Last Sunday we took a non-Christian neighbor to church with us. It’s interesting how your perception of a service changes when you’re sitting next to someone to whom everything is new and different. Over and over I caught myself thinking, I wonder how he’s responding to this song, or this illustration, even this announcement.
All told, my response to the morning was quite positive. That’s in spite of the fact that the sermon was about the Rich Fool in Luke 12:13-21. Given an option, that passage probably wouldn’t have been my first choice.
After church we stopped for coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts to debrief the experience. How relieved I was that my friend’s response was all positive. In fact, he wants to go with us again next Sunday.
What I realized in the conversation was that through the music and the message the Holy Spirit had spoken to this person’s heart. This was obvious to me as he talked of the problems he was facing and his need to get things lined up spiritually.
It wasn’t the time to press him for a decision. When he said he wanted to come again next Sunday, I felt that was the Lord saying to give him time. It was also a word to choose a more quiet place to talk than a Dunkin’ Donuts.
Anyway, the experience certainly made me more conscious of visitors when I work on my sermons.
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