It was mid-afternoon and in the upper 90’s. I lengthened my stride just a bit so I could enter Home Depot with the man walking ahead of me. His clothes were soaked with sweat indicating to me that he likely had not been hanging out at the coffee shop. I said, “Whatever you are working on, it doesn’t look cool nor easy.” 

He said, “We’ve been pouring concrete, and we are finished for the day.” 

I replied, “I’ve done enough concrete work to know there is nothing easy about concrete —putting it in or taking it out.” That was it. Nothing spiritual just an engagement.

While filling up gas, a 60 year old guy was filling up his car near mine. His license plate was “exmedic.” I had to raise my voice a bit to be heard so I could ask what his plate meant. He told me he was an EMT for 27 years. I asked if he had a word of wisdom that he gained from all those years of helping people in tragedy. “Nope” was his response.

We were on our regular morning walk, and a 30ish guy with two small dogs was walking towards us. I greeted him saying, “Hello. We don’t know you. This is our normal walking route, but we haven’t met you before. We are the Maxwell’s. I’m Steve, and this is my wife Teri.”

He smiled and said, “I’m Nathan, and we live on the other side of 20th. I usually walk the dogs on that side of 20th. I teach at the Junior High and so I am only out walking in the summer, but I am getting ready for hiking in Colorado that we do each summer.” Since our family has enjoyed Colorado hiking, we had a brief conversation about that. 

Finally I said, “Nice to meet you Nathan. We will look forward to seeing you again. Maybe you can tell us about your Pike’s Peak hike.” When we got home, Teri added his name to the list of “our neighbors” in her phone that helps us remember names and details about our friends as we grow relationships with some of them. 

As you can see, every conversation does not have to move spiritual. There is no pressure —just a multitude of opportunities to meet people. Trusting that God is at work in every encounter, I want to learn and grow. It is a wonderful journey. 

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

To begin caring from the heart for those who are going to hell, pray something like this, “Lord, give me a deep love and burden for those who don’t know You and are headed for hell.”  Pray this often. Pray it when you go to bed, when you wake up in the night, when you have Bible time and even include it when asking God to bless your food at meals. “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matthew 21:22). 

Next, is crazy simple. The goal is to learn to be at ease acknowledging men you don’t know. When out, simply greet them with eye contact and a smile. Many men that you encounter won’t make eye contact but be looking for it. If they do, give him a slight smile and a simple nod. There doesn’t even have to be a word spoken. Keep it up until it is automatic and comfortable. Consider asking your wife to hold you accountable by asking how it is going when you have been out. 

“And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also” (1 John 4:21).

I was visiting with a guy at church who asked how my week was. I shared my excitement over how many people I had a spiritual discussion with. I asked him if he shares Christ with others when he is out. He said, “No. I’m an introvert.” 

I wonder how many of the first disciples were introverts. Jesus chose a bunch of fisherman who were out in boats away from people, not shopkeepers from the marketplace. Likely those fishermen would have thought of themselves as introverts. I doubt the Lord considers being an introvert a justification for not sharing.

Why is it that most Christians aren’t sharing their faith when they are out? (I know that is a generalization. But look at the fruit or absence of it.) Are they embarrassed about the Lord? I doubt it. Is it because they wish they hadn’t made a profession of faith? I doubt it. Is it because they don’t know what to say? Possibly, but still I doubt it. If someone felt strongly about doing it, they would prepare. 

I’m convinced that people don’t share, because they have no real concern for other’s souls. It is possible (hopefully not), that love and concern for others is not there. 

If one considered that on average most people are headed for hell. “…for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat” (Matthew 7:13), they would be motivated. 

I plead with you to develop the mindset that the people you meet are headed for hell. Have enough compassion for them to learn how to engage them simply and efficiently. My brothers, there is such joy ahead. 

What an age we live in. No worries about people calling you “stupid.” If you don’t know something, just do an internet search. Hey, knowledge is power. Now we have AI sources that take internet searches to a whole new level. But what good is a response if it isn’t true?? But it is SOO easy to just type a question in. The response you get is only as good as the source the search engine found. 

Recently, I searched for the source of a saying I’ve heard through the years. It gave credit to an American poet and a Bible verse. I was quite surprised because as many times as I’ve read through the Bible, I didn’t remember reading that phrase there before. So I looked in my Bible  for the reference provided in the Internet search. Nope! Not there. WHOA. What was the most fascinating to me was MY emotional reaction. It showed me that subconsciously I was placing a degree of confidence (faith?) in the search response. I felt like I had been lied to.

I love using my Bible application for searching Scripture. It can be trusted as it is simply looking for words in the true source of truth. “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). Once found, it still must be correctly interpreted. 

Oh, my Brothers, are you not only reading the Word, but studying it? May we not be lazy. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Some of you know what it used to be like to set all the clocks in the house after a power outage or time change (not difficult, just a bit tedious). Even then it wouldn’t be too long before they didn’t all agree as they slowly drifted. I won’t comment on the design approaches that caused some to be accurate and others to drift, but primarily the accurate ones used an internal standard that was more stable. 

Today, we are spoiled by clocks that synchronize via communication channels to a remote higher standard in accuracy. Phones synchronize through the networks and “atomic” clocks via radio frequency ultimately to the NIST, National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Oh what a powerful analogy. It is amazing how professing Christians vary widely in their lives and the fruit they produce. Much depends on how synchronized they are with the Holy One Who is our King. Thankfully, we have direct access to God’s standard for lives. It isn’t too difficult to tell those who are synched with Him and those who aren’t.

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).

My Brothers, God purchased us with the blood of His precious Son that we bear fruit and bring Him glory.