While still a newspaper editor in Chicago, author Lee Strobel sensed the Lord
telling him to invite an unbelieving work associate to Easter services on
Sunday. He went into the man’s office and extended the invitation, which was
rejected. Lee tried to witness to him about the evidence of the resurrection
and again, the man wouldn’t listen still holding to his atheistic beliefs.
“Lord, what was that all about?”
he asked. He said it bothered him a long time.
Four years later, Lee had become
a pastor, and a man came up to him one Sunday and thanked him for his spiritual
influence in his life. Lee didn’t understand who the guy was, so the man
explained.
Four years before the guy was
working on the floor tile when Lee came in to invite his coworker to Easter
services. Lee never saw him. As Lee explained the evidence for the
resurrection, the tile man’s heart began beating fast and he thought , “I need
God.” After Lee left, the tile man called his wife and said, “We’re going to church on
Sunday.” They went to the church to which
Lee had invited the other guy, and he, his wife, and his teenage son came to
the Lord.
When I heard this story, I
thought about times I sensed God leading me to do a particular thing, and it
didn’t turn out the way I thought it would. Sometimes a writing project doesn't have the impact I hoped it would, and I’ve felt as if I missed God
or that I did something wrong. In this story, Lee learned what God did in that
situation with the guy he witnessed to, but sometimes we don’t, we obey and
trust the Lord is at work.
“
. . . so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty
but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it”
(Isaiah 55:11). When we share the word of the Lord, we may trust as Isaiah
writes that God will accomplish his purpose.
Unseen folks in our sphere of
influence, those metaphorically
on the floor, are listening to what we share about the Lord and His word. They
are watching how we live out the truth of the gospel. The important thing is
that we’re obedient to what God places in our hearts. We leave the results to
him.
If you haven’t seen the movie, The Case for Christ, it is a wonderful film about how Lee Strobel came to the Lord. I’ve had the privilege of having classes with Brian Bird who was co-producer and screenwriter on this script based on Lee Strobel’s book. It is available on several streaming services.