|
|
|
|
Gas Buy Down on the Eastern
Shore by Deeper Life Fellowship By Pastor Lonnie Honeycutt Continuing our ongoing commitment to servant evangelism, Deeper Life Fellowship Eastern Shore hosted a gas buy down at Murphy's gas station on Hwy 98 in Daphne, Alabama. This station gets a lot of traffic because it's directly connected to the local Wal-Mart super center. To be quite honest we didn't know if this evangelism project was going to come to pass. I had already contacted a couple of gas stations in the area and, as of yesterday, had not gotten a response. On a whim (or the leading of the Holy Spirit) my wife, Dawn, decided to call the Murphy's station and to ask if we could give away gas. Her initial phone call was met with surprise but not a negative answer. Justin, the person on duty, had to call his manager (Cynthia) who, in turn had to contact the district manager for the Murphy gas stations in Daphne and Mobile Alabama. To make a long story short, after a couple of clarifying conversations (they wanted to make certain we weren't planning on badgering anyone who didn't happen to agree with our particular religious views), we got permission to do the event. I found out later that getting this permission from a district manager was akin to witnessing a miracle. To put it plainly, due to the potential problems people have with others participating in any kind of religious activity in the public arena, it's simply easier and usually less likely to involve legal questions, to 'just say No.' Frankly, I think this was God-ordained. Maybe it wasn't but I figure I'll give Him the credit until He tells me otherwise. Anyway, it was great. One of our new members, David Malaney -- a former army sergeant -- joined Dawn and I as we gave away gas. Our tag line was simple: "We know you need gas so we'd like to buy you $5 worth for free -- no strings attached." When asked why we were doing this our response was simple, "To show the love of God in a practical way." The response to this outreach was overwhelmingly positive. When my wife told one lady that we were going to buy her $5 of gas she threw open her car door, jumped out, and gave Dawn a bear hug. This shocked me because by this time Dawn, David, and I were soaking wet with sweat (the heat index was already topping 100 degrees). Another lady bought us bottled water just to say 'thanks for being so kind to everyone' and many people marveled that people would be taking time out of their day to buy something for people they didn't even know. David was able to assist a gentleman whose car needed a jump -- I don't think the engine ever started but just the fact that David was there to help him was a major blessing. Have you ever wondered about what a small world this really is? We met two people who knew about our outreaches with Deeper Life Fellowship Mobile and one of the two (Randy) had actually put the sheetrock up in the Mobile DLF. Those two encounters were pretty neat. Only two people refused to let us by them gas. One gentleman begged off by stating that there were other people who could probably use it more than he could (a perfectly honorable response) while the other was just too suspicious. After being given a Wal-Mart gift card he mulled our proposition over 'Free Gas -- No Strings Attached' and finally gave it back saying, "Nah, nothing's free. There's gotta be a catch." The first thing I thought and what I still believe is that this man has been hurt -- probably often. He's one of the ones that Christians need to be on the lookout for to show him that some things really are free -- such as love etc. Actually, people are correct when they say the things we do on outreaches aren't really free. They do cost someone something, just not them. We who do outreaches and those who support us are the ones paying the cost so that the people we meet can receive something with zero strings. Sounds familiar doesn't it? That's what happens in our exchange with Jesus -- He gives us His righteousness which He paid an infinite price for. But, we get to call it 'Free.' Kind of neat isn't it? Through outreach to our neighbors, to people we don't know and may never meet again, we get to taste a very small sample of what Jesus did for us -- we give of ourselves, of what we have worked for, without any guarantee that what we're offering will be accepted. Judging A Book By It's Cover Okay, here's a confession... I, like many others, often judge a book by its cover. Fortunately, I don't often allow my initial judgment to jade me one way or the other -- good or bad -- because I know that my surface judgment needs to be balanced by a deeper inspection of the person or situation. Today a gentleman pulled up to the pumps driving a rather beat-up older red car (a car whose 21"+ inch rims probably cost more than the entire vehicle). The driver had very long dreadlocks and the stereo was blasting rap. My first thought was (and I'm being very honest here), "Sigh, I don't want to waste the gas card on this guy." That was what my 'flesh' thought. Then, the Holy Spirit convicted me and my spirit immediately rejoiced and I thought, "I'm so glad this man has come here today! This might be the last day he's not a Christian!" Even though my flesh was weak my thoughts were taken captive by the spirit of Christ and I was able to approach this man, whose exterior presented someone rough and tough and potentially dangerous, with a heart of compassion and friendliness. I said our tag line to him and his entire demeanor changed. Where he had not been smiling he smiled. Where he and I at one time might not have ever exchanged pleasantries we did. I don't have to wonder what Jesus' response to me would have been had I not served this gentleman. He wouldn't have been pleased. As such, I wouldn't have been pleased with myself. Frankly, I don't know what this man's story is. Perhaps he was and is a Christian who simply choose to listen to music that I didn't listen to (I don't always listen to Christian music). And what about his car -- so what if I don't have the same taste in vehicles (or maybe the car wasn't even his -- he might have borrowed it). My point is this: This man, just like you and I, are made in the image of the almighty God. He is loved by God, Jesus died for him, and the Holy Spirit wants him to become His child (if he's not already). So, if I'm going to be a true ambassador for King Jesus, if I'm going to try to do His will on earth, then I have to be willing not to jump to conclusions. Actually, that's not true. ALL Christians should immediately jump to a conclusion. That conclusion: Every person we meet deserves our respect because they are made in the image of Our God and Father and He wants us to treat others the way He treats us -- with love. Thanks so much to those who made this outreach possible. Blessings upon you! Please pray that the Lord brings us more members so that we can spread the glory of His name far and wide. If you've never seen a Gas Buy Down, watch the following video:
Pastor: |
|
