Frank Tyler
Evangelism is alive and well at Fairview Bible Church. Happy Valentines Day!
“Mama always said life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” This famous quote from the 1994 movie Forest Gump illustrates an essential truth in evangelism: Sharing the gift of eternal life is like a box of chocolates, because you never know who the Lord will open the door to share with. Each opportunity to share good news is unique. Indeed, “you never know what you’re gonna get.”
Chocolates on Valentines Day
Richard Cadbury introduced the first heart-shaped box of chocolates on Valentines Day 1861. “Today, more than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolates are sold each year. That’s 58 million pounds of chocolate!” [1] Regardless of the holiday, boxes of chocolates are used to express affection and love. The greatest love of all is the love of God in giving us Jesus Christ and His promise of eternal life: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. Expressing God’s love looks like something— it looks like sharing the good news of eternal life in the marketplaces of our lives.
January 6 th 2025
6:50am— In line outside the door to OMC Sequim, an older man with two canes stands hunched over in pain. When the front door opens, I retrieve a wheelchair and wheel him into the lab. In the waiting room I learn that he graduated from a small high school in Oregon, was given a scholarship to play baseball in college, did a stint in the military, and eventually, taught school in Alaska for years. “May I ask you a question?” As the gentleman paused and nodded. “Are you a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ?” He paused again, “No.” I thanked him for his honesty and gave him a Living Water, “You can know for sure you have eternal life. When you have time, check it out for yourself.” He thanked me.
7:15am— Another older man sat down next to me across from the gentleman from Oregon. Upon hearing us talk about Alaska, he piped up, “I lived in Alaska for years.” This particular person was a wildlife biologist charged with protecting salmon habitat. Needless to say, this brought him into contact with brown bears. For the next several minutes, hunting stories, bear encounters, and other adventures filled the air. Eventually, a tech came and wheeled the gentleman from Oregon into the lab leaving me with the biologist. A fellow brother in Christ, who had worked the Promise of Life Cafe with me, sat down next to us. Pat and I began recounting the joy of serving free burgers to children and families. All the burgers are named after promises of life in the Gospel of John. The John 5:24 (a jalapeno burger) was of particular interest, so when the lab tech called me back to the lab, I gave the biologist a Living Water and told him he could find the promises of life as well as the menu for all the burgers in the Gospel of John. He thanked me and my brother in Christ continued sharing with him about the Promise of Life Café.
7:40am—In the foyer of the building, I struck up a conversation with a young lady (21 years old) about the Coast Guard. When asked if she was a believer in the Lord Jesus, her countenance radiated: “Yes, I go to Sequim Community Church.” I then told her that I thought she might put some Gospels of John to good use. She had to run to work at the heart center, but was very interested, “Please stop by the heart center.” Not having any Living Waters on me, I went home and picked up three more, each with a $15.00 gift certificate for either burgers, burritos, or sandwiches, and then finding the young woman working at the receptionist counter, I demonstrated how to share her faith.
Person Sharing—Do you like hamburgers?
Person Being Shared With—Yes.
Person Sharing—This is a gift from me to you. There’s a $15.00 gift certificate inside this Gospel of John. You can know for sure you have eternal life. Enjoy your burger and check the Gospel of John out.
She became excited with the opportunity: “I can’t wait to share this with my friends.”
Make Ever Day a Valentines Day
In the marketplaces of our lives, each opportunity to reach out to others is like a chocolate. The timing, the individuals, the circumstances, and even the content of our conversations are all shaped by our Lord in order for us to share His great love and the good news of eternal life. Like a box of chocolates, “you never know what you’re gonna get.” Don’t let an opportunity pass you by; make every day a Valentines Day for you and those the Lord brings into your life; and lastly… don’t be surprised if you find yourself praying for just one more opportunity to tell someone about Jesus.