C. Nyal de Kaye
New member
I told this little story yesterday to our Pastor and, as it is such a wonderful illustration of a great Truth, I thought that it should be more widely known. Please feel free to pass it on.
I met Kevin in the 1970's when he applied to the company I was managing for a job.
Kevin was an alcoholic of many years standing. He was a very capable man but totally beaten by alcohol. One night he was sleeping off his latest binge on the footpath of a street in Sydney. He was awakened from his stupor when a man knelt down and talked to him. He encouraged Kevin to come to a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Kevin went with the stranger.
At the meeting Kevin heard some words that stuck in his mind and they were "Come to God as you understand Him." Kevin told me that he did not understand anything of God, but in his desperation he called out to God anyway.
Night after night Kevin attended the meeting in the company of his new friend who had virtually picked him up from the gutter. Night after night Kevin called out to God. As he was telling me this story some years later he said "I called out to God and six weeks later God told me His name, and His name is Jesus."
It brought tears to my eyes, and often still does when I tell the story. This, in my view, is a wonderful illustration of the great Bible truth that Jesus is the Way and no one comes to the Father but by Him. It also illustrates the truth of many other similar verses with which you will be familiar.
As far as I know I am the only one who knows this little story and I think it could be used as a wonderful illustration in preaching, and I have used it in that way myself. Please feel free to use it and I trust that many will.
To my best knowledge Kevin was never involved in an every day Church. He did attend various Churches, but was never a member of any nor did he ever call himself a Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian or whatever. His "Church" was AA and he attended it most nights of the week. His ministry was picking up drunken men and taking them to AA.
He once said to me, " You know, people tell me all sorts of things and some of them sound OK but I'll tell you what I do. I listen and think about the idea, but I always check it out in the Bible. If it agrees with the Bible then I believe it, and if it doesn't I reject it."
Kevin was a unique fellow, totally unchurched as far as I know, but by simply calling out to God as he understood Him, and comparing all "truths" to the Bible, he came to know Jesus as the Saviour and he became quite a fundamental believer. There's a lesson there somewhere.
I met Kevin in the 1970's when he applied to the company I was managing for a job.
Kevin was an alcoholic of many years standing. He was a very capable man but totally beaten by alcohol. One night he was sleeping off his latest binge on the footpath of a street in Sydney. He was awakened from his stupor when a man knelt down and talked to him. He encouraged Kevin to come to a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Kevin went with the stranger.
At the meeting Kevin heard some words that stuck in his mind and they were "Come to God as you understand Him." Kevin told me that he did not understand anything of God, but in his desperation he called out to God anyway.
Night after night Kevin attended the meeting in the company of his new friend who had virtually picked him up from the gutter. Night after night Kevin called out to God. As he was telling me this story some years later he said "I called out to God and six weeks later God told me His name, and His name is Jesus."
It brought tears to my eyes, and often still does when I tell the story. This, in my view, is a wonderful illustration of the great Bible truth that Jesus is the Way and no one comes to the Father but by Him. It also illustrates the truth of many other similar verses with which you will be familiar.
As far as I know I am the only one who knows this little story and I think it could be used as a wonderful illustration in preaching, and I have used it in that way myself. Please feel free to use it and I trust that many will.
To my best knowledge Kevin was never involved in an every day Church. He did attend various Churches, but was never a member of any nor did he ever call himself a Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian or whatever. His "Church" was AA and he attended it most nights of the week. His ministry was picking up drunken men and taking them to AA.
He once said to me, " You know, people tell me all sorts of things and some of them sound OK but I'll tell you what I do. I listen and think about the idea, but I always check it out in the Bible. If it agrees with the Bible then I believe it, and if it doesn't I reject it."
Kevin was a unique fellow, totally unchurched as far as I know, but by simply calling out to God as he understood Him, and comparing all "truths" to the Bible, he came to know Jesus as the Saviour and he became quite a fundamental believer. There's a lesson there somewhere.
