one to one: Lessons about life, ministry, and grandkids

by Keith Burden, Executive Secretary, National Association of Free Will Baptists

Witnessing in Spite of Ourselves

In February 1992, I participated in a mission trip to Côte d’ Ivoire, West Africa. Our primary objective was to assist in the construction of a youth center at Bondoukou. Amazing progress was made during the 24 days there. I also had the opportunity to share God’s Word on three separate occasions.

When we arrived in Abidjan, we met our missionary host and long-time friend Darrel Nichols. We spent that first weekend as guests in his home. He graciously extended an invitation for me to speak at the church in Agnibilekrou on Sunday morning. I was delighted to accept.

We arrived early at church that Sunday. The building was a simple structure. As I recall, missionaries Norman and Bessie Richards and Alice Smith were in attendance that day. When it was time for the service to begin, a small but expectant group of Ivorians assembled. The singing was spirited. The preliminaries were brief. In short order, I was introduced as the speaker.

Thankfully, Brother Darrel gave me advance warning. He explained that I would be speaking through two interpreters. That meant a 15-minute sermon would take 45 minutes to deliver. I painstakingly edited my manuscript, leaving only the items I thought essential to communicate the main idea of the sermon.

The text was Hebrews 12:1-3. My subject was A Call for Endurance. I did a lot of research and chose what I thought would be the perfect illustration for the conclusion. I was prepared and felt good about delivering that message.

As I spoke, I shared one or two short sentences at a time. Brother Darrel then interpreted in French, and an Ivorian believer interpreted into Twi. Understandably, we had a lengthy delay between my statements. However, judging from the expressions on the listeners’ faces, it appeared we were communicating effectively.

When I came to the end of the message I shared the illustration I thought would be a fitting conclusion. I still recall the opening sentence: “The cheetah survives on the African plains by running down its prey.”

That’s when it happened. After a long, awkward pause, Darrel turned and whispered, “We’ve got a problem. This is the African bush…not the plains. These folks have never seen a cheetah.”

My heart sank. I feared my attempt to connect with my hearers had resulted in confusion. How could I have been so mistaken? Darrel went into an explanation and, in animated terms, described the big cat. It was as though a light came on. The Africans’ eyes lit up, and I was allowed to continue the illustration.

When it came time to extend the invitation, I stepped aside and allowed the interpreters to make the appeal. Frankly, I felt like a failure. I began to pray and ask God to take my feeble attempt to share the gospel and somehow make it clear and understandable. When I opened my eyes, to my surprise, four people were praying at the altar. God used my attempt to witness in spite of my failure to communicate.

Too often, Christians wrongly assume their attempts to share the gospel have to be perfect in order to be successful. Please don’t miss my point! I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t put our best foot forward. God deserves nothing less than our best. However, our best is always imperfect. So take heart! God delights in blessing our efforts to witness…sometimes in spite of ourselves.

About the Column

One to One is a regular feature of ONE Magazine. Written by Keith Burden, executive secretary of the National Association of Free Will Baptists, the column explores life, ministry...and the joys of grandchildren.