Sammy’s Story Part I
Sammy was lonely, in the depths of despair, bottoming out, lost, but then he met a man who told him that in spite of how he felt, God loved him. The man began to explain how he personally had once been as lost as he, but was introduced to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Sammy, desperate, listened. When asked if he wanted that saving grace, the man lead him through scripture called the Romans Road before leading through the sinner’s prayer. Sammy’s burden miraculously lifted, giving him an experience he had never known. He found peace.
The man gave him a tract then left to witness to another lonely lost soul, as Sammy sat in solitude, not knowing what to do next. He went to the local church whose address was stamped on the tract and asked to see the Pastor, who kind of looked at him mystified. He received sympathy but was told to come Sunday morning and join in their worship service. That Sunday Sammy heard another evangelistic sermon with another invitation that seemed to be the pattern every Sunday he attended.
Seeking more, Sammy attended a Bible Study at this church where a man lectured, justifying his lesson with the meaning of Greek words, and having everyone flip from scripture passage to passage justifying his points. Sammy became frustrated because he could not keep up flipping nor cared what the Greeks said. He wanted his own spiritual life to grow. He went and bought his own Bible, which he seemed to get more out of when he read it own his own. Week after week the Bible study taught legalistic church doctrine, the so called tenants of that church group’s faith, and the does and don’t that they felt were justified through the Bible.
Sammy tried to pray an hour a day as told, but got burned out, tried reading the Bible five chapters a day as told, but quit by the time he was half way through Deuteronomy. He went to the Pastor and asked where all the healings and miracles are which he read in Matthew through John and was told that they were for that time period but are no longer are needed today. Discouraged he soon dropped out of the Bible Study group; no one came to see him nor seemed to miss his absence. They were to busy preparing for the next Bible study. He found himself sleeping in on Sundays, now missing church services.
He found himself back to his old condition sitting on a bench at a bus stop. A man approached him and began telling him that in spite of how he felt, God loved him. It was the same man he originally met with his fervent evangelistic zeal to win the lost, who unfortunately didn’t recognize him because he was too busy giving him his mechanical dissertation. Before he was done Sammy arose and said, “You don’t even recognize me, nor do you care. I am sorry, but if this is what Christianity is all about…..” He got up and walked away as the man sat there stunned wondering what this wretch’s problem was, those sinners.
(Now Read Part II)