INTO MY LIFE NOW."

Oh, how easy our Lord makes it sometimes. It happens to me often, when God puts someone in your pathway, and you know you are going to be the one to lead that individual to Him. Has this ever happened to you? If not, it can, just by asking God to use you to bring glory to Him, and then make yourself available. There's that word again. . .available!

When you make yourself available, it means you want to follow Jesus. Then He will make you "FISHERS OF MEN." (Matthew 4:19.) When you follow Jesus, you are heeding the call of Jesus.

How can anyone become a believer unless they hear the message of Jesus? If you're a believer, you didn't just wake up one morning and decide to become a Christian. First someone had to tell you about Christ. A seed had to be planted. You heard about Christ from an individual, a TV program, or a book you read. Somehow, somewhere a seed was planted. No one can become a Christ-follower unless they have heard the message of Christ.

Who will tell them? You and I, of course! How do I know that? Easy, because that is what Paul tells us with his challenge in Romans 10:14: "HOW THEN WILL THEY CALL ON HIM IN WHOM THEY HAVE NOT BELIEVED? HOW WILL THEY

BELIEVE IN HIM WHOM THEY HAVE NOT HEARD? AND HOW WILL THEY HEAR WITHOUT A PREACHER?"

How will they know, who will tell them? Believe it or not, you and I are the preachers for Jesus Christ.

One Sunday morning after one of our chapel services a couple came up to talk to us. They were being transferred to Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa. During our conversation with them we learned that we were married on the same day, December 12. The year, of course, was different. . .we had about thirty years more experience than they did.

They invited us to go to Okinawa, and said they would write when they got settled. This was before writing via e-mail! We said "great," not really expecting it to happen. But lo and behold, a few months later they wrote with news of what was going on in their lives. We wrote back, never thinking that the Lord would send us to Okinawa.

A year or so later, we were planning our "Journey for Jesus" trip. In those days, we took an outreach trip every two or three years, mostly in Asian countries, for two or three months. That year we planned on going to Indonesia, Taiwan and then to Hong Kong. It would be our longest "Journey for Jesus," about four months.

While planning our trip, we realized we were going to be in Taiwan longer than our visa would allow for. So we made plans to go to. . .you guessed it. . .Okinawa. Our plans were to be there for just one week, and then we would return to Taiwan for one more month before going on to Hong Kong.

So we made plans with our new friends. They said they would schedule us in three Military Chapel services and a special beach service. They also told us that we could stay with them, as they had an extra bedroom. We were delighted!

Were you ever headed in a direction you thought the Lord was sending you, and then all of a sudden it changes? Well, this was one of those directional changes. God was going to add something new to this "Journey for Jesus." It wasn't just the Military Chapel services and beach service God had in mind!

After we arrived in their home, we unpacked, got settled, and then got reacquainted with our new friends. They were great people, lots of fun, and wonderful hosts. But after talking with them for a while, the Lord revealed to me that our host wasn't a Christian. He had never invited Christ into his life.

That night when we went to bed I shared this with Doni, and then asked the Lord to allow me to lead this new friend to Him. Then I asked the Lord to allow me to do it soon, not the day we were to leave, or even the day before. . .but like tomorrow! I wanted to experience and see the change in him.

I made myself available!

The next day the Lord gave me that opportunity. His wife had to go to work, but said she would be home for lunch and asked our host to start the meal. She said there was spaghetti sauce in the refrigerator. She asked him to heat it and cook the spaghetti. So while he brought the food out to warm and cook, I asked Doni to pray in the living room while I joined him in the kitchen.

After a little small talk, I asked him the best question of all. "When did you invite Christ into your life?"

He said, "Oh, I've never done that." Then he started to stir the sauce.

I wasn't surprised at his answer, as God had already revealed that to me. Since I knew they were going to church and involved in fellowship, I asked him, "Why not?"

He said he first wanted to read the entire Bible, and to understand what it means.

As he stirred the sauce again I tried to explain that wasn't necessary, but what was necessary was inviting Jesus into his life, and allowing the Holy Spirit to help him understand the things God wanted him to know from His Word.

He started to stir the sauce again, and as he prepared the pasta I watched and prayed, and continued to share about Jesus while leaning against the sink counter.

He stirred one more time, turned off the stove, walked over toward where I was standing, folded his arm across his chest, leaned on the counter, and said, "Okay, the spaghetti is done. I'm ready to invite Christ into my life now."

My heart leaped with joy! He repeated the Sinner's Prayer; I prayed for him; and at the end we hugged each other with tears in our eyes.

But that's not the end of this story. That night for dinner they had invited many friends over to meet us, and for a time of fellowship. Before we sat down for dinner, he made this announcement. "This afternoon, when the spaghetti was done, I was ready, and I invited Christ into my life."

Most of the people there were surprised. After their shock, they all rejoiced with him.

The next day, Sunday, wherever he had scheduled us to preach and sing, he introduced us, and said the same thing. "Yesterday afternoon, when the spaghetti was done, I was ready, and I invited Christ into my life."

It was so exciting to see him confess to everyone what he had done. He wanted everyone to know. He definitely wasn't going to be a secret-service Christian!

The next four or five days were great, and we had very special times with them. The day we were leaving he came hustling down the stairs, and said, "Chuck, I was looking in the mirror this morning, and said to myself, 'You're not the same person you were a few days ago.'"

A true change had taken place in his life. He was truly born again. Just as Jesus said, it was needed to see the Kingdom of God.

These are Jesus' words: "TRULY, TRULY, I SAY TO YOU, UNLESS ONE IS BORN AGAIN HE CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF

GOD." (John 3:3.)

There was no doubt in our minds we would see the two of them again. Maybe not in this world, but definitely in the new world, the new Heaven, the New Jerusalem that the apostle John tells us about in Revelation chapter 21.

Are you ready to let God direct your pathway? Are you ready to let Him change your direction? He may lead you somewhere, but after you've arrived He may change the reason you thought you were there for. Be changeable! His plans are better than ours. His plans may give you the opportunity to bring someone to Him.

Well, are you ready for that challenge? Will it be you or I who will lead that last person to Jesus? Are you making yourself "available" to Him? I've been trying – how about you?
Chapter 15

"CHUCK, I'VE LED TWO PEOPLE TO THE LORD SINCE I'VE MARKED MY BIBLE WITH THE ROMANS' ROAD."

Ammunition. We all need it!

It is great using many of the tools in our world today to lead someone to Jesus, such as The Four Spiritual Laws, Steps to Peace with God, Bridge to Life, or My Gift to You. This last one is a little booklet that I wrote using the Romans' Road to challenge someone to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior.

These tools are all good, but my favorite is using the Bible, using scripture right out of the Good Book. People then can actually see that we're not making this all up, but it's really Jesus that truly saves. Words taken from the Bible! God's challenges to us are His words, His thoughts and His ideas. They are no one else's, but God's Himself.

Many years ago, Doni and I were counselors for the Bill Glass Crusade here in Hawaii. It was a great experience for us. We even sang in the choir that was directed by Ron Patty, Sandi Patty's father. Her mother was the awesome pianist.

Our training for the crusade was marking our Bibles, using the Romans' Road. I'm hoping you, too, will mark your Bibles. Then whenever you have your Bible with you, the scriptures will always be there. And you will be able to point them out, and share God's love and forgiveness with people.

Some of you may have already marked your Bibles, but for those who have not, please read this chapter first. Then go and get your Bible and start marking. So the next time you say, "You've got to be kidding, Lord. You want me to tell who about You," and He says Yes, He does, you will be ready!

First, either in the front or back of your Bible, write "Romans 3:23." (Just write the reference.) Now turn to Romans 3:23, underline the scripture, and in the margin write "Romans 6:23." Look up that scripture and underline the verse. In the margin, write "Romans 5:8." Turn there and underline that verse. In that margin, write "Romans 10:9-10," turn there and underline that scripture. In the margin, write "Romans 10:13," just three verses down. Underline that scripture and in the margin, write "Revelation 3:20." Now go to that scripture and underline it. Or, as I have done in my Bible, you may highlight the scriptures.

In the back of my Bible I taped the Sinner's Prayer. When the person is ready, I have him read it or repeat it after me out loud. Then I usually ask him where Christ is in his life. If he says, "Right here in my heart," or some other statement indicating Christ is in him, praise the Lord, he is born again! If he is not sure, you may have to go through some of these verses again with him, especially Revelation 3:20. Make sure, the best you can, that his salvation is clear to him, and that he understands that Jesus comes into his life when he asks Him to, by his faith, and that Jesus refuses no one.

The Romans' Road will make it easy for you. As you read and share each scripture with someone, just glance at the margin column, and it tells you exactly where to go next. The person you are sharing with doesn't know what you're doing, and thinks you're so-o-o-o-o smart! There is something overwhelming and exciting to the nonbeliever when you use the Bible. It seems real to them, and that is what salvation is – real!

Are you ready and willing to be used by God? When you're prepared and when you have the correct ammunition, God can use you, just as He used my friend who said, "Chuck, I've led two people to the Lord since I've marked my Bible with the Romans' Road."

Now that you have your Bible marked, let's look at these scriptures and expound a little. Let's make it easier for us to share Christ. Let's get comfortable, let's spread our "know-how." Let's build our confidence.

Romans 3:23 "FOR ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD."

Explanation: Many people don't think they are sinners, because they see themselves as basically good. They don't murder, fight or steal, and they live a good life. There are millions of good people in this world. You're probably one of them. I was. I tried to be a good husband, a good father and a good son. Being good wasn't going to get me to Heaven, and this you must stress with others. Being good just doesn't make it!

Explain to them what sin is. 1 John 3:4 says, "EVERYONE WHO PRACTICES SIN ALSO PRACTICES LAWLESSNESS; AND SIN IS LAWLESSNESS." Anything that is against God's law is sin: impatience, anger, gossip, etc. We are all sinners, but God loves us anyway.

Romans 6:23 "FOR THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH, BUT THE FREE GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD."

Explanation: If we should die before we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we would not be able to receive God's special gift to us. That gift only comes through Jesus Christ. This gift is eternal life in Heaven, a life that never dies but goes on and on forever.

If you reject this gift, you will "take part in a second death, eternal separation from God" (Revelation 20:14). This is eternal life in Hell. I wouldn't want my worst enemy to experience that, and I'm sure you wouldn't either. That is, of course, if you have a "worst enemy!"

Romans 5:8 "BUT GOD DEMONSTRATES HIS OWN LOVE TOWARD US, IN THAT WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US."

Explanation: God wants us just the way we are. How marvelous! We don't have to change before we accept Jesus Christ. How amazing! That comes later, and it will come, if we have faith that Jesus Christ comes into our lives when we ask Him to, believing He comes in immediately, with no hesitation on His part.

It's comforting to know that Christ died for us at just the right time, before we ever loved Him.

Romans 5:6 "FOR WHILE WE WERE STILL HELPLESS, AT THE RIGHT TIME CHRIST DIED FOR THE UNGODLY." That was us, the "ungodly" – sinful, wicked, polluted, corrupted with

the worldly temptations – that's when Christ died for us. If we were perfect and sinless, there would have been no need for Him to be beaten, rejected, spit upon or nailed to a tree.

Romans 10:9-10 "IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH JESUS AS LORD, AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED; FOR WITH THE HEART A PERSON BELIEVES, RESULTING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND WITH THE MOUTH HE CONFESSES, RESULTING IN SALVATION."

Explanation: Simple and easy. Confess and believe that Jesus is everything He says He is, then you will be saved. If you believe from the heart and confess with the mouth, then you, too, can have salvation. Go tell someone what you have done. Romans 10:11 says that when we confess Him as Lord, we won't be disappointed.

Romans 10:13 "FOR WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

Explanation: God doesn't care where you live, what color you are or what you have done. He says whoever will call on Him will be saved. No exceptions! It's a great feeling, isn't it, to know that God loves us all the same? He has no favorites. In Romans 1:16 Paul says, "I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL, FOR IT IS THE POWER OF GOD FOR SALVATION TO EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES." That's you; that's me!

Revelation 3:20 "BEHOLD, I STAND AT THE DOOR AND KNOCK; IF ANYONE HEARS MY VOICE AND OPENS THE DOOR, I WILL COME IN TO HIM AND DINE WITH HIM, AND HE WITH ME."

Explanation: Jesus is always waiting and is always

ready to come into our lives, never hesitating when we ask Him to. Jesus never leaves us. We may leave Him, we may walk away, but He never does. He is always there 24 hours a day, patiently waiting for us to open the door of our hearts. And once we do, nothing and no one will be able to snatch us from the Father's hand. That's what Jesus tells us in John 10:27-29.

After you have gone through these verses, you might say something like, "Wouldn't you like today to be the first day of your new life? The first day of your becoming a new creature? The first day of receiving the many blessings that God the Father has planned for you? Today you can receive eternal life and forgiveness of all sin, just by saying this prayer and having faith in Jesus Christ.

"Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner. I believe that You died for me, that You are truly the Son of God. I believe that You rose from the dead. I want to turn from my sin and make You Lord of my life. I invite You to come into my life right now. . .Amen."

I pray that in some way this will help you to share the message of Jesus Christ. I pray that this has encouraged you and given you confidence. Yes, you're able and capable to be a strong, vocal witness for Jesus Christ. I pray that through this book, you will lead someone to the Lord. And that it will be only the beginning of being the tool that God can use to glorify His Son, Jesus Christ.

When you accepted Jesus Christ, your work just began, an exciting work like no other work you have ever done. No matter how old you were when Christ came into your life, your life was just beginning. Your journey for Jesus was on its first phase. You can never retire, and you will never want to. The rewards are too many to mention, and as you have heard, probably many times before, the rewards are out of this world!

Now that you have more ammunition, try leading that last person to Christ. I dare you – try and beat me! No matter, if you're a Christian I will see you in Heaven. If you're not a Christian, please go back and say that prayer inviting Christ into your life. I want to meet you in Heaven also.
Chapter 16

"HELLO, MY FATHER IS IN THE HOSPITAL. WOULD YOU GO WITH ME TO SEE HIM? HE'S NOT A CHRISTIAN. I WANT YOU TO GO WITH ME SO YOU CAN TELL HIM ABOUT JESUS, AND LEAD HIM TO THE LORD."

