If you died tonight…

When I first shared this article, my friend, Ginny Harrington Haymaker, replied and shared her testimony with me…”When I was a new car salesman at Albritton’s, there was an elderly couple that came in to buy a car.  They sat down, then the woman asked me if I was “saved”?  I didn’t know how to answer her at first.  I told her I was a Christian and I went to church, but she again asked me if I was “saved”? “Born again”?  I told her I didn’t know about that expression, but I WAS a Christian.  She said something to the effect of she was sure I was a good person, but she wanted to do business with a “born-again Christian”, so I turned her over to John McElhanan and they bought a car.  That had such an effect on me that I think it was your Dad, Eston Willis, that I went to and started asking questions...and then, only 4 years later, (I wasn’t a quick study) I turned my life over to Christ.  I wonder how many people that woman was responsible for leading people to Christ? I don’t believe I have ever told anyone that story until today Beth.”

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My response to Ginny: “Ginny, thank you so much for sharing your heart with me. I know Daddy loved you as a sister in Christ, and I so appreciate you sharing your memories of him with me. Many blessings to you!”

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Story of the Little Old Man on George Street

At a church in South London as the service was closing, a stranger stood up in the back and asked the pastor if he could share his testimony: 

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A few weeks ago I was visiting a relative in Sydney Australia and was walking down George Street.A little white haired man stepped outside of the doorway of a shop and asked me, “Excuse me, sir, are you saved? And if you died tonight, would you go to Heaven?”

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I was astounded at his words; nobody had ever asked me such a thing. All the way back to England on British Airways, I pondered his words. When called, a friend asked him about it. He was a Christian and led me to Christ. I want to fellowship here with you, and everyone clapped at his conversion. That pastor flew to Adelaide, Australia the next week to speak at a conference at a church.

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A woman asked to speak with him and before he would hear her story, he wanted to know if she had given her heart to Christ. She said, “I was visiting friends in Sydney and doing some last-minute shopping on George Street. A little white haired man stepped outside of the doorway of a shop and asked me, “Excuse me, madam, are you saved? If you died tonight, would you go to Heaven?”

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I was greatly disturbed by those words. When I got back to Adelaide, I came to this church and sought out the pastor, and he led me to Christ. Twice in two weeks he heard about this little man on George Street.

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He then flew to Perth to speak in a church. After the service, a leading member of the church took him out to eat, and he asked him how he came to Christ. I grew up in the church and never really followed Christ, but because of my business ability, I was given a place of influence in the church. I was on a business outing in Sydney, walking down George Street and a little white haired man stepped outside of the doorway of a shop and asked me, “Excuse me, sir, are you saved? If you died tonight, would you go to Heaven?” I was infuriated and told him I was an elder in the church. I flew home and told my pastor what had happened, thinking he would sympathize with me.

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The Pastor told me he had been disturbed for years about my spiritual condition, and my pastor led me to Jesus. The Pastor flew home to London and was speaking in a minister’s conference in Kesick and shared the story of the little white haired man. Four elderly Pastors came up to him after the service and told him that they got saved between 25 and 30 years ago, respectively, through that little man on George Street.

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He next was speaking at a convention in the Caribbean to a group of missionaries from his denomination and shared the story about the little white haired man. Three missionaries came up to him and said, “We got saved through him 15 to 20 years ago, respectively.”

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He continued on to Atlanta, Georgia, and spoke at a Naval Chaplain’s convention. After three days of speaking, the Chaplain General took him out to a meal. He asked him how he gave his life to Christ.

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“When I was young sailor, living a very sinful life, I was aboard a ship in the South Pacific, and we stopped in Sydney Harbor for replenishments. I got blind drunk, got on the wrong bus, and was dropped off on George Street.

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A little white haired man stepped outside of the doorway of a shop and asked me, “Excuse me, sir, are you saved? If you died tonight, would you go to Heaven?” The fear of God shook me. I was shocked sober and went back to the battleship, sought out the Chaplain, and he led me to Christ.

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Six months later the pastor flew to India to do a convention for 5,000 Indian missionaries. The leader of the missionaries took him to his home to eat and he asked him, “How did you, as a Hindu, come to Christ?” I was in a very privileged position. I worked for the Indian diplomatic mission, and I travelled the world.

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I am so thankful for Jesus and the forgiveness of my sins. I would be very embarrassed if people knew how dark of a life I was living. I was in Sydney, Australia doing some last minute shopping, laden with gifts that I was bringing home to my wife and children.

