Mark Gillmore: In our podcast today I want to encourage you and equip you for what I believe is a great time for outreach here in our lives in this summer of 2021. Jeremiah 8 says, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”

Reflecting the fact that summertime is really a time for harvest, and I especially feel with COVID concerns decreasing, and just as we’re getting out of our homes and out of, perhaps, cold weatherーif you live in that area of the countryーand just being able to begin to relate to one another… It really is a wide open door for Gospel witness.

So many around us have faced insecurity, growing lack of concern in a troubled world, and I really believe that there’s a lot of hearts that are ready to listen to a fervent Gospel witness. The apostle Paul said that he was “ready to preach the gospel.” He was not ashamed of it, because it was the “power of God unto salvation” to everyone that believes.

And I want to encourage you and equip you here in just a few minutes here, on how to share your 15-second testimony as you engage people around youーfriends, or perhaps even strangers, as you’re going about your daily life.

I want to tell you an amazing story that happened severalーa number of years ago that really shows the potential of God’s hand on someone who will make daily witness a priority in their lives. And this really just startled me when I first became aware of this testimony, and I want to share it with you.

It started over in London, England, but was really based out of a man who lived in Australia. And some years ago, a guest was visiting a church in London. And at the end of the service, he just raised his hand and asked the pastor if he could share a testimony. Well the pastor said, “Sure, go ahead.”

And he told him how that he had just moved into London, but had lived down in Sydney, Australia. One day he was there walking down a street called George Street where a little white-haired man just stepped out from a doorway, put a pamphlet in his hand and simply said, “Excuse me, Sir, are you saved? If you die tonight, are you going to Heaven?”

He was astounded by these words he’d never had anyone ask him before. He thanked him, and all the way home to London he was puzzled. He called a friend. Thank God, that friend was a Christian who led him to Christ!

Well, everyone in that church service certainly loved the testimony. That pastor who heard the testimony in his church service in a few weeks flew to Adelaide, Australia, where he was in a series of meetings. A woman came up to him for counseling, and he wanted to ask her about her relationship to Christ.

And she simply said, “I used to live in Sydney. A couple months back I was visiting some friends doing some last-minute shopping on George Street. This little white-haired man stepped out from a doorway, offered me a pamphlet, and said, ‘Excuse me, Madam, are you saved? If you die tonight, are you going to Heaven?’ I was disturbed. When I got home to Adelaide, I knew this Baptist church was here. I sought out the pastor, and he led me to Christ. So I’m telling you, I am a Christian.”

Well, the London pastor was a bit puzzled. Two times in two weeks he’d heard the same testimony. He flew to another city in Australia, Perth (again, another teaching series), and he asked one of the senior elders of the church how he had gotten saved.

He said, “Well, I grew up in this church, from the age of 15, but I never made a commitment to Christ; I just was going along with everyone else. Because of my business, I grew in influence, and I was on a trip to Sydney, just about three years ago.” He said, “This obnoxious, spiteful little man stepped out of a doorway, offered me a religious pamphlet, and accosted me with this question, ‘Excuse me sir, are you saved? If you die tonight, are you going to Heaven?’

I tried to tell him I was a Baptist elder, but he wouldn’t listen to me. I was seething with anger all the way home from Sydney to Perth. I told my pastor, thinking that he would sympathize, but he agreed! He was disturbed for years knowing that I didn’t have a relationship with Jesus. And he was right. My pastor led me to Jesus three years ago.”

Well, that London pastor flew home and was soon speaking at a convention in the north district of his country. He mentioned those three testimonies. At the close of his teaching, four elderly pastors came up and explained they, too, had been saved 25 to 30 years earlier by that same little man on George Street offering him a pamphlet, and asking that same question.

The following week he flew to another convention in the Caribbean. Missionaries were there. He gave these testimonies, and found out that three missionaries who were present in that convention had also been saved by this man’s witness.

Then he was in Atlanta, Georgia, at a naval chaplains’ convention. Spoke three days to over a thousand chaplains, and while he was there, the chaplain general told him his story.

He said, “It was miraculous. I was A rating on a naval battleship, and I lived a reprobate life. We were doing exercises in the South Pacific, and we docked at Sydney for replenishments. We hit King’s Cross with a vengeance. I was blind drunkーgot off on the wrong bus at the wrong stop on George Street. I saw this ghost of a man who jumped out in front of me, pushed a pamphlet in my hand, and said, ‘Sailor, are you saved? If you die tonight, are you going to Heaven?’

The fear of God hit me immediately. I was shocked sober. I ran back to the ship, sought out the chaplain, and he led me to Christ. I soon began to prepare for ministry, and now I am in charge of one thousand chaplains bent on soul-winning every day.”

Six months later, that London pastor flew to a conference in India, a remote part of northeast India. At the end, the head missionary took him to a humble little home for a simple meal. He asked how he, as a Hindu, had come to Christ.

He said, “I grew up in a very privileged position. I worked the Indian diplomatic mission, and I traveled the world. I am so glad for the forgiveness of Christ. I would be very embarrassed if people found out what I got into. One period of diplomatic service took me to Sydney. I was doing some last-minute shopping, laden with toys, clothes for my children. I was walking down George Street when this courteous white-haired little man stepped out in front of me and offered me a pamphlet and said, ‘Excuse me, Sir, are you saved? If you die tonight, are you going to Heaven?’