This was a phone call that I received from a friend while I was ministering in Taiwan. The call came late at night, and I was leaving very early the next morning to go up North to minister for four days. When I told her that, she said, "Okay, when you come back I'll call you again."

This friend sets up a Bible study for me to teach each time I return to Taiwan. For the last ten years I've been going to Taiwan twice a year, spending six to eight weeks each time. My ministry usually consists of Bible studies (four or five each week), prison work, concerts and speaking in different churches every Sunday. My main purpose in returning to Taiwan each year is to lead as many people to Christ as I possibly can.

The Lord told me many years ago that my mission in this life was to lead as many to Him that I possibly could before I died!

Well, to return to my story, my friend called me again when I returned. We set up a time to meet and go to the hospital to lead her father to Jesus.

Ten months before, he had been diagnosed with lung cancer and was given two months to live. His return to the

hospital was unrelated to his first visit. This time he was admitted for diabetes, which he didn't even know he had.

I had met him a few times before I knew all of this. He had always looked healthy. He was 76 years old, and by my standards, that's young!

When I woke up the morning we were going to the hospital, I prayed for him, that he would be touched and ready to receive Christ into his life. I asked the Holy Spirit to go in advance and prepare his heart, for I had been told he had refused Christ many times before.

As I was getting closer to the hospital, for some reason I was getting nervous. I started to pray even more. Now, you should know that the Lord has allowed me to lead many people to Him. And He usually sends them to me either in a large group such as churches, concerts or prison work, or if it's a one-on-one situation, He brings them to me in my home or my office. You know, places where I feel comfortable.

But this time I was going to the person for the purpose of leading him to Christ, not just for a social visit. Since my friend had stated that she wanted me to lead her father to Jesus, I was feeling a little pressured!

Getting into the elevator I again became nervous, and even asked the Lord, "Why do I feel like this?" I thought maybe it was because I was in a hospital. As most of you are probably aware, it's not the most comfortable place to be, unless of course you're celebrating the birth of a newborn baby.

As we entered into the elevator, headed for the eighth floor, it stopped at the very next floor. A nurse got on pulling a gurney with a patient on it, who must have just emerged from surgery. He wasn't coherent and had tubes

all over him. It brought back memories of my stay in the hospital a few years before, when I almost met Jesus face to face!

We got out and walked through the corridors. The hospital was large, and as we got closer I became more nervous. Was my friend's father going to accept Christ or what? Was it going to happen? Would God allow me to bring to Him a man who had refused Christ many times?

"Lord, are You sure You want me to tell him about You?"

Along with my friend's father and mother, there are six siblings in her family. Only she and two of her sisters are Christians. The rest of the family have heard the Gospel of Christ, but they have rejected Him. They are Buddhists.

When we went into the room, there were two other people there. One left as we walked in. The other was her brother, who wasn't a Christian. I talked to my friend's father, like, "How are you feeling? Do you like the food? This room's nice." You know. . .small talk!

He was happy to see me, and perked up. He grabbed my hand and was so thankful that I had come to see him. It was becoming easier, but my friend's brother was still there, so I asked the Lord to have him leave the room if He wanted me to tell this man about Him.

Before I could even finish my short prayer, the brother got up from his chair and walked out of the room! By this time I should have figured that God was willing for me to witness and share His Son Jesus Christ with the father. He wasn't kidding!

The words easily came out of my mouth. I told him about God's love, His Son, and what He has done for us. The father was so ready! Many of my friend's Christian

friends and her sisters had been witnessing to him. By the time I got to the hospital, he had been there for ten days. The Holy Spirit had been doing His work. Many seeds had been planted and probably even some watering had been done!

Now I know why the Lord had delayed my visit. He was preparing the way for the father to accept Him. The words I was speaking were the words of the Holy Spirit.

Remember God's promises? When we need Him, it will be the Spirit Who will speak for us. We need not be worried or nervous, although we often are. That is when we need the Holy Spirit to talk for us.

Again He was doing His work, for when I asked the man if he wanted to accept Christ into his life, without hesitation, he said, "Yes."

I repeated the question, to make sure that he understood, and this time he said, "Yes, I'm ready!"

Wow!

First I prayed for a healing in his body, laying my hands on his chest. His eyes were closed, his hands together in prayer, and peace on his face. When I was through praying for the Lord to heal his body, I asked him to repeat the Sinner's Prayer after me. He did, again without hesitation.

When we were through, I asked him if he believed that Jesus came into his life.

He said, "Yes," and pointed to his heart.

I repeated the question again. I wasn't sure he understood, and wanted him to have no doubts that he understood exactly what he had done.

See page 65 of this book

Again, he said, "Yes." And then he added, "I felt Him come in."

Another wow!

Right after that, his son returned to the room.

Is God good or what??

On the way home, my friend and I discussed how if her father had died eight months ago, he would not have been in God's Kingdom. So God healed him and saved him for this day, so that he could be saved forever!

Why was I so nervous? I'm sure it was the Holy Spirit in me preparing me to be His witness. Never did I think the man would not accept the Lord. I was too nervous to think anything, I could only pray and ask God for His guidance, boldness and wisdom. If God hadn't made me nervous, I probably would not have been truly prepared, and would not have been focused on the journey God had set before me.

The moral of this story: "Get nervous!" Call someone you know who is not a Christian, and then let the Holy Spirit do His work!
Chapter 17

"THAT'S WHY I CALLED YOU, BECAUSE I KNEW YOU WOULD LEAD ME TO JESUS."

Sometimes God really encourages us to witness, because many times He brings the people to us so we can lead them to Him.

When we first moved to Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, I didn't have an office. Well, I did, but it was in my car! Men only when I'm there alone, of course!

When someone needed counseling or wanted to talk to me, I would meet him in a parking lot, and he would join me in my car. We usually met in a parking lot of a small shopping center, under one of their brightest lights.

One night I was in such a place, waiting for a young man who had called and said he wanted to talk with me. He was going through troublesome times, and needed to be encouraged. He wasn't a Christian.

We talked for a while, and he shared his problems with me. I then gave him some advice, and he received it well.

After our talk, I said, "What you really need is Jesus in your life."

And that's when he said, "That's why I called you. I knew you would lead me to Jesus."

Right there in my "office car" in the parking lot, not only did he receive my advice, but he also received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

Wow! Being available (if I may use that word again) is what God wants! Not only should we be available to serve Him, but He is always available for us. Remember His words, "I STAND AT THE DOOR AND KNOCK; IF ANYONE HEARS MY VOICE AND OPENS THE DOOR, I WILL COME IN TO HIM AND WILL DINE WITH HIM, AND HE WITH ME." (Revelation 3:20.) In other words, Jesus is saying, "Hey, I'm available to you, anytime, any day. . .I'm just waiting for you."

Many think this verse is only for the ones who haven't accepted Christ and that He is knocking at the door of the unbeliever's heart, waiting to be asked in. I believe this verse is also for the Christian, and that Jesus is reminding us that He is available for us every second of our lives. He's just waiting patiently for us to have full fellowship with Him every day. He keeps knocking at the door of our hearts, wanting us to give Him every part of ourselves, more and more each day. And that every day we should invite Him into our lives, not just a one-time offer, but a continuous offer each day saying, "Okay, Lord, here I am. I hear You knocking. Come in, and I give you myself again this day. I'm ready for that fellowship You promised me. Help me to grow, give me Your wisdom. Help me to be more like You today."

God's promise is that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us (James 4:8). Why do we have to draw near to Him before He will draw near to us? Well, perhaps it's because He "gate crashes" into no one's life. He waits, again, patiently, for us to come to Him. He wants us to choose freely where we want our walk with Him to be, not forced or instigated by Him. It's our choice. And when we choose to walk with Him, He won't turn away from us, but will draw near to us.

When we draw near to God, we make ourselves available to Him. That's when He gives us the opportunities to bring glory to His name, by how we act, how we speak and how we witness for Him.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:16 that if we continue to do good things, then our light will shine and God the Father will be glorified. All of our good deeds should not glorify self, but glorify God. Remember, when someone praises you for being honest, doing something good, or whatever, let him know it's because you're a child of God's. And the glory is His, not yours. Don't take the credit for being good. Even Jesus didn't want to be known by being good. When one of the rulers of His day called Jesus a good teacher, He replied, "WHY DO YOU CALL ME GOOD? NO ONE IS GOOD EXCEPT GOD ALONE." (Luke 18:19.)

Being good is not bad, but being good for Jesus is better! And what better way to be good for Jesus than to lead someone to Him, or at least tell someone about Him. Everyone you share Jesus with may not receive Him, but you can be sure that God is happy because you were obedient to Him. In other words, you did exactly what God wanted you to do. You were His witness, you were obedient.

Paul warns us about not all receiving the good news that Jesus saves. In Romans 10:16 he says, "HOWEVER, THEY DID NOT ALL HEED THE GOOD NEWS; FOR ISAIAH SAYS, 'LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT'." And in Acts 28:24, we are reminded again that not all will receive what we tell them about Jesus. Here Luke says, "SOME WERE BEING PERSUADED BY THE THINGS SPOKEN, BUT OTHERS WOULD NOT BELIEVE."

Do you find that encouraging? I do. It releases me of pressure, knowing that "not all will receive." Maybe you

were chosen by God just to plant, or maybe just to water. Or perhaps you will be chosen for those special times when someone will receive. I love it when I get to do all three. It doesn't always happen that way, but every once in a while God encourages me and He lets me do the beginning to the end. But He is no happier with me than He is when He lets me just plant or water.

Be encouraged by just being available. Just be the instrument, the tool. Let God do the work. He is much better at it than we are, for He has had a lot more experience in bringing someone to His Son, Jesus Christ. After all, He is God, the Mighty One, the Powerful One, the Creator, Our Savior, Our Father, the One and Only God.

Have you made that phone call yet? Are you ready to experience sharing Christ with the lost? Does one name keep popping into your mind as you read this book? Has God been whispering in your ear? If so, be challenged, make that contact and see what God can do.
Chapter 18

"someday i want to learn about the bible and go to church, but not now. I'm too busy!"

I had met her once before. She had dropped off her nephew at our Friday night Bible study telling us that she was too busy to stay.

This meeting with her was just a few days later, and one of those "chance meetings." Was it? Or was it God-ordained? I was walking home, and I looked up and there she was. I invited her to the Bible study and to a church service I would be doing on Sunday. That's when she said, "Someday I want to learn about the Bible and go to church, but not now. I'm too busy."

This day, the Lord was going to use me just to plant those seeds!

Have you ever had someone tell you that? It's very common in Taiwan. And yes, I must agree: the people there are very, very busy. . .but it's also common here in the USA. Instead of giving four or five excuses why they can't go to church or be in a Bible study or even read their Bible, it's easier for them to say, "I'm too busy." End of conversation!

Many people all over the world use this as their excuse not to draw near to God. I've used it myself. When I first became a Christian, I could find no time to read the Bible. I, also, was too busy!

One day as I was getting ready to go to bed, I told the

Lord that the only time I would be able to read His Word was at 2:00 a.m. And if He wanted me to read, He was going to have to wake me up. I wasn't going to set the alarm. . .it was going to be up to Him.

Now, Doni claims the house could catch on fire and I would still be sleeping! So I knew it was almost impossible for me just to wake up. I thought I would sleep through the night, and then blame God for not waking me up. Or perhaps think, "Well, I guess God doesn't want me to read His Word." After all, blame God. . .isn't that what most people do?

But at 2:00 a.m. my eyes flew wide open! At first, I had forgotten my request to God and wondered why I was awakened. Then I remembered! I slowly got out of bed so I wouldn't wake up my wife, went into the living room, picked up my Bible, and started to read. About five minutes later I could hardly keep my eyes open, so I went back to bed.

The next night I told God again, if He wanted me to read, He would have to wake me up. . .and He did! This time I read for perhaps ten minutes. Well, each night, (I don't remember for how long as this was more than thirty years ago), He would wake me up until I found my own routine with Him. And, believe it or not, each night as I read I really began to enjoy spending this time with Him, and discovering what He wanted me to do and learn from Him.

You see, I did have time!

In 2 Corinthians 6:2, God says, "AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND IN THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU. BEHOLD. . .NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION."

My friend that I met on the street had the time – at

least the time for her salvation. I encouraged her to accept Christ, and told her that accepting Him was the first step, and not to worry about going to church or a Bible study. Just as a baby has to crawl before he walks, we must accept Christ first, then church and understanding the Bible will become easier. I was planting seeds!

She smiled and said, "I'm busy, I must go."

I'm praying that when I go back to Taiwan in a few months, we'll meet again on the streets and she will have time to invite Jesus into her life. We must never give up on people. After all, God never gives up on us.

So if someone says to you, "I don't have time," read them the survey in Chapter 5 and say, "See, you do have time." If they still say they don't, never give up on them. It's praying time! And I mean pray, pray, pray, and even pray some more! Ask the Holy Spirit to go ahead and help them find the time. It works, I know because I have called on Him many times to go before me to soften and prepare hearts. . .and He does!

How long did it take you to accept Christ? Maybe you told someone, "I'm too busy, I don't have time." But here you are, reading this book and being encouraged to take the time to share Christ with someone. Maybe you've been a Christian for a long time, or maybe not so long. But the odds are that someone out there never gave up on you!

Hey, why don't you call, e-mail or "snail mail" the person who was instrumental in leading you to Jesus, or encouraged you on your walk with Him and thank him or her for not giving up on you. I'll guarantee you they will be encouraged. And if you have time, please pray for that lady I met in the street. Thanks.
Chapter 19

"HELLO, WOULD YOU TELL MY SISTER THE STORY YOU TOLD ME YESTERDAY ABOUT JESUS?"

I had met this young man about three weeks before. He was studying for a school exam on the fifth floor of a church where my wife and I were ministering. The Pastor opens this room for anyone who wants to use it for their studies, and not just for the young people in his church, but for any student in the area.

