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Surprised
By Oy! |
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| We ‘ve been looking forward for quite a while to ministering in Westchester, New York, (just north of ‘the Big Apple’) the very area we had served Messiah before moving to Charlotte, NC. For this trip we had scheduled a ‘weekend marathon of ministry’, which would conclude with a special outreach Sunday evening, organized by Dan and Joan Pense. Ten churches came together to provide a witness to the many Jewish people in their area. In order to attend this catered affair, you had to invite an unsaved Jewish friend. The organizers of the special Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) event arranged for Jewish music, Messianic dance teams, and for a local rabbi to speak on the Sukkot Lulav branches and fruit. A sukkah, or booth, was even built in the restaurant as part of the celebration. Sam would speak on how Messianic Jews see Jesus as the fulfillment of the Feast of Sukkot. As you would expect, a great deal of preparation and planning went into the event. But as much as was planned, it was what was unplanned that demonstrated God’s sovereignty and sufficiency for every situation. God Blesses Successful Meetings At both our Friday and Saturday meetings, it was a joy to see people accept the Lord as their Savior and others rededicate their lives to Him. We also saw many renew their commitment to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and to witness to their Jewish friends and neighbors. But later that Saturday evening something strange began to happen to Sam. He mentioned that he had pain in his upper abdomen and said, “I feel like I’ve been punched in the stomach!” After a rather sleepless night, we went to the Sunday morning services. Though still in pain, God gave him the grace and strength to preach at both services, with people coming to faith in Messiah. Afterward, as we drove back to our Mt. Kisco housing to prepare for the big Sunday evening outreach, the pain was getting worse: “Now I feel like I’ve been kicked in the stomach!” Sam decided it would be good to go to the local emergency room to see if he could get some effective pain medicine, and then go on to the meeting. The doctors felt that Sam’s symptoms called for some tests, so they hooked him up to heart monitors and other machines, but the tests all came back negative. The medicine was not helping and we could see the hours quickly slipping away. We decided we had no other choice but to go on to the meeting. At this point the well-meaning doctor backed by a chorus of nurses refused to let Sam leave saying, “It’s too dangerous!” Sam tried to explain that the message he had to share might be a matter of life or death for the listeners--eternal life or eternal death! After a few rounds of this, Sam signed papers releasing the hospital from responsibility. As we left, we were convinced that God had opened the door to minister; all the plans were in place and we would trust God to give Sam the ability to speak. As I drove to the meeting I could see Sam’s discomfort level worsening. I’ll admit that while I’m a big baby when it comes to pain, God has given Sam a high tolerance for it, and enables him to focus on what he has to do. When we arrived, the place was packed, special music was playing and there were many interested, Jewish people enjoying the festive atmosphere. The rabbi then spoke for a few minutes, explaining how the willow, myrtle, and palm branches of the lulav, along with the etrog can represent all of us. Though we’re all different, we can all learn to live together. It was then Sam’s time to speak. Though previously in great pain, from the moment Sam went to the lectern, he seemed transformed. For thirty minutes Sam spoke with humor, power and grace about Yeshua and the Feast of Tabernacles, and how, from John 7:37, Yeshua used the traditional ‘water pouring ceremony’ to speak of Himself. No one was aware that Sam was even in pain because God’s Spirit was working through him. Ouch, A ‘Galling’ Experience After he spoke, Joan, who is a nurse, said, “You look ash gray, Sam. You better get to the hospital.” When we arrived, there was a different doctor on duty. He examined Sam and said, “Let’s get an ultrasound because I think your gall bladder is badly infected.” The ultra sound confirmed his diagnosis, and within an hour the surgeon on call examined Sam and recommended surgery right away. Later those leading the event let us know that Sam’s message was amazingly on target. |
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| Many Jewish people responded positively--even the rabbi wanted to talk to him! Please pray as plans are being made for a follow-up event in the spring to have Sam lead a Passover Seder.In the hospital, Sam witnessed to his emergency room nurse and his surgeon, both of whom just happened to be Jewish, as well as every attending nurse, new believers and non-believers. His hospital room looked like a bible counseling and tract distribution center! While lying around the hospital Sam also reworked the lyrics to an old favorite...instead of “I left my heart in San Francisco” it’s “I left my kishkas* in Mt. Kisco! (*Kishkas is Yiddish for guts, internal organs, etc.) Oh well. Looking back on the surgery to remove his gall bladder and all that happened during his hospital stay, Sam was convinced that Galatians 4:13 applied: “It was through bodily illness that I first preached the Good News to you.” | |||
| More Unexpected Blessings Through Hurts, uh, Hertz, that is... Leaving for LaGuardia airport, God had one more surprise for us. Since Sam was in no condition to hassle with luggage, or the shuttle bus, and since the car rental office was located several minutes from the US Airways terminal, I arranged with Hertz for a manager to drive us back to the airport. It was no problem for them to do this, and a young man named Bernie* was assigned to drive us over to the terminal. The conversation began with Sam explaining the need for emergency surgery in Westchester. Bernie asked, “Were you on vacation?” “No,” Sam answered, “I was speaking about how Jesus is the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles. I’m a Jew who believes that Jesus is the promised Messiah.” “I’m Jewish too,” Bernie replied, “I guess we all need something spiritual, that’s for sure.” Sam went on to explain the Good News to him, “Bernie, Jesus actually came and died for your sins to give you new life.” To our surprise Bernie replied, “I’ve been thinking about Jesus lately.” “Bernie,” Sam said, “since Jesus came to give you new life, can you think of one reason why you wouldn’t want to accept His forgiveness for your sins and accept His new life right now?” “No,” he responded. “Would you like to pray with me right now?” Sam asked. “Yes I would,” Bernie replied. “Then repeat after me, sincerely in your heart this prayer to trust in Jesus as your Savior...” We arrived at the airport terminal and Sam led Bernie in the sinner’s prayer. Sam asked him, “Did you pray with me?” “Yes, I did.” said Bernie. Then by your faith in Jesus, you’re saved and a child of God. He loves you and will never let you go. Follow him always, Bernie.” Sam then prayed for him to grow in God’s love. At the curb, Bernie gave us his address and we told him of some believers in Queens that would follow up with him. We also had a few leftover pamphlets and newsletters that we gave him to help him grow. Waiting to board the plane I told Sam, “If I hadn’t witnessed this, I would have a difficult time believing that it happened! It was so incredible for God to allow you to have surgery so that we would need to have a special ride from the car rental office to the airport. What a wonderful God we serve to send Bernie with his open heart to receive the Good News!” Please keep your new brother Bernie in prayer as he is followed up on and grows in the love and life of Messiah. Y *Names changed to protect the privacy of individuals. |
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