Divine Appointment

Tonight marked the first night that C3's men's community group met. It was a night that had snow on the ground and people sledding down our hill as I pulled into the church parking lot. Unfortunately that also meant half of the group not showing up, which initially made me feel bad. However, I decided to take the whoever is here is meant to be here and we started the study. Tonight was more about building a foundation in our study. We're going to be looking at Jame, but in building a foundation we actually started in Judges tonight. We had a great time. We ordered pizza and just started talking about men and leadership. The conversation was flowing quite well when a young man in uniform knocked on our door. He asked if our church was having church tonight, I told him we were and that right now we were enjoying some male fellowship and invited him in. He sat down and I explained what we were about. It was obvious he came here looking for something. So we all talked and listened...and things got interesting.

We all prayed when the group time ended and I took him around to meet others who were in the church. I introduced him to Chris and Tim, our worship leaders, Becky, the children's director and future missionary, Gary, our executive pastor, and Konan, our head pastor. He seemed to click with everyone and he noted how everyone just welcomed him in. He then told me how he expected to just walk into our church to ask about services, get a short unwelcoming answer, and then leave. That was not the case. He felt welcomed and he stayed for the service.

When the service started he sort of just stood there while we praised God. He was antsy and I knew that God was working in him as he just kinda looked around. Konan asked us to pray for what the Lord wanted us to do, and as the kid would tell me a bit later, the words got to him and he gave his life to Jesus. I sat down with him a few minutes later and talked to him, and as I was talking to him, I just felt the Lord speaking into my heart for this young man. I communicated to him what the Lord was telling me and let Pastor know that we had a new Christian in our church.

The thing that amazes me about this kid is he saw himself as selfish for seeking God. I laughed and told him it took me 8 years to do what he just did. It was brave of him to walk into a church with people he's never met and stay. God just got a hold of him and He was not going to let him go. Tonight I experienced first hand God working in a person who needed him and don't think for a moment the kid doesn't need Jesus. The kid spoke at length at how nothing he was doing in life was working. He wanted more, and tonight he got more then he'll ever bargain for.

If anyone in our church ever doubted God working in people then all they had to do was be there tonight and watch as a divine appointment took place. A man walked in looking for help and he found the greatest help of all...Jesus. I'm so thankful to God that he trusted me enough to send this kid to me, and I'm humbled in the same way. There is a hope...and his name is Jesus.