This particular missionary is serving in Cuba, and God is doing some pretty phenomenal things through his ministry. If only half the things he says are going on are really going on, this guy is to the Cubans what the apostle Paul was to the Ephesians. Thousands of people are coming to Christ every month, and are connecting with churches in a vast church planting movement this man is overseeing. A group of our guys followed Manny around for 4 days not long ago, and saw nearly 100 people trust Christ in just those 4 days.
Well, not long ago one of our elders introduced Manny to another person in our church, and mentioned that Manny was a person with an exceptional gift of evangelism.
Manny was really quick to correct him. "I don't think I have the gift of evangelism at all." He went on to say, "I'm not a great evangelist, I'm just a great listener. Lots of people are ready to trust Christ if you'll just listen and ask questions."
You know what? He's on to something.
This guy has personally led thousands of people to Christ in his life, but doesn't think he is a gifted evangelist. He's just a guy who listens well to people, and asks questions of them. And they are trusting Christ everywhere he goes.
People all over the world want to be respected and valued. They also need Jesus. Fortunately, we are able to share Jesus by respecting and valuing the people around us. We don't have to be extraordinarily good evangelists - we have to be intentional conversation partners.
When was the last time you had a conversation with a person about spiritual things in which you focused solely on listening and asking questions in return? It's been a long time for me - I think I'll do it today.
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