A Personel Testimony of Chip Jones
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Witnessing opportunities
Throughout my life God allowed different events to happen, and I would like to share a few of these. Please remember I do not claim credit for what the Lord did and how He did it because I didn’t do anything. It was truly the Holy Spirit that allowed these events to happen. In these experiences, the Holy Spirit always set everything up for me to share Jesus with people, the timing and the places. I did nothing and furthermore knew nothing about what He had in mind. He didn’t need my help. I was only an instrument, that’s all.
On one occasion, my family and I went to San Francisco, California on vacation. While on the plane I was reading my Bible and praying and I asked the Lord to allow me to share Jesus in some way. After we landed our vacation began, and we were having a great time. One morning we were going to cross the bay by ferry to a small beach community. It was made up of shops, restaurants and gorgeous beaches.
Witnessing to an elderly Lady
I got tired of shopping so I decided to walk out on the beach, sat on a bench and looked out over the Pacific Ocean. After a while an older woman walked up and asked if she could sit down. I said, “Sure”. She was between seventy and eighty years old. I didn’t say anything at first. Then we began talking. I remember asking her if she was a Christian, and she responded, “I don’t know”. I began to share how we are all sinners we and we need Jesus as our Lord and Savior. What happened was I felt the Holy Spirit take over. Words and thoughts were flowing off my tongue. I had no idea what I would say next. I could truly sense the Holy Spirit at work. I then felt led to ask her if she would like to pray and ask Jesus into her heart. She responded, “Yes”, and I, through the Holy Spirit led her in the sinner’s prayer. While we were praying, I heard her crying as she received Jesus, and was filled with His Spirit. After she prayed she thanked me. We said our goodbyes and went our own ways. I have never seen her since. When the Holy Spirit speaks through me I can’t remember what I said. It is erased from my memory. I only remember the events.
Witnessing to a Buddhist
On another occasion, I was beginning my third year of college and I arrived several days ahead of schedule for football practice. I was living in a dorm and didn’t know who my roommate would be. I discovered he was from South Korea. My reaction was that is good because I can learn a different culture. I found out he was a practicing Buddhist. We became very good friends and we spent a lot of time with each other. He was very curious about my faith and he would ask questions at different times. I didn’t realize at the time he was watching my life, and I wondered if I lived what I preached?
After a year of living together he said he wanted what I had and he wanted to give his heart to Jesus Christ. We knelt down beside his bed after I shared with him that we are all sinners and we have to repent of our sins and all other religions including Buddhism. This is what I mean when I said earlier in this letter that God chooses people, places and timing. God planned for this to happen. My roommate was chosen to believe in Jesus. I had nothing to do with it. I would have never met him on my own initiative. This was the hand of God.
The day I was leaving after graduation we said our goodbyes.. He handed me an envelope and told me not to open it until after I am on the highway. I agreed, Not until I was on the highway driving home did I open the letter. When I saw what it said I was shocked. It said three words “Buddha bless you” I couldn’t believe it I felt sick I didn’t know what to do. I left it in the hand of the Lord. Sometimes we need to let him handle situations. I knew I did what I was supposed to do.
I lost touch with him after college. A couple of years later I went to the mailbox one afternoon. I was surprised to see a letter from my old roommate. I have never read anything like it. He had share with me how he was walking with the Lord and what God was doing in his life. He started preaching at me to make sure I was still walking with JESUS in the surrendered life. His letter sounded like an epistle written by the Apostle Paul. I rejoiced in the Lord. Even though his earlier letter disappointed me, God was at work in the heart of my roommate. God doesn’t need our help unless we are instructed to do so by the Holy Spirit.
Witnessing to the Chinese
The next story I want to share is when I was a junior in college. My mother found out about a three-week trip to China for college students. She thought it would be educational for me to go. I never had any desire to go to China, but God works through people in remarkable ways. It was the summer of 1983. This would be a twenty-four hour flight to Peking, China. When we arrived I remember as we got off the plane and walked through the airport I saw were military personnel standing at attention holding machine guns over their chests. At that time China was a radical communist country. Twenty-five years earlier, the radical communist cultural revolution took control of China. I say this to let you know that it was against the law to share Jesus Christ. This was an educational trip, not a missionary trip.
