Born to Be Wild

I pulled into the church parking lot like I do most days, went into the building and started towards the stairs to put my lunch in the refrigerator, when there was a knock at the door. I opened the door and was confronted by a rugged middle-aged man named Kevin who had obviously led a rough life. He wore a t-shirt with a flaming skeleton riding a motorcycle, a hat that said "Rebel" and sported tatoos on his arms. At first I was apprehensive, but that all changed when, a few moments later, Kevin broke down crying right in front of me. He told me that his brother recently died of heart failure, and that he was looking for some kind of closure for his brother's death. I began to talk to him about Jesus Christ, but he said, "I don't believe my brother was saved, but I don't believe in hell." I said, "We don't get to decide what we want to believe about God, and what God has placed in His Bible. The same Bible that tells us that there is a heaven also tells us that there is a hell - we cannot pick one and leave out the other." I asked him if he was with his brother when he died, and Kevin said no. "Then how do you know that he didn't call on the name of the Lord before he died?" Kevin did not know. In fact, he told me that his brother was afraid to die. I did not want to offer false hope, but sometimes we assume that a person died lost, when they could have called on Jesus before they died. The thief on the cross had nothing to offer God, but in the last moments of his earthly life, he called out to Christ and God saved him. I was able to share Jesus Christ with Kevin and challenge him to get into a good Bible-believing church when he gets home to Jacksonville, Florida. He told me that he was just sitting over at the bus station across the street, waiting for his ride, when he saw me pull up to the church. Kevin said, "Something told me, go across the street and talk to that man, and I sure am glad I did." I was glad too. We can plan our days and fill in our calendars, but God doesn't wait for appointments. Before Kevin left, we had prayer together. He gripped my hand tightly and I asked the Lord to give him the closure needed in his life. With tears in his eyes, this rugged traveler gave me a big hug and joined his ride leaving Fredericksburg. Afterwards, I thanked God for reminding me that He still speaks to the hearts of people. Out of the blue, God can send someone our way who desperately needs a representative for Jesus Christ. And when He does, we must be ready.

CAP