Jack(not his real name) stopped at my house recently. He walked up the stairs, rang the bell and introduced himself by saying, “Do you have any caffeine?”
There was no sign on my house, nothing to indicate that I was an Adventist, or Christian or pastor. But somehow, out of the hundreds of houses, Jack found the only Adventist pastor in many miles. And he wanted caffeine. As it turns out, he wanted hope.
His wife was talking about leaving, one of his children had severe health problems and he wandered the streets not knowing where to turn. Did God guide him to my house? I think so.
For 45 minutes or so, my wife and I listened, cried, shared gospel texts with him and helped him get back on his feet. When he found out I was a pastor, it was all I could do to keep him from running away because of religious leaders he had dealt with in the past. But he stayed and listened and prayed. We parted company and promised to visit again.
A few weeks ago he stopped by to affirm God’s leading in his life. Things were starting to turn around. He thanked me for being there for him. He told me how surprised he was that an Adventist could share the Gospel with him. He didn’t seem to know any other Adventists but he had formed an opinion of them. I was glad to be able to shift his opinion about our church.
I look forward to my next meeting with Jack. I believe the Holy Spirit already has it on His calendar. I’ll have something better than caffeine for him.
