BILL
VISITS CHURCH
His
name is Bill. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans and no
shoes. This has been literally his wardrobe for his entire four years of college.
He is brilliant. Kinda esoteric and very, very bright. He became a Christian while
attending college. Across the street from the campus is a well-dressed, very conservative
church. They want to develop a ministry to the students, but are not sure how
to go about it. One
day Bill decides to go there. He walks in with no shoes, jeans, his T-shirt, and
wild hair. The service has already started and so Bill starts down the aisle looking
for a seat. The church is completely packed and he can't find a seat. By now people
are looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything. Bill gets closer and
closer and closer to the pulpit and when he realizes there are no seats, he just
squats down right on the carpet. (Although perfectly acceptable behaviour at a
college fellowship, trust me, this had never happened in this church before!)
By now the people
are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick. About this time, the
minister realizes that from way at the back of the church, a deacon is slowly
making his way toward Bill. Now the deacon is in his eighties, has silver-grey
hair, a three-piece suit, and a pocket watch. A godly man-very elegant, very dignified,
very courtly. He walks with a cane and as he starts walking toward this
boy, everyone is saying to themselves, "You can't blame him for what he's going
to do. How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand
some college kid on the floor?" It
takes a long time for the man to reach the boy. The church is utterly silent except
for the clicking of the man's cane. All eyes are focused on him. You can't even
hear anyone breathing. The people are thinking, The minister can't even preach
the sermon until the deacon does what he has to do. And now they see this elderly
man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty he lowers himself and sits
down next to Bill and worships with him so he won't be alone. Everyone chokes
up with emotion. When the minister gains control he says, "What I'm about to preach,
you will never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget." (The
Gims Newsletter) Added
Later-- If
the above story is too mushy for some of you Fundamentalists, then you are SICK.
REPENT!! The narrow way was first travelled by a carpenter who hugged
children and told stories like the one about the Good Samaritan. We tell
the little children the precious stories of Jesus, and the children love Him for
it. Why
is it that as we grow older we turn only to the tales of horror and evil? Certainly,
we need to be warned, but why no Good News? Jesus' Apostle told of the power
in the church at Antioch, and the other Apostles rejoiced and praised God. All
through the Church Age, the really great men of God were men who were full of
stories of victory and Good News. Why are we so short on Good Reports? I
want to know. BACK
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