Sometimes when I go to a restaurant, I tuck the tip inside a little booklet which contains the plan of salvation and the Gospel of John. Perhaps this seems foolish, as one might conclude that everyone who receives such a booklet takes the tip and deposits the booklet in the trash. Critics may say, “Rob, you are wasting your money and forcing your religion on others.” I have often wondered how many of those mini-gospels have been thrown in the trash. I pray for the waiter every time that I leave one, that God would open their heart to the truth of His Word and that they may come to know Christ as their personal savior. I have contemplated the improbability that this could happen, recognizing that:
- The person is willing to actually open the booklet.
- They are willing to read further.
- They become interested and read more, and actually come to understand the plan of salvation.
- They put their trust in Christ for their salvation.
Seems … unlikely. Then I remember these words from the apostle Paul: “5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 Believers are planters and waterers, but God makes the seed grow. We are not called to only throw seed where we think the ground is fertile, but to scatter it and leave the rest to the sovereignty of God. This is the way I think of those waiters in the restaurant. I have handed them God’s Word of salvation, and the seed has been scattered. If God wants to speak to their hearts, He can do that. If He wants them to understand the plan for salvation, He can do that. If He wants them to read the whole Gospel of John one hundred times over, He can do that. Me? I am just pleading on behalf of Christ, by the sharing of His Word. I am not “anything”, but God- He is everything. Yet, God tells us that He will reward us for planting and watering, because He is gracious and we are co-workers in God’s service. It is my hope that when Christ calls me home, some will come up to me and say, “You won’t believe this, but one day you ate breakfast at a restaurant where I was waiting tables and you left me this booklet and God then brought me to salvation.” I don’t know if that will happen, but I do know that God is well-pleased when we try to share His Word in whatever ways we can. Perhaps you would like to join me in leaving a big “tip” with others about who Jesus is and what His death on the cross means. The booklets I hand out are inexpensive and come from an organization called “The Pocket Testament League.” Check them out. Get a few booklets. Throw them in your car. Then go eat an egg or two and leave one on the table when you are done. Then you may become that servant through whom one came to believe. For Him, Rob