Remember
I was a young teenager.
It was a Saturday evening, and I had asked if my dad would drop me off at the college. There was a guy who was giving a talk that I remembered someone mentioned in youth group last weekend, and for some reason I thought I should go and hear him.
For me this was odd.
At this point in my life I was very much a home-body. I didn't get out much, if at all. I really only went to church on Sunday, and youth group on Sunday evenings. I had just started a new school, and we had just come to a new church and it was a place where I actually liked going. I think that this was the first 'event' that I ever went to by myself.
I'm not sure what my parents were thinking actually. I remember walking into the field house arena, and there were literally 1000's of people there--and I didn't know a single one. Did this cross my mind--nope, I was oblivious. It didn't even dawn on me to ask myself what in the world I was doing here. For some reason I was very comfortable--It didn't bother me that I was in a large crowd, and didn't have anyone to sit with--I felt right at home. I went to my normal preferred seating--somewhere way in the back--and sat down on a bleacher. I didn't know who was going to speak, or what he was speaking on, and for some reason, that was fine by me.
John Guest got up to speak.
I had been raised in a Christian home, and went to church; because it was the thing to do for us as a family. I liked being in church, I just didn't understand why people had to wear suits that were stuffy and uncomfortable and listen to a guy preach who could put an over-caffeinated fighter pilot to sleep. Was what we were supposed to be doing?
I remember that preacher getting up and telling a joke one Sunday. It was the one, and only joke, he ever tried. It was such an uncomfortable experience that it must have indelibly marked me as a child. He said, "one monkey says to the other monkey--'hey, let's go out of the jungle and check out the place where all the humans live' and the other one says, ' no way--it's a city out there!.'"
This is actually where it got funny, and sad at the same moment.
No one laughed. No one moved. No one even blinked.
I don't know if it was that the joke was so bad that no one responded, or that no one ever heard a joke in church before, or that they were afraid that if they did laugh, or chuckle, or snigger, or even breathe that they might be fostering a dying stand-up career at best, or committing a sin by laughing in church or at such a bad joke...I have no idea,
But...
Start counting out loud for a moment....count to say, 30. Go ahead, I'll wait...
Yup, that's how long he stood there waiting for a response. How do I know it was that long...I was there, remember?
He just stood there...that poor fellow just stood there petrified...he didn't know what to do
He...
Just...
Stared...
At...
Us...
Really, it was unnnnnnnnnnncomfortable.
For some reason, people just didn't laugh at the church I grew up at.
That's why I was so surprised to find myself sniggering, chuckling, and all out guffawing at what this guy had to say that night.
Now, if you know me, and have hung out with me long enough, you will realize that I like to laugh, and, I'm not very quiet about it. You will also realize that my sense of humor is, well, a cultivated appreciation.
Remember, God did make me, so you can talk with Him about it too.
But this guy, he really made me laugh.
He started out simply by sharing that he had a problem with God calling us 'Sheep'. It all zeroed in for me when he said, "do you know how dumb sheep are?" I laughed so hard that night that my new neighbors around me were glad I was a stranger, and didn't need a ride home in their car.
He talked about how sheep can get a bug that burrows into their nose, and if the shepherd doesn't put a salve on their nose to protect them from this bug, it will cause the sheep's nose to itch so bad that they will run their face into a rock to try to get the itch to stop.
Maybe it was because I was a teen, or maybe because I'm just weird...but the more this guy talked about the sheep, the more I laughed.
After a while he made a transition, and simply said that we were very much like sheep. He explained how we too decided that our way was best, and how the Bible calls that sin. He talked about the damage we do to ourselves, the people we loved, and how we dishonor the God who created us by sinning. All of the sudden I found myself agreeing, I am kind of like that sheep.
He shared the Gospel that night. That Jesus is really God. That we have all sinned and deserve the punishment of death and eternal separation from God. How Jesus lived a perfect life, and then died on the cross, and was punished for my sin. How Jesus rose again from the dead. How Jesus offers to forgive our sins if we believe in Him, and how He offers to be the Lord of our lives.
[*Here's the reference for the verses he shared that nigh, I'll list them at the end of this blog for you: Romans 3:23; 6:23; Rom 5:8; Rom 10:8-11]
I remember when he asked if anyone in the room recognized that they were in fact a sinner, and had the faith to trust that Jesus was God and wanted to accept His gift of forgiveness and wanted to trust Him to lead their lives. I did.
He invited anyone who wanted to take this step to come forward and we would pray together.
At that moment the Holy Spirit moved in my heart, and I believed the message of the Gospel for the first time. I went forward, prayed confessing my sins, asking Jesus for forgiveness, and believing that He did rise from the dead, I asked Jesus to come and be Lord of my life. And, He did.
I remember that night. I remember sensing God's presence. I remember the word of God, and how the Holy Spirit moved in my heart to prompt faith, and allowed me to see the truth of the Bible. I remember praying and being invited into community with other believers. I remember joy. I am so thankful.
I want to invite you to share your story with someone this week, and listen to theirs too. Tell them about your journey with Jesus, listen to where they are. Tell them how you met Him, where He has led you since, and where you are going today, hear what's going on with them. If you are just starting out on a journey, share where you are at, if you've been on the journey for a long time, talk about that too. Take the time to listen to one another, and remember together--see how you can help each other take next steps with Jesus, together. And finally, take a moment to be thankful together for who God is, and how He is moving in your lives.
