|
A Living Epistle
His name was Bill. He had
wild hair, wore a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans and no shoes. This was literally his wardrobe for his entire four
years of college. He was brilliant, kind of esoteric and very, very bright. He became a believer while attending
college. Across the street from the campus was a well-dressed, very conservative church. They wanted to develop
a ministry to the students, but were not sure how to go about it. One day Bill decided to go there. He walked in
with no shoes, jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair. The service had already started, so Bill started down the aisle
looking for a seat. The church was completely packed and he couldn't find a seat. By now, people were really looking a
bit uncomfortable, but no one said anything. Bill got closer and closer to the pulpit, and when he realized there were no
seats, he just sat down right on the carpet. (Although perfectly acceptable behavior at a college fellowship, trust me,
this had never happened in this church before!) By now the people were really uptight, and the tension in the air was
thick. About this time, the minister realized that from way at the back of the church, a deacon was slowly making his way
toward Bill. Now the deacon was in his eighties, and had silver-gray hair, and wore a three-piece suit. He was a godly man,
very elegant, very dignified very courtly. He walked with a cane and, as he started walking toward this boy,
everyone was saying to themselves that you couldn't blame him for what he's going to do. How could you expect a
man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor? It took a long time for the man
to reach the boy. The church was utterly silent except for the clicking of the man's cane. All eyes were focused
on him. You couldn't even hear anyone breathing. The minister couldn't even preach the sermon until the deacon
did what he had to do. And now they saw this elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty,
he lowered himself and sat down next to Bill and worshiped with him so he wouldn't be alone. Everyone choked up
with emotion. When the minister gained control, he said: "What I'm about to preach, you will never remember. What
you have just seen, you will never forget."
Be careful how you live. You may be the only 'Bible' some people will ever read.
|
