Don’t Waste Opportunities to Witness

This is our home. Hallelujah. But we keep doing the scorecard of our old way, the world's ways, and we, no wonder we're in conflict, no wonder we're frustrated because we're not, we're not in the game. We're not even paying attention to the right scoreboard when you said that it just, just the field has changed when you become a believer, and it's not a spectator sport. That's true. Welcome to the Ignite with Barry McGuire podcast, where Barry's book and passion for spreading God's love are guaranteed to ignite your life. Now listen in and prepare to have your life ignited. Welcome back to Ignite everybody, have special guests where this are actual. This is second in a series of two, Dr. Ham and Dr. Scott file. We feel like we've been friends for years and it's only been maybe three months, but you know, it's, it's amazing. I have found that the closer we get to God, the closer we get to each other, I tell you a fun story. Yeah. I think I mentioned the past, but we were interviewing folks in Fresno, California, who share their faith. And there was a black lady there, my age, who look much older than me actually, who just come through bypass quadruple bypass surgery a few days earlier and had grown up poor. And I was interviewed. But I soon just let her talk, she didn't need me. And she talked to that camera and she spoke to that camera. I broke, she said, we're exactly the same. This precious lady lives in an entirely different world for me. Oh, we're all away from me as much as you can in the United States. And she was expressing things that I feel my innermost being. This is what I, these conversations I have with God, and nobody else, and she's saying her to the camera. She broke me. And I thought I met one with her. We're soulmates. I never met her before. And we're soulmates. How is this possible? And that's when it first came to me, the more we progressed to life, to life, and we get closer to God, all of us getting closer to God, the closer we get to God. That's the unity of the spirit. That's the family of God. Is that special? Yes. Yes. You guys at UsCare and I are enjoying the family of God together, we're celebrating together because a few of our different paths have brought us to the same point. So at our last podcast, we ended up with talking about stuff. It's just stuff, you know, I remember George Carlin, he did a thing, funny thing, way back about stuff, it's just more stuff, I think that bit. So you guys at UsCare have stuff, okay? Explain what that stuff means to you in relationship to the outfit you have to represent. Yeah, I mean, we talk about it. We came from broken family childhood for America in Poverish, not for the world. And we know that God has given us a place in the social, economic position in the world for the kingdom, it's for his work, yeah. It's so we can share the gospel with people in our relationship and should he decide that we end life financially where we started. We've talked about as long as we're together and our dogs and our dogs. This is home. This is home. We have five children, eight grandchildren, we were just all together, that's what matters, our faith, our father and our family. It is amazing. You know, one of my testimony stories, if you don't mind, was around our pool. It was, the pool was acting up, all the automation, and to be very transparent, I was very frustrated. Brand new stuff, right? To your point, very brand new stuff. And you and I had just talked, and the pool mechanic was coming to the house. I'd been talking with him recently, and it just happened to ask him again, you know, how are you doing? What's going on? My wife just left me. He said, she rated our bank account. She stripped our house, and I found out this week, I have cancer, and I just sat there personally ashamed because I was so upset about the spillway and the waterfall on my pool. I mean, God's really, sometimes gentle, sometimes he's like, come on, get priorities here. And then so I started asking him about what we're talking about right now. And it's so interesting when you move into that because, doesn't matter how many times you do, it is the Lord, and we just have to open our mouth. And I thought I was going to ask him one series of questions, and this thing went a whole different direction, and at the end of our conversation, he prayed with me to receive Jesus. Woohoo! That was a, that was a divine encounter, and an unexpected one. You did not expect that conversation to go that way, but you're open to it. Yes. Yes. It's amazing. And then we wanted to open up our money to it. You know, this man had just lost his money, lost his wife, had cancer. So I go into the house, but he's out working on the pool. I go get, go in and get some cash out of the house, and come out, and he starts breaking that, because it's like now, now we're brothers in the testimony of what's true, does the stuff mean more to me than him? Is what I was hearing in my head. This isn't for, this was me. Yeah. And I just remember going in and wanting to get all the cash I had at that moment and get it into his hands, and it was an expression of love because it's just stuff. It's just stuff. But his soul was redeemed on our property, and I got the privilege of being there to see it. Yeah, that's something. I, I have to say to people in Traveille, well, God has you right where he wants you. Yes. What kind of a God is that? Well, he's been trying to get your attention. And no matter what he does, he can't get your