An Amazing Story

A certain man walked around the church for about thirty minutes while members of the congregation were filing in. Only three people out of the supposedly 10,000 members said "hello" to him. He asked some people for some change to buy food, but not one church member bothered to give him any, much less offer to buy him food from the restaurant just down the street from the church.

He then went into the sanctuary and sat down in the front pew only to be approached and asked by one of the well-dressed deacons if he would please sit in the very back of the sanctuary. He greeted people only to be given back stares and dirty looks, and people looking down on him.

As he sat at the rear of the church, he listened to the church announcements. When all that was done, the head elder stood up and excitedly said, "It is my honor to introduce our new senior pastor, Pastor Jeremiah Steepek."

The congregation clapped joyfully and everyone looked around with anticipation.

The homeless man who sat in very rear of the church stood up, and started walking down the aisle.

The clapping instantly stopped as all eyes followed him when he walked up to the rostrum, took the microphone from the head elder (who was in on the act), paused for a moment as he looked over the entire congregation, and then without any notes in hand, he began to speak:

Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink. When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you. When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you.

The King will reply, Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.

After he recited from memory the above text from Matthew 25:34-40 , he looked around the entire congregation and told them all what he had experienced that morning.

Many began to cry, and many others bowed down in shame.

He then said, "Today, I have seen a gathering of people but not a church of Jesus Christ. The world has enough people, but not enough disciples. When will you decide to become disciples?"

With that question, he ended that morning's sermon, the briefest that congregation has ever heard, but the most meaningful. And the new pastor ended the morning's service, until the next week.

Being a Christian is more than just something you claim. It is something which you live by daily, and share with others.

Pastor Jeremiah Steepek (pictured above) transformed himself into a homeless person on the very first day that he was to be introduced to the 10,000-member church as the congregation's new the senior pastor.