The Persistant Witnesses

Today I decided to stay home. After all it was raining and Molly and the girls had been gone for two days and I wanted to visit with them and take it easy before going off the work. But I have to admit that I did feel a tinge of guilt. That is a good thing if it is for the right reason. Liz looked up from her hand work and said, "Who is here?" I turned to look out the window, "Looks like a J W coming to visit us!". 

I grabbed the tract "A prayer from Hell" and headed for the door. Our house has no front door. When people come to the house for the first time they sort of hang around in front of the house wondering where to go! I come out to face off with my visitor, a fit medium sized man in his late fifties with white hair and a penetrating blue eyes.
"Hi, want can I do for you today?" I began.  He is reaching for a piece of literature as he begins to speak, "Hi there!" "You're a Jehovah's Witness, right?" I said holding out the tract, "Here is something to tell you about the hell you do not believe in." He had gotten his 'Watch Tower' about half out of the bag when he looked up with a start. His hand went back in the bag with his literature, "I can appreciate that your mind is made up...".

"I'm pretty settled in what I believe...not much chance of either one of us convincing the other....we'll just have to wait until we die and then we'll find out who is on the right side of things." To which he countered, "Yep we'll know in the resurrection...".
"No, 'To be absent from the body is to be present with the LORD' (2 Cor 5:8), now we can joust for hours if you like....it's sort of cold today..." He turns and trudges back to his van, "Maybe we'll see you next time...", he said over his shoulder. "Maybe...or maybe not...God knows," I replied.

We have been up here on the hill for over twenty years. We have been visited faithfully by one church multiple times during those years and it is NOT the Christian church! Not one Christian has ever come to visit us with the gospel! But the Jehovah's Witnesses have visited us not once, but at least four times! Years ago a young man, I would guess to be about 14 years old, came to the house (He had a driver...looked like his mother). He was sincere and earnest in his presentation of his belief. It was like the story of the rich young ruler. The scriptures records that Jesus looked upon the young man and loved him. My heart went out to this young man! He was so sincere and yet so wrong! On his way to hell was the best of intentions!

Let us learn a lesson from these persistent false witnesses. First, we need to learn from their diligence and faithfulness to go, stand and speak!  We have the true gospel! We should be ashamed that we are not more diligent to get the saving message of the gospel to lost souls. Second, we must be faithful to take our children with as we serve the Lord in evangelism! Handing out tracts should be an activity our kids see us involved in.  Don't go alone, take your young person with you!

So here I am 'AWOL' from preaching the gospel down town today and the LORD sends a persistent witness, an example in faithfulness...the ever diligent heretic!

How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation; if we neglect so great salvation: which at the first began to spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him... ( Hebrews 2:3)

Note that it does not stay 'they'; as in the lost, but 'we', the people of God! How shall we escape the condemnation of our Lord if we do not obey the last command that He gave before going back to heaven? Even the Apostle Paul said, " ...Woe unto me if I preach not the gospel!" (1 Cor 9:16b)  May the Lord work in us to be a faithful and persistent witness of the true gospel!