In Taiwan, education is very, very important. They all want to go to the best preschool, best grammar school, best middle and high school, and of course, the best university. The young people are highly pressured. And because of that, many Taiwanese tell me that there are high amounts of suicide among the young people.

Doni and I were staying on the sixth floor. One day, while walking through the fifth floor I noticed him. He was the only person in the large room. He was a high school student whom I had seen before on the stairway. Because he spoke English, he always smiled when we passed.

When he looked up and said his usual cheerful hello, I went over to talk to him. I shared a little about Jesus, and gave him the booklet My Gift to You. When I saw him a few days later I asked him if he had read the booklet and if he had any questions. He said he had read it, but had no questions. I asked him if he would like to say the prayer in

the booklet to receive Christ.

He said, "Yes, I would like to do that." So he did!

The very next day he knocked on our door. He had brought his older sister who had just come home from college. We opened the door to this greeting, "Hello, would you tell my sister the story you told me yesterday about Jesus?"

We weren't about to say no, so we invited them in. Our accommodations were just one room with a bed and a bathroom. All four of us sat on the bed while Doni and I shared about Christ. . .His love, forgiveness and eternal life. Yep, this young man's sister too invited Christ into her life!

A few days later there was another knock on the door. As we opened it, we saw our new friend, his sister and their older brother, who had also come home from college. The question this time went something like this: "Hello, would you tell our older brother the story you told us about Jesus?"

We also shared with him about God's love, forgiveness and eternal life. But when we asked him if he would like to invite Christ into his life, he said, "No!" He wanted more information, so we asked if they would like to have a Bible study together. . .just the five of us. They all agreed, even the two new babies in Jesus wanted to learn more about what they had done.

We were excited. God was going to allow us to not only plant, but also to water and give them milk as newborn babes. 1 Peter 2:2 was going to take place in their new lives. "LIKE NEWBORN BABIES, LONG FOR THE PURE MILK OF THE WORD, SO THAT BY IT YOU MAY GROW IN RESPECT TO SALVATION."

We began to meet every week for the Bible study. The

older brother had many questions, as did the other two. His questions were more challenging, as he wasn't going to accept Christ until he had most of his questions answered. Since the My Gift to You booklet goes through the Romans' Road, we used it as our guideline to share the plan of salvation with him. He kept coming back with his siblings, so we knew he was interested. And if just seeds were being planted, that would be okay as I knew the Lord would send someone else to him. We might be disappointed. . .but just for a little while. After all, we could see the other two being excited for Jesus and growing in their faith.

About two weeks before our last Bible study, the older brother gave in to God's Holy Spirit and invited Christ into his life. Yep. . .we were excited!

When that happened, the younger brother, the very first one to accept Christ, said to me, "What if someone said that prayer but wasn't serious in inviting Jesus into his life?"

I explained then it would be no good. . .that God knows everything. We can fool our friends and people, but we can't fool God! "FOR MAN LOOKS ON THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE, BUT THE LORD LOOKS AT THE HEART." (1 Samuel 16:7.)

Then I asked him, "When you said that prayer, were you serious about inviting Jesus into your life?"

He said, "No."

I then asked him if he would like to say the prayer again, and really mean it.

He said, "Yes, I would."

He did, and now all three of them will be in God's Kingdom!

Thanks be to God for the older brother holding back for

the Bible study, as the younger brother might have gone through life never knowing for sure if he had received eternal life. No believer should have doubts. We should know for sure that we will spend eternity with God and His Son.

Let's read 1 John 5: 11-13 to assure us of our salvation: "AND THE TESTIMONY IS THIS, THAT GOD HAS GIVEN US ETERNAL LIFE; THIS LIFE IS IN HIS SON. HE WHO HAS THE SON HAS THE LIFE; HE WHO DOES NOT HAVE THE SON OF GOD DOES NOT HAVE THE LIFE. THESE THINGS I HAVE WRITTEN TO YOU WHO BELIEVE IN THE NAME OF THE SON OF GOD, SO THAT YOU MAY KNOW THAT YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE." (Emphasis added.)

Yes, know. When you witness, when you share Christ, you must be sure of your salvation. If you're not, read those verses again and again. For if you're not sure, how can you convince others that when they receive Christ, they will also receive eternal life?

I pray this chapter has encouraged you somehow to take that step to talk to someone, either a stranger as I did, or a loved one, or an acquaintance. If I had never gone over to talk to that younger brother, I could have never rejoiced over those three souls. . .and this chapter never would have been written!
Chapter 20

"I'M AFRAID TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN, BECAUSE MY DEAD ANCESTORS WILL GET ANGRY WITH MY MOTHER AND FATHER, AND BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN TO THEM."

I had been working with this young man on and off for about three years. Even though many discussions about our Lord took place during that time, he had never invited Christ into his life.

I met him while staying in a church on one of my "Jesus Journeys." His uncle had a restaurant next door, and he worked there from time to time. He was also a university student, very intelligent and very nice.

One day while I was waiting for a ride, he came over and began talking to me. We talked for a short time, until my ride came. I gave him a My Gift to You booklet and told him, if he had any questions to come by and talk to me any time that I was home. A few days later he came over to see me and continued to come at least twice a week. We always talked about being a Christian. If I didn't bring it up, he would!

One day I was telling him about Heaven and eternity. He said he had never heard about this before. I explained both to him as best as I could. I told him eternity was forever, it was everlasting and had no end. Then I explained Heaven, where there are no tears, sorrow, death, pain, etc., and that it's a place filled with God's love, joy,

and peace, where we will be in the presence of God. I then asked him if he would like to spend eternity in a place like that.

I was taken aback, shocked and disappointed when he said, "No!"

When I asked him why, he said because it sounds "boring!" He said if you don't have sorrow, how will you know joy? I tried again the best I could, to explain that our minds and our bodies would be different, and that we would not have to experience sorrow to know joy. I told him that our joy would be being in the presence of God, and that there would be no sorrow.

One day, many months later, he said that he had learned more about Christianity since we met than he had ever known before. When I asked him if he would like to become a Christian, he said, "Yes." And then he added, "Maybe in the next five or ten years!"

When I asked him why, he said there were many things to do before committing his life to the Lord. Some of his priorities were school, army, job, a house and getting married. He felt that after he accomplished these things, then he would be ready to give his life to Jesus. He said talking to me made him feel good. . .that it was always a peaceful and enjoyable time. He said that someday he would invite Jesus into his life, adding that when that day comes, he would wait for me, and we could say the prayer together.

I told him, "Don't wait for me. When you do say the prayer, tell me and I will rejoice with you."

I met with this young man many times. Doni and I shared strongly about his salvation, and the last time we met was when he admitted, "I'm afraid to become a

Christian, because my dead ancestors will get angry with my mother and father, and bad things will happen to them."

How sad that there are people in our world who believe that the dead can put curses on the living, or come back from the dead to haunt you, or even be reincarnated into something or someone else.

What does God's word have to say about this? Let's look up some scriptures about these subjects that probably millions believe. Let's get some more ammunition for our witnessing for Jesus.

I may not even comment on these next four verses. I want you to just read them out loud. And if you don't mind, just let God's Spirit speak to you.

Genesis 3:19 "BY THE SWEAT OF YOUR FACE YOU WILL EAT BREAD, TILL YOU RETURN TO THE GROUND, BECAUSE FROM IT YOU WERE TAKEN; FOR YOU ARE DUST, AND TO DUST YOU SHALL RETURN."

Job 7:9-10 "WHEN A CLOUD VANISHES IT IS GONE, SO HE WHO GOES DOWN TO SHEOL DOES NOT COME UP. HE WILL NOT RETURN AGAIN TO HIS HOUSE, NOR WILL HIS PLACE KNOW HIM ANYMORE." The dead can't come back to their home to haunt you. The dead can't return to this earth.

Ecclesiastes 3:20 "ALL GO TO THE SAME PLACE. ALL CAME FROM DUST AND ALL RETURN TO DUST."

Hebrews 9:27 "AND IN AS MUCH AS IT IS APPOINTED FOR MEN TO DIE ONCE AND AFTER THIS COMES JUDGMENT." "To die once," not twice, not three times or more. . .but once! This truly disqualifies the thought of reincarnation.

I'm sorry to write that the young man in this story never did accept Christ, as far as I know. Oh, how I wish he had. But many seeds were planted and even some watering

was done. Did I give up? Did I say, "Why witness?" No! I went on to the next person God put in my pathway. All I have to do is be obedient to God, to have my ammunition, and to allow the Holy Spirit to speak through me. And to remember as we read in Romans, "NOT ALL WILL BELIEVE."

You, too, dear reader, don't give up. Keep on keeping on for Jesus. Expect some rejection. After all, Matthew 7:13-14 says, "ENTER THROUGH THE NARROW GATE; FOR THE GATE IS WIDE AND THE WAY IS BROAD THAT LEADS TO DESTRUCTION, AND THERE ARE MANY WHO ENTER THROUGH IT. FOR THE GATE IS SMALL AND THE WAY IS NARROW THAT LEADS TO LIFE, AND THERE ARE FEW WHO FIND IT."

You can help many find the narrow gate that leads to life by being a witness for the Christ whom we call Jesus.

Get up. Get out and start witnessing for Him!
Chapter 21

"MY FATHER, MOTHER AND GRANDPARENTS ARE ALL CHRISTIANS. I WAS RAISED IN A CHRISTIAN HOME."

I was doing five Bible studies each week, giving me the opportunity to teach about fifty students. Some of the students were not Christians, some were new Christians, and some, (even though they had been Christians for a long time) had never been in a Bible study like this before. I gave them work sheets, home work, and encouraged discussions. Some had difficulty finding books of the Bible, even those who had been Christians for a long time. It was fun seeing them grow, and at times God allowed me to see some accept His Son for the very first time.

One Bible study I did was on the "Touch of God." It was a study asking, "What happens when God touches us?" The scripture was from 1 Samuel 10:26. We talked about how, when God touches us, we are transformed, ordained, unified, and how He helps us to be a conqueror in our walk with Him.

We were on the very first study, "Being Transformed," using 2 Corinthians 5:17 as our scripture. We talked about being a new creation when we invited Christ into our lives. It was a good discussion. We also looked up John 3:3, where Jesus calls it being "born again." Then I asked each one how long he had been a Christian. The first student said he was in college when he accepted Jesus. The second

student kind of avoided the question. . .and then he said, "My father, mother and grandparents are all Christians. I was raised in a Christian home."

Many people feel that because they were raised in a Christian home, or because their mother, father or grandparents were Christians, they automatically are Christians, too. So I asked him if he had ever invited Christ into his life.

He replied, "No."

I explained to him it had to be his choice and his decision to become a Christian, and that none of us are saved because of our parents being Christians. We looked up Romans 10:9 & 10, "Confess with your mouth," etc., and Revelation 3:20, "Jesus is waiting patiently for you to ask Him in." Then I explained God's plan of salvation, and asked him if he would like to say a prayer to invite Jesus into his life. Again, I reminded him it had to be his decision.

Without hesitation. . .he said, "Yes!"

We all stood, laid hands on him, and prayed for him. I first asked God to reveal Himself to him. Then I had him repeat the prayer of salvation, asking Jesus to come and live in him.

When we sat back down, I had the students read 1 John 5:11-13 where John says if you believe on the Son you may know for sure that you will have eternal life. Not maybe, not I hope so, not I think so. . .but you will know without a doubt that you will spend eternity with Jesus and God, our Father. . .another reminder for you.

That night only three came to the Bible study. . .just the right number! The first night we had fourteen. If there had been more, I most likely would not have asked the

question, "How long have you been a Christian?" The Bible study would have taken on a different atmosphere. With only three there, it was more intimate, and we all sat very close together.

At first I was disappointed that more hadn't come to the study, but by the end of the evening I couldn't have been more delighted! God knew my friend needed to invite Jesus into his life. As always, it was His great plan! Remember, "Where two or three have gathered. . ." Thank you, Jesus; three was the exact number to be there. . .You are amazing!

The next week, our new brother in Christ was there, and he was still feeling good knowing Christ was in him. When I asked him if he had told anyone what he had done, he said, "Yes, I told all my family."

He said he felt different than he had the week before he accepted Christ and he said he could feel God's peace.

This new child of God is married and has a fourteen-year-old son. He said everyone was happy except his son. He wasn't happy that his father had become a Christian. But my friend knew what he had done was right and told his son, "There really is a God."

Are you ready for God to use you to bring anyone to Him? If you are, make that phone call, make that visit, write that letter, or send that e-mail. You'll be happy that you did. Remember, received or rejected. . .you will be obedient to God. And that's what matters. . .being obedient to God!

Some of you may be thinking, "You have opportunities to share Christ. I don't have those opportunities."

Don't you? Why do I have them? Do you suppose that maybe, just maybe, it's because I've made myself available

to God?

You can have those same opportunities, if you want them. I'm sure God has put some unbelievers in your pathway.

Remember, the choice is always ours! It's called. . .you guessed it, "being available." Are you? If your answer is "yes," then pick up the challenge and get ready to lead someone to the Lord. You'll be glad you did. And so will that someone!
Chapter 22

"YOU CAN GIVE AN ALTAR CALL IF YOU WISH, BUT ALL OF MY CONGREGATION ARE CHRISTIANS!"

This is a lesson on assuming. We should never assume that just because some people go to church, read their Bible, go to Bible study, or yes, even give their tithes, that they are born-again Christians.

It means that in their busy lives they have not stopped long enough to invite Christ into their lives, confessed Him as their Lord and Savior, given Him their hearts and turned away from their sin the best they can. And if they haven't, all the things they do are dead works!

Jesus Himself said many will prophesy, cast out demons and even do miracles, but He will tell them, "I never knew you." Read Matthew 7:13-29.

Many people believe it is works that save. They think it's too easy just to invite Christ into their lives. Many believe they have to suffer, or do good deeds, before God will let them into His Kingdom. But Paul makes it very clear in his book to the Ephesians in chapter 2, verses 8 and 9. Many of you probably know these verses by heart, but let's look at them again.

