It was the late 60's. I had just graduated from Bible College and had begun my personal campaign to bring the whole world to my denomination. I blush to say that it wasn't Christ I preached as much as my "group." My group had not made its way to Albany, New York, in those days. It was fair game for Missionary Bob.
I got myself hired in the Troy Public Schools (Albany, Troy and Schenectady
are a trio of cities in Upstate New York), though without certification I still can't figure how that
happened. I made friends with the children of the school and invited them to
Bible studies I was conducting later in the afternoon. Parents in this highly
Catholic neighborhood got wind of what I was up to, told the principal about
it, and I was asked to l eave...
I tried other things to "get something started" but was striking
out. My holy crusade was about to end in defeat.
One unforgettable night I was sitting on a stoop in the Albany
"ghetto" area where I was living, discouraged and about ready to
throw in the towel, when a black car stopped in front of me. A passenger was
let out. The young man looked around the street and then focused on me. The car
went on without him.
Without the niceties of an introduction, this brother in the Lord (as I now
know him to be) came and stood opposite me and asked, Have you ever received
Christ as your Saviour? (Or words to that effect.) I gave him my standard
Bible College trained answer. He then asked if I had received the Holy Spirit,
reminding me of the Book of Acts where a similar question had been asked.
Oh I was really ready to answer that question! We had learned all about the
pros and cons of the Holy Spirit teachings
"infiltrating" the "brotherhood" (my denomination). I let
the brother have it (verbally) between the eyes. We must have argued a half
hour or so. Then, as mysteriously as he had come, he left. He walked down the
street, turned a corner, and I never saw him again. He talked with no one else,
knocked on no doors.
I was a bit shaken. I had given him glib answers, tons of Scripture, lots of
head knowledge about my relationship to the Lord. Maybe I even fooled him. But
there would be another night when the Lord would come to me and give me the
grace to experience His power and forgiveness, and the questions would be
answered on another level. This brother never knew the storm he stirred up in
me to begin seeking the Lord more in earnest. Or did he?
May the lord give us grace to be faithful in whatever Word he gives us for
someone, and never be discouraged when they fight and seem to reject. The Word
is powerful and will do whatever God wants it to do.
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