By Pastor Dick Bennett / Young at Heart and Caring Network
A few weeks ago a lady from our congregation called and asked if a
pastor could go and visit her elderly mother and share the plan of salvation
with her and "lead her to the Lord." That was a pretty direct
request. I answered the call, set up a time, prayed, and made the visit.
Bonny met me at the door of the secured apartment complex in
Tonawanda, and took me up to her mom's apartment. I found that Joyce was frail
of body, but sharp of mind. After some small talk, and getting acquainted, I
got around to the subject at hand. I learned that she had spent most of her
life connected with a liberal Lutheran church (she had never heard of the
Missouri Synod or Oswald J. Hoffman from the evangelical branch of that
denomination). Hoffman was the voice of the Lutheran Hour on the radio for
decades, a great man of God.
The salvation message as presented in the scriptures was foreign
to her. It may have been read as ritual, but was never made PERSONAL, which is
typical of most churches, but I digress. I proceeded to present the simple
message of God's plan, through Jesus, to save our soul, and give us the promise
of eternal life. You know, confess, repent, believe, receive. She was open and
responded, trying to grasp what it all meant, and wondering how she had missed
it for over 80 years. When the time was right she consented to pray the
sinner's prayer and open her heart to Jesus, so I had her repeat the words
after me, out loud, for the first time in her life. What a thrill it was to
welcome her into the kingdom. It doesn't happen very often at that age. I'm
going back to see her next week to see how she's doing with the literature her
daughter gave her. Would you pray for Joyce in her new found faith?
By the way, regarding that plan I mentioned: confess, repent,
believe, receive? Don't leave any part of it out, or it may not be a genuine
conversion experience. Aah, I feel a sermon coming on.