"FOR BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED THROUGH FAITH; AND THAT NOT OF YOURSELVES, IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD; NOT AS A RESULT OF WORKS, SO THAT NO ONE MAY BOAST."

Pretty simple isn't it? God has given us a gift. It is His

grace, free of charge, but we must have faith. So grace and faith together give us salvation. You must have both to be saved!

And then in verse 9, Paul makes it completely clear. . .IT IS NOT AS A RESULT OF WORKS. Why? Because if it were, we would all go around boasting, "Look what I did today. I helped Mrs. Jones bring in her groceries," or "Oh, look what I did when Harry slipped and fell. I was watching a good movie on TV, but I got up and helped him into his car." "Oh, that's nothing," someone else may say, "I led my neighbor to the Lord." We would always be striving to do better than the other person.

Isn't it a relief to know that we don't have to work our way to Heaven? It's trusting and having faith in Jesus that gets us there. . .Amen! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

Don't get me wrong. Works are good, but not for salvation. So we must not assume that someone is saved because it seems that they are doing all the right things.

I was preaching in a church in a foreign country about Jesus and salvation through Him. The Pastor of the church was my translator, and just before I ended my message I asked him if I could give an altar call. Now asking for permission before giving an altar call is something I never do when I visit other churches, but for some reason I asked. That's when he said, "You can give an altar call if you wish, but all of my congregation are Christians."

I gave the altar call. It was a small church, maybe fifty plus. He thought he knew every one of his congregation. He was amazed that seven of them raised their hands to invite Christ into their lives. After I returned home, one of the members wrote me and said that now every Sunday after the sermon the Pastor gives an altar call. He said he was

taking no chances that someone in his fellowship may not know Christ in a personal way.

In my church I give an altar call every week, either to accept Christ or for someone to rededicate his life to Him. And when I'm a guest speaker in other churches or we are doing a musical program, an altar call of some kind is always given. One never knows who is sitting out there in the pews or chairs. Someone just might be waiting to invite Christ into his life. Or there might be Christians who are struggling in their walk with Christ and need to be encouraged to rededicate their lives back to Him. Maybe week after week no one raises their hand, but every once in a while we see someone becoming a new creation, or giving his life back to Jesus.

When we go weeks with no commitments of any kind, many will say to me, "Why do you give an altar call. . .no one is accepting Christ?" Do I want to give up? No! Sometimes I may be discouraged, but God is there, encouraging me as I see someone raising their hand.

I want you to be encouraged. Hang in there! You may never know what happens to the seeds you have planted. Then all of a sudden, Jesus will encourage you also, and you will see that seed turn into a beautiful tree.

Is there someone you know who seems to be doing all the right things, yet there are times you're not sure they truly know Christ? It could be your neighbor, your classmate, someone in your office, or maybe even someone in your church fellowship. If there is, start praying for that person. Be brave and ask him or her this simple question, "When did you invite Christ into your life?"

They may not know the day or hour (I don't even know that!), but they will know when something in them began

to change. If they do, then you can rejoice. But if they or you are not sure, praise Jesus, because He has a plan for you!
Chapter 23

"MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB, ITS FLEECE WAS WHITE AS SNOW; AND EVERYWHERE THAT MARY WENT, THE LAMB WAS SURE TO GO."

My dear readers, this chapter is especially for you. You may find it a little preachy, but hey, why not? After all, I am a preacher! I pray that it will encourage you, give you more ammunition, and prepare your heart to be a witness for our Father's Son, our Brother and the Savior of the world, Jesus the Christ.

"Mary Had a Little Lamb" was written by Sarah Josepha Hale sometime in the 1830s. It has about eight verses, but only the first verse kept going through my mind.

I had not thought of this nursery rhyme for many years. I'm sure I've said it many times over and over again, as most of you have too. But one day it just popped into my mind. The more I thought about it and repeated it over and over, I began to wonder if the author of this very famous story was a believer.

You may be asking why I would think that. . .well, let's find out why God put it on my mind, and in my heart, to share with you.

"Mary had a little lamb." As most of us know and believe, Mary was the name of the mother of Jesus. In Luke 1:26-38, it tells us that an angel named Gabriel came to Mary and told her that she would have a son and His name

would be Jesus. Many times in the Bible, Jesus is referred to as the "Lamb." Revelation 7:17 in part says, "FOR THE LAMB WILL BE THEIR SHEPHERD." The Lamb is Jesus. And in John 1:29 it says, "BEHOLD, THE LAMB OF GOD WHO TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD." And, of course, the only One who can take away our sin is Jesus the Christ, the Lamb.

So here we have Mary, the mother, and Jesus, the Lamb.

"Its fleece was white as snow." Since Jesus knew no sin, He was white as snow. And He promises us that when we ask for His forgiveness, we, too, will be white as snow.

The Psalmist David said in Psalm 51:7, "PURIFY ME WITH HYSSOP (hyssop was used for cleaning the house of a leper) AND I SHALL BE CLEAN; WASH ME, AND I SHALL BE WHITER THAN SNOW." And in Isaiah 1:18, "COME NOW, AND LET US REASON TOGETHER," SAYS THE LORD. "THOUGH YOUR SINS ARE AS SCARLET, THEY WILL BE AS WHITE AS SNOW; THOUGH THEY ARE RED LIKE CRIMSON, THEY WILL BE LIKE WOOL."

Amazing, isn't it? Mary, lamb, white as snow – right out of God's Word!

"And everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go."

Now, Mary, the mother of Jesus, didn't live in isolation. She didn't hide herself or her son from the people. They lived as the people lived in those days. Jesus was reared as all of the other Jewish boys were raised. In Luke 2:39-40 and 51-52, it tells us that Jesus lived as others lived while He was growing up, and was "INCREASING IN WISDOM AND STATURE, AND IN FAVOR WITH GOD AND MEN."

When Jesus grew up, He could have hidden Himself from others, but He didn't.

The Bible says He fed 5,000 men, and then he fed

4,000 men. If we count also the women and children at just those two meetings, He was probably ministering to over 20,000 people. We are told that multitudes followed Him. And as always, He healed all kinds of sicknesses and afflictions. Wow, what a God we have!

Yes, there were times that Jesus wanted to be alone with His Father (can you relate?), and to have special times with Him. But the crowds kept coming. He didn't run and hide. He stuck around and healed the sick. That's what Matthew tells us in his Gospel, Chapter 14:13-14. Well, just as Jesus didn't isolate Himself, we too must not isolate ourselves from the world and its people.

Yes, we must live in the world. . .but not conform to it. We shouldn't live according to the style and manner of this present age but we must be transformed from it.

In Romans 12:1-2, Paul says, "THEREFORE I URGE YOU, BRETHREN, BY THE MERCIES OF GOD, TO PRESENT YOUR BODIES A LIVING AND HOLY SACRIFICE, ACCEPTABLE TO GOD, WHICH IS YOUR SPIRITUAL SERVICE OF WORSHIP. AND DO NOT BE CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD, BUT BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, SO THAT YOU MAY PROVE WHAT THE WILL OF GOD IS, THAT WHICH IS GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE AND PERFECT."

Present your bodies to God. Paul says the Christian should believe that our bodies belong to God, just as much as our souls do. And that we can serve God with our body, as with our mind or with our spirit. Remember, our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and the instrument through which the Holy Spirit works.

When we accept Christ, our thoughts are different, our actions change, our minds become like the mind of Christ. We start thinking differently.

We are not to conform to this world. Our standards in life are not the same as the world's. We are to be different. People should see a change in us when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

When we accept Christ, He becomes the center of our lives. Then we can have real worship with Him, and everything we do we can offer to God.

Our outward form stays the same, but our inward personality changes. And believe me, we will make changes every day. That is, when we live our lives for Christ. For me, after over forty years as a Christian, God is still shaping and molding me to make me what He wants me to be. It's not easy. But because of His love He wants the best for me, and you too if you want it to happen. You can become the person that God wants you to become. So let go, and let God do His work in you.

"Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow; And everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go."

Believe in that Lamb, become white as snow. Don't isolate yourself from this temporary world, but go into the world and be His witness.
Chapter 24

"THE COUPLE WHO BROUGHT YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO TAKE YOU HOME, SO WAIT ABOUT FIVE MINUTES AND I'LL TAKE YOU."

I had just spoken in a church that's about an hour from where I live. I had met the Pastor once before, and now he was saying that he'd be taking me back to my apartment. I was delighted about this arrangement, thinking I would have more time to get to know him. Although I'd spoken in his church about six months before, I had never had a conversation with him that lasted more than a few minutes. Now I would have almost an hour with him to get better acquainted. I was excited about that as I had lots of questions to ask him.

In five minutes he came back just as he said he would, but this time he had another young man with him, and said, "I won't take you home, but he will. He lives close by where you live."

I must say I was very disappointed as I was looking forward to that time with him.

As I was getting into the car, the Pastor said, "This young man is a new Christian, so talk to him about the Lord and pray for him."

As I closed the door of the car, I assured him that I would.

My driver was about thirty years old, and during our

conversation he said his mother and father weren't happy that he was going to a Christian church. Both his parents and other members of his family are Buddhists.

We had a good conversation while I was being driven home, and I asked him many questions about himself. One of the questions I asked was if he had ever said a prayer to invite Christ into his life. I was surprised when he said he hadn't. So just to make sure he understood the question, I asked it three or four more times. Then I explained to him about asking Jesus into his life, as the Bible says we "must confess Him as our Lord and Savior" and do it with our mouths.

I also explained to him about choices in our lives, and that he had to decide to invite Christ into his life. That choice had to be his, not his mother's or father's, as they didn't want him to be a Christian, but his alone.

We talked more about Christ and what He had done and is doing for us today. We talked about God's love and why He sent His Son into the world.

About forty five minutes into our journey I asked him if he would like to say a prayer to invite Christ into his life. He said, "Yes," and wanted to do it while driving on the freeway. I was afraid he might close his eyes while driving sixty-plus miles an hour, so suggested that we get off the freeway and stop before going through the prayer of salvation.

We pulled off the freeway, but he said he couldn't see a place to park. I remember he said, "No place to park here," as he moved over to the right-hand lane while cars were zipping past us. But as he eased over to the side, there was a curb, a sidewalk and a gravel walkway. He drove over the curb and onto the gravel, facing the edge of the sidewalk

where it ended. He stopped the car but left the engine running, bowed his head and repeated the prayer to invite Christ into his life.

When we were through, he looked up at me with a very big smile on his face and said, "I feel good, I'm happy!" There were no tears on his cheeks, but his eyes were filling up with water.

The rest of the way home, every time he looked at me, he had a big smile on his face. He knew something had happened to him. He knew he had become a new creation, and he could feel a difference in himself.

Isn't God amazing?

First disappointment: "The couple who brought you can't take you home."

Then joyfulness: "So wait five minutes and I'll take you."

Then again disappointment: "I won't take you but this young man will. He lives close by where you live."

Then joyfulness again as this young man became a new creation in Christ Jesus: "Yes, I want to say a prayer and invite Christ into my life."

God's plan. . .it is always perfect!

My dear friends, He has a perfect plan for you. One of those, I'm sure, is to lead someone to Him. Or plant a seed. Or do some watering. If it's His plan, it's perfect! So don't be afraid, just be ready when God brings you someone to lead to Him.

How exciting our walk with God can be! But as always, the choice is ours. How many times have you heard that before? You can choose to have an exciting life with Christ, or a boring one. For me, it has definitely not been a boring life.

I have been arrested for Christ.

I've smuggled Bibles into Mainland China.

Hiked up mountains where Communist soldiers have watched us with machine guns in hand.

And have been attacked by Satan many times.

My life as a Christian has not been boring, but these things don't compare to Paul's walk with Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 11:24-27 Paul says, "FIVE TIMES I RECEIVED FROM THE JEWS THIRTY-NINE LASHES. THREE TIMES I WAS BEATEN WITH RODS, ONCE I WAS STONED, THREE TIMES I WAS SHIPWRECKED, A NIGHT AND A DAY I HAVE SPENT IN THE DEEP. I HAVE BEEN ON FREQUENT JOURNEYS, IN DANGERS FROM RIVERS, DANGERS FROM ROBBERS, DANGERS FROM MY COUNTRYMEN, DANGERS FROM THE GENTILES, DANGERS IN THE CITY, DANGERS IN THE WILDERNESS, DANGERS ON THE SEA, DANGERS AMONG FALSE BRETHREN; I HAVE BEEN IN LABOR AND HARDSHIP, THROUGH MANY SLEEPLESS NIGHTS, IN HUNGER AND THIRST, OFTEN WITHOUT FOOD, IN COLD AND EXPOSURE."

Wow, was his life exciting or what?

I don't want to scare you off for witnessing for Christ. Just remember, as I've said before, it's not always easy being a Christian. You will probably never experience the things Paul experienced, but you may experience some of the things Christ experienced. And some of these experiences may be loneliness, hatred and being mocked for standing up for your Christian faith. It may be just a snicker. . .but, hey, those are good things. . .right? Why do I think that? Because when these things happen, then you will know you're doing something right for Jesus, and that you're becoming more and more like Him.

As a Christian, do you want an exciting life or a boring life? Remember, the choice is yours. So the next time you

hear God say, "Yes, I want you to tell him about Me," say "Okay, Lord, I'm ready. Bring 'em on!"

I'll guarantee you'll be glad you did. What an honor it is to serve Jesus!
Chapter 25

"HELLO, MAY I HELP YOU?"

I had been in Taiwan for five weeks and was getting ready to go home. The ministry had been good and many had made commitments to God. I had about five more days and was thinking my ministry there was just about over.

I had two more Bible studies to finish and a college group. Oh yes, I also had a last minute assignment the Lord had given me.

It was Thanksgiving Day, and my first time in many, many years spent away from home without Doni and friends. I found a restaurant that was serving turkey and all the trimmings. But one big difference. . .the gravy! It was chocolate gravy over the turkey! It was pretty good, and I must confess that I ate the whole thing. . .well, most of it!

