A STREET PREACHER'S BIRTH
One day as I was thinking about doing God’s work I remembered a verse
Lam 3:27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
I was thinking that God is my creator and He knows best the age at which we must bear the yoke. It is when we are young and have strength. It is better than bearing the yoke in the old age. Then another verse by Jesus came to my mind.
Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
This chapter starts with Jesus going to teach and preach in some cities. He talks about people who refused Him and about people who accepted Him. I understood that the yoke He was talking about was that of preaching the gospel and bearing the result of this preaching because people may persecute you. But His yoke is easy. If God says it is easy then it must be easy, at-least, compared to the other options.
But I did not believe God, I thought that it was not easy. I could think of only one way to test it. Which was by going from bus stop to bus stop and then reading a psalm. It was winter and very cold, so I told God that I will do it in summer. I was trying to put off sharing the gospel but God in His Mercy revealed another verse.
Pro 20:4 The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.
This came as a wake-up call. God will send forth a revival in England and there will be a harvest. If we are lazy now then at the time of harvest I may have nothing and may need to beg. Also there is an end time harvest by the angels and at that time I may have nothing and need to beg if I am lazy and did not plow now. I decided to act.
I went from one bus stop to another walking for upto three hours, stopping only to read a random Psalm to the people waiting for the bus. The first time, I went to the bus stop where I usually go but this time I was afraid and my heart was beating loudly, I took my Bible and got out a psalm and then read it out loudly and walked to the next stop. The second time I was even more afraid while I was reading. One person was fidgeting while I was reading about being righteous and not sinning. Just as I read the last word a person shouted at me and said that I am wasting his time and my time. Honestly, I could not think of a better use of my time and he was not using his time either, he was just waiting for the bus. I just said God bless you and walked to the next stop.
In most places people went away from where I was standing as if I am having a strange disease. Others just ignored me externally and acted as if I was not there. One person came to me and said “I am not a religious person so please keep your reading to yourself”, there were good replies but I was not intelligent enough to come up with anything at that time. I could have said neither am I nor was Jesus but the only thing I said was ‘God bless you’ and stopped reading. His wife accepted a gospel tract from me.
It is during these trips that I clearly find God working for me. Once I went to a bus stop which had two families waiting. I got the Psalm 74 when I opened the bible and I started reading. They started making fun of me and laughing loudly. Since I was reading I could not hear the exact jokes but I knew what they were doing. As I continued reading the verse came up “They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land. We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long. O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme (mock) thy name for ever?” Immediately they all fell silent. Then came the verses “Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name. O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.” On hearing this two of them left in different directions. When I finished reading only the women and children were left. One of the children accepted a tract.
All reactions are not negative. One lady had tears in her eyes as I finished reading about how God saves those who call on Him. One person said ‘that was good reading, mate’. Its moments like these that make you feel it's worth it.
You can do many things like this, just take up your guitar and sing a song about Jesus from bus stop to bus stop. Go two by two. Go and preach the gospel while you still can. I know of one thing for sure, that soon it will be time for the Son of God to come and then there will be a harvest and at that time I will not have to beg.
What about you?
After a few days I realised that I did not do it for any reward or so that I do not have to beg but I was doing it because I loved Jesus. I loved God because Hes answers my prayers. It is a selfish reason but I love Him because He answers my prayers and I am preaching since I know He wants me to do it. I know that I will go to heaven and be with Him even if I do not preach but I will preach since I love Him and I know that He wants me to be a Street Preacher.
Lam 3:27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
I was thinking that God is my creator and He knows best the age at which we must bear the yoke. It is when we are young and have strength. It is better than bearing the yoke in the old age. Then another verse by Jesus came to my mind.
Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
This chapter starts with Jesus going to teach and preach in some cities. He talks about people who refused Him and about people who accepted Him. I understood that the yoke He was talking about was that of preaching the gospel and bearing the result of this preaching because people may persecute you. But His yoke is easy. If God says it is easy then it must be easy, at-least, compared to the other options.
But I did not believe God, I thought that it was not easy. I could think of only one way to test it. Which was by going from bus stop to bus stop and then reading a psalm. It was winter and very cold, so I told God that I will do it in summer. I was trying to put off sharing the gospel but God in His Mercy revealed another verse.
Pro 20:4 The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.
This came as a wake-up call. God will send forth a revival in England and there will be a harvest. If we are lazy now then at the time of harvest I may have nothing and may need to beg. Also there is an end time harvest by the angels and at that time I may have nothing and need to beg if I am lazy and did not plow now. I decided to act.
I went from one bus stop to another walking for upto three hours, stopping only to read a random Psalm to the people waiting for the bus. The first time, I went to the bus stop where I usually go but this time I was afraid and my heart was beating loudly, I took my Bible and got out a psalm and then read it out loudly and walked to the next stop. The second time I was even more afraid while I was reading. One person was fidgeting while I was reading about being righteous and not sinning. Just as I read the last word a person shouted at me and said that I am wasting his time and my time. Honestly, I could not think of a better use of my time and he was not using his time either, he was just waiting for the bus. I just said God bless you and walked to the next stop.
In most places people went away from where I was standing as if I am having a strange disease. Others just ignored me externally and acted as if I was not there. One person came to me and said “I am not a religious person so please keep your reading to yourself”, there were good replies but I was not intelligent enough to come up with anything at that time. I could have said neither am I nor was Jesus but the only thing I said was ‘God bless you’ and stopped reading. His wife accepted a gospel tract from me.
It is during these trips that I clearly find God working for me. Once I went to a bus stop which had two families waiting. I got the Psalm 74 when I opened the bible and I started reading. They started making fun of me and laughing loudly. Since I was reading I could not hear the exact jokes but I knew what they were doing. As I continued reading the verse came up “They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land. We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long. O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme (mock) thy name for ever?” Immediately they all fell silent. Then came the verses “Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name. O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.” On hearing this two of them left in different directions. When I finished reading only the women and children were left. One of the children accepted a tract.
All reactions are not negative. One lady had tears in her eyes as I finished reading about how God saves those who call on Him. One person said ‘that was good reading, mate’. Its moments like these that make you feel it's worth it.
You can do many things like this, just take up your guitar and sing a song about Jesus from bus stop to bus stop. Go two by two. Go and preach the gospel while you still can. I know of one thing for sure, that soon it will be time for the Son of God to come and then there will be a harvest and at that time I will not have to beg.
What about you?
After a few days I realised that I did not do it for any reward or so that I do not have to beg but I was doing it because I loved Jesus. I loved God because Hes answers my prayers. It is a selfish reason but I love Him because He answers my prayers and I am preaching since I know He wants me to do it. I know that I will go to heaven and be with Him even if I do not preach but I will preach since I love Him and I know that He wants me to be a Street Preacher.