Goodness knows I don't want to be one of those ostentatious little fundy rascals that walk about with their Spurgeons and their John Owen's, but there is still oh so much to learn from both of them. Bless their big hearts:
"I once heard a story about a minister in northern England who called upon a very poor lady, intending to give financial help to her. With a monetary gift in hand, he knocked at her door, but there was no answer. He concluded that she was not at home, and so he left.
Later that evening, the minister saw the woman at church, and he told her that he had tried to visit her. He said,"I called at your house and knocked on your door several times, but there was no answer, so I assumed you were not at home."
She asked," At what hour did you come by?"
"About noon."
"Oh, dear," she said, "I heard you, sir, and I am so sorry I did not come to the door, but I thought it was the landlord coming by for the rent money."
She was trying to avoid her landlord, because she was unable to pay the rent, and there are many people who know what that is like. In writing this book, however, I am not "calling for the rent." In fact, I'm not trying to make demands on you or ask anything from you.
...Too many people are like the woman I just mentioned when it comes to someone telling them about Jesus. They think, Oh, now I'm going to be told what my duty is. This person is going to try to get something from me, and I'm sure I don't have what He is looking for."
This is from the preface to All of Grace, one of the best presentations of the gospel I have ever read.
No comments:
Post a Comment