I remember one of the first days I was pastor of Wyatt Baptist Church in El Dorado, Arkansas I called on a man to pray, and silence followed -much silence.
Finally, I heard the man say, “I pass.”
I was a little stunned to say the least. I didn’t know you could “pass” on public prayer!
After the service, one of the deacons pulled me aside and explained that the man did not like to pray in public. It was something everyone in the church knew… except for the new pastor.
During my conversation, the deacon told me there was another man in the church who was uncomfortable praying (and speaking) in public. His name was Mike.
Mike was also a deacon in the church. He worked hard to serve others and was incredibly faithful –not to mention quiet.
After participating on a church mission trip to Central America, Mike returned with a desire to learn Spanish. He purchased Rosetta Stone Software and began studying. He even started watching Spanish channels on television.
On the job, Mike met a co-worker from Costa Rica named Carlos. Soon, Mike enlisted Carlos as a personal tutor during lunch breaks. Carlos even helped Mike memorize a gospel presentation in Spanish.
To my surprise, one day Mike asked if he could start a Spanish-speaking evangelism group through our church. I was elated and surprised. Mike began driving around neighborhoods looking for Spanish-speaking people to evangelize. As you can imagine, he looked suspicious, but eventually the people learned to trust Mike.
One week, I rode with Mike and listened to him share the gospel with a group of about ten seasonal workers. These strong men with a rough demeanor listened intently as Mike shared the gospel. They could tell that he had memorized the presentation and so they sensed the message was important.
Over the years, Mike has won many Spanish speaking people to Christ in South Arkansas and discipled them to do the same. In fact, at one time, Mike’s Spanish speaking ministry was the fastest growing ministry in our church.
As several new believers joined our congregation, Mike was intent on finding a way to translate the services for them. He called upon his co-worker Carlos to translate live into headphones for Spanish speakers so they could be a part of the entire church body and not relegated to another room for a separate service. It was important for them to know they were just as much a part of our church as all the English speakers.
As the Spanish-speaking portion of the congregation grew, we commonly said, “The face of our church is changing. We are getting a tan!” Soon, we began incorporating Spanish songs into the services. It was like a foretaste of Heaven!
Recently, as I was visiting Nicaragua, I learned that Mike had been in the country the week before. That wasn’t a surprise. What was a surprise, however, is that Mike preached in a worship service –in Spanish!
It just goes to remind me of two things.
1) A call to salvation is a call to ministry. Mike is not a vocational minister. He is a minister with a vocation,
2) God will always equip us for the ministry to which He calls us. It was true for Moses, Joshua, and Daniel. And it is even true for a quiet, reserved man named Mike.