Opportunities And Responsibilities
It’s early on Saturday morning as I type this blog. I’m sitting in my hotel room, sipping a cup of Starbucks coffee as an oscillating stirs the air around. These little things have become a welcomed part of our stay in Ghana.
Our first full week of evangelism projects is now complete. In all we have been able to share the Gospel with over 10,800 people in 76 different venues. When we stop and reflect on this, we realize that our team of 5 people has been blessed beyond measure with this privilege. However with such an immense privilege comes great responsibility. We are all praying that we accept this responsibility seriously … and humbly.
God continues to open doors of opportunity for us here. One of the reasons that we enjoy this ministry is because of the unique ways that we are able to openly and freely share the Gospel with people. It seems that God is hovering around this place in a special way. My ministry colleague (and dear personal friend) Jeff Andler said this morning, “I continue to come to Ghana because God has so clearly opened the doors for evangelism. God has told me to be a witness … to share where the doors are open and they are certainly open in Ghana!” He is right.
Yesterday, as I was doing my daily exercise of walking, (I am trying to do a 30 minute brisk walk each day in an effort to help control my blood-sugar levels which are doing GREAT) God gave me a unique opportunity. There is a large soccer field at the school which is just across the driveway from our hotel and this is where we walk each day.
The walks are always interesting because the kids from the school and the people along the streets constantly call out “Yevu … Yevu … Yevu” (translated “white man”) to which we feel obliged to respond with a friendly wave of our hands. There is a constant, non-stop exchange of greetings between us and the Ghanians.
On my third or fourth lap around the field a middle-aged man, sitting under a shade tree asked me, “Why are you walking?” I paused and said, “I’m an old fat man and I need to walk for exercise!” He responded, “I should walk too” and stood up and began to walk with me.
We talked as we walked and somewhere along the way he began to tell me that he wished the people in Ghana were as good as the people in America. I asked him what he meant and he explained that he perceived that the people in America never did anything “wrong.” In America, he said, there are no thieves, murderers, liars, frauds, or the like. “In America, everyone is good and perfect” he said. This opened the door for me to share with him the TRUTH of the Gospel.
I began to share with him the TRUTH that “the heart of man is desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9) and that “All have sinned” (Romans 3:10;23). I then told him that “God demonstrated His love” for us through Jesus’ death on the cross (Romans 5:8) and that He gives us the opportunity to call upon Jesus in faith to save us from our sins (Romand 10: 9-13). Within one more lap of our walking, God moved on this man’s heart and we stopped for the man to call upon Jesus in prayer. At that moment, on that hot soccer field, Sam Tetteh became a child of God! Glory to the Name of Jesus Christ!
We talked a bit more before he sat back down under the tree as I continued my walking. I promised to give him and Bible and put him in contact with one of our Ghanaian pastors. I finished my walk and did not see him again.
Last night however, he came to our hotel and met with our pastors. They gave him a bible and promised to spend some time with him soon. We learned that he had just been passing through this town yesterday and had decided to park his vehicle along the road to take a break from the heat by sitting under the trees to rest for a while. This was once again evidence to me God is still “always a work around us.” What seemed to be a circumstantial encounter was really a divine appointment for the sake of the Gospel.
We do not know what God will orchestrate today and I pray that we will all be sensitive to His leadership. Thus far our team of 5 have been able to share the Gospel in many different venues — including school programs, film crusades, taxi rides and a walk around a soccer field. Thank God for this great privilege! Keep praying for us.