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Give Me a “J” Chapter-12

Chapter 12

Getting
Started

Go home to your friends, and tell them
what great things the Lord has done for
you, and how He has had compassion on you.
—Mark 5:19

When we want to catch some fish, we’ve got to go where the fish are—or else we’re not going to get a single bite. And likewise, when we want to be “fishers of men” (as the Scriptures put it), we’ve got to go where unbelievers are. So, where are they? Pretty much everywhere. But they’re not in our little exclusive circles of believers in Jesus.

There are times when we want to get together with our spiritual brothers and sisters to worship God together. But there are also times when we should be out there in the world with those in need of knowing Jesus. We need to make some effort to go where unbelievers are, and those efforts will be rewarded.

A great place to start sharing Jesus is at home. Jesus told His disciples, “You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). That seems like a good pattern for us—starting where we are and in time moving out in greater and greater circles, as God enables us. Our “Jerusalem” is our home, and only after starting there do we go out into the world.

We don’t need to go to some far-flung place to find people in need of Jesus; they are all around us. Among the people closest to us—our family members, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and casual contacts—are many who need to know Jesus. We have a responsibility to share Jesus with people who are right next to us and who are spiritually lost without Him.

It’s easy. Imagine that next Monday morning a co-worker of yours says to you, “Man, my weekend was really bad.”

Don’t just say you’re sorry and get on with your work. Ask him what his troubles are and listen compassionately. Then say, “I’m sorry to hear this, but I’m sure you would not mind my praying for you. God loves you and He cares.”

In this chapter I suggest a range of practical ideas you can use in sharing Jesus in your home, from your car, all around town, and with others from your church. My goal is that you will choose some of these ideas, or others like them, and get started with making an impact for Jesus today.

Sharing Jesus in Your Home
Everybody’s got a home. It may be a palace, a suburban four-bedroom, a condo, an apartment, a dorm room, a mobile home, or a hut. Even the homeless have a place under a bridge or in a park that they call home. You’ve got a home. So turn your home, whatever it is, into an evangelistic center for Jesus.

Here are some ideas to get you started. They are ways to make use of the contacts you have with people at home through phone calls, mail, and personal contact.

• Outgoing message. Let’s say you’ve phoned someone named Sam and gotten his answering machine. Sam’s message, delivered in a depressing and grumpy voice, says, “This is Sam. Leave a message if you want to.” You’re depressed before you even leave your message.

But what if Sam left a very different kind of outgoing message? “God bless you! I’m thrilled you called this number!

?There are billions of numbers in the world, and yet you dialed mine! God knows you and God loves you. It’s hard to get in touch with me but easy to get in touch with Jesus. Hallelujah!” What a difference that would make!

Go, change your phone message now and make an impact for Jesus on all who call you. It’s fun and exciting! Change your message every week or so with some refreshing hope and good news.

• Solicitation phone calls. Most of us get phone calls from salespeople when we are at home and even at work. When a call like that comes through, we can get mad because our day was interrupted and then proceed to cut off the caller rudely. Or we can consider the call an unexpected opportunity to share Jesus with a stranger.

?For example, when a salesperson says, “I’d like to speak with you about our credit card,” you’ve got your opening. Reply to her, “Did you know that you can speak to Jesus?” Or if the caller says, “You may be paying too much for your long distance,” you can say, “Yes, but eternal life is free. Jesus loves you.”

?Be inventive. And be persistent. No matter what the other person says, keep on sharing Jesus with him or her. I have led many to Jesus in this way. You can do the same—all in the comfort of your own home.

• Encouragement by phone. You don’t have to passively wait for others to call you in order for you to use your phone for Jesus’ sake. No. Think of people you know who could use some encouragement. These may be family, friends, or even people you have just met.

Many people in your life are discouraged, lonely, or grieving right now. Call them and encourage them with a message about God’s love. Share a Bible verse. Remind them that they can turn their cares over to Jesus. Pray for them over the phone. Should you discover that the person you are speaking with is an unbeliever, lead him or her in a prayer of salvation.