attention. So, you know, this is what happens when you're not, he might do it. Now you can revert. Now you can get back. Now he can put it all back together again. Yeah. But the first thing he's told you attention, you know, I, that's right. Oh, that's good. And sometimes, you know, our suffering, when we suffer, I say suffering gives us a stage and pain gives us the microphone. And when someone's looking at our lives and it looks perfect from the outside, but we are showing our suffering, revealing our suffering, honest with our suffering, and still praising the Lord, that's when people like, they begin to say, well, what is it that helps them through their suffering? Because it's a common experience. We all suffer. I know you've suffered deeply. We have to and, and yet through it all, we know that God loves us. And our theology is very simple. God is good and we trust him. And that simple message is for everyone. God is good. And we trust him. And he loves you. And so it's suffering is often a great way and a great opportunity to share your faith. When you're suffering, or you see someone else suffering. In that good. I would ask, as you know, our 49-year-old daughter, and I led the service because I knew I have to pray there and they were not Christian, they were car guys, great guys, but not Christian. Coming to see is very good smile now. He's always smiling, you know, is he going to smile now? And I did. And I explained, you know, I always have good days. I know I always have good things happen, bad things happen, but God's always there. And there's a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is fleeting. It just comes and goes every day. Joy is, well boy, joy is a, that's a whole different thing. We had a couple with us that service they flew out from Tennessee to meet that funeral meant a lot to us. We had no idea that within two years we would be in the East Coast intending a funeral for their son, their married son. And she came to me about a year later and she said, you know the parable of the building, the house on the sand or in the rock, and then the storm comes. She says, you know what, you know what, you're coming, trigger this in my mind. He says, you know what the message of that is? And I, throughout every kind of, I could think of, you know, the message is, we all have stormed. You just said it. We all go through these periods. We all have stormed our lives. The question is, do we, do we build our life on the rock of Jesus Christ? Amen. The same to this world. And if we build our house on the rock on Jesus Christ, we will not be moved. That's right. And I, again, just, what I say, I just say to people with, with Christian particularly when they're in trouble, don't waste it. Yes. Don't waste it. Don't waste it. Why are you talking about, don't waste it. You're serving God. You have joy. You're sharing your faith. God's making everything work for good. He's up to good here and good for God's souls. That's right. You're using this to get more souls into heaven now. So get on board and don't complain and say, where are you, God, but it says, what are you up to, God? And then by your very demeanor, to your very joy in the midst of the storm, you're leading people into Jesus. And God wants to do that in our lives. He allows us the purpose. You never give us more than we can handle. He knows that. It's like a compliment. I say, boy, God must really trust you. What? Yeah. He has a lot of respect for you. That's a compliment because he'll never give anything more than you can adore. He knows you can handle this straight now. And you know, you're talking about his glory. And you said it's about souls. It's interesting. As you were saying that, Barry, it kind of hit me so many of us as believers, as Christians who've given their life to Christ, we're still using the old scorecard, the scorecard of the world, the scorecard, the Federal Reserve and the banking system set up for us. And the scorecard, not of God, because it's about, oh, man, just when you said that, it just eliminated that if we start counting our days and counting the score according to salvation and Christ, technically, our brothers and sisters. So we can have the last brother and sister come to our father so we can go home. This isn't our home. Hallelujah. But we keep doing the scorecard of the our old way, the world's ways, and we no wonder we're in conflict. No wonder we're so frustrated because we're not in the game. We're not even paying attention to the right scoreboard when you said that it just the field has changed when you become a believer and it's not a spectator sport. That's true. And I loved your saying, don't waste it. I always say don't waste your dying because it's your last chance for evangelism and how there's a reason that last words are lasting words makes them count, makes them count for your family, makes them count for the nursing and medical staff that's around you. You will be surprised how many people will see you as you are going through your final days. And we'll come to know the Lord because last chance of evangelism is very powerful and we all have that opportunity. And so I say when we're on our way home, let's worship our way home because that is a powerful method of sharing Jesus and we'll see more people in heaven and when you see that opportunity, you guys are, he gives you more opportunities. He does. Yes. You know, I had this experience I've talked about a long time, many times, I'm not going to bother with an album, I did have a guy coming to