What a glorious way the Lord uses us to share His message.
This afternoon I was in particularly rough neighborhood of Chicago, doing street marketing for my job.
I overheard some young men say "Look, three different colors!" I looked in their direction and they were pointing at the sky. I was near enough to turn and say to them that I agreed with them how amazing the sky was painted a different color in every direction, grey to blue, to dark gray, to magenta.
[The Lord is seeming to use the sky lately to make me aware of His presence. It comforts and reassures me when I see how beautifully or brilliantly the clouds are arranged and colored, especially when I am somewhere that is where it's a place that is hideous and dangerous.
Clouds are referred to fairly frequently in Scripture - Jesus coming on a cloud; the Lord covering his coming with dark clouds, etc. In Psalm 18, the Lord covers His deliverance with a thick cloud. These verses or images will come back to mind when I am in these areas, and the Spirit seems to use them remind me that He is with me, to not fear the evil that is around me because He's within me and is greater than he that wants me to leave. (Of course, I'm also trying not to test the Lord and take risks that are greater than necessary). ]
I said to the young men, "Yes, it's amazing, isn't it, how God paints the sky? It seems to me like God's talking to us."
They agreed.
I said, "it seems like He's talking to us a lot this way these days. Have you been noticing the sky lately? It's incredible!"
They said they had. I asked them, since they agreed that God was talking--and talking pretty loud, whether or not they were listening.
They said they were. Just then, I heard a girl's voice say, "Look, over there...a rainbow!"
To the northeast of the sky, the arc of a rainbow had suddenly appeared.
"Wow! Now He's really talking!" I said to the young men. "He's talking to me and to you, and look: now He's using me to talk to you about Him."
I pointed to the most glorious part of the sky. "That," I said, is a little, tiny bit of what I think Heaven must look like. I'm sure it's nothing compared to how it really is, but isn't it amazing that God gives us that picture to get a glimpse of what it might be like to live eternally with Him?"
They agreed that it was. It seemed the Spirit was prompting me to ask them about their place in eternity, where they expected to spend it. They shared their views. This, then, led to a discussion of sin, the Law, judgment, and the good news of the Gospel.
One of the young men, Kenny, seemed particularly struck. He was silent the whole time, and I sensed that he was really taking it in. The other young man, Marquise, seemed distracted.
Many verses and illustrations were coming to mind; some that I had never considered or thought of before. I'm so often amazed now, how the Spirit will bring things to mind that, at the time that I hear them speak, I know they are not thoughts that come straight from my own thinking, because I've never
heard them myself. It seems that the Spirit gives just the boldness and power that He needs for His purposes when He needs it--not before, and not after.
I reviewed with them that the Gospel left them with a decision to make, about being willing to count the cost of giving up sin, believing in Christ, and following Him. I asked them them when they planned to do something about the decision God was asking them to make. They both said, right away, that day. Kenny seemed genuinely sincere. I thought Marquise might be, but I wanted to warn him about the tactics of the enemy -- to take the seed that's planted and keep it from bearing the fruit of life.
I told them that I would pray for them that night as well.
This afternoon I was in particularly rough neighborhood of Chicago, doing street marketing for my job.
I overheard some young men say "Look, three different colors!" I looked in their direction and they were pointing at the sky. I was near enough to turn and say to them that I agreed with them how amazing the sky was painted a different color in every direction, grey to blue, to dark gray, to magenta.
[The Lord is seeming to use the sky lately to make me aware of His presence. It comforts and reassures me when I see how beautifully or brilliantly the clouds are arranged and colored, especially when I am somewhere that is where it's a place that is hideous and dangerous.
Clouds are referred to fairly frequently in Scripture - Jesus coming on a cloud; the Lord covering his coming with dark clouds, etc. In Psalm 18, the Lord covers His deliverance with a thick cloud. These verses or images will come back to mind when I am in these areas, and the Spirit seems to use them remind me that He is with me, to not fear the evil that is around me because He's within me and is greater than he that wants me to leave. (Of course, I'm also trying not to test the Lord and take risks that are greater than necessary). ]
I said to the young men, "Yes, it's amazing, isn't it, how God paints the sky? It seems to me like God's talking to us."
They agreed.
I said, "it seems like He's talking to us a lot this way these days. Have you been noticing the sky lately? It's incredible!"
They said they had. I asked them, since they agreed that God was talking--and talking pretty loud, whether or not they were listening.
They said they were. Just then, I heard a girl's voice say, "Look, over there...a rainbow!"
To the northeast of the sky, the arc of a rainbow had suddenly appeared.
"Wow! Now He's really talking!" I said to the young men. "He's talking to me and to you, and look: now He's using me to talk to you about Him."
I pointed to the most glorious part of the sky. "That," I said, is a little, tiny bit of what I think Heaven must look like. I'm sure it's nothing compared to how it really is, but isn't it amazing that God gives us that picture to get a glimpse of what it might be like to live eternally with Him?"
They agreed that it was. It seemed the Spirit was prompting me to ask them about their place in eternity, where they expected to spend it. They shared their views. This, then, led to a discussion of sin, the Law, judgment, and the good news of the Gospel.
One of the young men, Kenny, seemed particularly struck. He was silent the whole time, and I sensed that he was really taking it in. The other young man, Marquise, seemed distracted.
Many verses and illustrations were coming to mind; some that I had never considered or thought of before. I'm so often amazed now, how the Spirit will bring things to mind that, at the time that I hear them speak, I know they are not thoughts that come straight from my own thinking, because I've never
heard them myself. It seems that the Spirit gives just the boldness and power that He needs for His purposes when He needs it--not before, and not after.
I reviewed with them that the Gospel left them with a decision to make, about being willing to count the cost of giving up sin, believing in Christ, and following Him. I asked them them when they planned to do something about the decision God was asking them to make. They both said, right away, that day. Kenny seemed genuinely sincere. I thought Marquise might be, but I wanted to warn him about the tactics of the enemy -- to take the seed that's planted and keep it from bearing the fruit of life.
I told them that I would pray for them that night as well.
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