MINISTERS OF THE NEW COVENANT
  • Home
  • Law
  • Gospel
  • About
  • Contact
  • NT Commentary

An 82 Year Old Baptist Man

10/1/2019

3 Comments

 
I did a job for an elderly man today. Born in Italy, then raised in New York as a teenager. Ended up he is now a Baptist. 82 years old.

He told me he loved his great grandmother, and she always encouraged him to read the Bible and listen to the Lord. He said he ignored her completely, until he was about 40.

One evening he was flipping through the channels, and Billy Graham was on preaching. This was like the late 70’s. He watched and listened carefully. His great grandmother came back to his memory. The message provoked his heart. He knelt down in the living room and said, “Please Lord forgive me of my sins. I want my life to be for you.” I thought that was beautiful.

I didn’t try to correct this old man on anything he said. I just listened and smiled, and I kinda teared up a little once. He was speaking from his heart. I respected where he is at in his walk.

He did end up asking me where I went to church, and I answered him briefly, and ended our talk by sharing with him the meaning of the word Hallelujah, and left it at that.

We are not commanded to fix anyone. We are commanded to plant and water seeds, and let Yahweh give the increase. There’s likely a lot I wouldn’t see eye-to-eye with him about. I’m not big on Baptist doctrine, lol, but I love me some Baptists! 😃 The point is that I could have smothered him with feast days, dietary laws, tassels, or the lunar-solar calendar, and a whole bunch of other stuff... that yes is important, but would have turned him away had I became pushy and belligerent... like I see so many do on social media.

You’ve got to realize that people aren’t going to listen to anything you have to say if you just pound them over and over and over. The Bible isn’t to be used as hammer to nail people down.

“Do you ever get forceful brother Matthew?” Yes. Yes I do. Mainly when I’m talking to pastors who’ve been leading people for 20+ years and aren’t doing anything but making money off of folks. I get pushy. I may even seem a little mean. But I save it for those who should know better, not for people who are seeking for the truth the best they know how. Believe it or not there are so many good hearted folks in the world who walk in all they know to walk. Just like you and I do right now. Ain’t none of us got it figured all out.

I’d encourage everyone to take a deep breath, and just try to love people. “That never works!” Yea, yea, yea... It’s never worked for you because you have never tried it. You may have tried it for a day, but you’re flesh couldn’t stand it, so you went back to thinking you could pound the truth into somebody.

Please... slow down. Love people where they are at. Help them. Be a neighbor to them. Listen when they talk. Shut up for a while. Just be like the Messiah.

Anyhow... that’s been going through my head most of the day. ✌🏼​

3 Comments
Gary W. link
10/22/2019 08:56:28 pm

I have been at a spiritual impasse for awhile but after reading this it’s apparent this story/example -has been “a lamp provided at my feet”

Thank you for this wonderful message Brother
Yahweh bless!

Reply
Gary W. link
10/22/2019 08:58:32 pm

I have been at a spiritual impasse for awhile but after reading this it’s apparent this story/example -has been “a lamp provided at my feet”

Thank you for this wonderful message Brother
Yahweh bless!

Reply
Susan link
10/22/2023 01:16:07 am

Good posst

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Blog by Matthew Janzen. Lover of Yahweh, Yeshua, my wife and 5 children. All else is commentary.

    Archives

    April 2025
    December 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    June 2022
    March 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    May 2021
    June 2020
    April 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    February 2016
    August 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    June 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    July 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008
    July 2008
    June 2008
    May 2008
    March 2008
    February 2008
    January 2008
    December 2007
    November 2007
    October 2007

    Categories

    All
    70 Weeks
    Abortion
    America
    Annual Festivals
    Atheism
    Atonement
    Baptism
    Bible Study
    Biblical Law
    Calendar
    Children
    Christian Living
    Christmas
    Christology
    Church
    Culture
    Daniel
    David
    Day Of Atonement
    Death
    Debates
    Denomination
    Dietary
    Doctrine
    Easter
    Exodus
    Faith
    Family
    Fasting
    Fellowship
    Forgiveness
    Giving
    Gospel
    Government
    Hanukkah
    Harold Camping
    Hebrew Idioms
    Homosexuality
    John 1:1
    Judaizer
    Luke 7
    Marriage
    Mercy
    Modesty
    Monotheism
    Natural Disasters
    New Moon
    Oral Torah
    Paganism
    Parents
    Pastoring
    Pharisees
    Phylacteries
    Poems
    Politics
    Prayer
    Pre-existence
    Problems
    Prophecy
    Repentance
    Resurrection
    Revelation
    Sabbath
    Sacrifices
    Salvation
    Sexual Purity
    Sin
    Songs
    Study
    Textual Variants
    Thanksgiving
    Tithing
    Tradition
    Translation
    Trinity
    Virgin Birth
    Voting
    Voy Wilks
    Wine
    Witnessing
    Worship
    Yeshua

    RSS Feed

©2025 Ministers of the New Covenant

  • Home
  • Law
  • Gospel
  • About
  • Contact
  • NT Commentary