Jesus found him. The man did not find Jesus; Jesus found him. That is the deepest truth of Christian faith; Jesus found me. Our fellowship with Him is rooted in His compassion.[1]
Chapter 13
Steve and Sarina’s Story
It has been many years since Steve and Sarina experienced the life transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Despite the passage of time, they have never lost the wonder and excitement of being chosen, out of all the people in the world, by God. Their gratitude over being adopted into God’s heavenly family has only deepened as time has marched on.
Steve and Sarina came into my life one afternoon in need of a favor. One of their daughters was weeks away from being married. The pastor of their church had resigned and moved away, leaving them without someone to officiate the wedding. Not wanting just anyone, Steve and Sarina went looking for a minister with the same doctrinal beliefs. I agreed to meet with them and we sat and talked for quite some time. Over the next few days, a friendship developed between our two families, one that would continue to grow and deepen.
The wedding went off as planned and as our friendship grew, I came to admire their deep faith and love for God. It didn’t come as too much of a surprise when they showed up for church one Sunday morning. As the congregation sang, I couldn’t help but notice Sarina’s voice. Strong and beautiful, her voice brought a rich fullness to the service. Afterwards, I asked her to consider joining the choir and helping to lead the congregational singing. I was given such a funny look that I was afraid that I had somehow offended her. I dropped the subject rather awkwardly, and prayed that whatever misstep I had done would be revealed.
The following Sunday, some of our ushers were absent. On the spur of the moment, I asked Steve if he would mind helping the other guys collect the offerings during the service. He hesitantly agreed, but I was struck with the feeling that I had again done something not quite right.
Earlier in the week, knowing Steve’s mechanical skills, I had asked him to take a look at some equipment the church owned that needed fixing. After the service was over, I gave him a key to the church and told him that he could pick up the equipment anytime and take it to his shop. I was shocked to see this big bear of a man tear up, drop the key like a hot potato, and stammer incomprehensibly. I knew then that something was definitely wrong and that I needed to investigate. Over coffee the following day, their story came out.
Steve and Sarina had both come to faith in Jesus Christ as adults. At the time, they lived back East and they moved to Montana not too long after their conversion experience. A gifted mechanic, Steve loved to restore old vehicles to their original conditions. They had a wonderful family and were very outgoing and jovial. They were relatively young Christians and had not had the opportunity to be discipled in the faith. The church they had been attending was doctrinally similar to ours. Steve and Sarina were charter members, excited to become part of a new church so soon after moving to a new state. For the last seven or eight years they faithfully attended every service. There was one glaring difference between our two churches, though.
In their church, a person could not sing in the choir, usher, teach, take up an offering, play an instrument or even lead a corporate prayer unless they were judged to be spiritually mature enough by the pastor. For over seven years this couple, full of desire to worship the God they loved, were told that they hadn’t reached a spiritual level high enough to be acceptable to God. That was why it was so shocking to them that I had asked them to participate in our services. They did not feel worthy enough.
Rarely have I ever been so angry in my life. Here were these wonderful people, passionate about their faith, full of untapped talent and zeal, eager to serve the Lord in any capacity, that were victims of a misguided human tyrant. I was outraged that a human being, under the guise of a minister of God, would dare to intervene and prohibit one of God’s children from worshipping their Father.
This was why they had reacted so peculiarly to my requests. They didn’t feel worthy enough to sing in the choir or take up an offering. To be offered the responsibility of having a key to the church was overwhelming to them. Their natural response of wanting to serve and worship the Lord who had saved them had been stifled by years under the teaching of a person who had added rules and regulations to Holy Scriptures.
I began sharing with them, from the Bible, how God gifted each one of us with certain abilities and talents. I shared how God desires us to use those talents and abilities in service for His Kingdom. We talked about how God delights in hearing the praises of His children. We discussed how even new Christians, those still immature in their faith, could please God and render acceptable service to Him. Most of all, I shared how they could find their worth and identity in their relationship with Jesus Christ. I used Steve’s passion for rebuilding cars as an example of how God rebuilds us, how He begins the process of transforming us into the image of His Son through the power of the Holy Spirit. They began to get excited as God’s truth penetrated the shell of false teachings they had believed for years. They began to truly understand and accept God’s love for them and His declaration that “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are Christ Jesus.”[2]
The change in their lives was dramatic. Freed from a false sense of guilt and feelings of inadequacy, Steve and Sarina pursued worshipping God with fervor. Joy at finally being able to express how much they loved their Savior and Lord poured forth from them like a torrent. Their faith was infectious, changing those around them for the better. Many people were attracted to the gospel of Christ by observing the passion and excitement that penetrated their lives. God began preparing Steve and Sarina for even greater things as they matured in their knowledge of Him. Like sponges, they soaked up Scripture; their minds grasping the deep truths of God as they put into practice the teachings of the Bible.
Almost a year after our conversation over coffee, Steve was ordained as an evangelist. Far from being unworthy to serve, the Holy Spirit uses Steve to witness for Him in a mighty way. For almost two decades now, he has served with a group of Christian motorcycle riders, sharing the gospel in places not easily accessible to most Christians. His wife accompanies him quite often, in between the Bible studies she leads for various ladies’ groups. As I look back on their lives of service for God, I am filled with joy, sadness and pride. Joy, seeing how much Steve and Sarina have accomplished for the Lord and for the happiness that explodes out of them as they serve. Sadness, because of the wasted years under the influence of a person who does not understand grace or what it means to worship God in spirit and in truth. I have a sinking feeling that Steve and Sarina are not the only followers of Jesus Christ whose worship of Him has been stifled by false teaching. I shudder to think of the potential consequences faced by those who interfere with God’s children worshipping Him with all their heart, soul, strength and mind. Pride, at being used by God to assist Steve and Sarina, in helping them come into a realization of their worth in God’s sight. I pray that God will continue to use Steve, Sarina and I to reach out to the multitude of people that have yet to experience true worship. Not just those who have yet to enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, but also to those whose relationship with Him has been hindered from growing. It is vitally important to be able to share the meaning of how worship in spirit and in truth accurately, so this can take place.
[1] William Temple, Readings in St. John’s Gospel
[2] Romans 8:1
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