On the spur of the moment, Gerry joined me and a couple of other men in our church for lunch. The other two guys work about an hour away, so on our way out to see them, Gerry and I enjoyed a good conversation. He shared with me how he came to know Christ, and how his life was forever changed. So much so that Gerry switched jobs. Previously he was in a managerial position that pretty much required him to work every Sunday morning. Corporate worship became such a priority to Gerry, that he switched jobs, taking a cut in pay. At least in this new job, Gerry didn't have to work Sundays, for the parent company was founded by Christians who did not conduct business on the Lord's Day.
Gerry is an exterminator. He kills bugs for a living. And he loves it. Not because he has anything against bugs, but because Gerry loves people. He enjoys getting to know his customers and taking care of their "pesty" problems. Most of all, Gerry looks for opportunities to share the gospel with them. Some folks are interested in what Gerry has to say; others aren't.
One time, Gerry attempted to share the gospel with a woman who was dying of cancer. Apparently she wasn't interested in listening, nor was her husband. After a moment or so he said, "Just kill the bugs, Gerry." So Gerry courteously continued his work.
Gerry could have given up, figuring few if any of his customers would be interested in hearing the gospel. They would probably just get offended or think he was weird. But Gerry knew better than that. Gerry is fully persuaded that the gospel "is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16). So as Gerry goes about his business killing bugs, he continues to share the gospel wherever the opportunity presents itself.
On another occasion Gerry got to talking about spiritual matter with another customer. As he opened his Bible, the client said, "Man, I wish I had one of those!" Gerry said, "Here, take this one! I've got three more at home!" Maybe we'll see that man in heaven someday.
The more I listened to Gerry, the more I perceived and appreciated his love for God and for people. It was so encouraging to know that this brother was being so faithful in sharing his faith with others. I was challenged and motivated to be more consistent in my own gospel witness.
Gerry just doesn't kill bugs. He tells people about Jesus. I love that. Don't you?
I love that about Gerry too. I know that if I can be more like Gerry I can be more like the man God wants me to be. He's more like a brother to me than a friend. I don't know about being such a "hot dog" Red Sox fan though. They don't have baseball in heaven, do they?
ReplyDeleteLearning to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in those situations shows a sign of real spiritual maturity. Often we can speak the Truth in the flesh and we become offensive instead of speaking the Truth in Love and allowing the Word of God to be offensive. Knowing when the Holy Spirit is the one speaking to you to not cast your pearls before swine or when to share the Gospel shows walking with the Spirit moment by moment. Gerry is a great example to us all both in his humble character as well as his passion for Christ and secondly for his fan support for the Red Sox whether they win or loose..He's always a fan!
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