Watch What Happens

Nice watch!”

I had just found my seat in the lobby of a hiring agency and wasn’t trying to start a conversation with anyone. I was exhausted, having spent the last month or so hunting for a full-time job, filling out countless applications, and painstakingly running around town in an effort to land a job that would provide some sense of financial security in preparation for married life. I finally had a break amidst the craziness to just sit down, turn my mind off, and rest. That’s when the stranger next to me brought an end to my solitude, doing it in a way I couldn’t even be offended by — through a compliment. The nerve of this man.

“Thanks! Ten bucks on Amazon.”

I felt a bit proud being able to find an inexpensive yet good-looking watch online, it was gold and simple, easily passing for a watch that I could never afford. My newfound friend was impressed as well.

“No kiddin’! You know, nice things don’t have to cost a lot, you just gotta like it, and if it looks stylish that’s great!”

Alright, this guy wasn’t so bad after all; yes my quiet time had been disrupted, however, it was clear this man wanted to talk, and the bait of flattery worked on me like a charm. 

We continued our small talk, segwaying into why we found ourselves in that particular lobby; it turns out he was there to support his wife who had been trying to find a desk job so they could support their three kids. Our conversation quickly led into marriage (I’m getting married soon and will find any way to bring my fiancé into every conversation) and we began talking about how the process of dating, engagement, and marriage changes a man.

“Our ladies really help us see how selfish and prideful we are, now doesn’t it?”

He couldn’t agree more.

“Man, we realize just how sinful we are now don’t we?”

Sin? Sin! Now that’s a word I didn’t bring up. This word had just created the opportunity for me to commandeer the conversation and lead it towards sin’s fix — a relationship with Jesus Christ.

“Brother, I’m a spiritual man, and I had to recognize that I am not in control of my life, nor the life of my wife, nor the lives of my kids…”

Oh my goodness he began leading the conversation to Christ himself, I didn’t even have to do anything!

“So am I,” I said, “I’ve actually served as a pastor and minister these last several years.”

God is so crazy; I had no desire to talk with anyone, yet here I was talking about The Lord in this lobby with a stranger! The man continued, saying:

“God is the only one in control here, I had to recognize that and realize that I can’t be perfect. As the holy Q’aran says, ‘no one is righteous’. Oh, just to clarify, I am a Muslim.”

Dagnabit! We had been talking about two different gods. I knew from the way he spoke that his knowledge of God was in the infant stages, but never did I even think he’d confess to faith in Allah. This gentleman opened the door to a conversation about God, all the while I sat back and marveled at how this conversation came to be. Now, now I finally realized why I was here — to clarify who God is.

“You’re Muslim? I’m actually a Christian.”

“Oh, my wife is a Christian!”

What is happening? Ok, well I’m intrigued now. God, what are you doing here?

“My wife and I talk about Jesus a lot, and I find myself in utter awe of Him. He was the standard, He was perfect, just as the holy Q’aran says!”

What on earth is going on Lord? Alright, I get it. This was the time to truly direct the conversation.

“Jesus was perfect! Isn’t it crazy that when you look at all other religious leaders, whether it be Muhammad, Joseph Smith, the Buddha, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Jesus stands out from the crowd? Jesus is the only one who triggers people, He’s the only one who upsets people — do you know why? He was the only one who claimed to be God. So is it true? I mean, if He claimed it, then He has to be the perfect God-man like we’ve been talking about, or He’s a liar and so, so evil. You get me?” 

“I get you. Jesus was Holy and perfect and…”

“Joshua, we’re ready for your interview!”

Dang it! We had finally gotten to the core issue, that Jesus Christ was and is God and just like that, our conversation ended. I had no desire to talk with anyone in that lobby, yet the Lord had other ideas. It all started with a conversation about a watch and ended with a conversation about the Savior of the world. 

Walking into the interview, the Word of the Lord came flooding back to me:

“…in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15 ESV ).”

And:

“…it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you (Mathew 10:20).”

When we make ourselves available to the Lord, by that I mean, when we recognize that we are here on earth to be living examples and advocates of Christ and that the Lord is the one setting everything in motion, we must realize we may be called to preach the Gospel at any given moment. The opportunity to proclaim the gospel, as Jesus commands us to in the end of Mathew’s Gospel account, is everywhere around us. Everywhere we go, every interaction we have, every stranger we see is an opportunity to fulfill the Great Commission. Evangelizing may be hard for you, and I get it. It’s scary. Stranger danger! We can’t be weird and just talk to people, anyway what would we say? Remember that the Great Commission is indeed a co-mission. You’re on mission to evangelize, however, you’re not alone. We are all on a mission with the Holy Spirit, who indeed does do the talking for us. Our job is simply to go, to make ourselves available for the Lord to work through us, and watch what happens.