My wife and I had arrived at our commitment to Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit even though we knew very little about Him. We had read the name of the Holy Spirit many times in the Communion service and said many times in reciting the Apostle's Creed that we believed in Him. But we hadn't a clue about who the Holy Spirit is. Third Person of the Trinity....right? Or something like that. That was the sum of our knowledge.
We were like the disciples Paul encountered at Ephesus. When he asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No. We don't know what you mean. We haven't even heard there is a Holy Spirit." (Remember that incident. I'll refer to it again in later blogs.) There are many in the church today who might respond to Paul's question in a similar way.
Our ignorance did not prevent the Spirit from operating in the team of lay people who came to our church the fateful weekend that would totally change our lives. I had no intention of attending that weekend event. But something happened that some might consider coincidence. My brother, Dick, called to say he and his wife Delia, would be coming from Houston as members of the team. As a matter of courtesy, I invited them to stay in our home. When they arrived I agreed to go to the first session on Friday night and then planned to find some excuse to skip the rest of the meetings.
On Friday night my brother and his wife had to go early for a team meeting and Nita and I rode along with them. There were three or four people present when we entered the fellowship hall but my gaze was drawn to one person, a stranger, seated at the far end of the hall. When he saw us, he grinned, leaped from his chair and quickly walked.....almost ran....to where I stood. He grabbed my hand, pumped it vigorously and, with great enthusiasm, said, "God loves you and I love you too!"
I was shocked and repulsed.. What could make a supposedly sane person act in such a bizarre way? How weird, I thought. He loves me? Ridiculous. He doesn't even know me. After he released his his grip my first reaction was to go back to the safety of my home before this 'fanatic' had a chance to hug me or do something equally repugnant and embarrassing. But, I didn't leave. Thank God.
After the crowd arrived the session began with dinner. Following dinner visiting team members were called on to each bring a short testimony. One of those was my brother. Coincidence again? I thought I knew all about my brother but as he spoke I could see something new in him as he related how Christ had changed his life. Those that followed my brother also testified about the difference Christ had made in them. Although still a bit skeptical, how could I disagree with them? I didn't have a spiritual leg to stand on. In spite of lingering resistance, I found myself becoming more and more interested in what they had to say.
Hmm, I thought. Maybe there's something to this after all. Think I'll stick around.
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