I know humanity to live in a state of brokenness. Article VII of the “Confession of Faith” in our Book of Discipline uses different language to echo this view: “We believe man is fallen from righteousness…” (Book of Discipline ¶104 72). Bishop Scott J. Jones states it this way: “[H]uman beings have a corrupted nature” (Jones 151). My experience in ministry exposes me to this brokenness quite often.
Last year, our secretary called me at home to inform me of a young man sleeping on a covered porch at the church. The next day, when I arrived, he remained there sleeping on the porch. I went out to talk to him and offered to buy him lunch at a fast food restaurant across the street. I talked with Tarron as he ate his lunch. He moved to Alabama …show more content…
Karl died last month at the age of 90. In my first year at North Wood, Karl asked me to go with him to see a friend. The next day we went to see Karl’s friend Willard. Willard was 90 years old and suffering from congestive heart failure (among other ailments). A few days prior, Willard asked Karl, knowing him to be a man of faith, about salvation in Jesus Christ. Karl talked to him about his faith, and Willard expressed a desire to respond to God’s grace. Karl and I went to visit Willard, and I talked with him about the power of God’s grace in Christ to save us from the power of sin. Willard made a profession of faith that day and I baptized him.
That experience was an example of God using Karl as a means of grace. God’s prevenient grace began a work in Willard that caused him to reach out to Karl. God used Karl’s faithful response to continue the work through justifying grace. After that day, though Willard did not live much longer, God continued to use Karl as a means of sanctifying grace as he continued conversations, prayer, and study with Willard.
In my ministry, I have seen the brokenness of humanity in people like Tarron. I have also seen the power of God’s grace to save us from our brokenness and deliver us from the penalty and the power of sin, as I did with
Last year, our secretary called me at home to inform me of a young man sleeping on a covered porch at the church. The next day, when I arrived, he remained there sleeping on the porch. I went out to talk to him and offered to buy him lunch at a fast food restaurant across the street. I talked with Tarron as he ate his lunch. He moved to Alabama …show more content…
Karl died last month at the age of 90. In my first year at North Wood, Karl asked me to go with him to see a friend. The next day we went to see Karl’s friend Willard. Willard was 90 years old and suffering from congestive heart failure (among other ailments). A few days prior, Willard asked Karl, knowing him to be a man of faith, about salvation in Jesus Christ. Karl talked to him about his faith, and Willard expressed a desire to respond to God’s grace. Karl and I went to visit Willard, and I talked with him about the power of God’s grace in Christ to save us from the power of sin. Willard made a profession of faith that day and I baptized him.
That experience was an example of God using Karl as a means of grace. God’s prevenient grace began a work in Willard that caused him to reach out to Karl. God used Karl’s faithful response to continue the work through justifying grace. After that day, though Willard did not live much longer, God continued to use Karl as a means of sanctifying grace as he continued conversations, prayer, and study with Willard.
In my ministry, I have seen the brokenness of humanity in people like Tarron. I have also seen the power of God’s grace to save us from our brokenness and deliver us from the penalty and the power of sin, as I did with