"But He needed to go through Samaria" John 4:4
Sometimes we need to go somewhere for the Gospel to get to someone we least expect to meet.
This is the story of how the Gospel got to *Anna.
Anna is my sister's sister-in-law. She and my sister married brothers. I had only met Anna occasionally but I have prayed for her frequently. Since meeting Anna, I have prayed for her and her husband to meet Jesus and accept Him as her Savior, something I do for my sister and her husband as well. They're family and Jesus died for their sins as well as mine. They should go to heaven too because of Jesus' sacrifice for their sins. I pray often for them to come to know Jesus. As soon as I met her for the first time about five years ago, I prayed for the opportunity to tell Anna about Jesus.
The Ladies Activities Committee at our church schedules something for almost every weekend. Near the beginning of the new year, the Committee agreed we could eat out somewhere and I would present a talk on Biblical-based News Years Resolutions. We made a pending agreement for our group to meet at a newly opened restaurant, hoping to utilize a room, or at least space for our group to meet, have lunch, and allow my presentation. The Pastor's wife agreed to approach the restaurant with our petition. The schedule was set by the Committee and the Date & Place were entered into the Activities' Calendar. This was to be entered into the church bulletin and have a signup sheet to give a rough count to the restaurant as to how many were coming.
At the Committee activities meeting there were plans made concerning the gamut of Spring Scheduling. Because of the discussion going on about my speaking and all the other calender events, I left imagining I was going to be speaking not only to our group but also women from churches in neighboring towns. We're not very big and we often asked our neighbors to join us. I also was under the impression we were going to invite everyone we could to join us. Somehow, I became convinced the gathering was Outreach to anyone and everyone, for that was discussed as well.
I was happily getting my presentation together, and inviting anyone I could. It came down to two Saturdays before our gathering and I discover no one else was doing anything. The restaurant hadn't been approached and the sigh-up sheet was nonexistent. It wasn't in the Bulletin but only an announcement was made on Sunday morning. I was only slightly worried.
I called my Pastor's wife Monday to tell her how many I had invited and that I was expecting at least twenty-five so far. She asked me how I had come to that amount of people since it was only our church ladies and their daughters. To my embarrassment, I now learned I was sorely mistaken about the entire Activity. Oh no, I had sent invitations out to over forty people on my Facebook page!
That night, I cried and cried, praying to God my disappointment that it wasn't an Outreach at all. What had gone wrong, God? How had I made such a mistake? I had told so many to invite their unsaved women friends and daughters. How had I not understood that it wasn't a opportunity to present the Gospel? God, I so love to talk about You and I was so looking forward to this opportunity? How did I get it so wrong?
Notice how many 'I's had mentioned in my prayer? I was still talking to God like this Tuesday morning. I was so disappointed, and a little angry.
*Anna is not her real name.
Sometimes we need to go somewhere for the Gospel to get to someone we least expect to meet.
This is the story of how the Gospel got to *Anna.
Anna is my sister's sister-in-law. She and my sister married brothers. I had only met Anna occasionally but I have prayed for her frequently. Since meeting Anna, I have prayed for her and her husband to meet Jesus and accept Him as her Savior, something I do for my sister and her husband as well. They're family and Jesus died for their sins as well as mine. They should go to heaven too because of Jesus' sacrifice for their sins. I pray often for them to come to know Jesus. As soon as I met her for the first time about five years ago, I prayed for the opportunity to tell Anna about Jesus.
The Ladies Activities Committee at our church schedules something for almost every weekend. Near the beginning of the new year, the Committee agreed we could eat out somewhere and I would present a talk on Biblical-based News Years Resolutions. We made a pending agreement for our group to meet at a newly opened restaurant, hoping to utilize a room, or at least space for our group to meet, have lunch, and allow my presentation. The Pastor's wife agreed to approach the restaurant with our petition. The schedule was set by the Committee and the Date & Place were entered into the Activities' Calendar. This was to be entered into the church bulletin and have a signup sheet to give a rough count to the restaurant as to how many were coming.
At the Committee activities meeting there were plans made concerning the gamut of Spring Scheduling. Because of the discussion going on about my speaking and all the other calender events, I left imagining I was going to be speaking not only to our group but also women from churches in neighboring towns. We're not very big and we often asked our neighbors to join us. I also was under the impression we were going to invite everyone we could to join us. Somehow, I became convinced the gathering was Outreach to anyone and everyone, for that was discussed as well.
I was happily getting my presentation together, and inviting anyone I could. It came down to two Saturdays before our gathering and I discover no one else was doing anything. The restaurant hadn't been approached and the sigh-up sheet was nonexistent. It wasn't in the Bulletin but only an announcement was made on Sunday morning. I was only slightly worried.
I called my Pastor's wife Monday to tell her how many I had invited and that I was expecting at least twenty-five so far. She asked me how I had come to that amount of people since it was only our church ladies and their daughters. To my embarrassment, I now learned I was sorely mistaken about the entire Activity. Oh no, I had sent invitations out to over forty people on my Facebook page!
That night, I cried and cried, praying to God my disappointment that it wasn't an Outreach at all. What had gone wrong, God? How had I made such a mistake? I had told so many to invite their unsaved women friends and daughters. How had I not understood that it wasn't a opportunity to present the Gospel? God, I so love to talk about You and I was so looking forward to this opportunity? How did I get it so wrong?
Notice how many 'I's had mentioned in my prayer? I was still talking to God like this Tuesday morning. I was so disappointed, and a little angry.
*Anna is not her real name.
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