• Bill paying. We all have to pay monthly bills for utilities, credit cards, and the like, and it can be a tense time when we think about all the money that’s going out. Assuming you’re married, that may be a time when you and your spouse say to each other, “Look how much this is!” or “I can’t believe you bought one of those.” But I’ve got an idea for you that will revolutionize the bill-paying time in your home.

As you’re stuffing the envelope with your check and the payment stub, add in a gospel tract that tells how Jesus saves. And while you’re doing it, pray for the clerical worker who will open that envelope and encounter the tract, asking God to open his or her heart to the good news of Jesus. Also, put a sticker that says, “Smile, God loves you,” on the outside of the envelope so that everyone who handles the envelope will see it.

Now you’ll be happy at bill payment time. You’re sending the Word of God along with every check. Before long, every time you get a bill, you’ll say, “Hallelujah!

Another opportunity to share Jesus!”

• Junk mail. Junk mail clogs up our mailboxes every day. We say, “Why do they send me this stuff?” Well, I’ve got a cure for the junk mail blues.

Go through your junk mail and find all the postage paid return envelopes. Then stuff a gospel tract in each one and mail it. The recipients are paying to have the Word of God sent to them.

Similarly, you can take advantage of those annoying cards that fall out of every magazine you open. They may include a survey or a request for information about getting a subscription. But these cards, too, have prepaid postage. Put a Jesus sticker on each one, pray, and mail them back. I have gotten calls and letters from people who have received gospel tracts or stickers in this way (since the stickers and tracts I use have my ministry’s address on them). People come to Jesus this way. It’s easy—and it’s something we can do right in our own homes.

• Tract rack. Many people come to your door from time to time, unexpectedly: A neighbor dropping by to tell you about the neighborhood watch meeting; a teenager selling magazine subscriptions; someone with a special deal on lawn care.

Be ready for them by keeping gospel material and tracts near your door, perhaps in a special rack, on a shelf, or in a drawer. These tracts are brochures telling about Jesus and how to receive the new life He offers. You might even keep some inexpensive editions of the New Testament by your door to give out.

When the doorbell rings while you’re eating dinner, no longer will your first reaction be to cry, “Aaargh!” No. With a tract rack by your front door, when the doorbell rings it will be a race between you and the others in your household as to who can get there first. Opening the door, you will say, “Praise God! I’m glad to see you. We’ve been praying for somebody to come to our house. Here’s the Word of God for you.”

• In-home salespeople. Don’t you love it when a salesperson comes to your door wanting to demonstrate his marvelous new carpet cleaner? Well, maybe you don’t—not yet. But you could. I always invite these salespeople in. And here’s what I do when the salesperson starts his spiel. I interrupt him by saying, “Five and five.”

He will inevitably ask, “What do you mean by ‘five and five’?”

“I’ll give you five minutes to talk about whatever you want if afterward you’ll give me five minutes to talk.” Usually the salesperson will agree—he wants to make the sale. And I listen patiently while he shampoos my carpet. But when his five minutes are up, I unplug his machine and say, “My turn. If you died right now, where would you spend eternity?”

Try this! In five minutes, you can lay out the
whole path to knowing Jesus.

“Oh, I don’t talk about religion.”

“You don’t have to talk; I’ll do the talking. You just listen.

I’ve got four minutes to go.”

Try this! In five minutes, you can lay out the whole path to knowing Jesus. And assuming the salesperson has any sense of fairness, he’s going to listen, since you listened to him. You’ll get so excited about witnessing that you’ll put a sign in your yard that says “All salespeople welcome”!

• Service people. When a drain gets clogged at your house, don’t think, Oh no, I’ve got to have a plumber in here at $60 an hour. I’m going to get him in and out as fast as possible. No, you should think, What an opportunity to share Jesus right in my own home!

When the plumber arrives, have some coffee and cookies ready for him. He won’t mind stopping to have a snack and chat with you. Have your gospel material ready and share it with the plumber, asking what you can pray about for him. Then inquire about his relationship with Jesus.

