You Just Never Know

      I want to share a story I recently read in Biblical Insights magazine.

      Ricky Jenkins had forgotten to take his cell phone charger with him on a gospel meeting. On Monday of the meeting, he and the local preacher stopped at the cell phone store to pick one up. The line was long and they thought about leaving, but Ricky had seen the particular charger he needed and figured it would take as long to wait as it would to go anywhere else.

      When he was finally helped by one of the clerks, he explained his story to the young man. He told the young man that he was in town preaching a Gospel Meeting and invited the young man to attend. The man looked at him in awe and said something along the lines of, “I know I need to get right with God. Just the other day I prayed that if God wanted me to be involved in some church that He send someone to invite me. I told Him I would say yes to the next person who invited me.”

      That night and the next the young man attended the meeting and then agreed to studies. Apparently the young man was still studying when the article was submitted to the magazine. But really, the point is the same for us whether the young man ever obeys or not. Remember, our job is not to convert it is to plant and water seeds.

      How could Ricky have ever known what was going on this young man’s life? What if he had waited until he found someone he absolutely knew was really ready to hear an invitation from him? This young man would still be waiting for. Or he may have gotten one from someone who didn’t teach the truth.

      Look through the converts in the New Testament. People like the Cornelius (Acts 10), Saul (Acts 9) and the Philippian Jailer (Acts 16), stand out to me as unlikely converts. Who knew they would be receptive? But they were.

      The reality is, you just never know what is going on in someone’s life. You never know when that complete stranger you invite was just looking for an invitation. Will we have better “success” with people who already know us? Maybe. But we will certainly not have any “success” with people to whom we never speak.

      We have a Gospel Meeting coming up next week. How many people in Middle Tennessee are just waiting for someone to invite them to attend a worship assembly? We don’t know. How about we try to find out? How about we finish up strong preparing for this meeting and get the word out?

      Let’s tell our friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, cashiers, tellers, anyone we can about this opportunity. We can plant the seed. We will let God give the increase.

Edwin L. Crozier