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A little white haired man stepped outside of the doorway of a shop and asked me, “Excuse me, sir, are you saved? If you died tonight, would you go to Heaven?” I was disturbed, and when I returned home, I sought out my Hindu Priest. He told me to satisfy my curiosity to go and talk to the Christian missionary. That missionary led me to Christ; I abandoned Hinduism and soon began to study for ministry. I left the diplomatic mission and am today the head of these missionaries. We have led tens of thousands to Christ. eight months later, he was speaking in Gamier, a southern suburb of Sydney, and he asked the pastor if he knew about a little man who witnessed on George Street.

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He said he did, and the man’s name is Mr. Genor. He doesn’t do it anymore as he is too old and frail. He asked if he could meet him, and two nights later they went to his apartment, and this frail little old man opened the door. He made them tea and was so frail that he kept spilling his tea as his hand shook. The London preacher told him of all the accounts of the past few years.

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He began to cry and said, “My story goes like this:”

I was working on a war ship and at a time when my life fell apart, I went to a Christian man to whom I treated horribly. He led me to Christ and my life changed from that day forward. I was so grateful to God that I would share Jesus with at least 10 people every day. I wasn’t always able to do it; I wasn’t paranoid about it, but did my best to fulfill my promise.

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I have done this for over 40 years, and in my retirement years the best place was on George Street, as there are hundreds of people there. I got a lot of rejections, but a lot of people listened to me, and in 40 years of doing this I have never heard of one person coming to Jesus from doing this, until today.

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The Pastor told him he estimated 140,000 who had come to Christ through those he had influenced. Two weeks later Mr. Genor died. Can you imagine his reward when he got to Heaven?

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Nobody but a handful of people in Sydney knew Mr. Genor, but his name is famous in Heaven.

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January 18th The Bible In One Year Commentary 

Matthew 13:18-35

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Keep telling people about Jesus

Every time you have told someone about Jesus and the gospel, you have ‘planted’ a seed in their heart. Not every seed you plant will bear fruit, as we see in the parable of the sower. Some seed never takes root (v.19). Other seed produces only temporary results. We can be drawn away from God by ‘trouble’ or ‘the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth’ (vv.21–22).

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Yet if the seed grows well, each of these parables shows us that you can have a huge impact. ‘The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams’ (v.23, MSG).

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Jesus tells many parables about the kingdom of God (the ‘kingdom of heaven’ is Matthew’s preferred form, following the regular Jewish practice of reverentially saying ‘heaven’ rather than ‘God’).

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The kingdom is both ‘now’ and ‘not yet’. Jesus’ parable about the weeds tells us that there is a future aspect of the kingdom. At the moment, the wheat and the weeds grow together. One day there will be a harvest and a judgment. When Jesus returns the kingdom of God will come in all its fullness (vv.24–30).

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Jesus goes on to say: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in a field. Although it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree so that the birds come and perch in its branches’ (vv.31–32).

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The image of birds in branches appears quite a few times in the Old Testament, where it symbolises people from all nations becoming part of God’s family (see Ezekiel 17:22–24; 31:3–14; Daniel 4:9–23). Jesus was reminding his listeners that the kingdom of heaven was not just for one nation but for the whole world.

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There are many different types of planting. For example, one small group plants another and ‘it grows’ (Matthew 13:32). Then there is ‘church planting’. What is planted is often quite small – like a mustard seed. But when ‘planted… it grows’ (vv.31–32).

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I look around at some of the ‘church plants’ from our local church and see the huge impact they are having on the area – ‘The birds of the air come and perch in its branches’ (v.32) – with people coming into God’s kingdom who are as unexpected as Gentile believers were to the Jewish nation. All over the world today we see the impact of ‘church planting’. As the church growth expert, Peter Wagner, has said, ‘Church planting is the most effective form of evangelism known under heaven.’

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Jesus goes on to talk about the kingdom of heaven being like yeast that works its way all through the dough (v.33). Your influence can be enormous – in your home, family, school, university, factory or office. This is how the transformation of society takes place.

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Lord, help me to plant as many seeds as possible as I seek to bring the good news of Jesus to our world. May your kingdom come in my city, nation and throughout the world.

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Lord Jesus Christ, King of kings, thank you that when I follow you I come under your kingship. I bow before you today and confess that you are Lord. May your kingdom come.