As a messenger of the gospel of Jesus Christ working in one of Melbourne’s middle-class suburbs, I learned to discern very quickly the plight of so many individual people. Guilt, fear, confusion, worry, anger, anxiety, hurts, bitterness etc – if these were not verbally expressed, then they’d be written on their faces and if not on their faces it would show up in their eyes. I tried to make no judgements about this however, because many of these emotions are what motivated me for 39 years also. But when I met the Lord Jesus Christ He began to release me from them.
The release from these things for me took place exactly the way Jesus said they would, by trusting in Him and His finished work on that cross – by asking Him to enter my life and change me. It really is true. Old things do pass away, all things do become new. Things begin to change, they’re not the same anymore and neither am I. I am a new creature (creation). Essentially, that’s the Christian gospel message. Jesus said He came to set the captives free. Why would anyone in their right mind not want this?
I met Mrs Milton, a lady in her late 30’s with four children from about 8 years old down to 4. Her mother was a Jehovah’s Witness but her upbringing was Roman Catholicism. She spoke firstly about her desire for the kids to go to Sunday School because that had once been a brief but enjoyable experience for her. She said the children had previously gone to one up the street but the teacher was old and her teaching methods meant nothing to them. Another time she and the children were on their way to the church I was associated with (we’d never met) but as they walked towards the door she realised they were late. Mentioning that to the children, embarrassment set in so they all turned around and walked back home.
Although I could see Mrs Milton was suffering from worry, confusion and guilt, I also saw that she was searching for reality because she asked a lot of questions about the Bible and Jesus Christ saying she believed He came into the world, died on a cross for sin and rose again. At this point however, she became reluctant to put her beliefs to the test when I invited her to do so by encouraging her pray to the Lord and ask Him to release her from her sin. I pray she did so at another time. She told me her husband had a drinking problem but was in denial about it, as he was about God. He would laugh and mock her and the children whenever God, Christ or the Bible got mentioned.
I never saw this lady again. Some months later I took a food parcel to the home and I met her husband. Mr Milton was very grateful for this as he told me his wife took the children and left him a couple of months earlier. He said he’d like to get the children back but he couldn’t care less about her. I don’t think he really meant that last statement, it seemed to be a natural response to rejection. As I looked in his hallway I could see beer cans scattered around, so I told him that I too once had a drinking problem. I told Mr Milton I over-drank for more than 20 years but when I asked Jesus Christ to set me free from it, He did. He looked at me and listened in silence for ten minutes as I spoke about my drinking life, the denial I was once in etc. Then he said he had to go, but he asked me to write my name and phone number for him to get in touch later. He never did so.
I met a young man in his late 20’s, who, when I introduced myself, told me that he’d had enough of God, Jesus, the Bible, informing me he’d had religion “rammed down my throat” as a child, saying also that he had bitter experiences from his time in Roman Catholicism. I didn’t ask what his experiences were but his anger was deep-seated as a result. I’ve listened to many a sad experience from people as I do this work but I believe the bad religious experience to be the saddest of all because it distorts and perverts their concepts of the true God.
I simply asked this man if he’d give me 10 minutes to share the God of the Bible as He reveals Himself in Jesus Christ. The young man listened to what I had to say, and I observed him relaxing before my eyes as he heard for the first time of a God Who is nothing at all like the god he grew up to believe in. I say that because of the softening he expressed on his face and in his eyes. This softening cannot happen unless God witnesses the reality of Himself at that very moment to such people. He thanked me as we shook hands and parted. Twenty minutes later he sounded the horn and gave me a smile and wave as he drove past in his car.
A practicing Church of England lady was angry and upset with God because He never answered her prayers. I explained to her that this could not be true because the Bible tells us He will answer. That response made her angry with me. I further explained that Jesus was not interested in her religious activity, He was more interested in having a relationship with her and all she had to do was simply believe His gospel, act upon His written word as He reveals it to her and she would see her prayers answered. She too changed before my eyes as a smile came upon her face.
I encountered some rude, self-righteous church goers living in the streets nearby their local church. I even encountered their local parish minister who went out of his way to avoid me by quickly walking back inside from his letterbox. So I walked up to his door and knocked. He opened the door with a forced smile on his face as he said hello. I introduced myself and explained my work, thinking we might have something in common and I also informed him of this rudeness expressed by some of his parishioners.
He made excuses for their behaviour saying that, “perhaps it was because of the Jehovah’s Witnesses who frequently come to the area.” With that, he backed away wishing me well, but it was not obvious to me that he meant it. That’s the difference between religious practitioners and those who experience the reality of Jesus Christ. The first type are quick to make excuses and justify bad behaviour, the latter will always acknowledge such behaviour, repent of it and move on in Christ, and, under the power of His Holy Spirit will seek to share His message and practical love wherever they can.
One lady from this same church however was very different. In her profession she was a primary school principal but she was also an active member and influence in her church. She invited me inside and asked about the way my church did things. The fact that a church would involve itself in a practical manner with non-church goers with no strings attached, impressed her a lot. I explained that this activity was the result of 2 years of planning and praying.
She then informed me that her church was looking for ways of reaching out. I didn’t tell her of my previous encounters with some of her people or the minister, but as far as I know nothing ever became of her desires to follow up in outreach and it’s not hard to see why. Also, although it was obvious, she told me she had conjunctivitis so I asked if she would let me pray for her that God would reveal Himself to her and bring healing. She was very surprised with me suggesting that, but was more than happy for me to do so. ” The Lord upholds all who fall, and raises up all those who are bowed down……The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.” Psalm 145:14, 18.