Have You Reached Out and Touched Someone Lately>

Paul, in his letter to the Colossians wrote, “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.  Let our speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person” (4:5-6).

Hey gang:  Ragged, soiled clothes, a crutch lying beside him and a sign “HELP!”   Not in Bangladesh or Calcutta but here in America on a street in a very neat and prosperous neighborhood and just down from the beautiful church.   It was Sunday morning and the excitement filled the air, for today was the day the new minister would be there for the very first time.

Lines of beautiful cars and very well dressed people passed by the man who was dressed in the ragged soiled clothes with crutch beside him and the sign “HELP”. Each person  eager to get to church to meet and hear the new minster of Jesus Gospel.  More than three-hundred worshipers were now seated and waiting patiently.

Suddenly, there was a commotion at the narthex of the church.  It seems there was a man- in ragged, soiled clothes with a crutch under his left arm with a sign “HELP”- trying to get into the House of Worship.  How dare he try and enter this beautiful edifice when he was not properly attired!  The transgression lasted but a minute or two when one of the elders of the church family escorted the man -in ragged, soiled clothes, with crutch and sign “HELP”- to the front of the church where he discarded the crutch, removed the beard from his face and was introduced by the elder as their new Shepherd.      

One could have heard a pin drop that morning in the beautiful edifice where they come to worship God. The new Pastor opened his Bible and began to read, “For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited Me in, naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

Then the righteous will answer Him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and gave You something to drink?  And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothed You?  And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked and cloth You?   When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?”

The King will answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”  (Matt. 25:35-40).

He closed this message of his first day with his new congregation with this benediction: “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).  

There was no music that day, no announcements of things to come.  Just a few verses from God’s word and a dismissal.  There was no visiting that day as all left silently.   No dissertation of the Word but the impact of the message was profound! 

My friends the story of the ragged, soiled man with the a crutch by his side and the sign “Help” was true.  A pastor did indeed show up at his new church for the first time armed to send a message and it was a remarkable piece of true evangelism! 

We are nearing that very special day when we will honor our Lord for the tremendous sacrifice He made on our behalf.  I have been blessed with 83 years of life and I grow in confidence each day that Father God will soon say to His only begotten Son, “Go for it!  Time to go for your Bride.”  My prayer, this day, is that the name of every person who reads this epistle is a child of God and name recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life. The day is coming, one day soon for the Marriage Feast of the Lamb.  Will you be there?

Blessings,

Gramps