Eagerness to share Jesus will change your attitude toward having to bring in service people to maintain your home. Every time something breaks down, you’ll get excited!

• Barbecue. Everybody loves a party, so invite all your neighbors over to your house for a party. It could be a Christmas party, an Independence Day celebration, or anything you like. I find that offering a free barbecue works well.

As you get to know your neighbors better in the context of the party, share your experience with Jesus. In this relaxed atmosphere, many will be receptive to what you have to say about Jesus.

• Balloon. Too timid to go to your neighbors and share Jesus with them? Then I’ve got an idea for how you can tell them about your faith and let them come to you.

Get a large helium balloon printed with the words “I’m saved. Are you?” and float it over your house. This will get the attention of your neighbors. The ones who are curious enough will approach you with their questions—and there’s your easy opportunity to start talking about Jesus. (Should you have a better idea for sharing the love of Jesus with your neighbors, then do it!)

• Internet. The Internet can be a great place to share Jesus with the world. Use your computer now for the glory of God.

Carry on a conversation with an unbeliever by e-mail or IM (instant messaging). There may be unbelievers in your address book already who you can e-mail. Also, you can contact strangers by going to one of the Web sites that help people find online pen pals. Perhaps your pen pal will be someone who needs to know Jesus.

You can be a worldwide witness for Jesus
right from your own home!

In addition, you can take advantage of discussion lists, message boards, guest books, comment forms, and chat rooms to explain who Jesus is, what He has meant to you, and how others can know Him too. Assuming you are Web savvy enough, you might even want to have your own blog or Web site where you present the message about Jesus.

Or you can send people a link to www.blessitt.com or one of the other existing Web sites that clearly present the biblical message of salvation.

You can be a worldwide witness for Jesus right from your own home!

Sharing Jesus from Your Car
Many of us spend hours every week driving around town in our cars—going to work, taking kids to school, or doing errands. You may never have thought of this, but your car can become a tremendous witnessing tool.

• Tracts. Did you know that cars come with built-in tract racks? It’s true. Now, some people choose to put their cigarette ashes in there, but nevertheless, automobile manufacturers have supplied cars with receptacles that are just the right size for storing gospel tracts.

What do you do with the tracts in your car? Listen to this.

When you pull up to a toll booth, hand over a tract with your money. At the same time, say, “God bless you. It’s such a privilege to stop by here. I used to complain about the high toll; now I’m excited about it. I get to give you the Word of God.”

Sharing Jesus changes everything. You’ll want to do loops in your car so that you can go through the toll booth plaza over and over again until you have blessed every attendant!

When you drive into a parking lot with an attendant or go through the drive-thru at a fast food restaurant, do the same. Hand over a tract with your money and spend a moment talking with the worker. It ought to be dangerous to be an unsaved cashier at McDonalds, Burger King, or anywhere else you go for fast food, because when you drive there in your car, you are going to share the story of Jesus.

• Gas stations. I know it’s convenient to use your credit card and pay at the pump for gas, but don’t you do it. Hit the Pay Inside button instead, so that you can go inside the gas station and interact with the cashier there. Don’t complain about the high price of gas; instead, say, “God bless you! The love of God be with you.”

Gas station attendants are often unhappy people. Over and over again, I’ve had them respond to me, “I hope God does bless me; I need it.” That gives me the opportunity to inquire more about the person and pray for him or her right there.

And there’s one more thing. Before you leave the gas station, go into the public restroom and leave a tract there. Sometimes I’m so excited that I even unroll the toilet tissue and put Jesus stickers in there!

• Transportation. Some people would like to come to church but can’t because they don’t have a way to get there. Maybe they are elderly and their driving days are over. Maybe they are disabled and are unable to drive. Or maybe they are just too poor to have a car. Whatever the reason, volunteer your car to pick them up.

You can do this on your own as a personal ministry. Or better yet, organize others from your church who are willing to pick up people from their neighborhood who would like to go to church. Match up people who can drive with those who need rides. That way, the church doesn’t need to buy a bus or van—you can just use the resources you have.

