photo credit: cindy (creative commons)
This past Sunday, our pastor preached one amazing sermon. He discussed the work Jesus sent His disciples to do in Matthew 10. Jesus sent the men on a mission and there were probably times when fear filled them.
Pastor Ted Cunningham nailed it when he said:
“Don’t fear hell. Fear the one who can send you there.
Enough said.
At the end of the sermon he called people to surrender their lives to Christ. He announced the prayer team would be available to pray with people in their new decision to walk in Christianity. I stood by the sign that pointed to the prayer room.
Nothing.
Not one person walked that way. My heart immediately began to get critical. There are a thousand people here and not one person is convicted to accept Christ after that sermon? How ridiculous.
Before our usual between service prayer meetings, I had an errand to run. I was still letting angry, judgmental thoughts fill my mind as I hurried to make it to the prayer meeting to offer up my prayers with the rest of the team. When I walked into the room, there was a gentleman sitting on the couch learning about Jesus and what it was like to receive Him.
Conviction hit me like a ton of bricks. It must have been the morning for that as I was reminded earlier that morning that I was a hypocrite. Here I was judging people for not coming forward to receive prayer, and here sat a man crying, ready to surrender it all because he feared hell and felt Jesus drawing him closer. He received Christ and we all stood around him and prayed for his new journey into Christianity. It was a great celebration.
God’s whisper in my heart reminded me that it’s not about the number. If that one man was the only person to accept Jesus that morning, that was one more person than the week before.
We are to celebrate one just the same as we would celebrate 100.
I quickly allowed myself to have expectations of others that I had no control over. Because of that, I temporarily gave up on the belief that everything happens in God’s time. Just because the gentlemen didn’t walk up when I was standing by the door, didn’t mean God didn’t have a plan.
He’s rarely early but He is never late.
What expectations have you let get in the way of trusting in God’s timing? Comment below…
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Sometimes we believe surely someone needs to walk the aisle today. But we must always remember, the minister plants the seeds and it’s up to the Holy Spirit to draw people into a relationship with Christ. Great post with much truth!
Thanks Brian. You’re right. It can be so easy to forget that.
I like this post. It speaks to me. Not necessarily in a Christian way today, but in a leadership way. You see I shine the light on a path toward competitiveness and ask others to follow the new light so that our business will be around for more years. Some days I get blank stares. Some days I get grief. Some days I get whispers of others speaking ill of my efforts. And in the end… I know (in my heart) I am doing what is best for that critic and for the mass of people represented by our company. I stand against the wind hoping that one person walks over to my side and embraces my light and my path.
Thank you Sundi Jo! Yes another masterpiece of truth.
Thanks Spencer. Appreciate your encouraging words. Sometimes doing the right thing can get lonely, whether it’s business or church.
But it always pays off in the end.
Loved this…and it was timely for me, as well…not in a coming to Christ way for anyone, but rather in a situation I have been praying about for some friends of mine, which ultimately also affects me…but truly, more importantly, the spiritual freedom and life I hope they find…sorry for the cloak-and-dagger vagueness, but it is just one of those things…these words were such a great reminder for me:
“I quickly allowed myself to have expectations of others that I had no
control over. Because of that, I temporarily gave up on the belief that
everything happens in God’s time.”
and of course,
“He’s rarely early but He is never late.”
One of those truths that I imagine many Christians who walk with God daily know, but get distracted from and forget…and I was so grateful yesterday for the reminder…was another tool of God’s Peace that passes understanding. Thank you.
You are most welcome friend!