Hey welcome back to ignite, I want to talk to you a little bit about God’s timing for lead people to the Lord. I think like the most outrageous expectation that was put on us by the church, and I got passed to, I think, close to 50 years ago. But I, I still find this stereotypical thought in Christians minds, that when you share your faith, you should expect to lead them to the Lord in that first conversation. And if you don’t, you’re fail. I had that feeling back early on, and I moved past it. But I’m, I’m shocked that so many people have that expectation today. It is held by people who don’t share their faith. And it’s one of the reasons they don’t share their vision. I don’t know how to get them down or pray the senators prayer. That’s too much for me, that’s for somebody else to do it we have all these feelings about how they have to close the sale. I mean, it’s like you get another notch on your gutter and other scalpers somebody that that’s the, that’s the reason for the whole exercise. Okay, and that’s the wrong emphasis, folks. It really is. Again, going back Oh, Jesus said they’ll know you’re my disciple by your by your by your love. And if it’s a sales pitch, you could you could sense that a long way off, you really can. When you love on people, it’s the Holy Spirit, you understand God is speaking through you and you’re loving on people. And that changes everything. And they sense it their own spirits, and then they open up and and you can always have expectations, but you have no idea where you are The, on their on their journey. It’s been estimated that the average person needs 10 to 20 different types of interactions with Christians or ministry before the light goes on. And they finally understand what salvation is all about. And they and they accept the Lord as their Savior. It can take it can take a long time. What if you don’t understand that it can rob you of your joy, and it did mine through going back decades. I’ve been doing this for a long time. But I would lose my joy because I want it I know God wants to say though, of course he does. And I know they’re good people and I don’t want them to be lost. And you get so frustrated because you did it’s so clear to us and so foreign to them and they and they’re blinded and they have skills, their eyes, they can’t even hear what we’re saying which are you know, just keep loving on them. But we have these expectations and it doesn’t come according to our schedule and all of a sudden we’re getting like maximum times you can always just give up say I just give up don’t give up. Just keep loving there’s no end to sharing your faith it just it’s just amazing. It’s It is God’s timing. The whole point of this this broadcast is it’s good timing. It’s not yours. You need to be patient. Always patient and don’t don’t never run never run out of patience never push you can tell I mean be sensitive don’t let the Holy Spirit guide you when you’re when you’re sharing your faith you could if you’re if your antennas up you stop before you’re bothering them okay you don’t want to get the point where you’re overbearing they’ll start running from you that doesn’t do anybody any good. I see where people that they’re going to tell their story or else they’re gonna get that still fit shit or else like enough already I didn’t you know, that’s why like shoving like just just throwing a load chump say something about the Lord. Just remind them that you’re a Christian without offending them and and you just met him every time you’re with people that are non Christians, you do that you just chum. And if they’re not hungry, nothing, nothing will happen. That you see although they are again reminded that you’re a Christian God is important in your life. And and it’s usually when tragedy comes. I heard the other day most people come to the Lord when there’s a problem in their life. How about you? And how many people do you know that have problems in their lives right now? When people are having problems? They’re more open to God, quite frankly, the world is having a problem right now. And and there are millions of people right now considering God wondering where God is right now. We’re at elections gone the other way and If was getting better and better, they probably wouldn’t even be thinking about God. This this whole thing of prosperity or persecution, these two models, if your god you’re looking at and say the persecution of models, is working a whole lot better for bringing people into the prosperity model, and that’s a good or the church is falling apart in America. So be sensitive and people around you are hurting. And sometimes it takes that a famous car designer, I won’t give his last name first name was Dave. He just wiped became great friends of ours. And they’re about 20 years our senior but God orchestrated our lives together to the point where we bonded. And wherever we were in the country at car shows, we always picked one night when just the four of us would go to dinner. But we found that they were very uncomfortable when we wanted to pray for dinner. So we could do that. But we still love them. I spoke at a church that 15 minutes away from their house one Sunday and the night before Saturday, I took them to dinner, as am I speaking of this church over here tomorrow morning, and their services are those two services. I sat on the platform that morning, watching for them to walk through the door. And they did not I neither one of those two services. Now we’ve known each other for, I don’t know, 15 years or so just loved on them. genuinely loved on them. I mean, they’re just great people. And we’re at the Amelia Island, Concord down in Florida. And Patti says to me, you need to talk today for me and get to go see a doctor. I said what’s that she’s he’s got something serious going on his throat and he refused to go see the doctor. So the last night after concore We went to dinner that night. And the last thing you said to David, once you make me a promise, you go see Dr. Ron. I’m not leaving you till you look me in the eye and promise me. So he did. And, you know, several weeks later, he called and he said, I got stage four cancer, I’m dying. Guess what he wants to talk about God. That’s all he wanted to talk about. Fact people around him said he lost interest in cars and it all the patients of his normal life and he just wanted to focus on where he was going. And I got to speak his funeral to all the royalty, all of the car designers and heads of corporations in Detroit are so fantastic to see I got to tell the year someday you’re going to be in a box like this. And we’re going to be as happy for Dave or he’s gonna be as happy for you as we are for Dave right now, David heaven. It was just a great thing. You know, but it took how many years? I had a guy locally, his day was day but he’s coached by me we went to car shows regularly together. We were like neighbors. And he loved to banter about God. And we would talk about God a lot. He always had new questions, new Sunday, every religion and he’s a great guy. I love to be one of the brightest guys I’ve ever known. And then he got stage four cancer. And I was able to lead him to the Lord. In fact, we were in it as hostels bed in his living room and his wife was crying. And through her tears, she said, David, I don’t want to lose you. But you know, if it wasn’t for this cancer, you never would have made it to have it. And he could talk He just cried. Every at that moment. I just kept loving it. The time came, you know, I wanted more genuine more than I’m going to end this I’m sorry. It takes so long but there’s so many experiences over all the years I have carried that we’re going to movie we had a free afternoon is let’s just relax. Just go see a movie. Okay. Just before we got the car, I got a call from a friend who told me that another mutual friend of ours was in a hospice bed in another state dying. And that shocked me. But then he said he told his wife I have to talk to Barry McGuire now. I knew exactly what he meant. I knew exactly what he meant. And I told guys, you drive I’ve got business to do. And so I called Jack and exactly I let him to the Lord in about 12 minutes okay, it’s easy. He was so ready. I prayed the words and then I had him pray the words themselves is all done he saved he’s in heaven now okay died certainly after that. Wow. They haven’t 12 minutes. It was 40 years
40 years of sewing seat and chatting and most The time it made it seem to have no results. But he heard your 40 years like Chinese water torture me just kept begging away. Lovely never offended me we always close. We never discussed God. I just get throw it out chum. He didn’t respond, never responded. And then when it comes a time where he’s looking up and you realize that moments come, he’s telling his wife, I need to talk to Barry. The point is, the whole point of this podcast is it’s this episode is this guy’s timing? That’s yours. And never stop loving on people. Never stop loving on people. It’s God’s timing, not yours. Just keep on loving and move everybody every day closer. Jesus organized say, when you do that, and the joy Do you realize can you possibly imagine my feelings when I hung up that phone? That’s your 40 years, and he’s going to have like me with Jack forever. Wow. You could have those experiences too. All you have to do is move everybody every day. closer to Jesus. Okay, see you next time.
