Take Someone with You to Heaven

Copyright © 2013                  Carol Middlekauff.

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This book describes the author’s and others’ experiences of sharing the good news about Jesus. Some names and identifying details of individuals mentioned in the stories have been changed to protect their privacy. The quoted ideas expressed in this book (other than scriptures) are not exact quotations, but the author has attempted to maintain each speaker’s original intent.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Personal pronouns for God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit (He, Him, Himself, His, etc.) are capitalized in the text and quoted scriptures, except those scriptures quoted directly from the New Living Translation (NLT).

Cover photo by Carol Middlekauff. Author photo by Cheryl Middlekauff

ISBN: 978-1-4497-8462-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-8461-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-8460-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013902442

WestBow Press rev. date: 3/19/2013

1 Christianity 2 Church 3 Ministry 4 Evangelism I. Title

To Jesus Christ who saved me, to the lost people of this world who need Jesus, and to the Christians who will lovingly share the good news of Jesus with them.

_________________________________

With thanks to evangelism trainers, Bill Fay, Bill Glass, Michael Lewis, Glenn Chappelear, and others; to friends, Laura Prado, Jesse Mullins, Dr. Zahea Nappa, and others for their encouragement and advice as I was writing this book; to my mother, Jean Hare, who has always championed my writing; and to my best friend and husband, Chuck, for his steadfast relationship with God, his enthusiasm for sharing the love and salvation of Jesus, and for loving me all these years.

Take Someone with

You to Heaven

CAROL MIDDLEKAUFF

Contents

Preface

Getting Started

Chapter 1   The Great Commission

The Great Commission Applies to All of Us

Chapter 2   If You Don’t Tell Them, Who Will?

Salvation Full Circle

Chapter 3   Quenching the Fear

The Ladies in the Lunchroom

My Daddy Knew Jesus

The Guest Speaker

Shaking in My Shoes

A David Story

What Happened with Dennis?

Chapter 4   Taking F.A.I.T.H. to the Streets

F.A.I.T.H. Outline

The Jewish Neighbor

Breaking the Stage Fright

Four Guys on a Sidewalk

A Fishing Trip—Two Men and a Truck

Laundromat Date

God Can Use Us—Even When We’re Cranky

God Also Works in Spanish

Chapter 5   Mission NYC

Let Them Eat Donuts

Lunch at the Park

He Didn’t Mug Me

Sawdust and Tears

Phil’s Meat

Sasquatch Sighting in Manhattan

Men in Suits Wearing Guns

Chapter 6   God Goes Straight to Jail

That First Jail

Across the Prison Yard

She Knew Nothing about God

God’s Word Spoils Satan’s Ambush

Locked Down at Lexington

From Prison to Pastor Times Two

The Officer and the Inmate

What about that Afro?

The Officer on Tour

Why Was Johnny Hesitating?

Chapter 7   God Sends a Blizzard of Tracts

You Are Invited to Go to Heaven Tract

Tattoo Girl

The Walgreens Harvest

Those Chance Encounters

Shocked at the Bus Stop

A Father, a Son, and Angels

Chapter 8   Running God’s Race

Get away from Me, You, You, You Baptist!

He Didn’t Know How Many Times

Camping under the Congress Avenue Bridge

He Talked to Me First

Two Michaels

Racing against Time

The God Box

Five Minutes Late, but Right on Time

Fussing All the Way

Ken Almost Waited Too Long

It Was No Picnic

She Knew Right Where She Was Going

Chapter 9   What about You?

Resources and Contact Information

Preface

If you are not 100 percent certain where you would spend eternity if you died today, please begin this book by reading the gospel tract provided in Chapter 7.

If you are sure, I have written this book to show you how easy it is to share your faith. It’s easy because God does all the work. You simply show up.

As you will read in the following chapters, watching God work as you become a part of His work is a joyful adventure. If you have a heart for Jesus, and you’re willing, God is able.

The following stories are just a sampling of the glorious things God has done. And every week He does more. As you read, you will see I’m usually surprised, even stunned, at the way God’s Word touches somebody when I speak up. You might think I’ve forgotten what He did the last time. Well, I know that God sets up divine appointments, but each situation is new and different, and as I go along encountering people, I can’t imagine how God will do what He does—until He does it.

