Instructions Please!

Some men are gifted to be a handyman and others are not. I definitely fall into the second category. I have no problem taking things apart, its the putting them back together that gets me in trouble. On Monday I decided to prove this once again to myself. Our washing machine was not working. This machine was the one I had worked on before so there was visible electrical tape holding things in place. This time the machine simply would not spin. A washer that will not spin is something closely related to a bucket. Great for holding water, but not for washing clothes. So I figure either the motor is gone or a belt has broken. Well if its a belt, then I should be able to fix it, right? I start removing screws and attempt to take the back of the machine off so I can see what I am dealing with. After 30 minutes the back is hanging on by some unseen force, so a lightbulb goes off in my head. Maybe I need to disconnect the drain hose and then I will be able to remove the back. So I grabbed the hose and pulled. It took only a nano-second to figure out I had made a mistake. Rather foul smelling water began flooding out covering the floor and soaking me in the process. I quickly replace the hose but the damage was done, as was my patience. I banged the washer around a few times (to make sure the back was securely in place), cleaned up the sewer water (not really but it was nasty), changed clothes and decided to really fix the problem. I bought a new washer. What’s the point of this story? Instructions would have been nice! I am not a great fixer, but I can follow directions pretty well. I wish I’d had a list of how to remove the back and a big memo reminding me not to remove the hose. Thankfully God, in all His infinite grace and wisdom, did not ask us to fix washing machines without instructions!

What He asks is much more difficult and rewarding, but He lets us know what to expect and how to do it. How smart is that? He wants us to glorify Him and share His message of salvation and redemption, hope and forgiveness with a lost and dying world. Sounds more difficult than fixing a washing machine right? The beauty of it is that He does all the work. All we have to do is follow His lead and He takes care of the rest. This passage in Luke is quite revolutionary to our current mindset about evangelism. I searched diligently and have not found Him giving us the task of Monday night visitations or any type of scripted presentations, while they may have a place. All I see Him asking the 70 to do are three simple things, and I find these in Luke 10:5-9: Be a blessing, Engage in fellowship, Impact their world. Go into the towns and meet the people. Be a blessing to them, serve them, fellowship with them, heal them and point them toward Christ. Then allow Him to do what only He can do—change hearts. The best we can do is make some physical impact. No matter how hard we try, the spiritual side is still up to Him. Join me this week in examining your life. Are you a blessing to those around you? Do you spend time with and fellowship with people around you? Do you take care of those in need around you? Do your life and words point in the same direction—to Jesus? This is true evangelism. This has challenged me and encouraged me greatly this week. Opportunities surround me every hour of every day. The towns I find myself in are work, my daughters daycare, and the community I live in. Am I doing all I can do in these areas? No, I’m not. I share Jesus when I can, but true opportunities for real evangelism pass by everyday and I need to be more in tune with God’s instructions: Be a blessing, engage in fellowship, and help out where you can. I know what I need to do now, how about you? You have the same instructions, what does it look like for you?