Big catch for small team
“That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage.” Matt. 20: 8-10 (NLT)
Three ‘soldiers’ had reported for night evangelism duty at 10 p.m. on Saturday, July 13, 2024. A new trooper (a born-again Believer) had joined us as she accompanied her sister, a veteran on our squad. They were just returning from the hospital and pharmacy after picking up their sick relative. I could see that they were tired, but they reported to duty nonetheless!
We took the opportunity to brief the rookie on the rigours and spiritual “landmines” that could pop up on the battlefield! We consecrated ourselves and prayed for Divine guidance from the Holy Spirit. With strategy downloaded and Spiritual Road Map and Compass in hand, we marched out of HQ, determined to execute the night’s assignment with alacrity and precision!
The first target shrugged us off with so much disdain that if we were not “Soldiers of the Cross,” we would have been terribly offended! However, we were reminded of the words of Jesus according to St. Matthew 10:14–16 KJV, “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement, than for that city.” And so we marched on, undeterred, to war!
A taxi driver was more receptive and took a copy of the Freedom Come Rain newspaper after listening intently to the message of Salvation. He was not ready to make a commitment to God, but he was happy when we prayed for him and his vehicle (his sole source of income). We knew that “the seed” had been planted.
MYSTERY MONEY
Led by the compass of the Holy Spirit, we stopped by a group of four men huddled together in the shadows, smoking and drinking from dark bottles! “Good night, gentlemen. How are you? Can we talk to you a bit?” Permission granted, we enquired about their wellbeing and their experiences with Hurricane Beryl. Just as we were about to introduce them to the Story of Salvation, one of them hissed, “Soh, which church unno belong to?” With such an excellent opening, we used the opportunity to explain the Kingdom of God and the true Church and invited them to give their lives to Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God!
The spokesman of the group related his experiences with God and the many miracles He had performed in his life. One that stood out was the day that he had no food for his family. God led him down a particular road with specific instructions, and so he found a parcel of money! His past experiences, coupled with our witnessing, made his confession and conversion easy!
With renewed gusto, we marched, lustily singing, “Let’s Go Forward for God! Fight like Soldier Man…” As we were about to distribute more of the Freedom Come Rain newspaper, we saw a young man smiling at us. We had ministered to him a few weeks ago as he prepared to pick up his partner from work. We knew that seed had also been planted, so we encouraged him and continued on with our drill.
Suddenly, the Drill Master instructed, “About-turn!” Without question, we “switched gears” and headed towards the “Hitstrip” while witnessing, praying, reading the Bible, and sharing the ministry paper with vendors and customers alike. (The Holy Spirit has a way of giving us very clear instructions so as to avoid us making missteps!)
WHERE HAD EVERYONE GONE, INCLUDING THE “TREASURE CHEST”?
This was the question on our lips: where had everyone gone?!! In sharp contrast to previous weeks, there was noticeably far less people-traffic within the locale. Right where we stood, had been the official and officious site of a ten-foot cart, dubbed the “Treasure Chest.” Reminiscent of the buccaneers of Port Royal, its content was not breadfruit or yam, but rather liquor, liquor, and more liquor in full view of the police! This “Treasure Chest ” was deliberately, skillfully, and strategically placed for ease of access for all and sundry within reach, for whomsoever will to come and drink!! It was similarly positioned, like those rehydration stations at an athletic marathon!!
Glory be to God! Neither the “Treasure Chest” nor its four bar tenders was anywhere in sight tonight!
As we waited to cross the road, one of two men sitting by the wayside called out to us to pray for them! They were de-stressing and grumbling over their woes at work. They minced no words as they expressed their frustration over the disrespect and depression in their working environment. One was a born-again Believer, who listened to 88.5 f.m. (TBC radio) and was elated to receive a copy of the Freedom Come Rain newspaper that he had heard so much about on air, while the other was unsaved! We ministered to them both and as the Holy Spirit gave utterance, we prophesied over their lives. The unsaved accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour, as his brethren and co-worker cheered him on!
WHERE’S THE CHURCH?
We were now safely across the road and stopped for a well-needed “Praise Break,” thanking God for the two souls gained for His Kingdom!! Led by the Holy Spirit, we read Psalms 24 and 51 and were on the penultimate verse of the latter passage when a young man passed us muttering, “Where is the church, eh? Eh? Where is the church?”
I beckoned to him, and glory be to God, the Holy Spirit arrested him! After explaining that we were the church (1 Corinthians 3:16–17, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy”), and answering his many questions, we led him through the Sinner’s Prayer and invited him to visit one of the Bible-believing churches within the community.
Still, our night evangelism mission had not yet ended. In fact, the latter half of the wee hours of Sunday morning was such an exciting battle royale that we were led to take a short respite before bearing arms to meet the foes that came to confront us…
Tune in next week to hear what happened when we ran into ‘Rahab.’