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Before I could get to my lunch, that same morning I had been invited to go straight to a retirement home to visit the husband of a lady who was in one of my Bible studies. I thought I was going there to lead him to Jesus. He was 67 years old, extremely intelligent, had been a professor at one of the universities, and had written many books. . .some on subjects I had never even heard of!

But the gentleman had a problem. . .he drank too much! He had always taught by memory, and never used a book. One day while teaching, his mind went completely

blank for a short time. . .nothing. . .no memory and no thoughts on what he was teaching! So he went home, gave up, and retired from teaching.

Then one day while drinking, he fell in his room and lay on the floor for over twelve hours before someone finally found him. He couldn't move his arms. They had to operate on him, I believe twice. They said he would be okay, but he doesn't believe the doctors so he sits in his chair most of the time just watching television, or sleeps all day long. He says he's even too weak to walk!

I learned that he had accepted Christ and had been baptized. He has a picture on his refrigerator of the Pastor and himself on that special day. The real reason I was there was to pray and encourage him.

When I left, he got up from his chair and walked with me to the elevator and out the front door. He also promised me that he would walk every day. As far as I'm concerned, 67 is young (younger than I am, anyway) and he can still give to his community. But like everything else in the world, the choice is his. He can choose to become an invalid, or choose to give to people what God has given him.

This day was going to be a special Thanksgiving Day for someone, for God was going to give someone the gift of eternal life.

I left the home and went to my (famous) turkey lunch in the restaurant. Then, while walking home afterwards, I window-shopped (sort of, to speak). There are many stores in Taiwan to browse through, and many are along the sidewalks (no windows), so sometimes you have to walk out in the street to get around the many mannequins blocking your way.

I usually cross the street at the same place, but this time I thought I would go down one block and then cross. Halfway through the block I changed my mind and crossed over to the other side of the street. (I wonder, was it I or was it God directing my path?) As I crossed over, I was right in front of a store. I was looking at some of the merchandise that was on the sidewalk when I heard a voice say, "Hello, may I help you?"

I looked up to a smiling face, and said, "No, thank you, I'm just browsing."

She had such a big smile on her face, I couldn't resist, so I went into her shop. It was a women's store. She asked me if I was looking for something for my wife. I said, "Yes." I had just bought Doni a pair of shoes, and I'm always looking to buy some little things for her.

The lady asked me what I liked, and I told her that it wasn't necessary to find something that I liked, but what my wife would like.

I told her that we had been married for 53 years, so I kinda' knew what Doni liked. Well, she made my day by telling me that I looked too young to be married that long! So, of course, that began a conversation. As we talked, she asked what I was doing in Taiwan. I told her that I was there to teach the Bible. I asked her if she knew what the Bible was, as many Taiwanese don't know the English word "Bible." But she said, "Yes, I do." I then asked her if she were a Christian and she said that she hoped so.

I repeated, "Hope so?"

I asked if she had ever invited Christ into her life. She responded that many times when she prays she wants to ask Him but she doesn't know how to do that. While saying this, she folded her hands into a prayer position and said,

"I pray, but I don't know what to say."

I told her that it was easy, and if it was okay with her I would pray for her, and then she could say a prayer to invite Christ into her life. I told her she could repeat the salvation prayer after me. She became so excited, and without hesitation said, "Yes" with a big smile on her face!

Right there in her store she became a new child of God. She was born again and received God's salvation and His Kingdom.

After we were through praying, she said she remembered me. A few years ago she had gone to a church for the first time and I was the speaker. In a way that made me feel good. . .she had seen me before, I wasn't just some stranger off the streets. She knew I was a Christian, and she wanted to be one too.

There is no doubt that God led me to that store. It wasn't I who changed the direction of my walk, but He did.

I had awakened that morning thinking I was going to lead someone to Jesus, but it wasn't who I thought it was going to be. Are you encouraged, or what?

The next time someone says to you, "Hello, may I help you?" think of this chapter, and maybe, just maybe God will use you to help him or her to become a believer in His Son, Jesus Christ.

And if you're really brave, the next time someone asks you that question, "Hello, may I help you?" you can say, "No, but I can help you!"

While I was walking home after my time with the owner of the dress shop, I was thinking this was so easy. I even wondered if it was real! Did it really happen; was she really sincere? Then I just had to stop and thank God for using me that day to bring someone to Him and His

Kingdom. The rest was up to Him. All that lady needed was for someone to show her how she could become a child of God.

Today many people are sitting in churches thinking that's all it takes to become a Christian. This lady was looking, she had even gone to other churches, but no one gave her the answer to her question: "How can I become a Christian?"

I was talking to another lady, and she told me she had gone to the church I was speaking in for a long time. She thought she was a Christian. Then she moved to the USA for a short time, and went to a church there. The Pastor gave an altar call, and she invited Christ into her life. She now knew the difference between being a church member and being a member of God's household! I pray that your Pastor is giving altar calls. If he's not, please encourage him, in love, to do this. It might be just what he needs to hear.

Look around you, dear reader. There is probably someone close by who is just waiting to be encouraged to invite Christ into his or her life. Someone may be saying, "How do I become a Christian? I want to, but I don't know what to say."

Please be encouraged. God wants to use you to be that person to bring someone to Him.

Paul told Timothy, "Preach the Word, be ready at all times and do it with great patience. . ."

Are you getting ready for the challenge? Maybe even to lead that last person to Christ? I know you are. Someone out there may just be waiting for those encouraging words, "Would you like to invite Jesus into your life today?"
Chapter 26

"I'M AFRAID IF I BECOME A CHRISTIAN TODAY, AND THEN TOMORROW CHANGE MY MIND, GOD WILL PUNISH ME."

The Lord had put me in contact with this person many times over the past eight or nine years. My first encounter with him was in a shopping mall where he had a small novelty shop. Whenever I went there, I always stopped by his store to say hello and have small talk. One day when I went there I was surprised to see the whole mall had closed down.

A year or so later I ran into him while walking. This time he was selling his merchandise as a street vender. I was surprised to see him. Actually I don't think I'd thought about him much since our last meeting. Anyway, we talked for a while. . .again, small talk. I don't remember ever witnessing to him. . .surprise, surprise! I don't know why I let those opportunities pass by.

I saw him a couple more times, and then one day he was gone! Now, fast forward a couple more years. While walking again, I came across a little alley that had many shops. I walked through it, and guess what? You guessed it! There he was, setting up a new shop. We talked for awhile, but this time before I left I gave him my booklet, My Gift to You. I told him I would come back again, asked him to read it, and if he had any questions I promised I would then explain what it was all about.

I returned a few days later and talked with him for awhile. After another week I went back to see him again. This time Doni was with me. He said that he'd read the booklet, but didn't understand some of it. He was busy, as we were too, so we didn't get a chance to explain or help him with his questions. But I told him I would come back.

As we left, Doni said that I should take him to lunch and spend more time with him. She also said that he seemed eager to learn about Jesus. You would think by now that I would get the message that God wanted me to witness to him!

About five months later when I returned to Taiwan I went back to see him, and we made plans to meet the next Wednesday for lunch. But I didn't have my appointment book with me, so I didn't write it down and, of course, forgot all about it!

I went back the next Friday to see him, and he told me he'd waited for me on Wednesday, and had even told his friends that he was going to lunch with me. I explained that I had been busy, and had gone to pray for an elderly couple that day. Actually, I really did do that, but then I had to confess to him that I'd forgotten about our lunch date. I apologized and asked to set another date. This time I had my appointment book with me! I was free the next Friday or the following Wednesday. He said he wasn't sure, and that he would call me if he were free on one of those days.

By the following Thursday, since he hadn't called, I decided to go over to his store and talk to him. I was getting a little nervous now, because I was sure God wanted me to witness to him. When I arrived, his shop was closed. I asked one of the other shop owners about him, and she said he was closed for the day. On one of the doors there was a cell phone number, so I wrote it down and called it when I got home. It was a wrong number!

I told the Lord that He had put me in contact with this person over all these years, so it was up to Him to put us together again. . .even though I had goofed up! That evening he called! We made a lunch date the following Wednesday. I told him that I wanted to tell him about Jesus. He said okay. I was excited!

Wednesday came, and we had lunch together as planned. I asked him about his family, work, and etcetera. I kept waiting for the Lord to have him bring up the subject about being born again. Between each bite of food I was praying. When we were finished I asked him if he had time to come to my home. He looked at his watch and said he had to open his shop. I told him I wanted to talk to him about Jesus.

He said, "Okay."

Again I was excited! I knew that no matter if he received or rejected Christ, I had to witness and share the complete plan of salvation with him. Then it would be up to him to receive or reject. His life was in his hands.

This time I was going to be obedient to Jesus and do what I knew He wanted me to do. I gave him the whole plan, went through the Romans' Road and explained each verse. He would nod his head and smile. He seemed very interested in what God was telling him.

Of course, before I left my home to meet him, I'd prayed that I would just be an instrument used by God, and that the words that flowed out of my mouth would be His. When you do that, it always seems to be so easy, and the words do seem to flow out.

When I asked my new friend if he wanted to invite Christ into his life he hesitated, and said, "I need to think more about this. I must read the Bible and study about God."

I told him that was good but not necessary. First, he had to accept Christ. I told him that I would say a prayer, and he could repeat it, and that the prayer was to invite Christ into his life. He sat there staring into space. I could tell he was afraid. I felt he really wanted to say the prayer, but his fear was overpowering his desire to become a Christian. I asked him what his biggest fear was about inviting Christ into his life.

That's when he said, "I'm afraid if I become a Christian today, and then tomorrow change my mind, God will punish me."

I tried to explain God's love, and how He loves us all the same, and when we invite Christ into our lives we become His child. And that He is a loving God, not one who sits in Heaven waiting to punish us for our sins. He's a forgiving and loving God, and not only does He forgive, but He forgets our sins. I told him that instead of punishing him, God would wait patiently for him to come back. Again I reminded him that Jesus died for all of our sins: in the past, in the present and in the future.

He was listening very intently. I knew it was sinking in, but he was so afraid. He mentioned to me two or three times about God punishing him. I told him that wasn't God, but Satan trying to convince him that our God isn't a loving God, but a God of fear and punishment.

I told him that there was no fear in accepting Christ, and that I didn't know anyone who became a Christian who was sorry or afraid of what he had done. After all, who could be sorry for receiving eternal life in Heaven and forgiveness for their sins? I told him that when he accepted Christ, he would be washed and cleansed, and would become a new creation. . .and that it would be like being born again, and it would be a great experience for him!

He said he was afraid he would still sin even though he became a Christian.

I said, "Yes, you will. We are all sinners, and that's why Christ came to this earth."

I again explained that if we were perfect, there would have been no need for Christ to have come to this earth, be beaten, spit upon, slapped on the face, scourged, rejected and nailed to a cross. But we are not perfect, we are sinners. . .Christ came to save us from all our sins.

The apostle Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:15, "IT IS A TRUSTWORTHY STATEMENT, DESERVING FULL ACCEPTANCE, THAT CHRIST JESUS CAME INTO THE WORLD TO SAVE SINNERS, AMONG WHOM I AM FOREMOST OF ALL." Jesus didn't come to save the perfect, but the sinner. . .and that's you and me!

I then told him the story about the ant hill. I read it many years ago and have used it often while preaching or sharing about Christ. Many of you have probably heard it or read it in the past.

The story goes like this:

Once upon a time there was a man walking in a field. He came upon an ant hill. He watched for hours as the ants made pathways, carried objects heavier than themselves and built their own little city. He was fascinated! Then all of a sudden he heard a roaring noise! He looked up, and coming right for the ant hill was a big tractor plowing up the field. He knew that the ant hill, the ants and all their work were about to be destroyed. He knew if he picked up the ant hill to carry it to safety, it would just run through his fingers. He couldn't save them, no matter how he tried.

He then thought to himself, "If only I could become an ant, I could go down to them and save them." He couldn't, but God could! When God looked down on this planet Earth and saw the people destroying themselves, He must have thought, "I will become a man and go down to the people and save them, and teach them how they can have eternal life with Me."

And He did! After all, He is God! And how did He do this? He sent His Son, whom we know as Jesus the Christ, to show us the way to eternal life with Him.

I'm sorry to say the gentleman didn't accept Christ. He left saying he would think about it. He also said he would talk to one of his friends about it.

I asked, "Is your friend a Christian?"

He said, "No."

I said, "Then why do you want to talk to him? Of course he will tell you No."

I told him to call me; that it was his decision to make, not his friend's. And I asked him why he felt that over all these years, we keep running into each other. He said he didn't know!

I told him these meetings were not coincidences, but God had put me in his pathway because God wanted him to become one of His children. Now it was up to him to accept Christ or reject Him. The choice was his.

I asked him when he died, did he want to go to Heaven or Hell? He said Heaven, but yet he would not accept Christ because of his fears.

My dear reader, do you have a friend who is afraid to accept Christ? Or perhaps you're afraid to accept Christ. Or maybe you're afraid of witnessing for God? Don't be. . .don't be afraid of the big three: rejection, persecution or being laughed at. If these things are happening to you, then believe me. . .you are doing the right thing for God.

I also want to remind you again, not all will believe when you witness for our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, the Savior of the world, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, our Messiah. But that is no reason to give up. Just rejoice with those who will accept, and rejoice in all of the seeds God has allowed you to plant.

Has God been putting someone in your pathway? If so, be encouraged. Be a worker: plant a seed or lead someone to Him. Give that someone a chance to receive Christ or even reject Him. Either way, you'll walk away feeling good because you were obedient to God, and you did what He wanted you to do. . .you were a witness for Him.
Chapter 27

"MY WIFE'S FATHER IS VERY SICK. HE IS EIGHTY-SIX YEARS OLD. WILL YOU COME AND PRAY FOR HIM?"

I had met this eighty-six-year-old man a couple of times before. He and his wife are the parents of good friends of ours. His wife was then eighty-three, and neither one of them, as far as I knew, were Christians. I had been told they were Buddhists. My friends are Christians, and so are some of their siblings.

