Tell Them Now

by | Jun 7, 1998 | Great Commission, Witnessing

Jake McLean had had a hard day at work, but he was finally able to sit down and relax. He turned on the TV and the first thing he saw was a minister. He was talking about how people can act like the perfect Christian as far as attitude goes, but how they still may have never accepted Jesus.

This made Jake think about his best friend Mike Johnson. Mike was the kind of person that would do anything in the world to help someone out, but Jake knew that Mike had never been saved. For the next week, the minister’s words never left his mind.

He constantly thought about his friend not knowing Jesus. So at work one day, he decided to invite Mike and his wife to dinner. So he called Mike up and they talked for a few minutes; the whole time, Jake heard God saying “Tell him now”, but Jake had decided he would just tell him at supper. But Mike said, “Tonite’s not a very good night, but if you want, you can come over here and Jennifer can fix supper.” “Alright, that’ll be great.” Responded Jake.

That night, Jake went over and ate supper and visited. He started thinking about how much easier it would be to talk to Mike on the phone. He could still hear God saying, “Tell him now”, but what would Mike’s reaction be?

Maybe the phone would be better. The next day, Jake decided to call, but he started thinking trying to make an excuse not to call. “Maybe in person is better. I mean, it’s hard to really tell how someone feels while your on the phone. I’ll just tell him at the restaurant when we go to eat tomorrow at lunch.” So he sat the phone back down. He could still hear God saying, “Tell him now.”

The next day at lunch, as he drove to the restaurant, he could hear God saying “Please Jake, don’t let me down”. When he walked into the restaurant, he noticed it was really crowded. He began to make an excuse again. “Maybe I should just wait and tell him some other time. It’s not like he’s sick or about to die.”

For two days, God was constantly saying, “Tell him Jake”. Finally Jake decided to pray. He prayed, “Father, if you really want me to witness to Mike, show me a sign.”

About five minutes later, he heard a knock at the door. He went to answer it and to his surprise, it was Mike. Jake was freaked out to say the least. He wanted a sign, but something a little more simple. He could hear God saying, “Right now Jake”, but he ignored Him. What would he say? He hadn’t had a chance to prepare.

“It’ll take Mike about 30 to 40 minutes to get home. I’ll practice what I’m going to say and then I will call him and tell him.” He even promised God.

So after Mike left, he started practicing what to say. After about an hour and a half, he decided to call. He started to reach for the phone, but right as he was about to pick it up, it rang. “Hello?”

No one said anything, but he could hear somebody crying their eyes out.

“Hello? Who is this? What’s wrong?”

The person at the other end finally managed to say, “This is Jennifer.”

“Jennifer, what’s wrong?”

She cried and stuttered, “Mike was on the way home from your house when his car had a blow-out. He rolled it four times, finally being stopped by a tree.”

Jake interrupted, “Will he be alright?”

Then she started crying even harder and finally managed to say, “He…,He…didn’t make it.”

If you’re saying that this will probably never happen, think again. I based this on a true story of a close family friend and his friend.

First, Jesus is nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes people may persecute you for loving Him and taking a stand. But you shouldn’t worry about what people think. What Jesus thinks is what really matters. Do you know someone that isn’t a Christian? Has God called you to witness to them? If so, have you said no?

If you answered yes to the last three questions, I hope that you have decided to talk to this person. You may be the only person that ever shares the Message with them. Remember, you may not get a lot of chances. How many have you already wasted?

Author unknown. If anyone has a proprietary interest in this story please authenticate and I will be happy to credit, or remove, as the circumstances dictate.

Author unknown. If anyone has a proprietary interest in this story please authenticate and I will be happy to credit, or remove, as the circumstances dictate.

Thanks to Tidbits DAILY Devotional tidbits-request@mlists.net

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