Part III

Ø Who will I speak to?

I have been in church since the age of 5 and although I “grew up” in church I truly did not understand my place and responsibility as a Christian. Unknowingly I had developed an erroneous idea of what was my purpose as a leader, minister, and most importantly a Christian.

I did not see the error of my ways until I was 17 years old. One day I was taking the train from Jersey City to Newark, NJ. I remember clearly as if it where yesterday, I was in my windbreaker pants and jacket with my pack back ready to spend the day with my friends in the city.

As I sit down on the Path Train to Newark I see this young woman with little daughter sit a few seats away from me. We were the only ones in that car that day and I noticed that the woman seemed unhappy and troubled. As I watched them the Lord began to speak to me and He gave me a message for her. I remember so vividly that Voice and the words He spoke; “Tell her that I love her, Tell her that I am in control of her life….” He gave me details of what was going on with her and asked me to speak to her.

It was my first experience hearing God’s voice and receiving such detailed information about someone I did not know. I was in awe but at the same time scared and did not know what to do yet He spoke to me again asked me to go and tell her the message. I was so overwhelmed by the experience but my insecurity got the best of me. I walked of the train and did not speak to the woman nor gave her God’s message. I said in my mind if I see her again I will tell her.

To make a long story short, I spent the whole day in Newark with my friends and that night no one felt like driving me home so a friend of mine dropped me off at Penn station so I could take the last train home. I had forgotten of the events earlier that day and was tired and ready to get to my bed and get some sleep. As the train comes roaring into the station all of sudden everything goes silent and all I hear is the turnstile spin twice. Long behold after almost 10 hours, guess who is taking the train at that very hour…the young woman and her child! Immediately my heart began to race, the Lord began to speak to me again and gave me the same message and urged me to speak to her now.

I wish I had a happy ending to this story, but I don’t. I got on the train, got off at my stop and did not speak to a soul who needed to hear the word of God. Till this day I ask the Lord to forgive me and I pray that someone else was not as cowardly as I was.

We live in a time where Christianity and speaking the gospel has become almost like an exclusive club or fraternity. There is a great miss conception that we only speak in altars, with podiums and microphones in Temples full of people. Many Christian’s believe in their minds, those are the only places we speak in and these are the ones we need to speak to. We have closed our eyes and have a stereotype in our minds of what it is to be a messenger of God’s word.

After this experience I learned that God’s word is not only to be spoken in altars, temples and well air-conditioned facilities. I learned that the people I come across in the train, bus, at work and even in the mall are souls that we are ALL called to speak to and give them a word that will change their lives forever.

Jesus did not tell His disciples go to all the churches and talk to the Christians, He said, “go to all the world and preach the gospel…” This word is not exclusive for the four walls of our churches and the people who come in their Sunday best only! It is also for the depressed, the homeless, the drug addict, the prostitute, the gang member and all of mankind.

We may see their condition and classify them as someone not worthy but God sees them through the blood of His son and he sees a redeemed soul. He sees a life in need of a John that will do the same thing God did us, see past his sin and speak to his soul, breaking the eternal silence.