Street Meeting Twenty Second

There are many days when I would judge the day unimportant, concluding that remaining comfortably in my home after the worship service would be entirely appropriate. My mind is quick to offer excuses—going out in this heat would be torture, I have just given a message to the sheep, or the usual indifference of the people. Yet, these are the very same days that leave me filled with gratitude that I did not heed my own excuses and stepped out into the field anyway. I am reminded that our own judgment is a poor architect of the Lord's timing. The days I am most tempted to settle into the shade are often the days God has appointed for the light to shine through our witness. We step out in weakness, often against our own inclinations, only to find that the field was ready and waiting for the sower to simply appear.

Luke 19:28-44

After the midday gathering, I knelt before the LORD in my study, spreading my soul out before Him in utter helplessness. I was pressed in my spirit as to how I can rightly dispense the morning’s Word.—the triumphal entry of our King into Jerusalem—to the souls gathered at the park that afternoon. Though the message was both expository in its truth and experiential in its depth, I found myself, as always, at a loss. I stood entirely dependent upon Him, knowing that without His leading, the words would be but empty air.

It was in prayer that the Spirit opened the Scriptures further. In that moment, a sharp, evangelistic edge was realized within the text. When the hour came to speak, I was assisted with a power not my own. The delivery shifted into a desperate and most affectionate plea. Just as the Lord wept over Jerusalem because the things belonging to their peace were hidden from their eyes, I felt a holy grief for the people before me. I pleaded with the gathered audience, imploring them not to harden their hearts in this hour of visitation. I prayed they would see the dire reality of their situation and turn, even now, to the Christ who calls them to Himself. The burden of the word no longer rested upon my own shoulders; it was as if the Lord’s own grieving heart was sounding its lament through this weakly vessel.

I had a strong impression before we left that the things which had fueled my anxiety all week would simply not come to pass. I realized then that the work of the Lord is incomparably more important than the sum of my worries. I stand on the side of Truth, and my Lord still has lost sheep out there waiting to be found. I found myself sympathizing with that great man of God, who once hid in a cave in the grip of fear and exhaustion. Yet, he was not permitted to remain; he was sent back out into the field to finish the work. My fears were but a shadow, and the mission was the reality. My anxieties had no power to stall the Gospel, and the anxiety of what I assume would happen was a small price to pay for the privilege of being the voice that calls the wanderer home. I stepped out not because I felt strong, but because the Master of the harvest had commanded it, and his work outweighs every burden I could ever carry.

I realize this truth every time we take our stand in the public square. The souls who heard the name of Christ that day would never have heard it had we chosen to remain at ease in the comfort of our homes. This day stands as a testament to that necessity. Our good Father both rebuked my hesitation and encouraged the spirits of the sheep by surrounding us with "fishes" that lingered—souls who stayed from the moment we began until the final word was spoken. It was as if the Lord had hedged them in, quieting the distractions of the world so they might be arrested by the Truth. In my reluctance, I had seen only an uneventful afternoon; in His sovereignty, He showed me the lost who were wandering. 

I have always held the conviction that it is not we, as mere men, who are performing the work; rather, it is the Spirit of the Lord working through His church. It is only when one actually begins the labor—stepping out from hesitation—that the blessings manifest into reality. These mercies reveal themselves in tremendous ways, far exceeding the narrow expectations of our own minds.

I am the LORD your God...Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

Psalm 81:10

Our God is not only able to give grace, but exceeding amounts of grace—a flood of divine strength so potent that the weak who simply obey are made strong in the heat of the battle. Yet, there is a sobering side to this economy of the Kingdom. To those who are too careful, who hoard their lives and their comfort in fear of the cost, even the little they have is taken from them. That weight of glory is instead given to those who, despite their trembling, go forth to bear the most fruit. The Master rewards the bold stroke of faith, turning our meager obedience into an eternal harvest, while the "careful" soul finds only the emptiness of what might have been.

It is a profound thing to speak to the people, but it is equally encouraging to receive strength from them in return. Once in a long while, amidst the weariness of continuous labor, the Lord graciously grants rest to our souls by sending these hurting sheep in the midst of the crowd. These beloved ones often come from congregations that do not feed them well; they remain in stalls of religion, unaware that their spirits have grown thin and malnourished. They have been fed not with the bread from Heaven, but with the empty husks produced by the minds of men.

In the vastness of the vineyard, I am reminded that there are not only lost sheep, but hurting sheep—and even those who have wandered far into backslidings. Every one of them stands in desperate need of the healing balm of the Gospel.

When the truth is finally spoken in its purity, it acts as both a feast and a medicine. To see their spirits revive at the sound of the Master’s voice is a mercy that pays back every ounce of sweat spent in the sun. We go to call the lost, but in His kindness, the Lord uses the hurting to remind us why we must never stop sowing.

We kept offering up praises and thanksgivings to the LORD on our way home, our hearts overflowing with the evidence of His grace. Arriving just in time to gather once again with the beloved brethren for our daily evening family worship. The same Spirit who gave power for the message now gave rest for the soul.