To Be Jesus

Sunday, March 29, 2015, 10:16 p.m.

I am an introvert by nature. I don't strike up conversations with strangers easily. I admit that frequently I don't even pay much attention to who is waiting on me in a restaurant or who is checking me out at a grocery store. I have to really work at starting conversations with people. So, I am working on that. And, I am doing better, but I am still a work in progress. It is so much easier for me to write than it is for me to talk with people.

So, I got thinking about Jesus. I am supposed to be Jesus to people, i.e. he, by his Spirit, lives within me, and I am to be his witness and his servant, and I am to love people with the love of Jesus. So, I started thinking about what that should look like. I mean, if I were Jesus, which obviously I am not, what would I do? If he was eating in a restaurant, and someone waited on his table, what would he say to the server? If someone carried his groceries out to the car for him, what words would he speak to this person in a minute or less? For those of you who know me, I am not very concise. So, it is hard for me to make conversations with people in such limited time. I do better with the hairdresser, because I have at least 30 minutes. So, then I have time to develop the conversation.

Anyway, so I was asking Jesus lately, when I am out in public, or when I am with other people, to help me to be Jesus to people. Most of the people I see in public are working, so I cannot get into in-depth conversations with them. But I can say something. I can plant a seed, at least.

I went to a new hairdresser the other day. We talked about several things. I learned we had some shared experiences. We got talking about church, and then I asked her if she knew Jesus. She said she did. Here in America, though, sometimes people say they believe in Jesus if they grew up in a church. I talked with her about who the church is, i.e. the body of Christ and not a building or an organization. I told her about a Bible study we used to have in our home for college students. I know we talked about Jesus and his church, his body. I believe she is seeking, and that she would like to be in a fellowship with other believers.

The next day my husband and I stopped at TCBY for a frozen yogurt. No one was in the store but us and the clerk. So, I prayed and asked Jesus to give me the words to say to her. I believe he said to ask her if she knew Jesus. I started by asking her if she went to church anywhere, and then I asked her if she knew Jesus. She also answered, “Yes,” that she knew Jesus. So, then I talked with her about what that meant to believe in Jesus. I shared part of Luke 9:23-25 with her:

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

Both the hairdresser and this girl seemed turned off to institutional religion. They both mentioned how they had visited several churches in the area, but they were not happy with what they found. It wasn’t “church” to them. I told this girl, too, that we used to have a Bible study in our home. I felt led to give her my phone number. I told her if she would be interested in meeting for Bible study to give me a call. She thanked me. Just then other customers came into the store. So, we left and let her work.

The next day we went to the grocery store. My husband was with me again. A young lady took our groceries out to the car for us. We chatted with her a little. I asked her if she went to church anywhere. She said she works on Sunday mornings. I told her we don’t have to meet with the church on Sunday morning or at a building called a “church,” but we can meet for a Bible study in a home any day. So, I asked her if she believed in Jesus. She said she did. She said she thinks if she just prays that is all she needs. I shared with her that believing in Jesus means following him in obedience and doing what he says. I also told her that we used to have a Bible study in our home for college students. She told me if we decide to start another one to let her know. She is also a college student.

So, in three days I met three different women who all say they know Jesus but they are not presently in fellowship with the body of Christ, and at least two of them expressed dissatisfaction with institutional religion as their reasons for not being in fellowship with other believers. I empathize with them. My heart hungers to meet, in person, with other believers for Bible study, prayer, fellowship and the breaking of bread, apart from institutional religion which is run by humans and has turned the church into a marketplace.

As I just read back over the passage in Luke, I realized that by me being willing “to be Jesus” to the people I meet out in the world that I am denying myself, which by nature (the flesh) does not easily make conversations with people I don’t know. So, God is working on me in this area. What I don’t do naturally, the Holy Spirit is able to accomplish through me if I am a willing servant to obey him and to do what he says in being Jesus to the world around me. So, pray for me that I will have the sensitivity of the Holy Spirit to people I meet out in public, and that I will not be content with remaining introverted, but that I will pray for the Spirit’s empowerment to give me the words to say, not just in writing, but verbally to strangers, too.

Willing / An Original Work / August 17, 2011

I am willing to obey You;
Have Your Spirit live within me;
Know Your power; be Your witness
To a world who needs You greatly.

Love within me spread to all men,
So that they might come to know Him;
Know His power; His forgiveness;
Be transformed into His likeness.

Holy Spirit, come in power,
Change our hearts within this hour.
May we be like Jesus always;
Be a light that shines in darkness.


http://originalworks.info/willing/
 
This is such an encouragement, I cannot even word it.
I'm a natural introvert as well. In elementary school, I used to get so nervous in front of crowds I would faint. As my faith grew, I still harbored this reaction, until my youth pastor figured out I hated crowds. So naturally, he pushed me to get in front of people and talk. I remember leading a devotion to a bunch of 5th graders when i was in 8th grade, and I thought I was going to die.
Now the challenge for me is getting to in depth conversation with people, and being intentional about it. I'm terrible at small talk, I'm a good listener, but normally the other person needs to be a talker. but I know that's where the Lord wants me to be. Somebody doomed for hell and death is much more important than my introverted comfort zone.
 
