When I began following Jesus I rented a room from some college students who were subletting their apartment for the summer. There was a small barbershop attached to the house; the barber was the owner. To pay for rent I landed a job at a pizza place working about 20 hours a week.
In my abundance of free time, I read books to help me understand the Christian faith and listened to sermons on cassette constantly on my little Walkman (if you know what that is). I walked around the city talking to the Lord in my mind and tried to meet people. The other thing I spent a lot of time doing was hanging out at Denny’s.
Denny’s
In case you have not heard of Denny’s, it’s a diner-style chain restaurant. They are still around but most have lost the charming kitschy decor of the 70’s era. There were comfy booths and also a long countertop that you could sit at if you had come alone. The restaurant was filled with the smell of cheap coffee, bacon and cigarettes. The waitresses were all super nice, and it was kind of a “third place” that people would spend time at besides work and home.
I had a small circle of friends that were all new Christians, and Denny’s became one of our favorite places to hang out. It was quite large so we never felt bad about spending several hours “having church” in a booth. We were so excited about Jesus that we carried our Bibles everywhere. I had a giant family Bible that must have been about three inches thick, with gorgeous illustrations. It was frequently spread out in front of me. We were all so new in the faith that we barely talked about anything else but what Christ had done for us. We were all trying to understand the Christian faith and understand what happened to us.
Spillover
As you can imagine, our vibrant fellowship and Bible discussions at Denny’s spilled over onto the staff and many of the patrons of the restaurant. In Western Mass, in 1989, it wasn’t typical to see 3-4 twenty-somethings talking enthusiastically about Jesus Christ. I suppose we also drew attention because we didn’t look, to most people, like Christians. Just months prior we were all doing drugs, drinking and smoking. I smoked so much pot before I became a Christian that I looked “baked” for about a year after I stopped. Our hair was shaggy and we looked like Led Zeppelin groupies. Remember, this wasn’t New York City. We stood out.
At first, we weren’t really going to Denny’s to share Christ with people. We seriously just wanted a good burger, a bottomless cup of coffee and a place to talk. But it soon turned into a ministry of sorts, and we looked forward each time to seeing what God might do through us. We never invaded anyone’s space, but we made ourselves very approachable by making eye contact with customers. We got to know the waitresses. We especially got to know many of the locals who came frequently.
The waitresses couldn’t help but notice my giant family Bible in front of me and usually responded with curiosity and awkwardness. But conversations started happening. One of the nice waitresses was a very strong Christian and she loved that we came into Denny’s all the time. She was sharing Christ with her coworkers and our presence strengthened her work. She would sometimes introduce us to locals and coworkers, and she’d have them sit with us.
Adorable blonde
One of the young waitresses whom we were introduced to was an adorable blonde who seemed intrigued by my group of friends and their love for Jesus. Since I was a new Christian I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to have a crush on girls who weren’t Christian. Anyhow, she sat down with us—next to me!—and I slid my open Bible in front of her and said, “Read all the highlighted parts.” Politely, she sat there quietly and read about a third of the book of Ephesians. Her name was Tiffany. She started following Jesus, and we fell in love and married. Today is our 31st wedding anniversary !!!
The Denny's ministry season ended because we moved to New York City, but I learned a lot during that time. Sometimes all my friends were unavailable, and I’d go to Denny’s alone. I’d usually read or write. I might have had some friendly exchange with the waitress, but I noticed something missing when I was there alone. It was much harder to get into conversations about the faith.
Team effort
Through the years, I’ve heard a lot of emphasis on “personal evangelism.” What is meant by this term is the effort to share Christ one on one with those around us. This is important, of course, but the Bible doesn’t really press upon us this burden of individual evangelism. We need to be prepared to give an answer to those who ask us about the hope we have. There will certainly be times when we talk one on one with people. But so much of the spread of the Gospel is a team effort.
What I mean is that the work of sharing Christ happens best when we do it together. Jesus didn’t send the disciples out individually to spread the good news, but two by two. The disciples were a roving band of Gospel proclaimers. When we are together in the midst of unbelievers there is an energy that breaks open conversations. Again, I’m not saying we can’t, or that we shouldn’t, try to share Jesus one on one. I’m saying that when we have one or two or 20 fellow believers on mission together—things happen!
Work together
When I was bored one day, I made a list of all the jobs I’ve worked over the years and counted a little over thirty. Many of the jobs I worked after becoming a Christian. When I was the only Christian at a particular job, it was extremely hard to share Christ. I’d still try, but being the only follower of Jesus made it very easy for coworkers to gang up on me and reject my words. Some jobs I worked had several other believers who all worked together to share Christ with others. When unified believers are together something is manifested. There is an energy and a love and a truthfulness that flows that becomes compelling for non-Christians.
If you are the only Christian at your workplace, I’m sorry. That’s hard! The Lord God is with you, and He will help you to be a witness. For those who have Christian coworkers, I encourage you to unify with them and work together to reach people. In your efforts to display the Gospel with people—don’t do it alone. Take like-minded believers with you. Be like the early disciples of Jesus; let the world taste the church outside the walls of the church. And watch what God does!