Our friends picked Doni and me up and took us to their sister's house where their parents were staying. I was told that the father had shingles and was in much pain. I have other friends who have had shingles, and they all say it's very, very painful. It takes a long time to recover from this disease, and seems to strike all ages. Being eighty-six and in lots of pain, it must be very difficult to handle.

When we arrived, he was in bed sleeping. The family woke him, over my objections. I asked them to let him sleep. . .we would wait until he awakened naturally. But they went over and shook him until he awoke. He had looked so peaceful!

He recognized me, took my hand and smiled. His eyes looked clear, and for our time with him his pain didn't seem to be as bad. The Lord is so good; we could be in his room and speak to him, tell him about Jesus, and pray for him. Before I started to pray for him, someone said he had invited Christ into his life. They also said that no growth had taken place in him, so I asked God to reveal Himself to him, give him strength, take his pain away and heal him. When I was through praying, I asked his eighty-three-year-old wife if she had ever invited Jesus into her life.

She said, "No."

I then went over and sat next to her, and told her about God's love, forgiveness of sins, Heaven, eternal life and of course Jesus. When I was through, I asked her if she would like to repeat a prayer and ask Jesus to come and live in her.

This time her response wasn't "No," but "Yes."

Can you see what can happen when you make yourself available and are obedient to God?

Of course we all rejoiced, and had more fellowship together, taking pictures, laughing, smiling, and praising Jesus.

We said our goodbyes, and immediately when I got outside my chest felt tight. My back ached and my skin became cold and clammy. I got into the car and started to pray. I was sitting in the passenger seat next to the driver, so no one actually knew what I was feeling, and I didn't mention it to anyone. We were going to lunch, but I felt as if I were having a heart attack and just wanted to go home.

When I started to pray, I had this strong feeling that it was Satan who was attacking me. It was as if he were saying, "See, this is what will happen to you when you lead someone to your Lord."

So I started to pray even harder. Remembering 1 John 4:4, "GREATER IS GOD'S SPIRIT THAT LIVES IN ME THAN SATAN, WHO LIVES IN THE WORLD" (my version), I began drawing strength from this verse that God had brought back into my memory. I felt a little better but was still shaky.

When we arrived at the restaurant I got out of the car and told Doni I wasn't feeling very well. For some reason, when I told her, I felt a little better. I went right into the restroom, washed my face, and had a conversation with the person in the mirror – and God. By the time I went back to the table I felt great. And I ate my favorite lunch. . .chicken hot pot! I ate all of it, and have felt fine ever since!

Satan definitely wants to take our joy away. I have been a Christian since 1970, and have been able to lead many to Jesus. This was the first time this had happened. Satan wanted to discourage me, making me feel this would happen when I led someone to Christ. But guess what? It has never happened again! Yes, our God is greater than Satan!

And because of God's greatness, you, too, can conquer all things!

Remember what Philippians 4:13 says, "YOU CAN CONQUER ALL THINGS BECAUSE IT IS JESUS CHRIST WHO WILL GIVE YOU THE STRENGTH THAT YOU NEED TO OVERCOME SATAN" (my version again).

Well, have you shared Christ with someone since you started reading this book?

Have you picked up the challenge yet? Are you trying to become more like Jesus? Are you ready to be obedient to God?

Wow, so many questions! Remember, it's easy to become a Christian, but it's difficult to live the life of a Christian. . .but please be encouraged, you can do it!
Chapter 28

"ACCEPT THE LORD RIGHT HERE ON THE SIDEWALK?"

One evening about 7:30, Doni and I were walking to a Bible study. The study started at 8:00, so we were just strolling down the sidewalk.

A young lady was walking behind us very fast and knowing she wanted to pass us by, I motioned to Doni to move over to give her room to walk by us. At the next signal light we caught up with her as she had to wait for the light to change so she could cross the street.

We said, "Hello." She smiled said hello back to us. Then she asked us what we were doing there in Taiwan.

We explained to her that we were going to a church close by to teach a Bible study. We asked her if she knew what the Bible was. She said Yes, her grandfather had told her many stories from the Bible when she was younger. She also told us that he had been a Christian but had now passed away. One of us asked her if she too was a Christian, but she said No. We walked a few blocks together sharing Christ and about how much He loved us and died for all of the sins of the world, no matter what they might be. She listened very intently so we stopped and asked her if she would like to invite Christ into her life. That's when she said, "Accept the Lord right here on the sidewalk?"

Of course, we said Yes. Is there a better place than on the sidewalks of Taiwan to become born again? Even though there were a few people walking by, we moved over and she repeated the prayer to invite Christ into her life. We gave her a My Gift to You booklet and a schedule of the Bible studies and what churches we would be speaking in.

Being available, that's all God expects from us. We never know when He is going to put that someone into our pathway, or in this case on our sidewalk to be His witness.

The interesting thing about this story is that the route we took that night to go to the Bible study was not the way we had planned. Without even noticing it we were going a different way, one I am sure that was orchestrated by our Lord.

Jesus teaches us about two paths in Matthew 7:13. One of those paths is the way to Hell. He says its way is wide and many will enter through it. But the gate way to Heaven is narrow and few will find it.

So you can be sure that when God leads you to someone who needs Him, and you may be thinking, "You've got to be kidding, Lord," you can be sure that He is not, and that He wants you to share with that person the path that offers them eternal life.
Chapter 29

"DO YOU WANT TO INVITE CHRIST INTO YOUR LIFE?" "NO, I'M NOT READY YET."

This young lady had come to one of our Bible studies. She had attended because of the person who arranged the study had posted on Facebook that I was in Taiwan and doing a Bible study on Saturday afternoons. She was not a Christian but wanted to study scriptures, as someone had given her a bible and now she wanted to know what was in it. After one of the studies, I had a chance to talk with her alone. She said she had learned a lot since coming to the class and was very much at peace and was now more comfortable around her family and friends.

After we talked for a while I asked her if she would like to invite Christ into her life. That's when she said, "No, I'm not ready yet." Well, the Lord wasn't through with her yet either. That night she was invited to go to the home of another pastor for a time of fellowship. The pastor and his wife are good friends of ours. He knew that she was not a Christian and after much discussion with her about the Lord, he too asked her if she would like to invite Christ into her life. Again she said, "No."

The following Sunday morning I just happened to be speaking in the church that the Saturday afternoon Bible study is held. And low and behold when I looked around I saw her sitting in one of the back row seats. The Lord had given her another opportunity to accept Him. Isn't that how He is? Never giving up on any of us. Well, you can probably figure it out by now. When I gave the altar call this time she didn't say "No," but she raised her hand to make Jesus Lord of her life.

Don't you feel that Christ was knocking at the door of her heart, giving her those three opportunities to accept Him? He certainly didn't give up on her. He didn't say, "You've had your chances, that's it, I'm giving up on you and I'm going to find someone else." No, He gave her another opportunity to believe in Him and if by chance she hadn't taken it, He would have given her many more chances to receive Him as her Lord and Savior.

We also are not to give up on people either, even when we want to. We must continue to witness even if we think that their hearts may be harden. God can and does do miracles in changing people's lives. If you are a Christian and reading this book, didn't He change you? And most likely is still in the process of making you into what He wants you to be? After all, it is not us that changes people. . .but God.

Is there someone you've been witnessing to that doesn't seem to want God in their lives? Are you almost ready to give up on them? Don't, because this could be the day of their salvation. In 2 Corinthians 6:2, in part it says "NOW IS THE ACCEPTABLE TIME, BEHOLD, NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION." It's a quote from the book of Isaiah. So you see if you continue to witness, the day of that person's salvation could be today. Plus that very well could be the person Christ is waiting for to accept Him before He comes for the second time.

Believe me, He does want you to tell "who" about Him.
Chapter 30

"ARE YOU SURE JESUS DIED FOR YOU? ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO TELL HIM THAT JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN?"

This story took place many years ago. It is about a young man who invited me to have lunch with him. He was not a Christian and I had high hopes that this was the day he would become a new creation and be born into the family of God. The place we were going to meet was about two miles from where we lived, so I decided to walk. On the way to meet him, all of a sudden Satan started to talk to me. It was his words to me that said, "Are you sure Jesus died for you? Are you really going to tell that young man that Jesus is the only way to Heaven?"

This was the first time for me to experience a Satan attack. I entertained that thought for about thirty seconds and then while walking I started to sing songs about Jesus, and filled my mind on Him – and that took care of that. How I knew to do that, is still a mystery to me. It must be a God thing!

If this ever happens to you, please don't dwell on such a thought. Get rid of it as quickly as possible. Remember you have the power over Satan; and the Holy Spirit who lives in you is greater than Satan. So because of that we can overcome his assaults.

My friend did not become a Christian that day. The conversation never turned to his salvation. I was disappointed at first for sure. Then God reminded me that I had made myself available to serve Him. I did my part. I was there. I had prayed about my time with my friend and I was ready to be used. But again I was reminded that it is not me who brings someone to God but God Himself. All that God wants from us is to be ready, and when He says, "Tell him or her about me, I just want you to be the instrument that I will use. I'll do the rest." Can I dare to use that word again? AVAILABLE: what does it mean? Simply, be ready!

This story does have a happy ending, because my friend attended our Bible studies, and when it was God's perfect time he invited Christ into his life. So many times our doubts can hurt our witnessing. This is just what Satan wants. But we can overcome those doubts with the strength that the Holy Spirit will give to us.

When we become afraid to witness Satan is happy, he is the one who puts the fear in us. He says things like, "You don't know enough to tell people about your God. They will ask you questions you will not know the answers to." He uses that one on me many times. There are times he may say, "You are going to lose your friends if you talk too much about God and His Son." Or maybe he uses this one on you: "You'll be laughed at rejected and persecuted. Are you ready for that? Is it worth it?"

I have failed many times with my walk with the Lord, but because I know that God loves me I can move forward just as an old song says, "I can pick myself up, dust myself off and start all over again." And so can you. Pick up that phone, write that email or go next door and see what God can do through you. You will never find out if you don't make that move first.
Chapter 31

THERE WERE TEN PEOPLE SITTING AT THE TABLE. NOT KNOWING ALL OF THEM I ASKED EACH ONE INDIVIDUALLY IF THEY HAD INVITED CHRIST INTO THEIR

LIVES.

One young boy around twelve or thirteen said he had never done that. He was the only young person sitting with the group of adults. (Another one of those ordained things by God.) All of his friends were upstairs playing games. The boy's mother was very surprised and said that he went to Sunday school every week and wondered why none of his teachers had given him the opportunity before to invite Christ into his life.

We had dinner and a fellowship time, and when we were through I called the young boy over. I asked him if he would like to become a Christian. He said yes he would, so I had him say the prayer to invite Jesus into his life. When we were through and had opened our eyes a young girl who had been upstairs but had joined us for dinner as all of the young people had, said she also wanted to invite Christ into her life. And she did. Then another young person came forward and said he too wanted to become a Christian. That night five young people became born again and received the Kingdom of God. Two other of his friends were there but they did not want to say the prayer.

I gave all of them a My Gift to You booklet and asked them to read it to confirm what they had done that night. I was overjoyed, just like those angels that rejoice whenever someone comes to know Christ as their Lord and Savior.

So perhaps the next time you're sitting at a table with some people you may or may not know, ask them the question, "Have you ever said a prayer to invite Jesus into your life?" You may be surprised at some answers you get. And the Lord may just open the door for you to lead someone to Him.

Please be encouraged. I am going to challenge you again to be His witness and possibly lead that last person to Christ. And then we can all go home and be with the Lord!
Chapter 32

"DO YOU WANT TO ACCEPT CHRIST INTO YOUR LIFE BECAUSE YOU WANT TO, OR BECAUSE YOUR WIFE WANTS YOU TO?"

It was my last Sunday in Taiwan and I was flying out the next day to return to beautiful Hawaii. I had been invited for a turkey dinner at the home of one of my translators. The following Thursday was Thanksgiving Day. I was free, so agreed to go. There were going to be about forty people there, some I knew and some I did not. I also didn't know if they were all believers but assumed they were as it was a church gathering. In fact, I didn't even think much about it. All I was thinking of was turkey, yams, mashed potatoes and gravy, and of course pumpkin pie for dessert!

After we ate and had some great fellowship it was getting time for people to leave. The hostess asked me if I would close the evening with prayer. I prayed, thanking God for the evening and the people, the fine food, and the wonderful fellowship, then asked a blessing on each person that was there.

Then the Lord prompted me to do something I don't think I had ever done before in a closing prayer. I asked if anyone there who had not asked Jesus into their life but would like to, please talk to either the other pastor who was there, or with me. I said Amen, the others joined in and I opened my eyes and thanked everyone for coming and making it such a special day.

There was a couple sitting next to me and they were talking to my translator, who was the hostess for the evening. She turned to me and said that the man wanted to ask Jesus into his life. Believe me it is so easy when you make yourself. . .AVAILABLE. . .There's that word again! Yes, available to be used by God.

First I asked his wife if she was a believer. She said, "Yes I am, I go to this church." To make sure the man had the right motive in accepting Christ, I asked, "Do you want to become a Christian because you want to, or because your wife wants you to?" He looked at me and smiled. "I want to invite Christ into my life. . .because I want to."

How easy can it get! I said the prayer, he repeated it after me, and at that moment he became born again. I prayed for him and told him to have faith and to believe Christ came into his life the moment he asked Him to, as He refuses no one – that we are saved by God's grace when we believe in Christ as the Savior of the world. It's His gift to us, and we don't have to earn our salvation. It's not works, but the blood of Jesus Christ that saves us.

Praise God He does work miracles today. I thought I was going to a turkey dinner to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. Well it was a "Thankful Day," for a new soul would now be in God's Kingdom. I was so very thankful again that the Lord had used me to bring someone to Him.

Have you been encouraged yet? If so, pick up that phone, make that call and invite someone out to lunch. Be a Christ witness, then you too can be thankful as you see your loved ones or a special friend, or even a stranger coming to know Him and finding the way to eternal life.
Chapter 33

"I WANT TO INVITE JESUS INTO MY LIFE TODAY."