I thanked him very much, but it disturbed me. I got back to my town, sought out our Hindu priest. He couldn’t help me, but he advised me to satisfy my curious mind, I should go and talk to the missionary who lived at the mission home at the end of the road. Well, that was fatal advice, because that day the missionary led me to Christ. I quit Hinduism, began to prepare for ministry. I left the diplomatic service, and here I am today, by God’s grace, in charge of all these missionaries who have led together 100,000 people to Christ.”

Well eight months later, that London pastor was preaching in Sydney. He asked the local Baptist minister if he knew of a little, elderly, white-haired man who handed out tracts on George Street. He replied, “Yes I do. His name is Mr. Jenner. Although, I don’t think he does it anymore, because he’s so frail and elderly.”

Two nights later they went to meet this man in his little apartment. They knocked on the door. A tiny, frail old man greeted them. He sat them down; made them tea. He was so frail that the tea was slopping into the saucer as his hands shook.

The London preacher sat there and told him of all these accounts from the previous three years. This little man sat there with tears running down his cheeks. He told them his story. “I was on an Australian warship. I was living a reprobate life. In a crisis, I hit a wall. One of my colleagues to whom I gave literal hell was there to help me. He led me to Jesus, and the change in my life was night to day in 24 hours. I was so grateful to God. I promised God that I would share Jesus in a simple witness with at least 10 people every day.

As God gave me strength, I did it. Sometimes I was ill and couldn’t do it, but I made up for the days I missed at other times. I wasn’t paranoid about it. I have done this for over 40 years. In my retirement years, the best place was on George Street, where I saw hundreds of people a day. I got lots of rejections, but a lot of people courteously took the tract. In 40 years of doing this, I have never heard of a single person coming to Jesus. …until today.”

What an amazing story… Out of his gratitude and love for Jesus for 40 years, without knowing of any results, this simple little Baptist man witnessed to, perhaps, as many as 147,000 people. God was showing that Baptist pastor just the tip of the iceberg of what this man’s fruit was.

Do you know that just two weeks after that meeting, in which Mr. Jenner found out for the first time about how God had used his witness, just two weeks later Mr. Jenner died… Can you imagine the reward that he went home to in Heaven?

What will God do for you? What will God do through you?…if you, this summer, will simply say, “Lord, I’m gonna be a faithful witness to you.”

Where does the Gospel begin? The Gospel begins simply with your testimony. And that testimony can be given very briefly and very succinctly. And I want to equip you with giving that testimony in our next podcast together.

But I want to encourage you: just get a handful of Gospel tracts, get it from your local church, and say, “Lord, I’m going to give out so many Gospel tracts on a daily or weekly basis.” Make a promise to God. Maybe it’s a daily promiseー“Lord, I’m going to give out three tracts every day.” “Lord, I’m going to give out ten tracts”ーthat was Mr. Jenner’s promise. And when he gave the tract, he simply asked the person, “Sir, if you die today, do you know where you would be?”

“May I ask you a question? If you die today, do you know where you would be?”ーjust give it in a sincere, simple question like that. And I believe God will do something very special through your life here in this summertime.

As I close here today, I want to just mention a couple friends of mine who are over in India. One’s name is Somatai and the other’s name is Santosh. Both of these men live in different parts of India, and they have also right now, in these very daysーthis weekendーare going out to reach some very remote villages where there has been persecution in the past. They’re going out with some gifts, some relief packages, some food.

It’s COVID time over there, and there’s a lot of fear, there’s a lot of lockdown, and the villagers are sometimes in need of just rice. And so these men are going out with a gift of food, and they’re going also out to share the Gospel of Christ as a witness as they’re giving this love gift, giving it in the name of Jesus.

They’re taking a risk. It’s a step of faith; it’s also a step of love. And I really believe that God’s going to open up some fantastic doors for them as they’re witnessing in this way. So their names are Somatai and Santosh. They’re in remote parts of India. There’s persecution that’s occurred in these regions, yet they’re taking a step of faith to witness.

And so as I close here today, I just want to close with a word of prayer, if you would join me. Let’s pray together for these two men, and then let’s also pray for ourselves. Let’s pray for you. The opportunities that God will have you take this summer as we take advantage of this harvest time. Let’s pray.

Lord, thank you for the power of the Gospel. I especially thank you for steps of faith out of love for you to be obedient witnesses here in the opportunities that are around us. I think of these two men, my friendsーSomatai and Santosh. I just bring them before you right now, and I ask you to use their witness in a powerful way. Lord, I pray that people would receive these gifts in the name of Jesus. They would recognize that it’s the love of Jesus that has sent this messenger. That these gifts come out of love for you and love for these people, and I pray, Lord, that they would listen to the Gospel message as a result of this contact.

I pray, Lord, you destroy the liesーthe works of Satan in the lives of these people. Lord, protect them. Lord, we claim an open door and a protection from the attacks of the enemy in the lives of these two men. Bless them. May they be able to see folks come to you. May they plant churches in these villages.

Lord, I pray also for everyone listening to this podcast, especially the teenage young men and young ladies. Lord, I pray that they would obey you this summer, that they’d be a witness for you, that they would be daily and weekly on missionーthey’d get their hands on a stack of tracts and they would be simply giving out those tracts as they make contact with people this summer.

And Lord, I know that you’ll witness to themーyou’ll use this witness, even if they don’t know the results. Frank Jenner didn’t know the results for 40 years, yet he was faithful, and you did exceeding abundantly above. Lord, we claim that, in the lives of these young people, and we pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Well, as we conclude here today, remember, the only way to stay at peace in a world of turmoil and uncertainty is to stay on-mission with Jesus in His GoMission.