The Gospel for Sinners

At church today, we had a visitor. P is well known to all as a drunk who fights constantly with her husband and neglects her children. She walked up to the church shelter exuding a false confidence. She knew she was not in her element, but something drew her there nonetheless. She smelled of alcohol and had a looseness of tongue that often accompanies drinking. The gusto with which she tried to sing was betrayed by her unfamiliarity with the songs.

The message was about Lazarus, how Jesus raised him from the dead, but you could see the conflict that this story produced in her. Her three-year-old son died just one year ago. She spoke up and her questions were addressed. I prayed that God would give the teacher wisdom to handle the difficult situation. Another leader also addressed her, but his response was heavy on judgment and light on grace. We all know that she is a sinner, that her son, who died of measles, suffered from hunger and neglect because of her drinking habit. Most of those in attendance had been first hand witnesses to frequent drunken brawls between her and her husband. It was difficult to hear her objections and respond in grace, so more and more judgmental voices rang out. Surprisingly, she handled the verbal assault well. When the service was over, she tried to go. She hadn't received much of a welcome. The other women didn't know what to do, how to help.

I had an opportunity to speak with P before she left. We sat down and I spelled it out. "God wants to give you good life. You have sin in your heart and have done many bad things, we all have. God is the only one who can heal you and give you good life." I spelled out our need for a savior. I told her who our Savior is. I told her of God's unfathomable sacrifice, how He gave us His only Son, that He would die in our place. I told her how His blood was spilled for our sake. I explained the Gospel over and over, choosing different words, repeating key points, hoping it would penetrate her hard heart, hoping it would get through the fog of alcohol, hoping she would hear, that she would remember my words and open her heart to what God would say to her. We prayed together, or rather I prayed and hopefully she prayed silently along with me. And then I instructed her to go home and think about what she heard. I told her that she should choose her path. I encouraged her to ask God for forgiveness and choose to serve Him with her life. She said she heard me, but God only knows if she really did.

Please pray for P. Pray that God would break through the many strongholds in her life. Pray that the believers that she comes in contact with would be a loving and honest witness to her. Pray for our young Baka church, that they would learn how to reach out to sinners. Pray for the transformation that only God can provide.