HOW TO BECOME A WITNESS
FOR THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

As I tried to think of a text to begin this article the Lord directed my mind to Psalm 126:6. "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." I used the KJV with the old English because that is the version I have read and memorized most through the years. The NAS reads: "He who goes to and for weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him."

This one text encompasses the entire season of sowing and then reaping, at the time of the harvest. Jesus spoke of this in Matt. 13 by telling the story of the sower who went out sowing good seed in the field. Later an enemy sowed tares, etc. Most of you know the story or can read it yourself if you are not familiar or want to refresh your memory.

The point I wish to make here is that in order to become a worker in God's fields we must have some seed to sow. So, what is the seed? You say, The Word of God. Yes, that is right. Very good. So, how does one go about sowing that word? Do you carry your Bible with you wherever you go and read it to people? How does one go about sowing the Word of God beside all waters, and thus be blessed of the Lord? Isa. 32:20. "Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters," which means we must be ready at all times to give our testimony to any and all at any time, day or night. But, I am sad to say, the majority of Christians have no plan of action to sow the seed to the masses. Hardly any carry their Bibles with them or any kind of literature to share with people they meet in the various places they go each day.

When I was a young boy growing up in central Indiana, my brother and I used to have a little paper route. So, when the Lord led my father to move our family to Walla Walla, Wash. in 1955, I became involved with literature bands which went out every Sabbath afternoon to pass out missionary literature on various topics, such as health and religion, that our church was promoting. But that was the only time I involved myself in literature distribution, except in the summers I colporteured. The first year I did that was 1957, in Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

That summer I sold a book entitled "Patriarchs & Prophets," and "The Medical Counselor," together for only $21.95. The "Medical Counselor," sold for $16.95 by itself and "Patriarchs & Prophets," sold for $5.95. If I couldn't sell them as a set then I sold them individually, mainly "Patriarchs & Prophets," which I read through that summer myself, some chapters more than once. I really loved that book. I ended up selling $1,600.00 worth of those books for which I received a scholarship worth about $800.00 as I recall. That was enough to pay my tuition for my entire sophomore year at Walla Walla College and buy an old car to drive for about $150.00. I stayed with my parents in Walla Walla and drove back and forth each day, as it was only about three miles from the city limits to College Place. Walla Walla was not a very big town only having about 25,000 at that time. I was a theology major with a Biblical languages minor in Hebrew and Greek under Dr. Richard Litke.

So, those were the only times that I passed out literature. On Sabbath afternoon with literature bands and the three summers I colporteured, 1957, 1958 and 1959. In the summer of 1960 I was selected to be colporteur field secretary to teach students how to sell books which I did in the state of Oregon.

Later on I taught church school and was a pastor of churches. But even then the only time I passed out literature was once again on Sabbath afternoons and then at "Ingathering" time when we went door to door asking for donations for missions. Otherwise, I never carried any kind of literature or books with me although I usually carried a bible in my car to give bible studies. So, why didn't I pass out literature every day every where I went like I do now?

I will tell you in one simple sentence. I didn't have the final message. Nor did I even know what the final message was until July and August of 1976, almost 27 years ago now. So, how did I find out about this message and what is it? Let's read it together: "Behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee." Isaiah 60:2. The word "Glory" means character, which is the word used most often to denote His character. I learned that from a book entitled, "Christ's Object Lessons," page 415. "Name", "Image" and "Likeness" are also sometimes used to indicate His character. Rev. 3:8 is one example of how the word "name" refers to God's character when the Lord commends the church of Philadelphia for not "denying His Name."

