“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11)
This past week I had the privilege of seeing the fulfillment of verse eleven up close and personal. I was attending one of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s Spark conferences being held at Hebron Baptist Church. The worship was wonderful and the message from Bryant Wright was both pointed and challenging for being “salt” and “light” in a world that needs to see the love and truth in Jesus.
One of the breakout sessions I chose to attend was “Grounded and Growing: Connecting New Believers into the Life of the Church, led by Dallas White of the Grove church near Commerce. As usual, by the time I got some help and found out where the session was taking place and managed to find my way there, I was a bit late, but the actual class hadn’t started. And being late, all the seats from the back toward the front had been taken by devout Baptists. I immediately voiced that opinion with some humor as I made my way to the front.
Preparing to take my seat, a voice from behind me asked if I was the pastor at Belmont. Not recognizing the gentleman behind me that spoke, I mused by saying, “What in the world makes you think I’m a pastor?” He again asked the question, and I affirmed that I was indeed the pastor at Belmont. At that point he shared something with me that left me humbled and speechless: “Years ago I attended a Sunday night service at your church, and you preached a message out of Exodus 33. My life was in turmoil and I was in what seemed to be a very lonely place. But your message that night caught my attention and challenged me. I began seeking God and pleading with him to show me his will and teach me his ways. God was faithful and today I have a ministry.”
I sat stunned and amazed as the class started. I didn’t recognize the gentleman and began to try and remember when I had preached from Exodus 33, but I couldn’t remember. As the class wrapped up, Dallas asked if there were any comments from the class. The same gentleman asked if he could be a bit transparent and began to tell the entire class the story he had shared previously with me before the class began. As we dismissed, he handed me his business card and smiling, said, “You will never know how much that sermon meant to me – it changed the direction of my life. Thank you for being faithful in preaching God’s word.”
I went home, thankful for the encounter and wondering when I had preached a message from Exodus 33. Going through my dated sermons, I found where I preached a sermon on that chapter in 2009. Had I not gone to the class, I would never have known. Was it a coincidence that I attended that class or was God letting me know that whatever we do for him and his kingdom is never in vain.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people.” (Gal.6:9)
To His Glory,
Pastor Bill