The Gospel at Bob Evans

 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2: 8, 9

    David and I visited our cousin's church with her yesterday. After a heavenly service, we went to Bob Evans for lunch. Preceding us to the hostess stand was a large, friendly family who recognized us from the church we had just attended, so this sparked a conversation that gave us goosebumps. 

    A lanky man, who was most notable for his cowboy hat, began by saying how much they loved the church in which we had all just worshiped. They had begun attending three months prior; before this, they had been Amish. It wasn't until they heard the gospel of Jesus Christ that they had realized the legalistic shortcomings of the faith in which they had hoped. 

    Once they heard the good news that salvation is not by means of works but only by the grace of God, they left all they had known and placed their faith in Christ alone. Though they had lost all family (save their own) and community, they expressed only joy, no regrets.

    The younger of the two men quoted Jesus' words from Matthew 10: 34-36:

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law - a man's enemies will be the members of his own household."

    This courageous faith displayed the value of the precious gospel to the human soul. In my own life, having been raised in a Christ-centered home, I was not challenged as these Amish folks were. However, I had to surrender all to Jesus in my personal life, daily denying myself, picking up my cross and following Him. For me, there are no regrets. 

    I have often wondered what it was about Jesus that caused the fishermen to leave their nets and follow Him. Now I know, as do these new believers whom we met, that "everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up the last day." (John 6:40)

Jesus, the Shepherd of my soul,

Keeping me from all harm,

Ever, until He leads me home,

Safely into His arms.

When I behold Him face-to-face,

Then I will look and see,

Goodness and mercy from His hand,

Surely have followed me.