Acts 1:8 (NIV)
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
CONSIDER THIS
Today’s Holy Spirit Story comes from a sower hero, also known as a bi-vocational pastor. Mark Benedict is the pastor of Peace River Wesleyan Church in Port Charlotte, Florida. This story shows us the working of Jesus through a humble pastor disguised as an Uber driver. Or maybe he is a humble Uber driver in the disguise of a pastor? You will be encouraged and blessed. Here’s Mark:
Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Psalms 85:6.
Do you believe in coincidences? I don’t. I believe in divine appointments in order that God may revive his people.
I have been a pastor thirteen and a half years. For twelve of those years I have been a senior pastor of two small churches. Both churches started at nineteen members and grew to seventy-five. In my current location I was struggling one day, and I read the psalm above while praying that God would increase his ministry in our community. Three weeks later I started my second job with Uber.
In the four years I have been with Uber I have done as much if not more ministry within our community as I have done inside the walls of the church house. I have been with many who were struggling who came to our church as a result of the encounters I had with them through Uber. Over this time, ten riders have given their heart to Christ through a conversation I had with them while on an Uber ride, and countless have asked for and received prayer.
One time I was on a ride to the airport with a woman who had a heavy Russian accent. The airport was over an hour away and we had plenty of time to talk. Each ride I hand out a bag with my card in it, which states “Have a blessed day.” and (John 3:16–17) on one side and my name, title, church name, and address on the other side, along with two pieces of candy. She started the conversation with: “Pastor, I love being a mom!” We talked about the blessings of being a parent for half the trip. All of a sudden she stated how she hated being married. I asked a few probing questions. I asked if she was being physically abused. She responded no. I asked if he was verbally abusive. Again, she responded no. I asked if he suffered from addiction, and she responded no. So, I simply asked why she hated being married. She responded that he paid very little attention to her and was just mean.
After asking a few more questions, I found out her husband grew up on a farm in the desolate countryside of Russia. He was very, very gruff and had not had a lot of opportunity to socialize growing up. She had been Catholic her whole life but had no relationship with Christ. We talked about the hope in a personal relationship with Jesus, and she gave her heart to Christ right there in the car. I then asked her if she gave any thought that God might have put her into her husband’s life to help him see the light of Christ? She became very quiet, and we did not talk the rest of the way.
At the airport she told me, she was on her way to Chicago to divorce her husband; however, on the ride she had a change of heart. Now she knew God wanted her to stay with her husband and help him through his struggles and to see the hope of Christ. As I said goodbye she said, “My heart is full of joy!”
Wake up, sleeper! What disguise might you find yourself in these days and how might this invite all manner of listening, aware, attentive, attuned love in the lives of others?
THE PRAYER
Father Farmer God, thank you for this story of how you are ever ready to work in and through our lives for the good of others. Thank you for Mark and for his church and the seamless way he moves in and out of the church and the world. It is a picture for us all. Holy Spirit would you interpret this vision and give us the imagination to see it particularized in our lives and worlds. Praying in the name of Jesus, amen.
THE QUESTION
Do you see how the fruit of the Spirit in Mark’s life has become the seed of the gospel in others’ lives? How might that kind of cultivation be afoot in your life? Where have you seen it before in the lives of others? In your own story?
For the Awakening,
J.D. Walt
Sower-in-Chief
seedbed.com
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P.S. Holy Spirit Stories Welcome
I would love it if you would send a story of faith from your life we might use on a Saturday in the future. We will be glad to attach your name or a pseudonym or anonymity—it’s up to you. It can be a story of coming to faith, a story of transformation, a story of healing, deliverance, suffering and sufficient grace, family reconciliation, prodigal returns, answered prayer, and so forth. Word count of 500–800 words works well. We can’t guarantee publication, but assure you of our prayerful discernment. You can reply to this email with your story and it will come to me.
2 Responses
This story reminds me of the ways that the early, Apostolic era Church spread across the known world at that time. Other than Paul’s recorded missionary ventures, we see no evidence that common believers engaged in what we would call local missions. When the Church in Jerusalem was scattered due to Jewish persecution, we read that it was the “laity “ that took the Gospel to other Jews and eventually the Gentiles. They simply shared their faith with their neighbors wherever they went. The Gospel was spread like a virus. The idea that one had to build a special building, and hold special attractional services, led by professional ministers , never occurred to them. Amazingly, this same type of kingdom expansion is still happening in countries that are hostile toward Christianity, places like Iran, North Korea and Sudan.
As a sidebar: There is another Uber driver by the name of Scott Fertig who uses his job to share his faith with his passengers. He’s located in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and documents these encounters on his blog entitled “ChristShare Via RideShare