Listen to this statement, which is a commentary on the above Scripture. "It is the darkness of misapprehension of God that is enshrouding the world. It has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. At this time (The time of the greatest darkness the world has ever seen) a message from God is to be proclaimed, a message illuminating in its influence and saving in its power. His character is to be made known. Into the darkness of the world is to be shed the light of His glory, the light of His goodness, mercy, and truth....Those who wait for the Bridegroom's coming are to say to the people, 'Behold your God.' THE LAST RAYS OF MERCIFUL LIGHT, THE LAST MESSAGE OF MERCY TO BE GIVEN TO THE WORLD, IS A REVELATION OF HIS CHARACTER OF LOVE." COL 415. The way I came to understand this idea was by memorizing the first twenty chapters of the book of Psalms. When I came to Psalm 5:10 the Lord revealed to me that He did not destroy directly but only allowed people to reap the result of their own wrong choice, and thus teach them lessons. That was a most unforgettable day--I have explained in detail in my autobiography, "WALKING IN THE LIGHT." Within a month the Lord was talking to me about writing out what I had learned about the character of God. And so, I did type out about a 59 page manuscript in May of 1977. This was later expanded to about 100 pages. By 1981 I had written three manuscripts which I was then led to combine into a book entitled, "Into The Father's Heart," in June of 1982.

The Lord helped me to publish 50,000 copies of that book. That is when I began carrying those books around with me in my car and whenever I would meet someone I would give them my book or a copy of my newspaper. I knew what the message had done for me personally and wanted others to experience the same joy and happiness. In 1986 the Lord led me to write another book entitled, "THE WONDERFUL TRUTH ABOUT OUR HEAVENLY FATHER." I only published 11,000 of that one and sent one to each of the 4,000 SDA Churches in the USA. As the years have rolled by I have learned more and more about God's character and have in turn shared these insights with my readers in GLC newspaper. With these new insights has also come a sense of urgency to get the message out to the people. So, that is why I have been carrying back issues of my paper with me in my car so no matter where I go during the day, to the post office or Wal Mart or to a gas station. I always have my papers there in the car ready to hand out. So, how do I get people to take my 24 page tabloid newspaper?

Well, I don't hand it out to just every single person I meet as I walk around from place to place like I do in Central America where you have almost 100% acceptance. In the USA people are more gospel hardened and are use to saying no to Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons. The rate of acceptance if you just try passing them out to every person you meet is only about 50% in the USA among white people. But with non-whites it goes up to about 90%. Of course, most of these are African Americans or Spanish both of whom almost always accept whatever I try to give them. The reason is that generally they are more humble, as most of them are poor and do not have a lot to be proud about and consequently are more spiritually aligned to God and His Word.

Poor white people are also more likely to accept the paper while the majority of upper class whites will reject it. Money and success causes people to be less receptive to the Holy Spirit. They don't feel a need of God in their lives like the poorer classes.

When I am in a store in the check-out line or in the post office or even a bank for example. I always have my papers with me ready to hand them out to anyone the Lord impresses me to talk to. While I am waiting I look around at people's faces, especially their eyes. I can almost always tell when someone knows the Lord. So, I wait to see if they smile at me or make eye contact. Then if possible I might start up a conversation and tell them that I am a writer, etc. Before I offer them one of my recent papers I ask them if they like to read. If they say, "Yes," then I offer them one of my papers explaining that I put it out four times a year and that it is for all people as it is non-denominational and covers subjects on health, education and spiritual matters. Sometimes when I leave the store I see someone the Lord impresses me to give a paper to and I don't say very much except Here's a free paper for you. They are in a hurry and I am too so I don't say much. I have about 95% success rate doing this.

Once you start carrying literature with you the Lord will begin speaking to you, guiding you. You will hear the impressions of His Spirit in your mind. But if you do not have any literature you are not going to hear that voice because you have nothing to give to anyone. But if you make it a habit to always carry some papers in your hand then you will hear that voice. Hearing the voice of the Lord is a very exciting experience for it proves God is with you and guiding you. If you don't carry any literature you are going to miss that wonderful blessing. It truly makes you feel good all over. There is nothing to compare with that sensation. And that is just when you pass the papers out to strangers you don't even know and say very little. But when you make a more personal contact with someone and talk to them a little bit you will find out that God led you to that person for a specific reason and purpose. I met a lady in Goodwill once who saw me carrying my papers and asked me what it was. I gave her one and explained all about the ministry. Later on that night she send me an e-mail. That does not happen very often but if I had not had the papers with me I would never have met this lady.

