His name was Bill

[SumTinWong]

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 Christian 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 and closer to the pulpit and, when he realized there were no seats, he just squatted down right on the carpet. (Although perfectly acceptable behavior at a college get-together, 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 the back of the church, a deacon was slowly making his way toward Bill. Now the deacon was in his eighties, had silver-gray hair, and a three-piece suit. 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 can't blame him for what he's going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid sitting 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. This is the example Jesus sets for us and it is the sermon we should always preach. Love one another as I have loved you".

 

[ZiSunka]

I was at Southside Christian Fellowship in Springfield, Ohio when a similar event happened.

The pastor preached a sermon about putting Christ out where everyone can reach Him. He talked about how important it was for people in an innercity church like this one to spiritually feed the hungry people with food they could reach, like teaching forgiveness, love, emotional support, and service. Then he invited each of us to communion, which he had set on a table on the dias, two steps up from the main floor of the church. One by one each of us went up to the table and took from the bread and the cup. Many of the people in the church were raggedy beggars who had come into the church to get warm, not to hear the sermon or learn of Christ. One of the raggedy beggars in his dirty and tatttered coat went forward and stepped up to the communion table and ate of the bread and the juice. Then he turned around and went back to his pew, bent down and held out his hand to another raggedy beggar. The man took his hand and accepted the other one's help to get up and walk slowly and painfully to the dias. The first man walked up to the basket of bread and took it off the table and handed it to the older man standing below. The older man took a piece of bread and ate it. The younger man then took the cup off the table and handed it to the older man, who sipped from it. The basket and the cup were returned to the table and the younger beggar helped the older man back to his pew in the back of the church. The rest of us were sobbing with tears. We had listened to the sermon, but the raggedy beggars lived it out.

 

[SumTinWong]

One of my favorite quotes:
George MacLeod of Scotland said,
"I simply argue that the cross should be raised at the center of the marketplace as well as on the steeple of the church. I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves; on the town’s garbage heap; at a crossroad, so cosmopolitan they had to write His title in Hebrew and Latin and Greek . . . at the kind of a place where cynics talk smut, and thieves curse, and soldiers gamble. Because that is where He died. And that is what He died for. And that is what He died about. That is where church-men ought to be and what church-men ought to be about."

 

[Unnamed Servant]

So true, salvation is not by the t-shirts we wear or our catchy sayings on our church signs, only by the word of god and His love acted out threw us.

These stories are examples of True servatude and an attitude of Jesus. I pray that I can have the daily attitude of this towards everyone.

Thanks for the stories of encouragement!

love-in-christ,

unnamed servant

 

[ZiSunka]

One of my favorite quotes:
George MacLeod of Scotland said,
"I simply argue that the cross should be raised at the center of the marketplace as well as on the steeple of the church. I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves; on the town’s garbage heap; at a crossroad, so cosmopolitan they had to write His title in Hebrew and Latin and Greek . . . at the kind of a place where cynics talk smut, and thieves curse, and soldiers gamble. Because that is where He died. And that is what He died for. And that is what He died about. That is where church-men ought to be and what church-men ought to be about."

Amen!

 

[AJ]

That is such a great story UB... Thank you for sharing it. Valuable reminder and example to us all.

 

[Carrye]

Then he invited each of us to communion, which he had set on a table on the dias, two steps up from the main floor of the church.

Sorry this is off-topic, but what is a "dias" LL? Is it like an altar?

 

[ZiSunka]

Sorry this is off-topic, but what is a "dias" LL? Is it like an altar?

I probably spelled it wrong, but it is a raised platform at the front of the church where the pulpit usually sits.

 

[Ave Maria]

That is an excellent story Uncle Bud! Thank you!

 

[CFoster]

Praise Jesus! My prayer is that I may be that kind of servant to the Lord! Amen!

 

[SumTinWong]

Myself as well CF