Those are the kinds of words I love to hear! She, too, was from one of our Bible studies in Taiwan, joining the group for the first time when I was there in April and May. She returned in October and November of the same year.

I knew the time would come when she would want to accept Christ as her personal Savior. How did I know? Because her answers to the questions were always so meaningful. Not short answers, but thoughtful and heartfelt.

When I was there in April and May, she asked if I would go over to her house, because her mother was going into the hospital the next day for an operation. She had lung cancer in one lung, and the other had a tumor. She is a Buddhist, as is the rest of the family, but still wanted prayers.

That day, before I prayed, I explained to them about salvation, who Jesus is, and what He did for us, and is still doing. They said they believed in God, but were not sure about Jesus. Neither one accepted Jesus, but I felt that perhaps they were open to the Gospel.

Six months passed, and the daughter was back in our Bible study. The mother was doing well physically, but only the same spiritually. This time I told my new friend that some day she would have to make a decision either to accept Christ or reject Him. I said, "When you're ready, let me know."

Two weeks later she came to me and said, "I want to invite Jesus into my life today."

And she did!

I hope you, the reader, are being encouraged to share Christ more. I pray you are out there trying to lead the last person to Christ. I also pray you're excited to hear those trumpets blow, and the shout of the archangel, as we get caught up to meet Christ in the air.

This is a reminder of 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. But now let's look at verse 18, "THEREFORE COMFORT ONE ANOTHER WITH THESE WORDS."

We can comfort one another because we, as Christians, are encouraged that we will be resurrected to be with Christ. The non-believers have no such hope. They face eternal life with Satan and his domain. We face eternal life with Jesus and our Father in His Kingdom.

God is waiting patiently for us all to come to Him. That's why we must witness. Peter says in his second letter, chapter 3, verse 9, "THE LORD IS NOT SLOW ABOUT HIS PROMISE, AS SOME COUNT SLOWNESS, BUT IS PATIENT TOWARD YOU, NOT WISHING FOR ANY TO PERISH BUT FOR ALL TO COME TO REPENTANCE."

So, Jesus is waiting for more people to confess Him as their Lord and Savior before He returns. He is waiting so patiently for you to lead that last person to Him. And yes, He is waiting for me to do the same!

I don't know about you, but when I do my devotion, I pray that this will be the day for Christ to return. In fact, the Bible says that we are to look forward to His returning. It actually says we should love His appearing, and if you do, you will receive a crown. . .the crown of righteousness.

Read on, as Paul speaks to Timothy, in his second book to him (4:8), "IN THE FUTURE THERE IS LAID UP FOR ME THE CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, WHICH THE LORD, THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE, WILL AWARD TO ME ON THAT DAY; AND NOT ONLY TO ME, BUT ALSO TO ALL WHO HAVE LOVED HIS APPEARING."

Are you ready to receive that crown, one that you can lay at the feet of Jesus?

If you're waiting patiently for the Lord to return, as I am, make it happen. Start witnessing, try to win the race! Lead that last person to Jesus. But watch out, it's not going to be easy. Satan won't be happy. Remember what John says in 1 John 4:4, that the Holy Spirit, who lives in you, is greater than Satan who lives in the world. And Philippians 4:13 reminds us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. As the Holy Spirit is in you, you are more powerful than Satan! Remember these verses that God gave me when Satan was attacking me? They give us assurance that our God is greater and more powerful than any other "so-called gods."

When Satan attacks us. . .gives us doubts, makes us feel worthless, makes us feel unloved, it's not true. Just tell him to go to. . .(excuse the expression). . ."Hell." That's where he belongs. He does not have all the power he thinks he has.

Keep witnessing! Keep giving God the glory!

This is another survey I read once, and it may encourage you: If you lead just one person to Jesus in one year, then the two of you each lead someone to Jesus the next year, that would be four people for Jesus. After five years, there would be thirty-two new Christians. After ten years, there would be 1,024 new Christians. After fifteen years, there would be 32,768 new believers for Jesus! By the end of the twentieth year, there would be 1,048,576 new Christians. Sometime during the twenty-eighth year you would have helped to reach the entire population of the earth for Christ, just because you listened to God's command, and led that one person to Him.

Now that's encouraging to me!

I'm right there with you. Let's you and me change the world. Let's lead more and more people to Jesus!

Who will lead that last person to the Lord before He returns? Will it be you. . .or will it be me? It doesn't really matter, does it? All we have to do is be obedient and be a witness until He decides to come back to this earth. Remember, He has come once before, and He will come again. So until then. . .do as He commands: "Go and be My witness."

Please do the Bible study that follows these pages. It will encourage you and give you more ammunition to witness for our Savior, Jesus Christ. So happy hunting, or should I say, happy witnessing?

And always remember when you think to yourself, or even out loud. . ."You've got to be kidding, Lord, You want me to tell who about You?". . .You can be sure He does!
Chapter 34

"I AM A CHRISTIAN, BUT I'VE FALLEN AWAY FROM THE LORD."

I was in the hospital recuperating from an operation. They were going to remove my gall bladder, but when they opened me up they found some dark brown liquid floating around inside. The doctor who was going do to the surgery said he couldn't remove my gall bladder because of all the dark liquid in the area. He said he couldn't tell my gall bladder from my liver. So he made two holes on my right side to drain out the unknown stuff. It took many weeks to finally remove all of it. Before I had the operation they said I would be able to go home in three days -- I ended up in that hospital for fifteen days.

They then air faxed me to another hospital, and while recuperating and reading my Bible one evening, an orderly came in to take my vitals. He saw me reading the Word and asked me if I was a Christian. I said that I was and then I asked him the same question. That's when he said, "I am a Christian, but I've fallen away from the Lord." With that, tears and sobs filled the room. Praise God the hospital staff had just moved me to a private room, not at my request. Do you believe that this was no accident but God's plan for this young man? We went through some scriptures, reminding him of God's love and forgiveness. And no matter what the reason was that he had fallen away, I assured him that God would take him back at any moment. Then I asked him if he would like to say a prayer and rededicate his life to the Lord. He sat down on my bed, still with tears in his eyes and said, "Yes I would." I'm sure by now most of you are convinced that it was God's plan for this orderly to come back to Him. Think about it, change of hospital, private room, reading the Bible at the moment when he came into my room? I'm sure it was another of God's plans.

He said the prayer and rededicated his life back to his Savior. That is what happens when we find that we also have separated ourselves from God, for whatever the reason may be. He always takes us back, no questions asked, but He does expect us to turn away from our sin or whatever the obstacle is that has separated us from Him, and repent. We do have a forgiving God.

God has just given me a thought. . . I'm wondering, dear reader, do you need to say a prayer and give your life back to God? Have you been slipping away from Him as this young man had? Are you not walking with Him the way you know you should? If so, please say the prayer below, giving your heart back to your Lord.

"Dear God, I am a Christian, and Your Son Jesus Christ lives in me this very moment. But I have been separating myself from You. Today I want to give You back by life, but I need Your strength and power to help me overcome my temptations. I need Your loving arms around me to guide and protect me, for I cannot do it alone. This very moment I want to rededicate my life back to You. Amen." If you said that prayer, please tell someone who is a Christian and have them pray with you, and remember Philippians 4:13 that was written just for you. . . "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." If need be, whenever you are being tempted, repeat that verse over and over again out loud. That's what I do. You will feel Christ's strength coming over you.

They never did remove my gall bladder or find out the cause of all that brown liquid floating inside of me. Many years have passed and I feel just fine. Sometimes I wonder, did God have me in that particular hospital just so that young orderly could return to Him? I know that God does work in mysterious ways. . . I'm just wondering!
Chapter 35

RUBBING MY HANDS TOGETHER I SAID, "YOU KNOW WHAT'S COMING NEXT?" HE SMILED AND SAID, "YES."

When I checked in at the airport counter they told me that the seat next to me was empty, and that since the plane was not full I would most likely have no one sitting next to me. I thanked them and then made some silly comment about being old and needing all the space that I could get. The plane had two seats on each side and four in the middle. I had an aisle seat by request, with the window seat going to be empty. (I was in Heaven.) But before the doors closed, a young man about 28 years old sat in that empty seat. I was disappointed as I had thought I would have both seats all to myself.

He introduced himself and then we shook hands and had a small conversation. It was 12:30 a.m. so both of us and most of the other passengers were tired. We had a ten hour flight ahead of us.

After we ate, they turned off the lights and everyone went to sleep. No overhead lights appeared and no one was looking at the small screens in front of them. I was of course wondering and asking God if He wanted me to share His Son with this young man sitting next to me. Since he was now sleeping, I put the blanket over me and did likewise. But every time I woke up, I had a feeling that I should share Christ with him. When we were about two hours from our destination, the lights came on and breakfast was being served. (By the way, I love airplane food!) We ate and then the conversation began and -- of course how I don't know exactly -- we were talking about Jesus and why He came to this earth.

The young man was a good listener and we talked for a long time. Then I realized it was time for him to either receive or reject Christ. That is when rubbing my hands together I said, "You know what's coming next?" And that's when he smiled and said, "Yes."

I handed him a little book that I wrote, My Gift to You, turned to the page that has the prayer to invite Christ into your life and asked him to say the prayer out loud so I could hear him. He did, stopping a couple of times as his eyes filled with moisture, and then went on. He finished the prayer, and became a new creation.

I told him to have faith that Christ came into his life at that very moment, even if he didn't feel any different -- because Christ refuses no one if they are sincere when they invite Him in. I also asked him if he felt his sitting next to me was a coincidence. He said, "Yes, I think so."

I assured him it was not, and that I had been told that the seat, his seat, was going to be empty. But here he was sitting in it and I was sure that the Lord put him there so he could become one of his children. I went on to tell him that on this particular flight, one that I have taken often, the person who usually sits next to me is either Chinese or Japanese and usually speaks no English. But here he was talking the same language as me. No, I assured him, it was not a coincidence.

I believe he was definitely chosen by God to sit in the empty seat next to me, and because of that he chose to invite Christ into his life.

Are you being encouraged yet? Ask God to have someone sit next to you wherever that may be, so you can plant, water or even lead someone to Him. Try it. Let God work one of His miracles through you.
Chapter 36

"NO I'M NOT, BUT I WANT TO BE, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW."

I'm not sure if any of you readers have seen the movie God's Not Dead, but it's very good and I highly recommend it to you. It's a Christian movie, well done and well acted. I am also not sure how many have come to know Christ because of it. But I do know of one.

Here in Kailua Kona, HI, where we live, we had to guarantee the theater that at least 500 tickets would be sold before they would consider showing the movie, and then they said it would just be for one weekend.

The churches here and the Christian community got together and sold more than the necessary 500 tickets. Many were surprised that the movie ended up in the top ten for two or three weeks. And the theater ran it for not only the weekend, but for two more weeks.

My wife and I went to the second showing on the first day. While we were finding our seats I noticed a woman sitting in front of us who walks on the same path that we do. I walk on that path six days a week, three and a half miles each time, so I have come to know many of the other walkers.

A couple of days later when I saw the lady on the path, I stopped and asked her how she liked the movie. She said she did and since it was a Christian production I asked her if she was a Christian. That is when she said, "No I'm not, but I want to be, but I don't know how."

Oh how I love to hear those words, something that has happened more than once. It's like the Lord has placed someone in my life, giving me another opportunity to bring another soul to Him.

Close by where we were standing on the pathway was a bench. Another one of those coincidences? I asked her to sit with me so I could explain how she could become a Christian.

We sat there and while others walked past, I told her the plan that Jesus had for her. It was an exciting time and the Lord blessed me again as she repeated a prayer to invite Christ into her life.

Please be encouraged. I'm not writing this book to brag, but to encourage you to be a witness for Christ. If He can use me, just an average Joe, imagine how He can use you to bring someone to Him -- just by making yourself available.

That is when God uses me . . . when I make myself available to Him. Try it and see what God can do. Just say, "Father in Heaven, I'm ready and available to be used by You." You will be surprised what the two of you can do together.
Chapter 37

BOWING HIS HEAD AND FOLDING HIS HANDS, HE SAID, "YES I WOULD."

I was standing in line at the airport to check in for my ten hour flight to Taiwan. The line was very long, and circled like a snake to accommodate everyone -- instead of making one huge straight line that would have probably ended somewhere out of the airport. You most likely have stood in such a line yourself.

While standing and being as patient as I could, I noticed that a gentleman standing behind me had the exact same kind of suitcase that I had about fourteen years ago. One could not miss it, as it was a very bright yellow.

So I began to strike up a conversation with him. He told me he was going to be eighty in a few months, and then proceeded to tell me many things about himself and his family. We had a great time together talking, and it made the time go by much faster.

When the time came to check in, I went to one counter and he to another. I was a little delayed because they said that my carry-on was too heavy. So I bent down, opened my bag and removed my Bible. It's a very heavy one, so that seemed to satisfy them. When I stood up my new friend was waiting for me. We walked to the gate together. We were on the same flight to Taipei, but our final destinations were different.

Since we were early for takeoff, we stopped to have a snack, found a table and sat across from each other.

He continued to tell me more about his life, and I could tell he was very friendly and personable. I enjoyed his company.

All of a sudden I felt like I could hear the Lord whispering in my ear that He wanted me to share Christ with the man. Of course, I'm sure by now you can figure out that I did just that. I started out as always by telling him of God's love and why Christ came to this earth, and His plan of salvation for all who believed in Him. When I was through I asked that most important question: "Would you like to invite Christ into your life and receive Him as your Lord and Savior?" Without hesitation he bowed his head, folded his hands on the table, and said, "Yes I would."

I reached out, putting my hands over his, and after praying for him I asked him to repeat the prayer to invite Christ into his life. It didn't matter to us that many people were walking past us as we prayed. What mattered was that he gave his heart and life to the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Leading people to Christ is so easy when He brings someone into our lives to witness to. That's why when you hear Him say to you, "I want you to share Me with "WHO", don't answer back, "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING, LORD. YOU WANT ME TO TELL WHO ABOUT YOU?"

