Friday, December 15, 2006


EVANGELISING JORGE

The Lord's love in our hearts helps us find the right words to reach the lost.

He looked burly and not the sort of taxi driver you'd fool around with. I thought twice and decided to share Christ with him; we exchanged names. Call me Jorge, he said.

I asked him if he was planning to go to the Cabildo today. He said "NO" and went into a tirade against the civic leaders of Santa Cruz, accusing them of being elitist and not sharing their wealth with the poor. Roman priests, nuns and Christian pastors were not spared. According to Jorge, Roman priests and nuns were well taken care of at the expense of the simple folk in the churches; Pastors were no better because they were taking advantage of the people's ignorance. A staunch supporter of President Evo, Jorge said, "Evo is the only president who is looking out for the poor". I was a little taken aback by his support for the government because he was a fair skinned native cruceñan from eastern Bolivia. People from this sector are avowed opponents of President Evo.

How does one share Jesus with the "Jorges" of this world? Well, I told him that he was right; priests and pastors had indeed failed to live up to their calling as God's servants. Jorge remained silent as I told him that Jesus, unlike his servants, is faithful and a person of great integrity. I find that talking about Jesus is a powerful witnessing tool. The Lord's love in our hearts for the lost helps us find the right words to reach those who need him the most. Sometimes its not what we say but the way in which the Holy Spirit fills our words with the Lord's love for the lost. His words were measured and less offensive; he nodded his head in agreement with me about Jesus. I invited him to our Christmas Eve celebrations and prayed for him. He thanked me for the conversation and sped away. I felt a little frustrated that I could not close the deal and lead him to Christ. He appeared to be very hard but there was a softening towards the end.

Pray for Jorge. I'm sure the Lord will send someone else to build on what the Holy Spirit did through me. And pray for discernment, wisdom and boldness to evangelise!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are a Pentecostal in Anglican Archdeacon guise. Most Anglicans would not confront a stranger with the Gospel. Only Pentecostals do that!!

Anonymous said...

By the way I love allyour stories of how you share the Gospel as a lifestyle, including this.

Bolivian Beat said...

hmnn...I am still learning how to evangelise in the streets. There appèars to be link between personal evangelism and evangelism from the pulpit.

sumanited said...

You have planted a seed and I believe Jesus honours your boldness and it shall not gone to waste. Someone will reap and his heart softens.
Sharing with the Name of Jesus is the most appropriate as some of my friends believe in all gods. Kiasu Singaporeans..haha..