Brother Clifford made it a duty upon himself that come sunshine and rain, he will be at the Train Station distributing Gospel Tracts to passengers as they board or leave the train! This he did faithfully for several years!
One day at the church service after a rendition by the choir members in church, the choir was appreciated, praised and given a standing ovation! Brother Clifford, instead of being happy for them was very sad! He thought his soul winning efforts was not being acknowledged, rewarded or recognised by the church members and ministers!
He also noticed that nobody from the station has met him to say thank you for what he has been faithfully doing over the years!
Brother Cliffird decided to abandon the trips to the Train Station! Instead he joined the choir and started singing with them! To his surprise he was warmly welcomed! He discovered also that very soon he was singing and receiving standing ovations. He concluded in his mind he has just made the right decision!
One day, he sang Psalm 23 as a solo and by the time he finished singing, the whole church including the pastoral team and the elders were on their feet clapping and giving him a standing ovation!
Suddenly there arose an old man, a stranger in the midst of the congregation who asked to sing the same song while the church was still on their feet clapping for the soloist!
Against protocol, the pastor cynically allowed the old man to sing!
By the time the old man finished singing, the whole church was on their kneels, some weeping, others praying in repentance!
That day, there was no more sermon but an altar call! With sinners giving their lives and backsliders returning to their first love and the whole church rededicating its live!
Brother Clifford, the evangelist in choir robe, felt a deep hole in his heart! He felt empty! He saw the difference between entertainment for the appreciation of men and the ministration for the appreciation of heaven! He left the church with a heavy heart.
Without thinking of removing his choir robe, he headed for the Train Station empty handed as if in a trance! Getting there he met a man in the same spot where he used to stand to distribute gospel leaflets before! The man was distributing gospel tracts and handed him one. The Tract read "I WILL BE A FAITHFUL SOLDIER, I WILL DIE AT MY POST". It ended asking, "are you a faithful witness of the WORD?"
With tears in his eyes and a shaky voice, he asked the man how he came to start distributing the tracts at the spot in the Train Station! The busy man, not looking at him, told him of a dead man who used to come there come sunshine and rain to distribute tracts! That for months the man has not been there! He told him that he believed and concluded the man must be dead! He said the dead man once gave him a tract before that changed his commitment to Christ! And since the man was dead, he felt God wanted him to replace the dead man to continue the good work in the memory of the dead man!
The man kept emphasising, "The Dead Man, The Dead Man" which further sent Brother Clifford back to his kneel weeping and asking for God's forgiveness!
Hmm...
If you are still reading this believe me, God has set you up to read it because He has a purpose for your life!
Have you left your assignment because of some discouragements from cynics and critics?
Have you abandoned the unheard, unseen and unsung praise of heaven for the standing ovation of men?
Are you like the evangelist in choir robe? Or are you like the singer singing to entertain in church- the place of entertainment is in the theatre not the church!
The church is for ministration in the Spirit by Worshiping God in The Spirit and The Truth!
GOD ASKED ME TO TELL YOU TODAY THAT HE IS A GOD OF SECOND CHANCES RETURN TO YOUR FIRST LOVE TODAY!
SHALOM 🕊
Uhm what a story.... God is always ready to take us back