H. C. Morrison was the founder of Asbury Theological Seminary. Morrison came to Christ as a farm worker, plowing in a field one day, when he saw an old Methodist preacher coming by on his horse. Morrison knew the elderly gentleman to be a gracious, godly man. As he watched the old saint go by, a great sense of conviction of sin came over Morrison and he dropped to his knees. There between the furrows in his field, alone, he gave his life to God.
Reflecting on this testimony, Billy Graham earnestly prayed, “Oh, God, make me a holy man.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if ordinary people could so dedicate our lives to Christ, that when we walked or drove past people would come under conviction by the Holy Spirit within us. That’s my goal and desire.
“If these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:8).
Tags: conviction, holiness, righteousness, witness
In the early days of America missionaries came from Europe to evangelize the native Americans. In 1805 a number of Indian chiefs and warriors met in council at Battle Creek, New York, to hear a presentation of the Christian faith by a Mr. Cram of the Boston Missionary Society. It is said that after Mr. Cram made an excellent presentation of the Gospel, and the life-changing power it holds, one of the chiefs, Red Jacket, got up to speak.
Red Jacket said, “Brother, we are told that you have been preaching about the Great Spirit to the white people who are our neighbors. We are well acquainted with our neighbors. We will wait a little while and see if the effect of the Great Spirit is upon them. If we find it does them good, makes them honest and less inclined to cheat and belittle Indians, then we will certainly consider what you say.”
People are watching. When was the last time you became aware that non-Christians were watching you?
Tags: evangelism, Indians, witness
In his book The No-Guilt Guide for Witnessing, George Sweeting tells of a man named John Currier who in 1949 was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Later he was transferred and paroled to work on a farm near Nashville, Tennessee.
In 1968, Currier’s sentence was terminated, and a letter carrying the good news was sent to him. But the owner of the farm never delivered the letter nor informed John of his release. Life on that farm was hard and without promise, yet John kept doing what he was told even after the farmer for whom he had worked had died.
After another ten years, a state parole officer learned about Currier’s plight, found him, and told him that his sentence had been terminated. He was a free man.
Where would your life be today if no one had delivered the message that your Sin had been forgiven? That important message needed to be delivered. And it still needs to be delivered to so many. Let’s keep our eyes open for the God-appointed opportunities.
Tags: forgiveness, pardon, witness