He introduced himself as Jack Brown when he answered my knock at his door. He was a tall old gentleman with bright eyes and a sharp mind and quick to tell me he was in his 80’s. After introducing myself and explaining that I represented one of the local churches he seemed pleased that someone would stop by for a chat. He was a very interesting man, telling me he was an historian who had written numerous books and was still active in research, catching the train at least once a week to go into Melbourne City Library.
We spent about twenty minutes talking and then he asked me the purpose for my visit, explaining that he was not a regular church-goer. I responded by saying that my work is not about getting people to come to church, but rather, to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, that He is alive and that He wants all people to know that they too can know Him and trust Him with their lives. I mentioned also that Jesus is not only a forgiver, but a healer – spiritually, mentally, morally, physically.
Then Mr Brown, with arms folded said, “I’ve got a lot of guilt, you know.” I told him that was good! He was taken back a little with that statement so I proceeded to inform him that Jesus Christ specializes in the removal of guilt and, up until I met Christ, I too, was full of it. I went on to say that in my case life did not even begin to work for me, until I was rid of guilt. Because of the work I was now doing Mr Brown found that hard to believe, so I spent some time explaining the purpose of why Christ came into the world – essentially to set us free from guilt and the root causes of it, which the Bible calls sin. Mr Brown was well aware of Christian terminology, but like so many people who don’t “go to church” he had little idea of their proper meanings or how they apply to us as individual people.
I asked him if he’d like me to pray for him, he said he’d like that very much, telling me also that he was a diabetic. So I put one hand very lightly on top of his head and among the many words of prayer I asked the Lord to fulfill His promise and reveal Himself to Mr Brown. When it was time to go I encouraged Mr Brown in his own time, to tell Christ about his guilt, tell Him what he’d done and ask for forgiveness, regardless of how bad he thought the act was. He thanked me and said he would do so, asking me to call again when next in the area.
About 3 weeks later I revisited Mr Brown and he was pleased to see me, immediately inviting me inside for a cup of tea. Once we sat down, he looked at me with a smile and said, “I don’t have that guilt anymore.” I told him I was very pleased to hear that and asked him how he now felt as a result. He described it as a great burden lifted from his shoulders, saying he was sleeping better and longer at night. He nodded in agreement when I said he was experiencing the reality and power of Jesus Christ.
Without any invitation on my part Mr Brown shared with me the major cause of his guilt. He was a World War 2 veteran. As an army soldier in New Guinea he participated in some horrific fighting activities, leaving him ever since living with hideous memories which especially haunted him the longer time went on. He shared with me, however, one event which was not war. He and his mates were in a tent one night playing with a hand grenade. It went off and blew up his best mate. When he came home from the war Mr Brown stopped off in Sydney and called to see his best mate’s wife and to tell her that her husband died a hero. He then said, “I’ve lived with the guilt of my actions and the lie I told his wife for over 40 years. But now I know I’ve been forgiven.” It’s a miraculous experience to witness the change in a person’s eyes when they share what Christ has done for them.
I visited this old gentleman another time intending to ask him to invite the Lord Jesus into his life to secure his soul for eternity. My plans did not eventuate. I just sat and listened to him share his life’s experiences. He was full of stories, even those of a very personal nature. He was engaged during the war but when he came home they never met up again, although he did see her from a distance. He told me why but I feel restrained from sharing it.
Some 5 weeks later, I began to have continuous impressions on my mind to go to Mr Brown’s house. I kept ignoring these impressions until one day I found myself walking to his house, regardless of any say I may have had over it. Just a couple of houses from his residence, I heard a noise behind me and turning around, I saw a lady. As I opened Mr Brown’s gate and walked up the path, the lady said, “Excuse me. There’s nobody there. Mr Brown died.” I was stunned. I immediately began to blame myself for not praying with him as I intended on that previous visit. So I asked the lady what had happened, but she simply told me to go see his wife who was looking after the grandchildren “just around the corner.” I thanked her and walked off. Three or four steps later I turned around again but the lady had vanished.
I knocked on the door of the home where Mrs Brown’s grandchildren were living and she came to the door, whereby I introduced myself. Mrs Brown knew my name, as her husband had talked of me and she was pleased that I called. She invited me inside and sat me down. Then she said, “He became a believer you know.” I knew God had some information for me through this lady so I asked her to tell me more.
A few weeks earlier, Mr Brown was sitting up in bed one night reading a gospel tract. She asked him where he got it from. He explained that he’d been at the city library and was walking towards a tram to come home when a young Christian person stepped up and put the tract in his hand. When he was dressing for bed he pulled the tract from his pocket. So Mrs Brown told me she said to her husband, “Let’s read it together dear.” They did so and prayed. The next day, at around 4.30pm Mr Brown lay down for an afternoon nap and died in his sleep.
Tears came to my eyes, not so much because of Mr Brown’s passing – knowing he was now with Christ – but because of the faithfulness of God. It had been a great honour for me to be an instrument in God’s hand playing a part to prepare this old man for his death. But the real lesson I learned and have never forgotten – I was not the only instrument. As messengers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are all links in God’s chain.
This has continued to be a position of rest for me. People come into my life as a messenger of the gospel, I work with them for a season and many of these same people go out of my life and I never see them again. I get to experience the wonderful liberties of God by releasing such people back into His hands. “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26