Tim*, my husband, has plenty of taxi journeys here in Asia. He always tries to talk to the drivers about Jesus. I’ll tell you two stories out of so many.
We were in a new nation with a new language. It was our first week, so we couldn’t yet speak the language. However, we knew a lot of the spiritual vocabulary as we spoke a language from a neighboring Muslim country. This helped Tim prepare himself for spiritual conversations whenever there would be an opportunity.
Taxis Provide Opportunities
Tim always looks for those opportunities. Taxis turn out to provide many opportunities for him. One day Tim got into a taxi. After a greeting, he discovered the taxi driver could speak a little English. Quickly the driver said that he wanted an Injil (Arabic for New Testament). He was eager to read it. Surprised and encouraged, Tim told the driver he would find one for him. He got his contact information.
So Tim got ahold of a New Testament. They arranged to meet again. They met together inside the taxi. Their meeting went so well, they decided to meet again. Discipleship happened. In the taxi. Down a side street. Once a week.
This continued for about a year. The taxi driver now is a fruitful disciple of Jesus with a house church meeting in his home with his extended family.
Avoiding Spiritual Traffic Jams
Here is what happened on another occasion. Tim was sitting in a taxi. They were going nowhere. They were stuck in a bad traffic jam with the engine idling. Unfortunately, Tim discovered this taxi driver wasn’t interested in talking about Jesus. He decided there was no point in staying in the back seat, unable to witness. Getting to his destination seemed not nearly as important as finding a chance to share the gospel.
He jumped out and walked across the bridge. On that side of the bridge, there wasn’t a jam. He waited for another taxi to come along. As he waited he prayed for someone to show up who was open to talking about Jesus.
Missed Taxi, but Not a Missed Opportunity
One taxi approached but passed him by, even though it had no passengers. Another taxi appeared in the distance. The driver and his empty taxi zoomed by without even slowing down. And then the next driver must not have seen Tim either. Several empty taxis went passed, leaving Tim still waiting.
Suddenly, a private car pulled up and stopped. The driver leaned over and offered Tim a lift.
As Tim, eased into the seat, he greeted the man in the local language. The driver then looked him in the face. He spoke out a sentence in English that he had apparently learned by rote: “I want to accept your religion.”
A Driver: an Answer to Tim’s Prayer
That was an unexpected reply! It sounded like God answered Tim’s prayer.
The conversation progressed in the local language. Tim learned that this man had heard the gospel a few years earlier from a taxi driver. Over this time God had been working in his heart. He longed to know more. He waited for someone to help. Tim was overjoyed to help meet this spiritual hunger.
Tim: an Answer to the Driver’s Prayer
The very next day the driver came to our house. Some local believers happened to be visiting us at the same time. They shared God’s love with him and answered his questions. Together they led him to the Lord. A few days later he was baptized. He is still walking with the Lord.
Tim keeps himself prepared. He is eager to talk to people about Jesus. He has some favorite places to go; taxis being an example. He prays and watches for opportunities. He follows up on those who are open and discipling begins. Tim isn’t after decisions for Jesus but works at making disciples who follow Jesus. He trains them to make more disciples.
What about you? How do you prepare yourself for spiritual conversations? How do you look for opportunities to share your testimony? How well do you do at sharing the basics of the gospel? What if they say “yes”, how do you help them with their next steps?
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*The story above was written by one of our authors who wishes to remain anonymous- not by Kevin Sutter.