Waiting for Him

He had been, no doubt, the embarrassment of all of his neighbors for years. He had long since rejected the propriety of wearing any form of clothing. His life was aimless and he was destined to die a crazy old man. Until…the day he saw Jesus. He would never be the same again. Jesus freed him from his slavery to the evil spirits that had controlled his life for years.

Imagine the shock of his neighbors when they saw him, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed, and in his right mind. But it was more than shock. It was fear. I suppose they couldn’t comprehend the power that could miraculously transform a life that was so hopeless only moments before. And they weren’t ready to deal with it. So they sent Jesus away. Desperate to cling to the One who had given him a new life, the man was ready to follow Jesus – I’m sure he would have followed him anywhere, traveled to any city, endured any hardship. But Jesus had other plans,

“Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee.”

In that moment, the man was infused with a single purpose; his life now had meaning. He had work to do.

“And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.”

And this is the most amazing part of the whole story!

“And it came to pass, that, when Jesus returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.”*

Gladly received him? Waiting for him? These were the same people who had sent him away! But because of the testimony of this one man, the whole city was impacted! They knew who Jesus was. And they were waiting for him.

Imagine, then, the impact that not one, but many of us can have on our cities if we will follow the example of this man! This afternoon, fifteen young people, including myself, together took the first step in what I hope will be a continuous mission to publish throughout our city what great things Jesus has done for us. We gathered for a short time of prayer, some words of advice from the more experienced, and then set out with a single purpose: to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the shoppers at the mall and several other nearby stores. The Lord prepared the way, we planted some seeds, watered others that had been previously sown, and encouraged some dormant plants to seek to grow once again. (I'll try to post some more specifics from the day in another post.)

I believe that God is doing a mighty work right here in Wichita. I am so thrilled to work alongside those who likewise have a passion to share the great things Jesus has done so that when He returns the people of Wichita and the surrounding area will gladly receive Him, because they are waiting for Him!

*Read the whole story from Luke 8:26-40 here.