And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” - Isaiah 6:8
Evangelism, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with someone, is commanded of every Christian (Matthew 28:19-20). Pastor Tony had asked me to go to Colombia for many years; I didn’t want to go. I had a “reasonably true” excuse that it was difficult for me to commit with dynamic work situations. The whole truth (yes, I repented of the half-truth) was that I had high anxiety about going. I like to be in control and am very uncomfortable talking to people that I do not know. I also knew that we would practice in front of Pastor Tony and others and I don’t like to be evaluated. These are idols of mine, known as comfort and fear of man.
Idols are defined as anything that we sin to get or sin if we don’t get, or really anything that we put as more important than God. Worshipping our idols keeps us from doing what God intends for us. This idol worship is sinning, and we miss out on the blessings, peace, and joy we get when we are obedient. I ‘brain-knew’ all of this and submitted to go, but did not ‘feel it’ leading up to the trip and even when I got to Colombia. I received wise counsel about it not being about me and whether I was ‘feeling it’, but it was about glorifying God and letting the Holy Spirit do it through me as I trusted and obeyed God (1 Corinthians 10:31; cf. Proverbs 3:5-6).
What followed was a true blessing. But more than this, a Godly impact to other people through the Holy Spirit. Highlights included us (a translator, a local church member, and I) sharing the Gospel and praying with a man who had just come home from the hospital for an unknown ailment, a woman who had a bad fight with her husband and was wanting to buy a Bible but could not afford it (we gave her one), and a child who overheard us speaking with her mom, joined, and said she wanted to give her life to Christ. In these and other situations, people stated that they needed to hear our message (testimony, Gospel, and prayer) at exactly this time. Many others professed to have trusted that Jesus is God, repented, professed to believe that Jesus died for their sins and was raised from the dead, and committed to following Him. Only a sovereign God could weave this tapestry.
I conclude with my only regret and hopefully encouragement for you. I wish I had gone earlier in my life (but it is never too late, and it doesn’t have to be a foreign country). I believe this experience, through the Spirit, will have a huge Godly impact and will help destroy some of the idols in my life, and will help me share the gospel even more here. I pray for continued courage for all to respond like Isaiah did in 6:8 – “Here I am! Send me.”
I want to thank the congregation for their prayers and the mission planning group for their support. I also want to thank Pastor Tony for his leadership and the rest of the team for their patience, kindness, and support.
Blessings!
Doug Franchville