my end of the day with that and tell me in 1976, my business was like pulpit. So I didn't see him for 24 years. He left and went to another church. After 24 years, he called me. I'd not seen him in 24 years. This meant change for my life. And then to now, I've been to my pulpit 24 years later, he comes me in the year 2000 and he says, I have a word for you from the Lord. And I push back. I mean, if we follow every word from the Lord, we'd be confused. So I'd just say, oh, maybe not, but he wouldn't let me go. He sent me down. He says, you heard this book, the prayer of Jbez. I love that book. I had not that time. It just come out within the next three months. I think about everybody in Christian room and read this. The shirt for Jbez, who had much, he was honoring God and his prayer was, Lord, enlarge my territory so I could bring you more, more glory. Yes. And he comes back. I just read this book this weekend and God, to me to come back and tell you, he's going to enlarge your territory. He's being faithful with a little bit. He's going to give me more. He's going to enlarge your territory and he's going to give you a ministry separate apart from your business, which is what we're doing right now. This is significant. It all happened. But the interesting thing is, in the next seven years, our 100-year-old family business doubled in size, the double. My TV show that I had for 18 years went all over the world. People knew me all over the world. I would be number one selling car wax in most countries around the world. Why was that? I got to tell you, it was great for the business, but that wasn't what it was about. I had enlarged my territory. He had enlarged my influence and I'm using that now more than ever before, every day more and more. I'm using what he's placed to my hand. Take it all away from me. I don't care. Quality proteins aren't just for special occasions. With Omaha Stakes, you get mouth-watering proteins delivered right to your door. Individually packaged and portioned, so a great dinner is just minutes away. From Taco Tuesday to a weekend feast, taste the Omaha Stakes difference. We're getting flavorful proteins delivered today. Visit OmahaStakes.com and get $35 off with promo code audio at checkout. That's OmahaStakes.com code AUDIO. Terms apply, see site for details. You know, let's go. We thought we might be in internment camps, so we didn't know what was in it. I said, Lord, if I get a term event, everybody's going to need the Lord. I don't care. I'm just excited that it was I end now. Wherever he places us, we're in the game, right? Yes. Yeah, it is fun to be on the game. It's fun to be on the game with people like you, Barry. You and Karen, like, um, fellow warriors. Yeah, fellow warriors. But also, I heard you talk once and it made me excited because they're not a whole lot of people out there as excited as us, but until they start trying it. And so my recommendation and what I, how I begin my day, is I anticipate that God will bring someone in my path that I can pray for. I can share the gospel with and that I can love on it. And you know what? When I ask him for that, he rewards me with someone every single day. And it happens in different ways. And he'll do the same for anyone that's listening, and you will be so. It's not a script. The moment we say the same thing twice, we're getting into a script. And even in the beginning of the conversation, don't use a script. Just allow God to speak, speak to you. It's so much fun. It's just so we have the privilege. Yes. At this moment, I think of all billions of people all the years. And he shows us to be here at this most incredible time in human history to represent him. Holy God. Using us, speaking through us, what an incredible privilege. Yes. So I was, I was having a down around COVID in those years. I remember I was having a particularly bad day. And I was like, Lord, I just give me a layup today. Just, would you just give me a layup? I've done that. I've done that. I've done that. I'm having a, this is, I'm in a bad season. I'm feeling sorry for myself. I need a layup. Would you just give me a layup? Within minutes, my phone rings, a gentleman from a hunting club that I'm a part of in the hospital had just become conscious enough to use the telephone. And he said, the first thing that came to mind is I got to call Scott pile. I got to call Scott pile, one of the hardest drinking, hardest party and most enjoyable guys to be around just a blast. The third core, almost dies during COVID calls me and I share the gospel over the telephone with him. Are you kidding? I mean, he, and the things he said about my life and watching me and observing me, all those years, when I thought I was up there just to hunt. It led him when he became conscious after almost dying. I was the, and he got a phone. They let him have a cell phone and he called me. I come on, man, that is, I mean, I was so excited. I needed it. So I needed it as much as he did. I needed that, like, Lord, man, thank you, that it was because it was five years of reward that came back. Okay. Because he had been watching me and listening to me and judging me and for five years and then when it came time, I'm the one he called. What a layup. Again, his word doesn't come back, boy, so many times you don't see it, but it's happening. Yes. Yes. I had one friend of mine in Chicago, Bill called me and he says, hey, Jack went to Turkey. He's out in Oregon. What, what do, what's he need? Very, he's dying. He's in a hospice bed and he's asked his wife to get a hold of you. Anyway. Yeah. 50 years. Wow. No return. 