Triumphant Faith

 I just closed the last page of the last chapter of a biography of one of my all time heroes of the faith. George Muller knew more about prayer and living by faith than I ever will. His trust in God to house, feed, and clothe over 10,000 orphans, without ever appealing to anyone for help, is inspiring. Muller triumphed in faith repeatedly. 

I sit here this afternoon taking it all in. All that Muller believed God for. All that God did in response to faith filled triumphant praying. The many hours of solitary petitioning God for help. The miracles abounded. What I love just as much, is the kingdom of God got expanded. He reported when he first came to his church at Bethesda in Bristol, there were only seven of them. At the end, God added 6,000, most through conversion. Hallelujah. 

It makes me shake my head. I have faith stories to tell. Most of them about ways God has provided for my family. Sadly, I do not have many triumphant faith stories to share about how God saved the lost, grew His church or expanded missions. 

Triumphant faith. A phrase the author used repeatedly in the book. No matter the size of the trial or the severity, Muller believed God and saw God triumph in response to faith. 

Muller showed tangible proof of his faith and the countless prayers he lifted to His Father. Orphan houses all built through praying for God's provision. Thousands of orphans rescued, introduced to Jesus and trained to become follower of Jesus and good citizens. He also made over a dozen preaching tours around the world at ages when most people retire. 

Muller is one of my all time heroes. Maybe my all time hero. It dawns on me as I write this, I pray to the same God he did. His call was much different than mine. Yet, we all can live in triumphant faith. Muller faced trials. Many of them. He faced financial crisis after financial crisis. He faced them all in triumphant faith. The same God who helped him can also help us.  I know it is possible for us to do the same triumphing in faith. 

I long for the day when the evidence of my faith will be much more than cars, furniture and other material blessings. I long for the day when there are souls saved, a church revived and in dynamic ways impacting the community and where other churches are planted. That would be triumphant faith for me. 

Let us pray on. May we press on. Let us be exhorted to persist on in triumphant faith. 

I Don't Want Anyone Telling Me What To Do

 I got to McGratton park early on a bitterly cold Monday night. I saw one guy skating alone. I bundled up in my coat and prayerfully approached him wondering how to break the ice in our conversation. I told him I needed his help. He immediately gave me his full attention. I explained who I was and that we were going to give away a skateboard in a few weeks at a Christmas gathering in the park. I asked for his help in what a good skateboard is, where to get one, and how much it would cost. 

He eagerly launched into a wealth of information. He is passionate about skating. Even on a bone chilling cold night. This opened the door for me to share Jesus with him. I will call this young man Don. That is not his real name. I asked Don what He thought about the after life. His answer surprised me. Don stated, "When you die, you go in the dirt and become fuel and energy for the trees and the grass." 

I asked what he thought about Heaven and Hell. He replied, "Those things just scare people. I like to think that I am right."

From that point, we talked about the gospel message. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.  Don admitted that he had sinned. He seemed clued in. Patiently listening to an old stranger instead of skating. I could tell he really digested these spiritual truths. Then suddenly, it all changed. 

I talked to him about getting saved and making Jesus Lord of his life. I explained it like Jesus sitting in the driver's seat and Don sitting in the passenger  seat with Jesus directing his life. That is when he commented, "I don't want anyone telling me what to do." 

I tried to explain that Jesus loved him and only wanted what would be best for him. Don wanted no part of it. With that he politely excused himself  and started skating again. 

Another guy rode up on a bicycle. I will call him George. Again I struck up a conversation wit George that ended up in a gospel presentation. George has had a hard time. He got incarcerated in a state prison for a felony. He did not share what felony he committed. He just commented that he hung around the wrong people doing the wrong things and got caught. 

George hung around for over an hour. Allan and Connie bought pizza from little Caesars. David Floyd came for his first visit to the park Monday night as well. George looked pretty cold. I had a pair of gloves in my pocket and gave them to him for his ride home of several blocks. George talked with us until I could see Connie visibly shaking from the cold. The rest of tried to keep moving to fight off the cold but it did not work too well. The chill sunk into our bones. George only had on a thin sweat shirt. He kept saying he felt fine, but he did eventually slip on the gloves. 

George is confused. He grew up Catholic. Somewhere he got introduced to the Bible and reads it often. He tries to be good and not break the Ten Commandments. He understands sinners go to hell. George does not understand the sufficiency of Jesus' death on the cross. He thinks he will earn God's approval by doing good deeds. Helping others. Being a kind person. 

George is also out of work. He has an interview coming up. We asked if we could pray for him about that interview which he agreed to, and we prayed there. 

 We had two deacons and one of their wives at the park loving on skaters. None of knows anything about skating. A young couple played soccer on the field adjacent to the skate park. They were invited for pizza and came to eat. The wife spoke little English. The husband was more fluent, but I felt the language barrier hindered in a gospel witness. 

We have gone out to the park for a month now. Not once, have we seen the same people there twice. As the weather turns colder, the skaters are more scarce. I also wonder if word is getting out that a bunch of old people talking about Jesus keep showing up at the park on Monday nights. 

In a few weeks, we hope to hold a Christmas party of sorts when we will give away a free skateboard. All for a hook to get people there to hear about Jesus. I dream of a day when we our credibility will increase and they will trust us. I pray for the day when God will allow us to start a Bible study. I dream of the day when we will see our first skater saved. I doubt they will feel comfortable in coming to Spring Creek. I might baptize them in a horse trough at the park. I really do not know where this will lead. I only know God called us to go and show skaters that He loves them.