Be encouraged when trying to encourage another man for the enemy may be nearby…
I had been working with a new acquaintance since the first of this year while he was trying to get his new business off the ground. Our company was providing him some work but it had been very slow going over recent months. One Monday morning he comes in to our weekly meeting dressed up (which was unusual for him) so I just asked “so what’s the tie for?” I could tell he was a little uncomfortable when I asked this and said he would explain later but then simply stated “I need more money”. I knew this guy was a believer but really did not know him well so I asked if we could talk away from the office so we setup a time later that week to grab some coffee. Before our meeting I was led to pray that God would reveal where this man was spiritually and what if any opportunity existed to encourage him.
For the first few minutes of the meeting we talked business during which I found out he was looking at multiple new jobs and going on interviews (which explained the tie). After listening to him go through all of the recent struggles in his business I simply asked “So do you see your business as a platform for ministry?” He didn’t really answer the question but went on to tell me that he had been what he called a “zealot” for Christ in college and had led many to Christ….so I had to ask “then what happened??” I found out that since college he had not even really opened his Bible or done an actual bible study in nearly 15 years! After a previous broken marriage he and his new wife had been married less than a year and with a newborn at home now you could tell that the responsibilities now were far out-pacing his capacity (which was clearly evident with his frantic scramble for “more money”).
I shared with him how I had been taught that as Christians we are called to view our businesses as a platform for ministry and that we are all commanded to be ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:16-20). I gave him the “Born to Reproduce” booklet (just happened to have picked up a couple earlier in the week for a few guys in our bible study) and asked him if he was willing to meet again soon to get into the Bible together – he agreed. The very next day we had a previously scheduled meeting with a possible new vendor for our company and what happened afterwards I will never forget.The meeting with the new vendor went well and just as we were leaving we got into a conversation next to the parking meters. It was one of those 100 degree days which made it an even more uncomfortable time to talk but I wanted to see if he had read the booklet yet and he said he had. He then shared some very personal things about some recent struggles in his marriage and I simply encouraged him to get into the Word and told him not be surprised if the attacks and distractions continue as he tries to spend more time with God each day. He paused and then asked “It’s funny you say that….did you see the two men sitting next to us yesterday at the coffee shop?” As soon as he said it I knew exactly what he was talking about…I remember seeing as I turned to leave at the table right next to us that the two men sitting there were holding hands in what looked like a public display of sin. I replied “Yes, I remember seeing the two men but it’s so common now that I’m not surprised to see it anymore”. I was expecting him to start talking about something related to the attack on the definition of marriage (which had been a lot in the news lately) but then he said “No, I mean did you see what the first guy did when he came in?” I hadn’t noticed him or the other guy until I had got up to leave that day but my friend was facing the entry to the coffee shop so he could see those coming into the coffee shop (my back was turned to the entrance). He then said “The first guy came in the door and kepton staring at us and sat down at the table next to us before the other guy arrived. I’ve never seen anything that I would call demonic before but if you had seen his face you’d know what I mean….he looked demonic and really scared the crap out of me!” I was not sure how to respond…I do believe the demonic realm exists but he and I had never discussed it nor do I believe he was making this up. In my life I have had only one experience where I got a glimpse of what I believe was the demonic realm and after that I never want to see it again and don’t believe, based on scripture, it’s wise to go looking for it! Based on God’s Word I believe that the enemy simply has no power when we are in Christ and any spiritual encounter with the enemy we have to remember that it is Christ and Christ alone who fights these battles for us. So without much to say at this point I could only respond with “let’s pray” which we did standing right there next to the parking meters. I asked if he could meet soon so we could get into the Word, so we setup a time for first thing the next morning.
He was there at 7 the next morning (I was even expecting a “just can’t make it” call) and we‘ve met twice since. He has committed to a weekly meeting so we are now going through the “Who Defines the Ministry” book which we just started last week and has led to some great discussions (especially about how the church is defined and our roles as believers in the church). It is uncertain whether what he saw that day was evidence of the enemy or not but what I do know is that this brother represents another opportunity of a man in our midst who has drifted away from God’s Word and like many of us really just needed some encouragement to be obedient to the commands given to us by Christ to his disciples (Matthew 28:20).
Question: Have you seen any evidence of the enemy being near by as you focus on the ministry?
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