The Power of the Gospel

This was my first opportunity to attend our annual Empower Conference, and it was quite a treat. Dr. Roy Fish, a longtime speaker at this Conference, was the Keynote Speaker this year, and I can’t have imagined a better one. He delivered message after convicting message of the great need of our sharing the gospel. One particularly challenging story was related within the context of John 4, as Dr. Fish focused especially on verses 35-38. His point was that both those who sow the gospel and those who reap its hearers are accorded equal value in the kingdom of God. The following story certainly drove home the point for me, as it has challenged me afresh to share the gospel, even in the one or two minutes I may have with my cashier, for example.
Dr. Fish told of an elderly gentleman who lived along George Street in Australia, and did nothing more than ask the simple question of those passing by, “If you were to die tonight, do you know for sure where you would go in eternity?” With another few statements of very brief explanation, he was again on his way. That was it. This gentlemen never even saw one person come to faith in Christ, in the many, many years in which he did this.
As a worldwide evangelist caught wind of this story, he began to share it in the various areas of the world where he preached. And, it often happened that someone who heard the story would share that that was exactly how they got saved: a little old man in Australia shared the Gospel with them on George Street. It turned out that this grand sower, though never having seen the fruit of his labor, had made a worldwide impact.
This was a particularly challenging message for me, and I pray it is for you as well. It’s very encouraging as well, that God can use even the simplest servant, if they are but obedient. We so often struggle to share the gospel, when God is willing to do the “hard” part, if we’ll just act in obedience. I pray we begin to see more and more tales of “George Street” encounters. I’m confident He will reward His faithful servant, and we will enjoy the unique privilege of fulfilling our purpose in this world, and pleasing our Savior.