I always recognize my own shortcomings, and I sometimes get butterflies, wondering what I should do or say, or whether I should do or say anything. For that reason, I sometimes argue with the Holy Spirit, telling Him I’m not up to it—or just plain resisting. When I do speak up, beyond memorizing some scriptures and filling my mind with good Bible preaching, I don’t have a plan about what I will say. But the Holy Spirit, as God promises in His word, always gives me the words. And when I obey His lead—whether I do it right away or after resisting—I always experience inexpressible joy. It will be the same for you.

You will be delivering the same good news, but every encounter will be unique. The most exciting times will be the unexpected meetings: the people who come up to you, the people God points out to you, people you don’t expect to be interested in God but are.

The Holy Spirit doesn’t give you everyone, but He does point out some people. It’s important to be ready and willing when He does. It can happen anywhere, even, as you will read in Chapter 4, at a laundromat, or Chapter 5, in a New York deli, or Chapter 7, on an aisle at Walgreens. The opportunities will happen because you listen for the Holy Spirit’s urgings, you truly care about people, and you take a little time to get involved with them.

Christ taught us that we must love all the people of the world—especially the lost people. So, when lost people behave badly, keep in mind that they are lost. That’s how lost people act. As you encounter those lost people, remember the kind of love God had when He sent His only Son to die for you—and for them.

Paul wrote: But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 NKJV)

In another message on love, Paul wrote: And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:3 NKJV)

So, God loved you first. And love means a lot to Him. When you’re sharing the love of God, the main thing to remember and demonstrate is the main thing: God’s love.

Getting Started

Besides your own salvation experience, has anyone—outside church and not counting cussing—ever mentioned Jesus to you? Surveys show that—including pastors—only maybe five out of a hundred Christians have ever told anybody else what Jesus has done for them.

Here’s the sad thing: The other ninety-five Christians are missing the joy of being there when someone receives God’s gift of forgiveness (which is only available through trusting in Jesus), or when a prodigal person restores a broken relationship with Him, or when someone takes even a first tiny step in His direction. But you can have that joy.

Getting started is simple. Someone told me the good news about Jesus (the gospel message from the Bible). God led me to respond to it and filled me with the Holy Spirit. I’m going to heaven. And, through the power of the Holy Spirit, I’m taking a bunch of people with me.

I’m the most ordinary person you can imagine. My driver’s license shows five feet tall, 110 pounds, chin-length gray hair, and an ordinary face with glasses. I’ve had no seminary studies and no speech coach. And considering the many definitions of fool in Proverbs, I think I qualify. What is extraordinary is that, when I show up, prayed up and ready to obey the Holy Spirit’s lead, I have the thrill of watching God work—in me and through me. You can have it, too.

First, I started a relationship with Jesus when I was fifteen. Believing that I was a sinner, that He died to pay the penalty for my personal sins and then rose from the dead, I invited Him into my life. Then, after a prodigal time, when I strayed from God and came back, and then way too many years of sitting on the bench, mostly just praying, reading my Bible, and going to church, I finally committed my life to His Great Commission.

I asked Him to use me to share the gospel. And He has. It’s been the very best time of my life. I hope you won’t wait as long as I did.

Again, I’m an ordinary person. But I’ve told hundreds of people about Jesus, and I’ve passed out thousands of gospel tracts. Until I arrive in heaven, I won’t know how many lives God changed after someone spent time with me on a front porch, parking lot, bus stop, or running trail, on a New York City street, or in a prison or jail, wanting to hear more about Jesus. And until I get to heaven, I won’t know how many lives God will touch through those who took a tract—or found one in a trashcan, on the ground, or by a payphone. And I won’t know how many lives God will change through this book. But please understand this: God does all the work. I can’t brag about it. And you can’t be afraid of it.

God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:30–31 NLT)

As you will read in these few stories, lots of people I’ve talked with have prayed with me to commit their lives to Jesus. Others were already Christians and found encouragement to rekindle their relationships with Jesus or to start introducing people to their Savior. And some folks I’ve encountered completely disagreed about the truth in God’s Word. But they still wanted to talk about God, sometimes for hours.