When you’ve got strangers in your car, use the traveling time to get to know them better and to discuss Jesus. In the case of those who are not yet followers of Jesus, tell them how they can know Him. Use the extra seats in your car for the glory of God, bringing somebody to Jesus.

Sharing Jesus All around Town
You interact with people all over town, in all kinds of ways. Think about how you can use these interactions as opportunities to share Jesus.

• Public places. Town or city living presents us with lots of unplanned opportunities to meet strangers who need Jesus. For example, when you are at a bus stop waiting for a bus, say to the person waiting next to you, “Hi there. God bless you!”

True, the other person might ignore you. But then again, she might reply, “I sure need a blessing!” That’s your opportunity to say that Jesus knows every person and loves them and that He is ready to hear and answer anyone’s prayer to know Him. You can even ask the person to let you have a prayer of blessing for her. Then you can continue and lead her to pray and receive Jesus.

Be a blessing and share Jesus wherever you go.

In the normal round of life, without going out of our way at all, we meet all kinds of strangers, many of whom do not have Jesus in their hearts. When you’re buying a new car, reviewing your coverage with your insurance agent, shopping for groceries, setting up an IRA with your financial adviser, or doing whatever else is on your schedule, don’t get so caught up in your task that you overlook the person’s greatest need. Be a blessing and share Jesus wherever you go.

?• Restaurant server. Eating at a sit-down restaurant means we have a guaranteed connection with a stranger, the waiter or waitress who serves us. Don’t just be friendly to your server; bring the blessing of Jesus into this person’s life.

Let’s say you are at a restaurant and you have a waitress named Mabel. After Mabel brings your food, say to her, “We’re about to bless our meal here, Mabel. Is there anything we could pray with you about? We believe God answers prayer.”

You might find out that Mabel is a divorced mom with three kids. She’s barely making a living, perpetually behind on her housework, and worried about her kids. She might have plenty you could pray about. Perhaps Mabel will stay with you to pray. But should she say, “I need to go,” you can reply, “Okay, that’s fine.”

Pray for her as you promised. And then, when she comes back to the table, assure her, “We prayed for you and your job” or “We prayed for your daughter who is sick.” Often the sense of being prayed for is a rare and touching experience for people.

At this point you can go on to ask, “Mabel, what about you? What’s your relationship with God? Do you have the assurance that if you died today you’d go to heaven?”

Your sharing Jesus with Mabel is a greater gift to her than any tip you could leave. (But leave a generous tip, too!)

• Laundromats. If you’ve got some spare time and you don’t know what else to do, just go to a Laundromat. With the possible exception of bus stations, laundromats house the most depressed people you can find anywhere. So walk into a laundromat, put a big grin on your face, and announce, “It’s wonderful to be here!”

People will come up to you and say, “Where’d you get that? Can I have some? How much does it cost?” That’s your cue to say, “God bless you.” Hand out “Smile, God loves you” stickers all around. Ask people how you can pray for them. You might be surprised by who you can lead to Jesus and invite to come to church with you on Sunday.

• Prayer booth. When your community is having a fair, swap meet, or other well-attended event, set up a table or booth with a sign that says something like “We will pray for your requests.” People will be curious and come over to see what you’re doing. Some of them will have heavy burdens on their hearts or spiritual needs.

Bless people and ask them how you can pray with them. Probe to find out whether they have a personal relationship with Jesus. Pray for their needs as well as lead them in a prayer to receive Jesus.

• Garage sale. It’s amazing how many people go to garage sales, isn’t it? Even though you may not be particularly interested in selling your unwanted stuff, have a garage sale anyway. Use it as an opportunity to share Jesus with the people who show up. They may get a better “bargain” than they ever dreamed of when they saw your ad in the paper!

Prepare a packet with a small gift and gospel material to give to every person who comes to your sale. Ask to have a prayer of blessing with each person. Then you can ask about their personal relationship with Jesus.