However, the Lord had other plans. Little did I know what He would do through me. You must understand, I am a big guy, 6’-5” tall and 215 lbs. The Chinese were fascinated by Americans, especially someone of my size. We left our hotel early in the morning and toured all day long. We could only go where the government allowed us to go and with a Chinese escort. After our daily tours we would go back to our hotel and rest a couple of hours before dinner. I spent time reading the Bible and praying. I remember one afternoon I ask the Lord to allow me to share Christ. Later we all met for dinner and afterwards we walked around taking in the local sites. In China, if a Chinese can speak English they would approach us to visit. After a while our group decided to go back to the hotel.
I continued walking around and visiting with the Chinese people. I remember one man in particular came up to me and ask if people in America believed in God. I said, “Yes”. There was a large group of people listening to us conversing. Then I started to preach Jesus and Him crucified, that we are all sinners and we need a Savior to go into the presence of a Holy God. There were approximately a hundred or so people around us. I don’t remember everything I said all I know is the Holy Spirit took over and the Word of God was pouring out of me. I don’t know how many people received Jesus as Lord. I just know there where a lot of people who prayed and asked Jesus into their hearts. Remember it was against the law to preach Jesus Christ, but I never felt in danger. What happen that night happened many times while I was in China and I had no idea I would see the Lord work like he did. God ordains our works from before the foundation of the world for us to walk in Him.
Witnessing to those in prison
The last story I want to share happened more recently. It was last year. I am married with two children. The recession that we experienced over the past couple of years has negatively affected my business. So I was forced to find another source of income. I applied for a number of jobs but nothing was turning up. This situation was putting a lot of pressure on my marriage and our family. I regularly meet with a group of friends at a local Starbucks every weekday morning. One of them works for the Smith County Sheriff’s Department. He asked if I would I consider going to work as a detention officer at the jail. My immediate response was, “No”. For some reason this stayed on my mind I started to pray about it and talk to my wife. We agreed that if this is Gods will for us I want to be obedient and follow through with this job opportunity.
I went through the interview process, and eventually I received a phone call from the Sheriff’s Department that I was hired. I knew God’s hand was in this. I also knew it was against policy to share Christ with inmates. I was overwhelmed when I saw the doors God opened for me to share Christ with inmates. I began preaching Christ being led by the Spirit. It was truly amazing to watch the Holy Spirit at work. Trust me when I say I had a captive audience! Not until we lie down in obedience at His feet and rest in Him does he reveals His will.
It turned out I only worked in the jail for two months. God showed me my time was over. I t wasn’t until the last night or two that three men prayed and received Jesus as their Lord and Savior. These men were on their way to prison for many years. There were others that I was able to share Christ with and disciple. The Holy Spirit would always take over and it was awesome to see Him work. Looking back I can see the hand of God in my time at the jail. A lot of times in life we don’t understand why things happen the way they do. The Lord always sees the big picture.
As I end my testimony I would like to leave you with a few thoughts. God has a plan for every believer. We seem to want to go ahead of the pace God has established. The Holy Spirit does not need us to be junior Holy Spirits. All he desires us to do is be in prayer and allow him to work through us. It is interesting when I share Christ in the Holy Spirit I usually forget what I have said. He says he will bring men unto us. He knows every heart and where they are. Every day I say a prayer of surrender and ask the Holy Spirit to guide me and I just go about my day and he brings people across my path to either share Jesus or disciple. There are some days when nothing happens. I just want to be available when he chooses to use me. For some reason we think God needs us to do it in our own power.
If we don’t share in the power of the Holy Spirit we are being religious. There is no power in religion. This is why I believe the Church is declining in numbers. It is so awesome to see the Holy Spirit at work. He desires to use every believer if we will allow Him. The sad thing is most Christians only know religion. They don’t Know Jesus In Spirit and his Word. Most Christians have been sold into the apostate church. What is interesting every time I am led of the Spirit to share Jesus Christ I have never seen anyone reject Him. May God bless you in your witness for Him.
Edited and posted by Daniel E Woodhead