Awesome testimony! Both of you! I am naturally an introvert as well, but when i moved out east..i have not been allowed to be an introvert (or a turtle hiding in it's shell). Shoot as it stands now i have no space or time, even to be alone with the Lord. Which makes it difficult sometimes. But now i am Christ's turtle, who Hides in Him, and is slow and deliberate in the things that He wants me to be involved in.

Thanks Sue! I know that God is proud of you!
 
This is such an encouragement, I cannot even word it.
I'm a natural introvert as well. In elementary school, I used to get so nervous in front of crowds I would faint. As my faith grew, I still harbored this reaction, until my youth pastor figured out I hated crowds. So naturally, he pushed me to get in front of people and talk. I remember leading a devotion to a bunch of 5th graders when i was in 8th grade, and I thought I was going to die.
Now the challenge for me is getting to in depth conversation with people, and being intentional about it. I'm terrible at small talk, I'm a good listener, but normally the other person needs to be a talker. but I know that's where the Lord wants me to be. Somebody doomed for hell and death is much more important than my introverted comfort zone.
Thank you so much for sharing that. I don't like crowds either. I have not had a problem getting in front of people, though, if I am singing or teaching. I started singing solos in church as a child and I majored in music my first time around in college, and sang in front of people all the time until maybe the past 12 years - solos, duets, quartets, ensembles, praise teams, choirs, etc. I started teaching the bible when I was a teenager, and have taught children, youth, college and ladies' bible studies. For me it is those informal times and just starting conversations with people. Once I get going I am usually ok. I just have trouble breaking the ice, and I also need to be more sensitive to divine appointments so that I don't miss them. Had a chance to talk with a lady who was in the waiting room of the eye doc today. She is a believer in Jesus, but is in a church congregation which is all but dead, so I talked with her a lot about the body of Christ and what "church" really means and that she can worship her Lord 24/7 and can fellowship with the body wherever and whenever, and I believe it encouraged her heart. I am also not a small talk kind of person. I do better with people who are talkers so they initiate the conversation, but the Lord is helping me to be more bold, so that's good.
 
Awesome testimony! Both of you! I am naturally an introvert as well, but when i moved out east..i have not been allowed to be an introvert (or a turtle hiding in it's shell). Shoot as it stands now i have no space or time, even to be alone with the Lord. Which makes it difficult sometimes. But now i am Christ's turtle, who Hides in Him, and is slow and deliberate in the things that He wants me to be involved in.

Thanks Sue! I know that God is proud of you!
CTurtle, Thank you for sharing those thoughts. Don't ever get so busy that you don't have time to be alone with Jesus, though. Ok? He is your living water and your bread of life which you need every day. So glad you are hiding in Him. Slow and deliberate is a good thing. Sometimes I say "Yes" too quickly without thought or without prayer, and that is bad. Been doing better. I am the Lord's servant, though a clay vessel in the potter's hands. I pray that I will always be available and willing for his service in being Jesus to the world around me, not just in writing, but face to face with strangers, too. The engine runs just fine once it gets started. It just needs jump started sometimes. :) So, as I do in writing every day, I pray the Lord gives me the words to say to people in person, too.
 
CTurtle, Thank you for sharing those thoughts. Don't ever get so busy that you don't have time to be alone with Jesus, though. Ok? He is your living water and your bread of life which you need every day. So glad you are hiding in Him. Slow and deliberate is a good thing. Sometimes I say "Yes" too quickly without thought or without prayer, and that is bad. Been doing better. I am the Lord's servant, though a clay vessel in the potter's hands. I pray that I will always be available and willing for his service in being Jesus to the world around me, not just in writing, but face to face with strangers, too. The engine runs just fine once it gets started. It just needs jump started sometimes. :) So, as I do in writing every day, I pray the Lord gives me the words to say to people in person, too.

Thanks Sue for the reminder of not getting to busy. My situation is difficult to explain, so a lot of times it's not being to busy, but having no time to myself...i guess that is a better way to say it. We do watch sermons on dvd almost every night, which gets the Word in. So i apologize for giving the wrong impression. And i will make sure that i continue to pray and thank God for giving me The quiet time that i need in order to keep myself attached to the one true vine.

I was thinking of you today while doing dishes and your talking to the girls that you ran into..and thought, i guess it's you'll be starting another Bible study in your home soon....giggle.... another thought i had when reading your answer to Klub, we pray every night and every time before we leave the house that we will not ever miss any divine appointments. And we have had a couple of doozies. One time we had church in the parking lot of an apartment complex. It was awesome!

I realized today that God will be soon giving us a big turtle shell for me to live in. It will float. And it will be used for us to take the Love of God to the waterways, and where ever He leads. And i will have plenty of places to be able to spend a lot of time with the Lord. Woo hoo!

Blessing of love, grace and peace be yours in abundance!
 