Last September, before my son died, Oct. 4th, I was in a large super market about 10:30 at night. As I went through the check out I gave one of my papers to this friendly cashier (about 35) and she accepted it with one brief comment. Her words made me realize she was just being polite. She wasn't going to read my paper but was honest about it without hurting my feelings. I'll give it to my friend who is a born again Christian. I usually don't ask people if they are Christians, but in this case I was impressed to do so because I sensed this honest-hearted soul needed to know the Lord. No one was behind me so I asked, Are you a born again Christian yourself? No, I am not. So, you haven't accepted the Lord? No. Well, would you like to? I don't know, she replied. Again she was being honest. I talked to her a little bit more explaining how easy it is to know the true Lord, because He is totally kind and loving. I also explained that He is not angry and mean like some religions have pictured Him. She listened intently and then she would think about it. Then I gave her another paper for herself, which she accepted. I left and never thought any more about it until a month ago when I was going through the check out line again. Diane (not her real name) was engaged in a serious conversation with a friend of hers as she added up her tab. Her friend was telling her about a confrontation she had with another woman, the day before, which led to a fight, including hair pulling and hitting. Diane kept saying, Oh, no. I can't believe it. You better be careful, and so forth. I was just standing there waiting for her to complete her friend's transaction when Diane saw me. By this time her friend was bagging her own groceries, getting ready to leave. Without saying a word Diane turned back to her friend and said, This man will help you. And then turning to me Diane said, Give her one of your papers. I was temporarily non-plused but alert enough to go to the lady and give her one of my papers with the explanation that I am a pastor and this is a paper I put out four times a year. She looked at me in shock but took the paper which I am sure she would never had accepted without Diane telling her she needed it. Now, I ask you, what if I had not given Diane a paper the first time I met her? Of course, I would not have been able to have the conversation about her need to accept the Lord because I would not have learned that she was not a Christian. And what would have happened if I had not had some papers in my hand when I went through the line the second time? I would not have been able to give one to Diane's friend. After her friend left I said to Diane. I guess what I said to you the last time I was here had some affect on you. It sure did, she replied. Since then I have given her a book on God's character and a video as well as two papers of the issue about my son's death. Later she told me that when her Christian friend read the paper she cried. I told her that I would like to meet her some time.

People some times tell me that God never talks to them or answers their prayers. What does the Bible have to say about this? Listen carefully: "O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come." Psalm 65:2. So, everyone comes to God sooner or later to ask Him for something or other. So, why is that He does not answer all of them?

"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." Isa. 59:1, 2.

The life experience of Saul is an example of a person who lost his contact with God. When he was first chosen as king he was humble and teachable. But as time went along...he should have been a shining example of courage in the time of crisis, but instead "When Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets." I Sam 28:5, 6. Why was it that Saul did not get his prayers answered? I Sam 15:11 and other passages of Scripture tell us that Saul did not "perform" or obey God's commandments. Proverbs 28:9 also tells that when a person turns away from "hearing" (listening & obeying) the law, even his prayer shall be abomination."So, who does the Lord listen to? "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." Isa. 57:15.

