The Witness on the Bus
We were on the tram at DFW, and if you’ve ever had a connecting flight at that airport, then you are familiar with the scene.
After a 30-minute ride across the tarmac, you disembark from your first flight and head through the C-shaped terminal to your next gate, which is never nearby and usually in one of the other four terminals.
You follow the signs to the Skylink, a “light rail train and shuttle service.” Soon you arrive at a bustling food court that features $20 hamburgers and $10 cups of coffee. There you take the nearby escalators to an area where driverless trams stop on either side of the platform, open their doors for loading and unloading passengers, and then close and leave the station.
You board the next tram that’s heading toward your gate, and off you go with dozens of other travelers. The trams are almost always standing-room only, but on this day our ride was even more jampacked than normal. I’ll just say it was no place for anyone who hates crowds, tight spaces, germs, or the body odors of strangers.
As the tram rumbled down the tracks, two thoughts crept through the mass of humanity and found their way into my mind.
One, “I hope we can wedge our way off this thing when it comes to our stop.”
And two, “What if I had the bold faith to do here what I once saw an ex-convict do on a bus in Chihuahua, Mexico?”
Back then, I was a parent with a group of high school students and we were on the final full day of a mission trip. Our time helping a ministry partner with a construction project had ended, and we were going downtown to see the sites and buy cheap bracelets and t-shirts.
The local church member who went with us, like most of the folks in his congregation, was a former gang member with tear-drop tattoos that represented everyone he’d killed. That was before he’d been transformed by Jesus. Now he was as mild-mannered and meek as an aging house cat and about as charismatic as rock buried in the desert.
But sometimes the rocks cry out.
As soon as we boarded the bus and the doors closed, the man stood up and began to tell the passengers about Jesus.
Loudly.
Proudly.
Boldly.
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.” (Acts 2:14)
The results for our Mexican brother weren’t as dramatic as for Paul on the day of Pentecost. No one ridiculed him. Some looked at him and listened. Most ignored him. But the man never wavered from his message, nor did he give any indication that it was up to him to produce the results.
As Americans, we’re often too quick to dismiss that type of street (or bus) evangelism as a waste of time or, worse, counter-productive. But I couldn’t help but admire his faith and his obedience to share the gospel in an uncomfortable, unfriendly setting.
But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22)
Personally, I am a bigtime advocate of relationship evangelism – getting to know people and earning their trust so that they will be more receptive of the gospel. However, while that approach is effective, we can use it as an excuse when we’re called to something immediate, bold and outside of our comfort zone with folks we don’t know very well.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
I don’t know about you, but I’ll grab hold of just about any reason not to leave my comfort zone – so much so that my fears and preferences can end up overruling what I’m hearing from God. That’s because I’m a dude, and dudes are prone to model the original sin of Adam.
You remember where Adam was when Satan was tempting Eve, don’t you? Right behind her doing a big, fat nothing to protect her.
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. (Genesis 3:6)
The sin of passivity can keep us from activating passionate faith when we’re called to tell people about Jesus and take them to Jesus.
The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.(John 1:41)
Jesus tells us to be bold. To speak up. To tell people the good news.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
Our response to this call: Sure thing, Lord. If someone asks me to coffee, I’ll be glad to take ’em down the Roman Road. If they ask. And if it’s really obvious they want to hear it. And if they won’t be offended by it or, you know, get mad at me.
I’m not suggesting that we all should stand up and preach every time we step on a bus, but I know this: If the Holy Spirit prompts us to tell someone about Jesus, we should do it no matter where we are – over dinner with our children, while at lunch with a co-worker, or on an airport tram full of strangers.
And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:15)
So, how can we prepare for those moments when we know God is calling us to step out of our comfort zone? It’s a question I often consider because I am so prone to hit the mute button when God is telling me to get uncomfortable.
This might be an over-simplification, but here are four things I think we all can do so that we’re ready for opportunities to act with evangelistic obedience:
Write down our testimony and practice saying it outload in less than three minutes. (I’ve done this.)
Get with our spouse or a friend on a regular basis and role-play different types of evangelistic encounters. (I need to do this.)
Ask God to lead us to someone who needs to hear about Jesus and don’t be surprised when He answers that prayer. (I’ve done this.)
Man up and be obedient. Say what God tells us to say whenever, wherever, and to whomever. (I’m inconsistent with this.)
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. (1 Peter 3:15-16)