Opportunity Series

The next time I went to his office, I saw his PA Brian. I told Brain- you fix the knee, and I’ll be back on the ambulance in 3 months. He told me that’s impossible.

Well, surgery was December 17th. I started back on the ambulance without restriction March 1st.

I took every chance I could to do rehab. Every time I could get on a stationary bike, I was on it. I wore ankle weights and just sat on the couch raising and lowering my leg. I did stretching even though it hurt like heck. I made the most of every opportunity to rehab and strengthen that leg until the doctor had no choice but to shake his head at me and clear me for full duty on the ambulance.

I did that because my family needed me to have a good paying job so I could support them, and a lot of my personal sense of identity was wrapped up in what I did for a living.

How does that match up with what Paul is trying to tell us here? It’s this principle here-

We identify with what is important to us. We use every opportunity to tell people all about it, and make it a central part of our identity.

When I first became a Christian- I was all in.

In 1993 when I gave my heart to Christ, I threw away all my secular music. I threw away secular t-shirts and bought only Christian t-shirts.

I carried my 5-pound Life Application Bible in the leather cover everywhere.

(have someone hold one up)

We represented back in the day- that was our sword and we were proud of it.

We need to get some of that back into our lives again. Not necessarily carrying huge bibles with us everywhere, but being the representative of Christ that he called us to be.

Billy Graham said you are the only bible most people will ever read. If they were to open your pages, would they be blank, or filled with the goodness of God in your life?

Are you taking the opportunity to be a witness for Christ?

It might be with the checker at the store that is wearing their misery on their sleeve. Ask them how they are doing.

Ask them if you can pray for them. Tammie is a lot better at this than I am.

You would be surprised how many people, even if they are initially shocked will respond favorably to you.

And if they don’t, move on. Pray for them anyway.

Listen- you need to get rid of the idea that it’s only the pastor who does these things, or maybe a board member or elder.

God strategically put you where you are, and you might be the eldest Christian there. You may be the pastor to that person. You are as much in the ministry as I am.

When you believe that, your light will become brighter as people see Jesus shine through you.

Remember, as the darkness continues to encroach on our daily lives, it simply means your light can shine that much brighter.

I want to give you an illustration of this-

Imagine you are standing on the 50 yard line in the US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on a rainy night with the dome closed and they shut of the power to the entire downtown area. It is pitch black- no light at all. If you light a candle in the middle of that darkness- guess what- Every seat in that stadium will see that light.