I tell this story to encourage and provoke thought. Here is a quote from an experience I had some months ago with an old man I had never met before...then I will add the update to complete the next part of the story.
Another time I saw a handwritten note on a community notice board from a man in need. He explained in the note that he had to move all his belongings and clean his home as the family court was forcing him to leave his home of 25 years. When I turned up at his house I thought other people would be there to help this 70+ gentleman who I had never met before but I was the only one to show up.
From the moment I arrived I could tell that this man was in a bad way. He could not walk more than a few metres without having to stop to catch his breath and when he did he would make loud vocal sighing noises. By the grace of God I was able to clean his house and move all his furniture via a trailer he hired. While I worked I was seeking the Lord inwardly for what He wanted to do in this situation. I was half expecting the man to drop down dead at any moment. He was a greyish colour. The house stunk of cigarrette ash, the obvious culprit explaining his condition. The Holy Spirit simply said in my heart
"Don't say anything about Me, just help him like you are."
I was there all day Saturday and on the Sunday again to finish off. This time helping him move into the new rented place 20km away. Again I pondered if I should share the gospel with him and again I was restrained by the inward witness in my spirit. Months went by after that and I prayed a few times for him then one day he phoned me. It turned out that 2 days after I helped him move in to his new place he had a stroke in the bathroom. It took him 6 hours to crawl to the phone in another room and when he rang 000 he could not speak at all. But the call was enough for the 000 folk to locate him and send an ambulance. He had been in hospital having heart surgery and recovering for 10 weeks before coming home. This time on the phone it was he who brought up things.
He shared how whilst he was in an induced coma for 10 days his "dreams were telling him that he was already dead." He was very surprised that he was still alive in his body when he finally came out of the coma. I asked him "What? Did you think you were in heaven? He replied "No, a sort of Hell, I thought I was in Hell. It was very scary actually."
Looking back at the 2 days I spent with him cleaning out his house and moving him into a new clean home I remember the main issue that I did have liberty to speak about. UNFORGIVENESS.
Here was a man about to have a serious health failure in 48 hours in which he nearly dies and he refuses to even consider forgiving his partner of many years for the way she treated him. No matter what I said about his need to forgive her for his own sake he refused. I was a little amazed at the depth of hatred he had for her and his absolutely cold determination that he "would never forgive her for what she has done." Believe me dear reader, when I heard those words and realised the depth of his hatred I did not know what to do or say. All I said was,
"I am very sad for you, very sad."
Two days later he almost dies and spends the next 10 days in a coma in which he imagines he is in a place like hell.
We talked on the phone and I tell him that "I do not believe God sends anyone to a burning hell and that when we die the soul sleeps and the spirit returns to God who gave it." I tell him that "one day the dead souls shall be raised up to stand before the judge of all the earth." He tells me he believes he "will come back as something, a beetle or something"....I tell him, "Yes that is reincarnation like in Hinduism, but that the Bible tells us there will be a resurrection of all the dead to stand before the Lord, the Judge of the living and dead".
He wants me to come and visit him. I am yet to do so.
To be continued.
I visited this man again last Sunday morning at 8am. This is what I wrote to a friend today about that visit.
"I went camping on my own down at the Warren River National Park over a week ago. I wanted to get away from all the problems here and be with the Lord. I spent 3days mainly listening to teaching by Arthur Burk on generational curses and other ways the enemy takes advantage of us since birth. The Lord was very gracious to me and gave me understanding of some things in my life that have been destructive to myself and others. There were many times I wept over things and laughed with joy as well. It was a special time.
When I left I drove past the road that the old man I helped move house lives on now. His name is Keith. I went past his street to the local shops in that town and waited till opening time as it was too early. I had been fasting so I was waiting for the bakery to open to have some bread and a coffee.
While I waited I knew that the Lord wanted me to go to Keith and lead him to Jesus.
So at 8am last Sunday morning I knocked on his door and got him out of bed.
He is still recovering from open heart surgery and finds it hard to walk at all because of breathing difficulties.
He was very glad to see me and we sat out on his verandah overlooking rolling green hills and a stream with cows etc.
He spoke about the troubles in the world at the moment and I took my opportunity to steer the conversation by telling him that all the problems in world and with all of us are because we are in rebellion against God and refuse to walk in His ways. I shared with him like that for a few minutes about how we are all sinners and all fall short of God's righteous standard no matter how good we thing our efforts are. I shared how God's favour and love cannot be earned by being good and not being bad...but that it must be received like a little child...we cannot buy God, we cannot bribe Him...He came only to save sinners...so if we think we are good enough for heaven then we are disqualified until we admit we are not good enough!
Well Luuk...I have shared like that in times past with many people over the years and no one has ever responded humbly. But Keith just wept and wept! A 71 year old man. I moved my chair closer and said "Keith, you can ask Jesus to forgive your sins right here on this verandah, right now. You do not need to go to any church building".. pointing up there on the hill where the town is..
I said, I believe you want to do that, take my hand Keith--I grasped his left hand --let's pray, you can follow me Keith...So with tears streaming down his face he asked God to forgive him and to send Jesus into his heart to make him a brand new man....I weep now as I type this, it was so wonderful!!
I then continued to pray for his health and his life in general and to rebuke the devouring spirit's that have been destroying him.
He told me about an old female friend in the UK who had planned to fly down here to stay with him and to look after him. But the day she was due to fly the doctors told her that her medical tests showed cervical cancer. So she went into hospital to have a small lump removed from her cervix. But she nearly died from blood loss, the doctors made a mistake. Keith said she is in the intensive care unit still.
So we prayed for her, Sarah, to be fully healed. It was very powerful, it was like we were in her room praying over her.
So I left Keith a very happy man last Sunday.
We will see what the future holds."
I will also add that Keith and I talked about his heart attack and the possible ramifications. I told him how God did not move me to speak to him before about salvation, to simply help him move house. He replied..."Yeah I wish He had of given me more time to move out!!"
I told him that if he had more time he would not have felt so desperate to put a note asking for help to move house. Then I would not have met him, and I would not be sitting with him today leading him to Jesus. At that he agreed and we marvelled at God's ways and His perfect knowledge of us in our stubbornness and free will.
Keith told me that the surgeon told him afterwards that he had died on the table and they had revived him. He spoke only "seeing darkness...and then blinding light like he had flown into the sun."
I shared with him about a God who loves all people and Who is interested in bringing justice to all, not punishment. I spoke of the idea of endless torment as punishment without any recourse for change. Keith shared with me how he had forgiven his ex-wife and now was very sad for her.
I told Keith that I was not worried when God did not want me to witness to him during our first days together because I do not believe in any endless literal torment after death.
He spoke of his 10 days in the induced coma and how he really thought he was dead and in a bad place. He was shocked when he awoke and realised he was alive.
All I know is God is in control and by his grace I was used and Keith is saved now to experience the washing away of all his sins.
I rejoice in knowing that God loves sinners like me and Keith.
:HeartThrob:
Dennis
QuoteAct_21:19 When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.