God Bless,
Eric
______________________________________________
* Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
Romans 6:23 " For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 5:8 "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 10:8-11 "But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
(ESV www.Biblegateway.com)
It was a Saturday evening, and I had asked if my dad would drop me off at the college. There was a guy who was giving a talk that I remembered someone mentioned in youth group last weekend, and for some reason I thought I should go and hear him.
For me this was odd.
At this point in my life I was very much a home-body. I didn't get out much, if at all. I really only went to church on Sunday, and youth group on Sunday evenings. I had just started a new school, and we had just come to a new church and it was a place where I actually liked going. I think that this was the first 'event' that I ever went to by myself.
I'm not sure what my parents were thinking actually. I remember walking into the field house arena, and there were literally 1000's of people there--and I didn't know a single one. Did this cross my mind--nope, I was oblivious. It didn't even dawn on me to ask myself what in the world I was doing here. For some reason I was very comfortable--It didn't bother me that I was in a large crowd, and didn't have anyone to sit with--I felt right at home. I went to my normal preferred seating--somewhere way in the back--and sat down on a bleacher. I didn't know who was going to speak, or what he was speaking on, and for some reason, that was fine by me.
John Guest got up to speak.
I had been raised in a Christian home, and went to church; because it was the thing to do for us as a family. I liked being in church, I just didn't understand why people had to wear suits that were stuffy and uncomfortable and listen to a guy preach who could put an over-caffeinated fighter pilot to sleep. Was what we were supposed to be doing?
I remember that preacher getting up and telling a joke one Sunday. It was the one, and only joke, he ever tried. It was such an uncomfortable experience that it must have indelibly marked me as a child. He said, "one monkey says to the other monkey--'hey, let's go out of the jungle and check out the place where all the humans live' and the other one says, ' no way--it's a city out there!.'"
This is actually where it got funny, and sad at the same moment.
No one laughed. No one moved. No one even blinked.
I don't know if it was that the joke was so bad that no one responded, or that no one ever heard a joke in church before, or that they were afraid that if they did laugh, or chuckle, or snigger, or even breathe that they might be fostering a dying stand-up career at best, or committing a sin by laughing in church or at such a bad joke...I have no idea,
But...
Start counting out loud for a moment....count to say, 30. Go ahead, I'll wait...
Yup, that's how long he stood there waiting for a response. How do I know it was that long...I was there, remember?
He just stood there...that poor fellow just stood there petrified...he didn't know what to do
He...
Just...
Stared...
At...
Us...
Really, it was unnnnnnnnnnncomfortable.
For some reason, people just didn't laugh at the church I grew up at.
That's why I was so surprised to find myself sniggering, chuckling, and all out guffawing at what this guy had to say that night.
Now, if you know me, and have hung out with me long enough, you will realize that I like to laugh, and, I'm not very quiet about it. You will also realize that my sense of humor is, well, a cultivated appreciation.
Remember, God did make me, so you can talk with Him about it too.
But this guy, he really made me laugh.
He started out simply by sharing that he had a problem with God calling us 'Sheep'. It all zeroed in for me when he said, "do you know how dumb sheep are?" I laughed so hard that night that my new neighbors around me were glad I was a stranger, and didn't need a ride home in their car.
He talked about how sheep can get a bug that burrows into their nose, and if the shepherd doesn't put a salve on their nose to protect them from this bug, it will cause the sheep's nose to itch so bad that they will run their face into a rock to try to get the itch to stop.
Maybe it was because I was a teen, or maybe because I'm just weird...but the more this guy talked about the sheep, the more I laughed.
After a while he made a transition, and simply said that we were very much like sheep. He explained how we too decided that our way was best, and how the Bible calls that sin. He talked about the damage we do to ourselves, the people we loved, and how we dishonor the God who created us by sinning. All of the sudden I found myself agreeing, I am kind of like that sheep.
He shared the Gospel that night. That Jesus is really God. That we have all sinned and deserve the punishment of death and eternal separation from God. How Jesus lived a perfect life, and then died on the cross, and was punished for my sin. How Jesus rose again from the dead. How Jesus offers to forgive our sins if we believe in Him, and how He offers to be the Lord of our lives.
[*Here's the reference for the verses he shared that nigh, I'll list them at the end of this blog for you: Romans 3:23; 6:23; Rom 5:8; Rom 10:8-11]
I remember when he asked if anyone in the room recognized that they were in fact a sinner, and had the faith to trust that Jesus was God and wanted to accept His gift of forgiveness and wanted to trust Him to lead their lives. I did.
He invited anyone who wanted to take this step to come forward and we would pray together.
At that moment the Holy Spirit moved in my heart, and I believed the message of the Gospel for the first time. I went forward, prayed confessing my sins, asking Jesus for forgiveness, and believing that He did rise from the dead, I asked Jesus to come and be Lord of my life. And, He did.
I remember that night. I remember sensing God's presence. I remember the word of God, and how the Holy Spirit moved in my heart to prompt faith, and allowed me to see the truth of the Bible. I remember praying and being invited into community with other believers. I remember joy. I am so thankful.
I want to invite you to share your story with someone this week, and listen to theirs too. Tell them about your journey with Jesus, listen to where they are. Tell them how you met Him, where He has led you since, and where you are going today, hear what's going on with them. If you are just starting out on a journey, share where you are at, if you've been on the journey for a long time, talk about that too. Take the time to listen to one another, and remember together--see how you can help each other take next steps with Jesus, together. And finally, take a moment to be thankful together for who God is, and how He is moving in your lives.
God Bless,
Eric
______________________________________________
* Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
Romans 6:23 " For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 5:8 "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 10:8-11 "But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
(ESV www.Biblegateway.com)
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