• Waiting rooms. Plenty of offices have waiting rooms where the patrons spend time before getting some kind of service. Give people something to flip through besides last month’s celebrity gossip or a golf magazine. When you go to your doctor’s office, dentist’s office, or hair salon, bring magazines that talk about Jesus and leave them on the table. Don’t throw away good Jesus material; recycle it by leaving it where others can read it.

• Bulletin boards. You know from chapter six how effective it is to share your personal testimony of Jesus. In addition to sharing that testimony one on one, you can type it up and put it on bulletin boards in public places.

Many supermarkets and other large stores have bulletin boards where people can put up posters and business cards. These can be great places to share about Jesus. Type up your testimony so that it fits on one page, then tack it up. As you make your shopping rounds, you can post the message of Jesus where people can read it at their leisure.

• “See a need and meet it.” Serving other people is not only a good thing in itself; it also causes them to ask about our motivation. So that’s why I like to suggest something I call “see a need and meet it.”

A neighbor is sick? Make him a meal or mow his grass.

A mother has been abandoned by her husband? Offer to baby-sit the kids for an afternoon.

A poor family’s home is looking run down? Get some friends together and paint the house.

Whatever the need is, serve with joy and gladness. The persons you are helping will ask why you are doing it. That’s when you can say that it is because of the love God has put in your heart. You can then go on to share your testimony of how Jesus changed your life and lead them in receiving Jesus.

Sharing Jesus with Others from Your Church
Jesus often sent His disciples out two by two or in groups to minister. That approach works for us, too.

Think about other followers of Jesus, particularly ones from your own church, with whom you can share Jesus in your community.

• Neighbor-to-neighbor community sharing. Get together in teams of two or three (at least one man and one woman in each team), with a couple of teams moving along either side of a street to share Jesus. Skip the homes with “No Solicitation” signs, but hit every other home you come to. As you smile and present a cheerful attitude, identify yourself with your name and the name of your local church.

Extend an invitation for the family living in that home to visit your church. Then say that you believe in the power of prayer and would like to know what you can pray for them about, such as healing for a sick member of the family. Pray a blessing on the home and pray for the needs mentioned—and for nothing else.

After the prayer of blessing, ask the person at the door about his or her relationship with Jesus: “Do you have the assurance that, were you to die this moment, you would go to heaven?” Share Jesus with this person and invite him or her to pray and receive Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Many people have never had anyone
pray for them in person.

Having a prayer of blessing and prayer for the needs of the family is very powerful and something people will never forget. Many people have never had anyone pray for them in person.

• Business blessings. Put together a prayer team from your church (possibly including your pastor) to go to businesses in your neighborhood and pray the blessings of God upon each company and its employees. Call ahead to schedule a time for the team to visit a business. When the time comes, bring with you a certificate that you will present to a company officer to commemorate the event. (You can use a certificate template into which you insert each company’s name and the date on which your team visits it.) With as many employees gathered as possible, share about Jesus and then offer a prayer of blessing as well as a prayer of salvation.

• Apartment complexes, condo associations, and gated communities. Many of these areas are closed to normal door-to-door ministry by community rules. However, there is a way around these rules that will open the way for powerful sharing. Ask at your church meeting for someone who lives in an apartment, condo, or gated community to volunteer to be the host of a gathering. As a member of the housing
area, this person has access to the pool area or clubhouse and can hold events there.

The host should reserve the space and post notices about the special event (maybe even distributing a flyer to every door). Name the party creatively and invite everyone in the housing development to attend. Provide refreshments and perhaps schedule a singing group or guest speaker. Keep the event brief, relaxed, and personal.

You can have the host share a testimony about what Jesus has done in his or her life and then have the other speaker share about knowing Jesus and lead in a prayer of blessing and a prayer of salvation.

