June 24 2019 – Click here to listen
Yesterday I went to church and an elderly black gentleman carrying a baby came forward during the invitation at the end of the service and spoke with the pastor for a few minutes. The pastor then motioned to a deacon who took him to another room and after the final song told us that the gentleman wanted to know how to become a Christian and the deacon had taken him to a private place to explain it to him.
It was an amazing moment to see this old man holding a small child in his arms smiling broadly. I can only imagine the excitement of the angels in heaven as they began to sing and rejoice as he made his choice to find Jesus. My prayer is that this gentleman becomes a regular member and brings that child up in that tremendous church.
There is much troubling news in this nation and world daily; however, that does not mean that people aren’t continuing to seek Christ. In fact, in these tumultuous times where wickedness seems to be spiraling out of control, many are searching for peace, joy, and hope that can only come from God.
I have many friends whose lives are a wreck, but they steadfastly refuse to go to church, study the Bible, or even talk about bringing Jesus into their lives. Seeing the look of contentment on that elderly man’s face as he came forward gave me hope that I should just keep on encouraging and praying and urging the Holy Spirit to convince them that there is a way to find what they want in this world – peace, joy, hope, and rest – things that only can be found in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Paul’s prayer below is a good start towards praying for those friends of ours who don’t know Jesus. Pray it now for those who you love and want to help.
Romans 15:13
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.