Because, as I've said many times before in this book, HE IS NOT KIDDING. HE DOES WANT YOU TO SHARE HIM WITH . . . WHO!
A BIBLE STUDY GUIDE TO HELP AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO WITNESS MORE FOR JESUS

Dear Reader,

At the end of each lesson there is a Wrap-Up sheet. This is for you to express your views on each lesson in your notebook.

This is your Bible study. Let God speak to your heart. Express yourself, your thoughts and awareness on how you can become a stronger witness for The Christ. Ask God for boldness and His wisdom as you stretch yourself to serve Him better. . .and God will give it to you!

Suggestion: it would be better to do just one or two lessons a week, giving you time to meditate on God's challenges as you learn from Him.

It may also be done as a group study once a week, and can be done for sharing and encouraging each other to witness for Christ.

For special rates for six or more books email me at:

mailto:antoneyboksu@gmail.com

Or write me at

PO Box 4404

Kailua-Kona, HI 96745

Happy witnessing,

Chuck
Lesson 1

Acts 1:8. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

1. What does spreading His word mean to you?

2. Why do you think the Bible is called The Word? (2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:20)

3. Acts 1:8. What does Jesus tell us He wants us to do? What is His promise in this verse?

4. Read Romans 8:26. How does the Holy Spirit help our weaknesses?

5. How do we receive the love of God according to Romans 5:5?

6. Read Ephesians 3:16. What else does the Holy Spirit give us?

We are strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man according to what?

7. Read 2 Timothy 4:2. Why should we be ready in season and out?

When was your last experience in sharing Jesus Christ? Give particulars.

8. Explain Romans 10:17 in your own words.

9. How important do you feel it is to share Jesus Christ with the lost? Don't use vague words like fairly important, or very important, but be as specific and detailed as you can be. This is how you feel about it, right now.

Wrap-Up

1. The verse you liked the most and why?

2. Something you need to do to respond to this lesson.

3. Something new you learned or something God reminded you of from this lesson.

4. Were you encouraged to witness more?

Why or why not?

5. Your personal thoughts. Did God speak to you about something?
Lesson 2

Luke 1:30-31. And the angels said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall name Him Jesus."

1. How can you spread Jesus' love?

2. Read John 10:30. What does Jesus say about Himself?

Is this hard for you to understand? Why?

3. In John 15:12 Jesus gives us a great commandment. What is it?

In John 15:14 how can we become His friend?

Do you find this commandment hard to do at times? (See Luke 6:27) Why?

4. How will the world know that we are Jesus' disciples? John 13:35

5. In 1 Corinthians 13:13 Paul tells us to abide in faith, hope and love. Which one does Paul say is the greatest?

Why do you feel this is the greatest of all three?

6. Has someone shown you this special kind of love?

When?

How did he or she do this?

Wrap-Up

1. The verse you liked the most and why?

2. Something you need to do to respond to this lesson.

3. Something new you learned or something God reminded you of from this lesson.

4. Were you encouraged to witness more?

Why or why not?

5. Your personal thoughts. Did God speak to you about something?
Lesson 3

Jeremiah 31:34. "For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

1. God does not only forgive our sins, but according to Jeremiah 31:34 He does something else. What is that?

How does that make you feel?

Why?

2. What is grace? Ephesians 2:8-9

What is faith? Hebrews 11:1-3, Romans 4:21

3. How are our sins forgiven? 1 John 1:9

What is all unrighteousness?"

4. What is God's desire for all men? 1 Timothy 2:3-4

5. Give a short testimony on how you became saved.

Do you feel you are exactly where the Lord wants you to be in your Christian life? Why?

If not, how can you change the situation?

Wrap-Up

1. The verse you liked the most and why?

2. Something you need to do to respond to this lesson.

3. Something new you learned or something God reminded you of from this lesson.

4. Were you encouraged to witness more?

Why or why not?

5. Your personal thoughts. Did God speak to you about something?
Lesson 4

Luke 2:11. For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

1. How can you share the Savior?

Have you let an opportunity pass by when you could have shared Jesus?

If so, what happened?

2. Read 2 Timothy 1:10. How did the appearing of Jesus Christ bring life and immorality to light?

3. Put James 4:14 in your own words.

Does this encourage you to share Jesus more? How will you do this?

4. Why did God send us His Son? 1 John 4:14

5. According to 1 Corinthians 15:3 & 4, what three things did Christ do for us?

Explain each one.

Which one means the most to you?

Why?

Wrap-Up

1. The verse you liked the most and why?

2. Something you need to do to respond to this lesson.

3. Something new you learned or something God reminded you of from this lesson.

4. Were you encouraged to witness more?

Why or why not?

5. Your personal thoughts. Did God speak to you about something?
Lesson 5

Genesis 3:8. And they heard the sound of the Lord walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees in the garden."

1. Read Genesis 3:1-8. Why did Adam and Eve hide themselves from God?

2. Are there times you feel like Adam and Eve?

When? If not, why not?

3. Read John 1:1 and 1 John 1:1. How do they relate?

Will you some day be able to do all these things with Jesus? 1 John 1:1

How?

When?

Where?

4. In Matthew 28:20 Jesus gives us a command and a promise. What are they?

Explain each one.

5. In John 14:6 Jesus says He is the way, the truth and the life. What does He mean?

6. What was Jesus trying to teach His disciples in Mark 8:31?

7. What great exchange took place on the cross in 2 Corinthians 5:21?

What is the righteousness of God?

8. Do you have God's righteousness? If you do, how did you get it?

Wrap-Up

1. The verse you liked the most and why?

2. Something you need to do to respond to this lesson.

3. Something new you learned or something God reminded you of from this lesson.

4. Were you encouraged to witness more?

Why or why not?

5. Your personal thoughts. Did God speak to you about something?
Lesson 6

Luke 22:42. "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done."

1. In Luke 22:42 Jesus wants only the Father's will to be done. How can we find God's will?

2. In your own words expound on Matthew 27:27-31.

How would you have felt if this was being done to you?

3. Jesus talks about being persecuted in John 15:20. How can you be persecuted for Christ?

Is this hard or easy for you to do?

Why?

4. Have you ever been persecuted, made fun of, or ignored because you're a Christian?

When and how?

How did you handle it? Were you content with the results?

Would you handle it the same today as you did then?

If not, what would you change?

5. Is it okay to pray for boldness in witnessing for the Lord? Ephesians 6:19

Have you ever done this?

If you have, what were the results?

Wrap-Up

1. The verse you liked the most and why?

2. Something you need to do to respond to this lesson.

3. Something new you learned or something God reminded you of from this lesson.

4. Were you encouraged to witness more?

Why or why not?

5. Your personal thoughts. Did God speak to you about something?
Lesson 7

John 19:30. Jesus said, It is finished. He bowed His head and gave up His Spirit."2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training and righteousness."

1. What does John 19:30 tell you about Jesus' power over death? Compare that to Matthew 27:50.

What do you think it means, Gave up His Spirit?"

2. According to John 15:7, how can our prayers be answered?

3. Have you had a prayer answered after you had been praying for a long time?

What were the results?

Do you know why it wasn't answered right away?

4. Do you have a prayer that you have been praying for a long time that has not been answered?

Share that prayer.

5. Read 2 Timothy 2:15. Why should we work hard in the things we do?

Why should we know what the Bible says and means?

Wrap-Up

1. The verse you liked the most and why?

2. Something you need to do to respond to this lesson.

3. Something new you learned or something God reminded you of from this lesson.

4. Were you encouraged to witness more?

Why or why not?

5. Your personal thoughts. Did God speak to you about something?
Lesson 8

1 John 5:11. And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this is in His Son."

1. How has God given us eternal life? Read 1 John 5:11.

2. According to Romans 6:9, why is death no longer master over  
Jesus?

3. Mark 9:31. What did Jesus do after He was delivered into the hands of men who would kill him?

4. Read Revelation 20:14. What is the second death?

Who will take part in this death?

Is this temporary or everlasting?

5. Does each person have a choice between Heaven and Hell?

How is that choice made?

Have you made that choice?

6. What person or persons, church, books, Bible, etc. has been the most influential in your life since you have been a Christian?

How did this come about?

Wrap-Up

1. The verse you liked the most and why?

2. Something you need to do to respond to this lesson.

3. Something new you learned or something God reminded you of from this lesson.

4. Were you encouraged to witness more?

Why or why not?

5. Your personal thoughts. Did God speak to you about something?
Lesson 9

1 Thessalonians 4:17. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord."

1. What event is 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 referring to?

Who will take part in this event?

2. Read 1 Corinthians 15:52. What event is this?

How does this compare with 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17?

3. Is this an event that you will take part in?

Do you find this exciting or depressing?

Why?

4. Latin for Caught up comes the term rapture. In 1 Thessalonians 4:17 who will rise first and who will rise second?

5. Put this verse in your own words (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Use your imagination. Make it sound exciting, as if you were telling someone about it who is not a believer.

Wrap-Up

1. The verse you liked the most and why?

2. Something you need to do to respond to this lesson.

3. Something new you learned or something God reminded you of from this lesson.

4. Were you encouraged to witness more?

Why or why not?

5. Your personal thoughts. Did God speak to you about something?
Lesson 10

John 3:16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."

1. According to verse 3:16 in the book of John, how can we have eternal life?

What is eternal life?

For whom did God send His Son?

What was God demonstrating to us at this time?

2. When we become God's child we start receiving His blessings.  
When does Romans 8:16-17 say this takes place?

3. In the following verses who called Jesus God's Son?  
Matthew 14:33

Matthew 27:54

Mark 1:1

Luke 1:35

Luke 8:28

John 10:36

4. In Mark 9:7 who called Jesus God's Son?

Is that comforting for you?

Why?

Wrap-Up

1. The verse you liked the most and why?

2. Something you need to do to respond to this lesson.

3. Something new you learned or something God reminded you of from this lesson.

4. Were you encouraged to witness more?

Why or why not?

5. Your personal thoughts. Did God speak to you about something?
Lesson 11

Revelation 21:4. And He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning or crying or pain; the first things have passed away."

1. What five things will be wiped away when the believer gets to Heaven?

Does this sound like a place you would like to spend eternity?

2. Hebrews 12:22-24 gives us a quick glimpse of who else will be there. Who are they?

3. Read Revelation 21:9 to 22:5. What does John call our new home?

Where does it come from?

How long, wide and high will the new Jerusalem be?

How many precious stones will be in our new home?

Each gate will have a single . . . How many gates will

be there?

Why is there no need for the sun or moon to shine upon it?

There will be one tree that will bear different kinds of fruit. How many different kinds?

4 Are you ready to share this Heaven with your friends and relatives?

Write their names down. Pray for them and have others pray for them with you.

Wrap-Up

1. The verse you liked the most and why?

2. Something you need to do to respond to this lesson.

3. Something new you learned or something God reminded you of from this lesson.

4. Were you encouraged to witness more?

Why or why not?

5. Your personal thoughts. Did God speak to you about something?
Lesson 12

James 1:6. But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind."

John 14:27. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."

1. Read James 1:6. Explain this verse in your own words.

If we ask for anything what must we have?

2. Mostly everyone at times has doubts. How can we overcome this?

3. Read 1 John 4:4. Who is the He who is in you, and the he who is in the world?

4. Who want us to have doubts and disappointments?

5. Have you ever had doubts?

6. How did you conquer these moments?

7. John 14:27. What is the difference between God's peace and the world's peace?

8. How can we have peace with God? Romans 5:1

9. Explain John 20:19 in your own words.

10. Do you have enough faith to receive this peace?

11. Explain.

Wrap-Up

1. The verse you liked the most and why?

2. Something you need to do to respond to this lesson.

3. Something new you learned or something God reminded you of from this lesson.

4. Were you encouraged to witness more?

Why or why not?

5. Your personal thoughts. Did God speak to you about something?
Lesson 13

Acts 4:12. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved."

1. Read Acts 4:8-12. Who does Peter say gives us salvation?

How does he say it?

How do you say it?

2. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 we read that we become what, when we are in Christ?

What are the old things that pass away?

What are the new things?

3. In John 3:3 Jesus says we must be born again to see the kingdom of God. What is born again?

Is every Christian born again?

4. In John 3:1-21 who was Jesus talking to about being born again?

5. Did he come to Jesus again on another night? John 19:39

Do you think he was born again?

Why?

6. According to Hebrews 11:1 what is faith?

Explain in your own words.

7. Read Romans 10:9-10. What are the two things Paul says result in our salvation?

8. Romans 10:13. We are saved how?

9. Romans 10:14 says we are to be what for the Lord?

Put this verse in your own words.

10. How can we have beautiful feet? Romans 10:15

11. Romans 10:17 says faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. Whose job is it to go out and tell the world about Jesus?

How can you do this?

Wrap-Up

1. The verse you liked the most and why?

2. Something you need to do to respond to this lesson.

3. Something new you learned or something God reminded you of from this lesson.

4. Were you encouraged to witness more?

Why or why not?

5. Your personal thoughts. Did God speak to you about something?
Lesson 14

Matthew 28:19. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."

1. Read Matthew 28:19. How are we to make disciples of all the nations?

What are we to teach them? Matthew 28:20

2. If you were writing to a non-believer how would you explain each of the following verses so they would understand?

Romans 3:23. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Romans 6:23. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 5:8. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 10:9-10. That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."

Romans 10:13. For whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved."

Revelation 3:20. Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me."

3. Since you've started this study, have you been able to share salvation with someone; either planted a seed or led them to the Lord through the guidance of the Holy Spirit?

Who?

How?

What happened?

Wrap-Up

1. The verse you liked the most and why?

2. Something you need to do to respond to this lesson.

3. Something new you learned or something God reminded you of from this lesson.

4. Were you encouraged to witness more?

Why or why not?

5. Your personal thoughts. Did God speak to you about something?

Please continue to make more notes or copy Bible references down for further study and meditation.

Please tell your friends on social media about this book.
