A few months ago I met an amazing servant of the Lord. I was attending the Go Fest in Surabaya. It was a great time hearing from different speakers including the founder of YWAM Loren Cunningham. One afternoon I was coming out of the church thinking to myself I need to go to the main road to look for a taxi to take me back to my hotel. Right away, a taxi pulled up in front of me in front of the church. I thought, “Wow, the Lord has provided!” So I hopped in.
I began a chatting with the driver. Turns out he was a Christian. So I asked him how long he had been a believer. He told me he had been following Jesus for 2 years now. Before he belonged to different religious group. So I asked him how he came to put his faith in Jesus. He told me that two years ago he was very sick, so sick he couldn’t even get out of bed. His wife left him at that time, and he had 2 kids to care for. He had no job. It was a very difficult time for him. He said one night he had a dream about Jesus. In the dream, Jesus said He would heal this guy if he made a decision to follow Jesus. So, this guy surrendered his life to Jesus, and Jesus healed him!
I was amazed. I asked if anyone had witnessed to him, and he said no one had witnessed to him at all. He said his life was totally different now. He now had a steady job driving the taxi. In fact, he was such a good employee that the company had recently promoted him to be a group leader over other taxi drivers. He said that even though he doesn’t have much money, he has a peace in his heart that he never experienced before. I asked him what his life was like before he surrendered his life to Jesus. He said it was totally different. He was always thinking of money, greedy for money, worrying about money. He’d always look at women with lust in his heart. Now all of that was gone, replaced with the joy and peace of God.
He told me that he had recently tried to get a position in the local church, but was rejected because he didn’t have any official theological training. He told me that he ministers to people in his taxi. Sometimes people are so touched by his ministry that they are even crying in his taxi. I was able to encourage this taxi driver that what he is currently doing is an incredible ministry to the Lord. He is being a real servant of God – a missionary taxi driver for Jesus! Jesus actually longs to break out of the four walls of our church buildings and go to those that are hurting, broken and lost. We need to break out of the mindset that ministry is only for people with theological degrees or that ministry only can happen inside our church buildings. Our God is so much bigger and awesome than that. Everyone, including taxi drivers in Surabaya are called by God, are gifted by God, and can be used mightily by God. I told this taxi driver to never stop this incredible ministry!
This driver’s life was radically changed by Jesus. It reminds me of the woman at the well in John 4. After encountering Jesus, this broken rejected woman was radically changed and went on to become an evangelist to her own people. You could really see Jesus reflected in the life of this taxi driver – in his words and attitude. You could hear the love and passion of Jesus as he spoke. I told him this is what it was like to follow Jesus, not mindlessly trying to follow some religious rules but to allow Jesus to live and rule in our hearts. This changes us to become more like Jesus. And the manager at the taxi company must have noticed this as well and promoted him. After all, Jesus would be the best taxi driver ever – faithful, honest, considerate, a hard worker. When Jesus is allowed to live His life through us, it impacts all of our relationships wherever we are and glorifies God.
I was incredibly blessed and thankful to God for this opportunity to meet this taxi driver in Surabaya. I hope we all can learn from this man’s life example. Please continue to pray for this amazing nation. God is moving here. I am convinced that this man came to the Lord because people have been praying and interceding for Indonesia. People are having dreams and visions. People are experiencing miracles. Pray for more people to meet with God and experience Him in this nation.
DC, leadership team U of N Bali