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In
the course of a gospel meeting, and in the rush that follows
dismissal, a member told the evangelist a certain woman in his
neighborhood had asked that he send the preacher to talk with
her about the Bible. He gave the preacher a card with a
handwritten address.
The
preacher dropped the note into his pocket, continued his
visiting, had coffee with some friends, and was about to go to
his motel when he recalled the appointment. It was now very
late, but feeling a study request should not be postponed, he
asked the local preacher to accompany him, and they set off.
The
house was in a darkened neighborhood, and all lights were out,
but feeling a bit ashamed for forgetting, they rang the bell.
Finally a woman came to the door, sleepy eyed and in a night
robe. The evangelist began to apologize for not coming sooner,
and said they had come, even though late, because salvation was
an urgent matter. He must have convinced her for the woman
invited them in, and they opened their Bibles and began to
answer her questions. After several long hours of
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intense study, the woman was convinced
she should obey the gospel. Others of the household were
awakened and the party made their way to the church building,
where the woman was baptized into Christ.
It
was only when the preacher began to take the address and phone
number for the church records that he discovered they had gone
to the wrong house — this was not the woman who had asked for
the Bible Study.
Now
tell me that door-to-door canvassing just will not work these
days. Want to know why it worked in this case? Well, I can't
give all reasons, but some are apparent. The teachers went,
humbled by their own failure, yet driven by their conviction
that the Lord's work is urgent. They conveyed this urgency and
sincerity to a total stranger by their attitude and deeds, as
well as by their words. The situation was poorly suited to
social niceties; they went directly to work with the gospel of
Christ. If this is what it takes, Lord give us more poorly
written addresses, and more dedicated, forgetful preachers.
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