• Other ideas. There are many different ways you can put together ministry teams from your church—you can have youth ministry teams, young adult teams, and senior teams, for instance. There are also many different kinds of ministry these teams can carry out that will be fun and yet be powerful in impact. Here a re some additional ideas:

• Prison teams: Visit area prisons, jails, and juvenile detention centers.
• Bus stop teams: Share Jesus and give out gospel materials at bus stops.
• 24/7 Jesus responder teams: Have people on call to meet any area emergency with love, prayer, and physical assistance.
• Bar teams: Send specially trained teams to share Jesus in bars and nightclubs.
• Hospital teams: Share Jesus in hospitals, nursing homes, and retirement centers.
• Mobile chapel teams: Equip a van or bus so that you can perform services at places like truck stops and at special events like auto races.
• Mobile home teams: Contact all the mobile home parks in your area and arrange to hold church services there.
• Follow-up teams: Send small groups to follow up with first-time visitors to your church, with prospects identified by church members, and with new converts and new members.
• Gospel materials team: Distribute gospel tracts and Bibles to hotels, bulletin boards in malls and superstores, hospitals, doctors’ offices, and similar locations. Provide display racks and return weekly To refresh the supply.
• Phone team: Offer prayer and encouragement over the phone to people who are hurting or suffering loss.
• Event team: Share Jesus at large public events in your area. Enter a float in a local parade. Set up a prayer booth at a fair or festival. Talk with people at sports and music events.
• “Festival in the Park” team: Stage your own free event in a local park. Arrange for musical groups to perform and for speakers to address the crowd, telling about Jesus.
• Cross team: I don’t hold the patent on carrying a cross! A group from your church can do the same thing in your town. Ahead of time, alert church membersto the date and the streets where you will be walking so they can prepare a welcome along their street. Information on building a cross and carrying it is found on my website at www.blessitt.com.

Endless Opportunities
The ideas I have just shared with you, numerous as they might seem, are still just a start. Maybe you don’t even care for some of them and you are thinking, I can share Jesus better than that. Then do it! I don’t care whether you use my ideas; I just want you to get out there, sharing Jesus regularly and effectively with the people who need Him.

Be creative and think of how Jesus can use you and your church to reach the entire community where you live. Remember, there are no walls. Attempt the seemingly impossible. Pray, discuss, and plan … then go! In the name and in the power of Jesus, you are free! Break out of the mold and see the world and its people and opportunities in a new way. I’ve preached at wrestling matches, porno movie theaters, nightclubs, rock festivals, battlefields … the opportunities are endless.

We should take the message of Jesus everywhere.

Start at home. Start today.
___
Questions to Consider
• Taking into consideration your personality, your
lifestyle, and your contacts within your hometown,
how will you get started sharing Jesus?
Who will help you or hold you accountable?
• What has been the single most important lesson
you have learned from this book—and how will
it change your life?

Acknowledgments

I would like to express my deep thanks to Bishop Dennis Leonard, and to his wife Michele, Denver, Colorado. Thanks to the thousands of people at Heritage for attending the training sessions at the church from which much of this book has been drawn. Thanks to the supporters of our ministry who help us in our mission to carry the cross and share Jesus with the world. Your standing with us in support, friendship, and prayers has been the blessing that God has used to send us to all the world. Most of all, thanks to the Father, to Jesus the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, who have been with me every step around the world and to whom are due all honor and glory. I look forward to that glorious day to come when I will see face to face the beautiful family of followers of Jesus that I have met and prayed with along the journey of my life. Glory!

Ordering Information

You may order additional copies of “Give Me a “J” books as well as videos and DVDs of Arthur Blessitt’s life and journey on foot around the world. Also get the movie “The Cross, the Arthur Blessitt Story” and the book “The Cross”. Helpful Jesus stickers are also available.
Order direct online by going to www.blessitt.com, or by calling (303) 335 2234, or by writing to the following address:
Arthur Blessitt
P.O. Box 632246
Littleton, CO 80163-2246
USA

Give Me a “J”!
It’s All about Jesus
ISBN 1-880809-49-4
Copyright © 2006 by Legacy Publishers International

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Please click the link to our “Online Store” at the top left of this page

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