Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.” ~ Luke 19:9
READING: Luke 19:1-10
In one small town, our church planting team was showing the Jesus film at night, with evangelistic preaching in between reels. The movie got everybody’s attention, and gathered a crowd for our preaching. Afterwards, one man staggered over to me. “I want to join your religion,” he confided, his words slurring together. Not wanting to engage in a serious conversation with someone obviously drunk, I promised to visit him in the morning.
I doubted the man would follow through sober what he had started while drunk. He would likely be embarrassed after having made a spectacle of himself. My companions shared my evaluation but came along anyway.
The man was not expecting us, but he invited us to come in and share with him. Very matter-of-factly he claimed to have accepted the gospel and said he intended to join the church. His wife and mother-in-law gave us “Don’t look at us!” looks. Having extended the invitation to all to come to Christ, we had no good reason to refuse this one who came, so we walked down to the river and baptized him.
Leaving him with instructions on joining with the other Christians for training and fellowship, our team crossed the river and we were on our way to another province, expectations low.
When I revisited that town several months later, I learned that the “town drunk” hadn’t been seen drunk since the night of the Jesus film. So changed was his life that several people had given their allegiance to Christ since then, starting with his wife and mother-in-law. I was ashamed that I had such little faith in the power of God for salvation of all.
Father, Thank You for saving sinners of whom I am chief. Amen.
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