Saturday 13 April 2013

How God Gave Me a Friend To Help Me in My Witnessing

When I worked for Transclear Agency, I spent every spare moment witnessing for the Lord. I witnessed to clerks in shipping companies, Customs officers, Quarantine officers and I went witnessing at lunchtime in Queen Street Mall.

The most difficult place to witness was in my own office. I felt alone as a witness.

So I asked the Lord to give me a friend who would encourage me in my witness and whom I could also encourage in his Christian walk. Here is how God answered that prayer:

One day our secretary walked out of our boss's office in tears. She picked up her bag from the reception desk and walked out, and never came back again. So our company began to advertise for a new receptionist.

Lots of women applied for the position, and among them one male applied. He came to the front desk and said, "I'm looking for Mr Bryan Trower".

Our bosses thought it might cut down on the amount of talking that went on in our office if a male was employed instead of a female - so they decided to give it a go. So Paul Murphy started at work.

He turned out to be a real practical joker. One day he phoned me at my desk and pretended to be a clerk from an unpacking depot, and said he had a package for me to come and pick up. I picked up my keys, and informed Paul as I walked past the receptionist's desk that I was going out to pick up a parcel. I knew instantly by the look on his face that it was he who had called me.

Paul asked to have lunch with me. I could tell we were going to get on well, because of his sense of humour. But I didn't want to have lunch with him because it was my practice to go witnessing at lunchtime and I didn't want to be distracted from that calling. "Oh you're boring," Paul said. So I had lunch with him.

And of course I witnessed to him. I invited Paul to church. One weekend he came and visited me at home then came to church with me on Sunday night. He walked out after the offering. "I've seen that guy on TV," he said, "they're only after your money". It was Pastor Eugene Bognar. I felt disappointed that Paul didn't stay for the whole service.

But God kept working in his heart. One day Paul Davis visited me. We met in the Mall, and Paul Murphy came with me while we talked about Christian things. (Paul Davis got saved at High School and had become my main witnessing partner during my final years at High School). Paul Davis shouted Paul an orange juice. Paul seemed impressed with such kindness.

Paul came to our house the next weekend. He seemed impressed with how our family got on together. He came to church and stayed for the whole service, but he didn't go forward to accept Christ.

One day at lunchtime at work Paul and I walked into an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. I didn't know what it was at first. We heard members stand up one by one and begin their testimonies with, "I am an alcoholic..." The meeting leader asked if anyone else had anything to say.

I stood up and said, "I'm not an alcoholic, but I've been listening to each of you say, 'I'm an alcoholic, but I have been dry for _____ years' ". I can say that when you ask Jesus into your life, He will set you free from the demon of alcohol, and you'll be able to say, "I was an alcoholic". Paul was so amazed at my boldness.

Pastor Vince Esterman was preparing to move to France in those days. He asked me, "Do you think Paul will crack?"

The third Sunday, which was Vince's last Sunday, Paul came back and came to the church and stayed for the whole service - and this time he went forward and accepted Jesus as his Saviour.

The next day at work, Paul's face had a new glow about it.

Paul came on our men's camp, and was baptised with the Holy Spirit and spoke with tongues, and someone nearby said they were healed while Paul was filled. He was later baptised in water.

Paul became my best friend and companion and fellow labourer in the Lord's work. He helped with the youth group and children's church. He helped me by being more outgoing and relaxed in personality. To this day Paul remains my main encourager and friend.

God answered my prayer for a friend to whom we could be a mutual encouragement in our Christian lives - but He first had to save him!

Paul's side to the story is interesting too. When he left school, even though he wasn't born again but was Catholic, he prayed for the right job. One day while looking on the board at the CES office for clerical positions, he felt led to look on the other board where the labouring jobs were advertised. He wondered why, seeing he knew he didn't want a labouring job. There he found the clerical job at Transclear advertised. It was seemingly on the wrong board. And that's the job he got. And then he got saved!

God will answer your prayer too if you pray for the right job, or for an encourager, or for a friend, or for help in your ministry.

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