Background Music

Went to Indiana this weekend to visit a family in our church who runs a Chinese buffet restaurant. This visit was different from past visits because there were a few truthseekers. When we arrived, we were surprised to find that the truthseekers were an elderly American Mennonite couple who had lived in Indiana since the 1960s. How did this American couple come to be sitting in the dining room of a Chinese family that barely spoke any English, waiting to hear a sermon from a Korean pastor?

It turned out that our church sister, the mom of this family that runs the restaurant, was playing hymns from our church as background music at the restaurant. This American couple, along with several other restaurant patrons, really enjoyed the music and asked her about it. She then invited them, through broken English, to her home for service since she knew the visitation was coming up.

This story reminded me that God can use ways that we don’t even think about to pass on His gospel to people we may not even think are likely targets for our gospel. His tool here was something so simple: background music. Truly, God doesn’t need anything fancy at all. Sometimes we get caught up in trying to be eloquent or unique, and we worry excessively about how people will perceive or view us. But God’s wisdom is so amazing that He can use anything, even things we don’t pay attention to.

And God is not limited by culture or language. The meeting of these two families seemed to me as the most unlikely thing that could happen. And yet God brought it about. And it was so simple for Him, so easy. How can we ever doubt our God? His wisdom is incredible. It’s a reminder that we should not let our lack of language skills or our cultural difference stop us from trying to bring others to Him. He can overcome any barrier.

This story is also a reminder that we should allow our faith to come through in everything we do. For this sister, it was allowing her faith to be part of her business. Her public faith allowed the door to be opened for others to be introduced to the truth. So in whatever we do, even the most mundane task, if we put Christ there, it becomes an opportunity to preach.

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