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Thanks Sue for the reminder of not getting to busy. My situation is difficult to explain, so a lot of times it's not being to busy, but having no time to myself...i guess that is a better way to say it. We do watch sermons on dvd almost every night, which gets the Word in. So i apologize for giving the wrong impression. And i will make sure that i continue to pray and thank God for giving me The quiet time that i need in order to keep myself attached to the one true vine.

I was thinking of you today while doing dishes and your talking to the girls that you ran into..and thought, i guess it's you'll be starting another Bible study in your home soon....giggle.... another thought i had when reading your answer to Klub, we pray every night and every time before we leave the house that we will not ever miss any divine appointments. And we have had a couple of doozies. One time we had church in the parking lot of an apartment complex. It was awesome!

I realized today that God will be soon giving us a big turtle shell for me to live in. It will float. And it will be used for us to take the Love of God to the waterways, and where ever He leads. And i will have plenty of places to be able to spend a lot of time with the Lord. Woo hoo!

Blessing of love, grace and peace be yours in abundance!

Thanks for sharing that with me. God has given me, too, many divine opportunities over the years, but sometimes I have been slack in seeking them or being watchful for them, and so he gently reminded me that I need to be Jesus to the world around me, and that I need to be more conscious of what that means and be ready at any moment for whatever he has for me and be willing to initiate conversations with people - a big one for me - as well as to hear him speak to me the words he wants me to say.

Thank you for thinking of me. When you do, please pray for me. Thanks! I would appreciate that much.
 
beautiful testimony sis; God be with you. Amen
Dress us with the complete armor of God; in Jesus name I pray. Amen
Glory be unto God. Amen

All glory to God! I am still a work in progress.

It is interesting that you replied to this year old thread today. My husband and I just came back from eating lunch out at a restaurant. Our server was a woman who had waited on us several times before, but at another restaurant in town. She had just switched restaurants. She talked with us about some things going on in her life, and we were able to encourage her, I believe. She hugged us both when we left. She reminds me much of my youngest sister who died a year ago, so between that, and her story, I started to cry. I felt like we were supposed to be there for a reason, but I don't know what yet. The timing is just interesting.
 
I am very glad to have read this. I know the Lord has been speaking to me about witnessing, and I believe I have already missed a few 'divine appointment' times that I could have said something, and didn't. Once He said ' talk about me' as I was sitting in a waiting room for my mother and it was just me and the receptionist. I was stammering to myself as to what to say and never said anything. Yes, I admit that. When that happens again, I have a starting line. It's 'what do you think about Jesus.'
Well please say a prayer for me too in this area. I am used to other people doing the talking more often as well while I am the listener. I can easily talk about subjects more than small talk with other women I don't know.
I did speak to my brother in law finally as the opportunity seemed right and WHOA! I hope it's ok to go there and see my mil as she doesn't get hardly any visitors. He is 56 with a plate in his head from brain injury, so he's always been a 'different' person to relate to. He's her caregiver. But she needs other people checking in because she refuses to say anything is wrong over the phone, and he wont either since she is his income source. So WHOA, I thought he might knock me over. I know it will not always be popular, but I must say I felt a million times better saying something than not.
 
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I am very glad to have read this. I know the Lord has been speaking to me about witnessing, and I believe I have already missed a few 'divine appointment' times that I could have said something, and didn't. Once He said ' talk about me' as I was sitting in a waiting room for my mother and it was just me and the receptionist. I was stammering to myself as to what to say and never said anything. Yes, I admit that. When that happens again, I have a starting line. It's 'what do you think about Jesus.'
Well please say a prayer for me too in this area. I am used to other people doing the talking more often as well while I am the listener. I can easily talk about subjects more than small talk with other women I don't know.
I did speak to my brother in law finally as the opportunity seemed right and WHOA! I hope it's ok to go there and see my mil as she doesn't get hardly any visitors. He is 56 with a plate in his head from brain injury, so he's always been a 'different' person to relate to. He's her caregiver. But she needs other people checking in because she refuses to say anything is wrong over the phone, and he wont either since she is his income source. So WHOA, I thought he might knock me over. I know it will not always be popular, but I must say I felt a million times better saying something than not.

Winnie, Thank you for responding. I am glad the Lord used this to encourage your heart. I empathize with you. I have to consciously work at talking to strangers, and I have a hard time knowing where to begin. I like your starter: "What do you think about Jesus?" Thank you for sharing that with me. I still need prayer in this area, as well.
 
All glory to God! I am still a work in progress.

It is interesting that you replied to this year old thread today. My husband and I just came back from eating lunch out at a restaurant. Our server was a woman who had waited on us several times before, but at another restaurant in town. She had just switched restaurants. She talked with us about some things going on in her life, and we were able to encourage her, I believe. She hugged us both when we left. She reminds me much of my youngest sister who died a year ago, so between that, and her story, I started to cry. I felt like we were supposed to be there for a reason, but I don't know what yet. The timing is just interesting.
Sis, the reason is always about the Lord, the testimony of Jesus Christ in which we carry, tell somebody about Him. When He is what is in you, He comes out of you. Amen.
 
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