Acts 17:26 says, “From one human being he created all races of people and made them live throughout the whole earth. He himself fixed beforehand the exact times and the limits of the places where they would live” (GNT). Since God fixes the exact times and limits of where people live, doesn’t this suggest He also fixes the times and places we will be on any particular day? Sure, people have free will, but that doesn’t mean God can’t take into account your free will and mine (and everyone else’s), so He can schedule us for divine appointments with people at certain times and places.

The next verse tells us the beautiful purpose God has for fixing our exact times and places: “He did this so that they would look for him, and perhaps find him as they felt around for him. Yet God is actually not far from any one of us” (Acts 17:27, GNT, emphasis added). Part of our role in divine appointments is helping people look for and find the grace of Jesus. Perhaps having His followers everywhere is part of the way God is not far even from unbelievers. He touches others through us.

Too many of us are bored with our Christian lives, and the reason for that is largely because we don’t see life in terms of the daily opportunities for adventure granted us by our sovereign God. My best friend and I had a divine appointment not long ago—through a series of unusual circumstances. I told the person we met, “This is no accident that we are here talking with you. God had this planned. He does things like that. This is what we call a divine appointment.”

I’m a firm believer that many of life’s inconveniences or unusual circumstances involve divine appointments with people the Lord brings into our lives—if only we open our eyes to see them.

Evangelist Greg Stier, Founder/Visionary of Dare2Share, shared some great thoughts about a divine appointment he had, and explained how asking questions can lead to spiritual conversations. I love Greg, and this is how he really lives:

Yesterday as I was renewing my daughter’s gym membership, I asked Steve, the guy who was helping me at the front desk, about his tattoos, and it led to a spiritual conversation. He told me that growing up both his parents were agnostic and so was he. But he had just recently started reading the Bible and was interested in knowing more about spiritual things, but he didn’t know where to go to church.

As I rattled off a few ideas (he lived far from our church) and began to share the Gospel with him, a pastor friend of mine who has a church that is closer to where he lives walked up to check into the gym and said hello to me. I introduced Pastor Joel to my new friend, and they made a connection. As I was leaving, I told Steve, “This was no accident. God sent Pastor Joel at just the right time to connect with you.” He smiled and nodded, knowing that God was up to something. Pray for Steve to fully understand the Gospel and put his faith in Jesus. Pray for Steve to get connected to a solid church. He’s heard the Gospel and now knows a pastor who works out at his gym.

Fellow believers, I find most people willing to engage in spiritual conversations if we ASK-ADMIRE-ADMIT:

ASK questions about them, their lives, jobs, (tattoos 😊), and spiritual journeys.

ADMIRE what you can about their beliefs, like Paul did with the philosophers at the Areopagus in Acts 17.

ADMIT the reason you need Jesus and then share your testimony and then the GOSPEL. That’s what I did in 10 minutes at the front desk of a fitness center yesterday. That’s what you can do today, any day and every day.

God gave a big exclamation point to His divine intervention when He sent Pastor Joel to the front desk of the gym at just the right time. And stop saying to yourself, “Well, this kind of stuff happens all the time to Greg because he’s an evangelist.” That’s Satan’s lie whispering in your ear, trying to convince you that you can’t do the same thing.

You have the same Holy Spirit I do (Ephesians 1:13,14.).

You have the same anointing I do (1 John 2:20).

You have the same Gospel I do (Romans 1:16).

You have the same mission I do (Matthew 28:18-20).

So go for it!

Check out some of the great resources from Dare2Share, including an evangelism app and free ebooks.

Photo: Unsplash