Very, very few—maybe only one in hundreds—didn’t want to talk about God at all. Those rare conversations usually ended abruptly. As you will read, a couple of those individuals even shouted at me. But I know they weren’t rejecting me; they were rejecting Jesus. He loves them anyway. I figure He’s working on them, or He wouldn’t have sent me.

I repeat: very, very few didn’t want to talk about God at all.

Life gives you things you have to do, things you want to do, and things you get to do. Sharing the hope of a Father in heaven who loves us and the promise of forgiveness in Jesus is one of those things you get to do.

You just have to start. You’ll find out for yourself how much joy it brings. Like me, you will wonder why you didn’t join God’s harvest team sooner, why you didn’t become a serious soldier in God’s army when you were younger.

After all, no matter how many soldiers are on the battlefield, they will not win the battle unless someone marches forward when the commanding officer shouts charge! Have you heard God’s order to charge—the Great Commission—but you are still just standing there?

To win this battle, someone has to march! If you’re ready to start marching, I hope these stories will encourage you by showing you how simple it is to tell people about Jesus. I hope you are getting excited about seeing the extraordinary things that will happen when you do.

Even if you don’t read every word of the stories, please take the time to read each scripture so the Holy Spirit can convict you and teach you to be a witness for Christ.

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us? Then I said, Here am I! Send me. (Isaiah 6:8 NKJV)

In this scripture, God asked a question. Isaiah was the one who responded. Will you respond? ____

Chapter 1

The Great Commission

Jesus proclaims the Great Commission:

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. (Matthew 28:18–20 NKJV)

Paul wrote:

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:15–17 NLT)

But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the good news about the wonderful grace of God. (Acts 20:24 NLT)

For Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news! (Romans 10:14–15 NLT)

The Great Commission Applies to All of Us

You can’t take any of this world’s material possessions with you when you leave it. So, if you are headed for an eternity in heaven, what can you take with you? People! How many people will be in heaven because you shared the good news about Jesus with them? As it stands right now, is it too many to count? Or too few? Anyone?

Do you believe in the reality of hell? Do you believe God loves you so much that He sent Jesus to die for you, and Jesus rose again? Do you believe you are going to heaven solely because of what Jesus did in paying the price for your sins? Then surely you feel the Holy Spirit’s urging to tell someone else this good news.

Conversely, if you don’t share this good news, do you really believe it?

After all, God’s only plan for salvation is for us to tell others about Jesus. It’s every Christian’s job. When Jesus gave this Great Commission, He made it clear that we must tell them. Telling them is easy because God does all the work. If you’re worried about your qualifications, remember, He doesn’t call the equipped; He equips the called. And He calls everybody. Even me. Even you.

God used Paul, Jonah, Moses, David, and lots of other flawed, unwilling, unlikely characters in the Bible to accomplish His work. And He uses friendly but sometimes shy, mostly klutzy, and very ordinary me to share His good news. He even uses my husband, Chuck, who has a built-in discomfort with meeting people. When we simply show up, prayed up and ready to obey, God lets us watch Him work. No matter who you are, God can use you, too.

When he (Jesus) saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields. (Matthew 9:36–38 NLT)

Will you join the harvesters?_____ Will you take someone with you to heaven? _____ One more person might go to heaven because you speak up. If it’s only one, that’s okay. But if you tell one person about Jesus, you’ll find you just can’t wait to tell the next one.

Start by committing wholeheartedly to Jesus and by accepting His Great Commission. Then let Him make you a clean and useful vessel by staying close to Him and confessing your sins as you go. Ask for the Holy Spirit’s help with wisdom and obedience. Store up God’s Word in your heart by reading your Bible every day, thinking about it and memorizing it, and by listening to good preachers, teachers, and speakers who constantly repeat and reinforce it. Then the Holy Spirit will bring that wealth of knowledge to mind whenever you need it.

Jesus said: But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. (John 14:26 NKJV)

Ask God for divine appointments. Pray for the lost or prodigal people. Pray for the Holy Spirit to open their hearts and to speak to them through you. Enlist some steadfast prayer partners. Then simply show up every day, ready to obey.

Peter wrote: But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. (1 Peter 3:15 NKJV)

In the following passage, Paul writes that all things are new with you when you are in Christ. He goes on to say that God has given the new you the ministry of helping others to be reconciled to Him—also new in Christ.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was