Tonight I went to a super market with about 7 papers in my hand and two small booklets. I had planned to give one of the pamphlets to Diane, the lady I was talking about before. But she was not there tonight. But as I was going through the check out line I met this young man of about 27 to 30 years of age. The machine that processes Visa orders had broken down. So, while we waited for it to be repaired I began talking with this Spanish man who speaks very good English. I asked him if he attended any church. He said, no. So, I gave him a copy of the little book, "The Secret Terrorists," and two of my papers and he seemed interested in reading them. Again, would I have been able to witness if I had not had the booklet and my papers? Of course, not. So, if you want to be a Witness for the Lord you must prepare yourself and through prayers and reading of the Word of God for yourself let the Holy Spirit prepare your mind so you will have the clear communication from the throne of God, form the mind of the Creator to your own mind, so He can direct you to the people He wishes you to contact and share His messages with. In the same store I met a man from Romania who spoke broken English but had a warm smile and a kind heart. I spoke to him briefly and explained that he could practice his English by reading one of my papers. He agreed and took it with him. One more contact. And when he learns the message he will write to his relatives and friends in Romania. That is how the Word of God is spread from person to person and country to country under the direction of the Holy Spirit. And we can have a part in it if we are willing to do His will.

"We are to be laborers together with the heavenly angels in presenting Jesus to the world. With almost impatient eagerness the angels wait for our co-operation; for man must be the channel to communicate with man. And when we give ourselves to Christ in wholehearted devotion, angels rejoice that they may speak through our voices to reveal God's love." DA 297.

Later on last night as I was trying to finish this article for my next paper on this topic of Witnessing, the phone rang. It was a man from N. California who had been trying to get a hold of me. He had already left one phone message but no phone # to call back. He desired to understand God's plan for his future in regard to relationships because he has not had much success in the past. I knew he had strong-holds bothering him and one of them was a "spirit of unworthiness." He said that he wanted to go out and witness to people with literature but did not feel worthy to do so. So, I helped him to learn how to pray against these evil spirits so his mind would be free to receive the fulness of the Holy Spirit. Here is a prayer that you, reader friend, may wish to pray for yourself and your family, loved ones and friends. "Father in heaven, in the Name of Jesus Christ and His blood, I come against this spirit of unworthiness. In Jesus name I bind that spirit and cast it out of my life. I also invite the spirit of worthiness and boldness to witness for Christ to come into my heart and mind at this very moment. Thank you Father for doing this, in Jesus' holy name. Amen." It is very important to pray for and invite the good Spirits to come into our lives to fill the void once the evil spirit has been cast out. All heaven waits for our willingness to surrender ourselves for service in the Master's cause. Remember that in order to be a Messenger for the Lord we must have a message to give. Now that you know what the final message is--all that needs to be done now is to dedicate yourself to give it. If you would like to have some of my newspaper or the little pamphlet that I use in Central America (Spanish or English) I can send you some. You have my permission to make extra copies of it. Pray right now for the Lord to guide you in your decision to begin witnessing for Him wherever the Lord sends you to work. I know God is going to bless you and give you success as you seek to spread this final message in your area of the world or wherever the Lord may send you. In closing I want to share one more quote with you which confirms this character message as being the very one Satan is most afraid of and wants to stop. Notice his strategy but also learn how our Blessed Redeemer already knows how to give you the victory."It is Satan's work to fill men's hearts with doubt. He leads them to look upon God as a stern judge. He tempts them to sin, and then to regard themselves as too vile (unworthy) to approach their heavenly Father or to excite His pity. The Lord understands all of this. Jesus assures His disciples of God's sympathy for them in their needs and weaknesses. Not a sigh is breathed, not a pain felt, not a grief pierces the soul, but the throb vibrates to the Father's heart. The Bible shows us God in His high and holy place, not in a state of inactivity, not in silence and solitude, but surrounded by ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of holy intelligences, all waiting to do His will. Through channels which we cannot discern He is in active communication with every part of His dominion." "Desire of Ages," pg 356.

Father, I pray for each one who reads these words that they may become a last hour witness and messenger for you to help finish this final message in the earth. In Jesus' Name, Amen. Write me today for some papers and literature to get started in this exciting adventure. Write to: God's Last Call Min. P O Box 473 Woodburn, OR 97071. Your friend, Pastor Mike Clute.