Today I noticed an old journal entry that made me think. “On January 8, 1991 I went to Cedarville College to hear Jerry Falwell speak. Jerry Falwell is with the Lord, but during his lifetime he started the Thomas Road Baptist Church which grew to thousands and thousands of members and he founded Liberty University, the largest Christian university in the world. That day Falwell said, “There is not a pastor here who couldn’t double his attendance in a year if he just got out of his office and off the golf course and out into the coffee shops and into the homes of people.”
A pastor I admire once said; “One rainy day I decided not to go out and follow-up on some church visitors but to stay in my study and read because it was raining. I put my feet up on the desk, opened up a good book and began to read. Looking out the window I saw two Mormon missionaries going door to door. It ruined my day.
People are out there. They need the Lord. Let’s go get ‘em. Ask the Lord to lead you to someone who is open. Pray for them. Love them. Do kind thoughtful things for them. Invite them to church or to a Christian event or concert. Tug them into a gospel conversation. Listen to them with your heart. Tell them the good news. Get out of the office rain or shine. By all means golf or fish but sometimes take along a seeker, that way even if you slice the ball into the woods or get skunked you will not have wasted your day.
Once I neglected to aggressively follow-up on a visitor to our church, a young woman who was pregnant. The older lady in our church who had invited her asked if I had seen her. I had phoned but no one had answered and I had not followed up. Chastised, I called again, made an appointment, and went over for a visit. I was greeted by a huge, white Alaskan Malamute who put his paws on my shoulders and looked directly in my face. He decided not to eat me, I had a good visit with the couple. Soon Mark and Vicky were followers of Jesus and regulars at our church.
Ken Pierpont
Granville Cottage
Riverview, Michigan
January 19, 2015