50 years. Zero. Not a response. In 50 years. I say it. Dropped on the ground. Nothing. 50 years. I call him. Hi, Jack. How you doing? Is it good? What? I'm dying. You're what? I didn't let him know that I'd do anything. I met a hospice bed in my living room with dying. Tell me about God and about 15 minutes I let him to the Lord. I did it twice actually. I did it. I say, okay, we're going to do it one more time and you're going to pray these words to make sure that they're not just words you're saying to God. You're receiving him. You're receiving us. Get to eternal life. And we did that. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. We're going to heaven. In earth is nothing. We're going to spend the time. We're going to hang out together for eternity. He laughed. Yes. Yes. He died in a few days later. It just took me 15 minutes. No, actually, it took me 50 years of every time I was with him just saying something. Just a colonel. Just a chum. If they're not hungry, they won't eat the chum. The fish will keep going right on by. Our fishers have been you throughout chum, but when they're hungry, they see the chum and then they start coming up your chum line and there's nothing more fun than seeing you. Somebody you've been chumming for a long time, come up and then ready to and lead him across the bed. There's nothing better as a critical care doctor. She ushered many people across the death, the thesis of death. She has a story about a man who was screaming and cussing at nurses and just angry and kept telling her she couldn't be a doctor that she was his angel because, of course, she's beautiful. Can you imagine her standing over your bed and that white doctor, you're like, you're an angel. You're not my doctor. And then he, and then he, he calmed down when I started talking to him and I explained who angels are, but who Jesus is and that's who he needed to know. And I was just a person just like him who loves the Lord and been saved by the Lord. And that's been my journey and medicine so many times as people are reaching their final days and I've shared Christ with a man named Robert and he had heard from his daughter who had prayed for him for all of his life about Jesus when she became a Christian and he always rejected it. And so as I was caring for him, he was dying with prostate cancer. I shared and he accepted Christ and he said, can we call my daughter and tell her together? And it was a time that I walked out of the room and if I never get another moment in medicine or in life, I am so thankful for this moment because it just puts everything into perspective. You know, I can care for someone. I can get them out of the hospital. They can even receive a miracle, but they still die. But the truth is the word so-so means healed, but it also means saved, so the one prayer that always results in a miracle always is the prayer of salvation. And then we go from the land of the dying to the land of the living and that's the promise of God. So who would turn that down? Yeah. Well, and you know, for me, and I know we got a rap very, but it's coming to my mind and I'm realizing my pulse not breaking down, it's drawing workers to our house to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. To think about it, the pool wasn't broken. And he wouldn't have came. I would not have had the opportunity. I have to get my mind right too and remember God works all things for the good of those who love him who are called accounting to his purpose and it's all things, not some things, not bad things. All things. All things. And he draws all the opportunities, but the world is starving for what we have. Yes. And not just in church and Sunday morning is what we represent the Holy Spirit living through us, touching lives, even before we speak, yes, we're in full time ministry and we have that great privilege as he draws into us to be responsibly. We have to be, you said you have to be focused and we were ready for it. You know, don't let, don't let it pass us by these great moments we have for the lives for eternity. I know. And I want to have one more thing is I have a chapter in my book called the most important preparation and it's, it's our soul, but what I loved about Billy Graham, he had two questions he would ask and I asked this in this, this chapter, are you prepared to die? And he's asking, are you, is your soul prepared? And then the second thing you would say, if you're not sure, if you don't have a day or a time or place that you had that personal encounter with Christ, let today be that day because I don't want anyone that's sitting in church or a religious place and believing that they're saved without the true personal encounter with Christ and that's know your day and time. And if you're not sure, make the day be your day. Amen. If you know, he's Lord and you confess with your mouth, yes, it is a confession that confirms what that decision we made in our heart, folks, I hope you hear this message. The question is, a final question for all of you, let's say right now, are you living your lives for God or are you living your lives for yourself? That's the decision or you can make and you know it, you know the answer right now. If you want to live your life for God, then jump in the boat with us and have the time you'll like me. Amen. For the rest of you, I guarantee, thank you folks, we'll see you next time. Love you. Bye. See you next time on the Ignite with Barry McGuire podcast.