Back to yesterday and Monday we go.

Bill Hull’s book, Jesus Christ Disciplemaker, stirred a long-term memory of an evangelism encounter.

Hull wrote,

Witnessing (declaring the gospel to unbelievers) is a valuable and rewarding experience.  If a Christian knows this fact but does not practice it, it is no more than theory.  I can tell you that chocolate ice cream is delicious.  I can use my powers of persuasion, and even convince you of what I say.  But until you actually taste chocolate ice cream, you do not really know.  Many Christians don’t witness.  In their minds they realize the importance of witnessing, but they lack a heartfelt knowledge of its value.  Their knowledge is intellectual but not empirical (p. 91).

While reading that section of teaching the Holy Spirit jogged my memory.  He refreshed me in thinking of the reward in sharing the Gospel.

Again, I was in a restaurant in Oxford, Mississippi.  I had just introduced myself to a nationally known leader.   He was gracious enough to invite me to spend a few minutes with him and his guest at their table.  Taking advantage of the situation, I shared the Good News of Jesus Christ.  The statesman’s response was sincere.  Each time I pressed for a confession in Jesus Christ, He continued to express a belief in a “higher being”.  At least he was consistent, I thought.  Yet I cannot recall hearing him admit that Jesus Christ was the only way to heaven.

It is not for me to decide if someone is born-again.  Neither should it be your judgment.  No one should ever make the judgment of someone else’s salvation.  It is our responsibility to share the Gospel, and it is God’s job to do the saving.  Only the person hearing the Gospel knows whether or not they are truly saved.

Now back to the conversation in the local eatery in Oxford, Mississippi.

When I returned to the table where my friends were dining they inquired about the man’s identity.  I informed them that the gentleman was a United States Senator.  He was not a senator from the south, however.  This man was 1500 miles away from home.

The gentleman to whom I was witnessing was then a senator from the state of Delaware.  Today he serves as Vice-President of the United States.  His name is Joe Biden.

I am so thankful I participated in the “valuable and rewarding experience” of witnessing.  I knew him then as a national figure. There was no way for me to realize a quarter-century later that he would be Vice-President

I encourage you to share the gospel in every instance the Lord affords you.  Who knows, someday that person may become the Vice President of the United States.

Bill Hull’s book, Jesus Christ Disciplemaker, provoked an evangelism encounter in my life from twenty plus years ago.

It was sometime in the late 1980s.  I was in Oxford, Mississippi, studying a new discipleship tool with a group of ministers.  We were being trained as facilitators for MasterLife written by Dr. Avery Willis.  Part of the instruction included sharing the gospel.

One evening a few of us decided to visit a local eatery to experiment with our new means of evangelism.  After our meal I recognized a national politician sitting in a nearby booth.

Let me digress for a moment to explain how I recognized the national leader.  There was a time in my life when I tracked politics much closer than I do now.  At one time I seriously considered a degree in political science.  The interest was born when I cast my inaugural vote in the 1984 presidential election.  I sincerely enjoyed keeping up with politics.

Now back to the moment I met and conversed with a national politician.

After concluding his meal, several patrons stepped over to his table to shake his hand and greet him.  Because of my interest, I followed suit.   We engaged in a brief conversation.  He was intrigued with my purpose for being in Oxford.  When I explained I was a minister receiving training in discipleship he invited me to sit as his table for a moment or two.  There were other people present.

The official was congenial.  He was a very pleasant man.  I also found him to be encouraging.  He seemed genuinely interested in my story.

By the way, aren’t all politicians supposed to be that way?

Yet this man was different.  He went out of his way to engage in a meaningful conversation.  I was impressed.  He was thousands of miles away from his district, yet he treated me as one of his own constituents.

In response to the warm invitation, I used the moment to share the good news of Jesus Christ.  I do not recall the entire conversation, yet I do remember his response.  The elected official informed that he believed in a “higher being”.  He said he formed his belief before undergoing a major surgery earlier in his life.  When pressed, the politician gave the same response – he believed in a “higher being”.  There was no mention of Jesus and there was no confirmation of being born-again.

How important was that encounter?  Check out JUSTONEMORE tomorrow and I will explain.