Lessons From Faithful Men and Women of God

Payton- “Where are you going when you die?” Man in Line at Immigration- “When I die, I am going to burn” The need for the gospel everywhere we go is immense. On our most recent trip to Colombia, the Lord blessed us with a number of divine encounters that gave us the opportunity to share the gospel with people who needed it. Beginning from the moment we were boarding our flight out of Ft. Lauderdale, the Lord began putting people in our paths that he wanted us to share boldly. This particular trip we brought two of our young friends Payton and Darrell that we met in Colombia the previous time we were there in February. The four of us were filled with anticipation with what God could do in just 5 days. As we were getting in line to board our flight to Medellin, one observation really jumped out to us. There was a man wearing the most ornate Atlanta Falcons cape I have ever seen. He was surrounded by a group of between 6-10 men, and they were all clearly visiting Medellin together. Darrell said that he could tell exactly what these guys were visiting Medellin for. In a few moments, all of Darrell's suspicions would be confirmed. We get to the front of the line and our paths cross with them. One of the guys from their group asked us what we were there for. We answered that we were there to partner with a homeless and drug rehabilitation center to help people get off drugs and tell people about Jesus. We asked what they were there for and they confirmed every suspicion we had with their overt answer. “We are definitely not here for that” he responded. “We are here to party and get laid” his friend added. As we boarded the plane, Joseph spoke a few bold words to them about the evils of sex trafficking in Medellin and how girls are kidnapped at young ages and sold into slavery. He told them that they were contributing to the slavery and taking advantage of girls and young women. Afterwards, we found our seats on the plane and our hearts broke for what we knew the men on this flight were here for. We spent the flight praying that God would convict them and stop them from doing what they were thinking of doing. We never would have anticipated how God would respond to our prayers. We stood in line for 2 hours and 15 minutes. Guess who stood in line right behind us. That’s right. You guessed it. We had the opportunity to minister to these guys for two hours. Payton asked the guy wearing the falcons cape, “When you die, where are you going” and his response was just as tragic as it was shocking. “I’m going to burn”, he replied with a hardened and pompous attitude. As we shared the gospel with him, we could see a shift in his countenance and we later discovered that his father was a pastor. Joseph gave him a word that Jesus spoke to Peter out of Luke, “Satan demands to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed that your faith would not fail and when you have returned, strengthen your brothers.” We invited him to come out to the streets with us that evening and see God at work. We don’t know what ended up happening with that man and his friends. He didn’t end up coming out to Agua Panela to serve with us on the streets, but it was clear that God was calling him to Himself. He used us as His ambassadors beckoning him and his friends to be reconciled to God. God is at work all around us and you don’t have to travel to Colombia to see it. You just have to be willing to allow your life to be completely interrupted for the sake of the gospel. What would it look like if every believer picked up a lifestyle characterized by evangelism? Jesus' command in Matthew 28 to go and make disciples, isn't just a command to go. It is a command to make disciples, As you are going. We went to Colombia for a specific mission, but the mission we found ourselves in was actually on the way. Will you answer the call to make disciples in every area of your life, especially the mundane day to day activities? Will you make evangelism your lifestyle? Answer the call.