What Am I Still Here For?

Yesterday, I pulled a book off my shelf I've been meaning to read for about a year. I tore through it in a matter of hours and it has had a powerful impact. The book is One Thing You Can't Do In Heaven by Mark Cahill. Throughout the book, Mark presents a wealth of wisdom from his experiences in evangelism (which is the "one thing you can't do in heaven"). I have been thinking and praying about evangelism ever since. Why is it that I have been formally trained in it several times in my life, but rarely witness to people??

Don't get me wrong, Mark's purpose in writing the book wasn't to shame believers into sharing their faith. But as he shares stories about his experiences, you can't help but see God blessing him for stepping out in faith!! One of my favorite chapters is the one on common excuses Christians give for not evangelizing. Here's his list:

1. Fear of Being Rejected
2. Don't Know How
3. Fear of Losing a Friend
4. They Have Already Heard
5. I Am Just Lazy
6. I'd Rather Just Be Their Friend
7. I Don't Know Enough
8. They Won't Want to Talk About It
9. I Can't Answer Their Questions

Mark does a masterful job of showing each of these are weak sauce in God's kingdom and under His power. Here's a great quote from the book:

"If God gave you a thousand dollars every time you shared your faith in Jesus Christ, would you share your faith? Let's be honest; many of us would quit our day jobs and become full-time evangelists! Every one of us, including me, ought to repent of the fact that we would share Jesus for a measly dollar bill, instead of sharing Him because of the unconditional love that He has for each one of us. Would you be more zealous for money than for God? Would you deal with your laziness problem for the love of money when you won't deal with it for the love of God?

So, today as I was getting my haircut, I very nervously asked God to give me courage to share with the woman cutting my hair. I was really nervous, but I saw God leading the conversation. She looked depressed to me at first, not wanting to talk. So I made small talk, all the time hoping for an opportunity to share with her. Well, she started telling me about the recent death of a relative. So I started asking about death and how hard it was. Finally I worked up the courage to ask her, "Where she would be if she died today?" She said, "Heaven, of course." In my heart, I thought, "Here it comes: I'm a good person." But she responded, "I have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ." I was floored. I assumed this woman was in the occult and here she is worshipping at Monument Baptist. We had a great conversation and were able to encourage each other. I look forward to sharing with those who truly need it as well. It might not always be easy, but I know it will always be worth it!! I'm convinced that if God didn't want me to share my faith, I would already be in heaven. Why else would I still be here??