We’re called to be a witness for Christ wherever we go. We can’t always choose when the Holy Spirit prompts us to share our faith – even if it’s in a bathroom at a department store.
Greg Laurie, pastor and host of A New Beginning, knows this well. In his book , he urges Christians to be open and available when God opens a door to share the gospel. One afternoon Greg was shopping at a store and needed to find a restroom.
“I went to the restroom… In the stall next to me, I hear a guy clear his throat… I hear him actually say, ‘Hi.’”
Greg was uncomfortable.
“‘Why is he talking to me?’ I said in the most dismissive way I could, ‘Hi.’”
It got stranger. The man said softly,
“Are you supposed to meet me here?”
Greg, now curious, said no.
“Oh, I thought that you had something for me.”
Greg hesitated. Then a thought came to him – I should share the gospel with him.
Greg ventured a question, “What is it you’re looking for?”
“Well, I was going to buy some drugs.”
Greg took a step of faith.
“I have something better for you than drugs…a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”
Upon Greg’s invitation, the man responded that he’d already tried that. Greg asked him what church he went to, and the man’s response floored him.
“Harvest Christian Fellowship.”
That was the church Greg was the pastor of week after week. When he revealed that to the man in the stall, the man was embarrassed and shocked. Greg told him,
“Buddy, God must really love you to send your pastor to you when you’re trying to make a drug buy. You need to get right with God!”
At that point Greg invited the man to meet him outside the restroom, and they prayed, right there in the department store, for the man to recommit his life to Christ.
It’s a funny story, and a powerful example of what happens when we’re open to God’s leading. If we can train ourselves to hear God’s voice and step out in faith, He’ll prompt us anywhere – even in a bathroom. God’s salvation reaches into the everyday places of life, whether it’s a movie theater, a bathroom, or the bus stop you use every day.
“You never think of a thing like that…You’re going to be a witness whenever the Spirit prompts you to be one, so be available.”
Key Scriptures: Jeremiah 29:11
Featured Songs: Not For a Moment by Meredith Andrews; Move – Keep Walkin’ by Toby Mac; Take Another Step by Steven Curtis Chapman
