The first Tuesday of each month, a small group of believers join together with residents of a local nursing and rehabilitation home to conduct a time of singing hymns and studying the Bible. Typically, those in the home have been placed there by family for their protection as oftentimes their mental faculties are waning in this latter stage of their lives. However, on occasion, a transient guest will be admitted after a surgical procedure to conduct rehabilitation for a number of days or weeks before returning home. Such was the case for a gentleman named Gary. Gary, who is 75 years old and of Jewish ancestry, was raised in Brooklyn, New York but currently lives in my state.
Gary’s story involves a chronic back condition that grew so bad that he required external assistance to move about his home. One day, the assistant picked him up and accidentally dropped him resulting in a required surgical procedure to eliminate the pain and resolve the health condition. My first interaction with Gary began with him saying “I don’t know why I am here!” and then proceeded with him sharing his story. I smiled and simply said “I know why you are here. This is a divine appointment from God.” Gary looked at me in a puzzled fashion and then said, “Alright, we’ll see.”
The challenge from the Bible that night came from Numbers 21:4-9 and was titled “Look and Live.” God is absolutely amazing. I am absolutely convinced that He impressed on me to speak about this very topic because He knew that Gary, a Jew, would be in the audience. We spoke about the sin of the Jewish people, their lack of trust, the penalty for sin, the fiery serpents, and God’s salvation, which required faith. In addition, we tied this Bible encounter to John 3 to show how salvation comes to mankind when Jesus is lifted up and a man puts his faith in Him.
Gary was on the edge of his seat as he had never heard this story before. Truth be told, Gary actually wasn’t familiar with anything in the Bible other than the Passover. After hearing the presentation, the one area that resonated most with him was the fact that, like the Jews, he was a sinner in need of a Savior. He kept saying, “No one has ever spoken like this to me and showed me I’m a sinner.” Hot tears began strolling down his cheeks as he asked how he might know how to get to heaven (praise God). The Holy Spirit was working in Gary’s heart that night and after praying a sinner’s prayer, he was a child of the King! Gary’s first response afterwards was, “I now know why I am here.” As promised, Jesus had been lifted up and Gary was drawn unto Him that night.
Mike F
