A bottle a friend bought for me while travelling, I never ended up drinking any of it though.
Last week I posted about Jim who although he was covered in blisters and had been throwing up blood refused to go to the hospital.
After I finished my conversation with him, emotionally and physically exhausted, I went and found one of my students who had been sitting on a park bench talking with a guy the whole time. I sat down and joined in on the conversation. The man, was gripping a bottle of alcohol. He asked me if I was part of the church too. Not wanting to go into a in-depth explanation of the international interdenominationl missions organization we were a part of, I simply told him, yes. He responded, excuse my alcohol, I’m a good person, I’m a minister, I got my credentials and everything.
I got kind of indignant and asked him why he was sitting here drinking alcohol on this park bench?
He told me about all of the loss that had happened to him recently. After getting his ministry credentials, his brother died, and then his mother, and that his cousin was missing. As if it hadn’t been an emotionally wrenching night enough… I started tearing up as I told him about the recent loss that I had gone through and about the losses that our student had gone through, and even though that horrible stuff had been happening, that we weren’t sitting out here on a park bench drinking alcohol, instead we were out here on the streets so we could talk to him. He looked at me and started tearing up too, “It’s hard man, people want answers when you’re the minister.” He started shouting, “People want to know why these bad things happen, people want you to do something, they want you to make things right and I got nothing for them.” I responded, “We just have to keep pointing them to Jesus man.” “No,” he replied, “they want YOU to do something.” The reality of ministry rang true.
I felt that God was telling me that this guy was a soul winner. I was fired up and just went for it. I hate watching people who have an evident calling on their lives, live in less than what God has for them. I again, asked him what he was doing out here on the street, drinking, I told him that He was created to be a soul winner, to win souls for Jesus. He smiled, and my student smiled too. My student said that Cisero had just told him that. I asked Cisero if I could pray for him, and he said yes. I put my hand on his shoulder. He set the bottle of alcohol he had been gripping down next to him. I prayed, reminding Cisero of the calling that He had on his life. When I finished, he wanted to pray for us and we let him.
On the ride back, my students said that they could see what a good heart Cisero had. While yes, that is true, he isn’t walking in the fullness that God intends. It was a great teaching moment. I told them that we all have things in our lives that will keep us from being effective in ministry. That the devils nature is to steal kill and destroy and that we need to identify and destroy whatever is trying to disqualify us.
**Update on Jim – this past Tuesday Jim was not on his usual bench, word on the street was that they thought he want to the hospital.**
**Update on Jim – this past Tuesday Jim was not on his usual bench, word on the street was that they thought he want to the hospital.**
Engage: What is lurking in your life, that is seeking to take you out of the fight? What is going to take to destroy it? Pray for Jess and I that the snares in our lives would get stomped out before they destroy us. Thoughts? Share in the comments.
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by Jim Baker
I have to fight laziness every single day. It’s like, I wake up wanting the fullness of what God has for me that day, and as soon as I finish telling him that, I feel like I’d rather just do what I want. And it’s a struggle.
focus on the family has an entire ministry devoted to ministering to clergy. This man has simply and plainly told us why that is necessary. I often lose sight of God’s love being all I need and seek approval from others.
yup, people in full time ministry need ministry too. praying that the never ending, all fulfilling love of God will become even more of a reality to you in this new season of your life!
thanks for fighting the good fight Kerry! Are you giving yourself a day of rest though as well?
Definitely fighting distractions, things that will render me useless.
Powerful encounter. Glad you all were there to bless him. We all need to be lifted up in dark times. Thanks for writing.
thanks Jeff!
Jim, did you update people letting them know Jim got an apartment and got cleaned up? He’s clean shaven now too!
RK, I did indeed. –> http://jimjessbaker.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-month-of-self-portraits-and-jim-got.html Thanks for allowing us to partner with you man!