Who Will Go To THEM?

" Electing love has selected some of the worst to be made the best."

Charles Spurgeon

"And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." Words of Jesus; The Parable of the great supper.  Luke 14:23

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world..." Ephesians 2:1-2a

"And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."  1 Corinthians 6:11

An interesting encounter occurred at the bank the other day.  While standing at the Teller's Window, what appeared to be a homeless man walked inside.  He was disheveled, dirty, and he reeked.  Instead of waiting in line for his turn, he approached the counter where I stood, almost elbow to elbow.  I looked at the bank Teller silently imploring him to say something to this man, like, "I'm helping someone right now, can you please step back, and I will gladly help you in a moment."  

But he said nothing.

The Teller continued to count out the money from my withdrawal transaction as if no one else was there.  I quickly placed the money into my wallet and walked away.  Before I could exit the bank, the Lord reminded me of what I had just read that very morning during my devotions.  Isn't God good that way?

The devotion was written by Charles Spurgeon, based on Acts 18:10b.  "For I have much people in this city." Words of Jesus. From his Morning & Evening Devotional, March 2021, Hendrickson Publishing, Charles Spurgeon writes:  "This should be a great encouragement to try to do good, since God has among the vilest of the vile, the most reprobate, the most debauched and drunken, an elect people who must be saved. When you take the Word to them, you do so because God has ordained you to be the messenger of life to their souls. They are as much redeemed by blood as the saints before the eternal throne.  They are Christ's property, and yet perhaps they are lovers of the ale-house, and haters of holiness; but if Jesus Christ purchased them He will have them.  Nay, more, these ungodly ones are prayed for by Christ before the throne. "Neither pray I for these alone," saith the great Intercessor, "but for them also which shall believe Me through their word." Poor, ignorant souls, they know nothing about prayer for themselves but Jesus prays for them.

It's easy to witness to those who look 'morally' good, act good and smell good; to witness to those who have the same interests as you.

But what about those who don't look so nice or smell so good?  Who will go to THEM?  Who will go to the prisons, the homeless shelters, the hedges, byways, and streets?  Who will go to the run-a-ways, the drug addicts?

Jesus did.  Because he knew that one of His was still there, in the mire, waiting to be told the Truth.  Waiting to be redeemed.  Just like you, and just like me.

I learned something about myself the other day, and I didn't like what I saw.  I had to ask God to forgive me.

Instead of turning a blind eye and a cold shoulder...

   I will look the person in the eye to let them know that they matter...

        not only to me, but they matter to God...

            But that's just me!

"Walk the streets by moonlight, if you dare, and you will see sinners then. Watch when the night is dark, and the wind is howling, and the picklock is grating in the door, and you will see sinners then. Go to yon jail, and walk through the wards, and mark the men with heavy-over-hanging brows, men whom you would not like to meet at night, and there are sinners there. Go to the Reformatories, and note those who have betrayed a rampant juvenile depravity, and you will see sinners there. Go where you will, you need not ransack earth to find sinners, for they are common enough; you may find village and hamlet. It is for such that Jesus died."  Charles Spurgeon