This morning I was on my way to a church service in Kenya at 7 AM. I was running late, but as I was walking in to the building I passed by a street boy who had just woken up from sleeping on the street and he was carrying a tarp which was his blanket for the night…
At first I walked by him because I was running late for the church service. Then I was reminded of the parable of the good Samaritan in the Bible (Luke 10). In that parable, a person was left on the side of the road beaten by thugs. Two highly religious leaders walked right by with no compassion. A priest & a levite (they were probably busy & on their way to a religious service)… But then a Samaritan (non religious man) walked by and had compassion on his neighbor and helped the man… Jesus used this parable to explain what it means to love our neighbor…
I was convicted by the Holy Spirit…
I thought to myself, what am I doing! I don’t want to be so busy to get to church that I walk right by a child who God‘s heart is desperately longing to touch & encourage
So I turned around and begin to search for this street boy.
Eventually, I found the boy walking down the road and tapped him on the shoulder. (If you’ve ever been to Africa you know it’s usually the other way around). I could feel the heart of God bursting to reach this little guy…
😢 Over the years I have sat with dozens of street kids and heard their stories… most of them have been abandoned, their parents have died, their parents suddenly disappeared, etc… They are stuck on the streets in survival mode with no one to look out for them, no family, no home, no food, no protection, no encouragement, no love, all alone to fend for themselves… It absolutely breaks my heart!
Jesus was always moved by compassion for the helpless, those who are like sheep with no Shepherd. & these street kids are definitely sheep with no Shepherd
So I talked to him and I looked him in the eyes and I told him God loves him and has a plan for his life. I told him he wasn’t a bad kid and it wasn’t his fault he was on the street and that God can redeem his story.
I shared the gospel with him and told him why God became a man and suffered the way we suffer & then died for our sins.
His face lit up with a smile!
I asked him if he had received Jesus as his Savior yet and he said NO. I asked him if he wanted to and he said YES!
So right there he prayed to surrender his life to Christ. And I saw a light of hope come back into his eyes.
Then I told him I wanted to buy him some breakfast and I gave him some money for food.
And then welcomed him out to the street meeting that will be doing tonight in downtown Nairobi so he can meet some of my “Street Praise” friends… (if he shows up I might be able to arrange a way to get him off the street… Please pray for him!)
After I was done, I walked into the church and I felt the Holy Spirit say:
👉 “ I wish my church was as passionate for Orphans and widows as they are about getting rich, getting a car or a home or getting their next blessing.”
God‘s voice is always so sobering and convicting yet loving and true.
Could it be that we have missed the heart of God and have settled for a materialistic Christianity devoid of the pure mission & compassion of Jesus that we read about in the gospels?
I’m reminded by the words of Jesus that he will say to all on the final judgement day:
“Whatever you do to the least of these my brethren you have done it on to me. Whatever you have not done to the least of these my brethren you have done it to me” (Matt 25)
Yes, I was in a hurry to get to a church service this morning to seek God, but I didn’t want to grieve God’s heart & walk by “Jesus” on my way to church…. There he was, a young boy carrying his tarp blanket desperate for someone to encourage him and share the gospel with him.
I am so glad I obeyed the Holy Spirits nudge & turned around!
Church, There are millions of desperate orphans, widows & lost souls out there, there all over the world and they are waiting for the message of hope we carry.
They’re waiting for us to get over our selfishness, they’re waiting for us to get out of our buildings & comfort bubbles. They are waiting for us to let go of the “bless me club corrupted gospel” and preach the true & pure gospel that Jesus preached and reach out to the poor, widows and orphans.
Again, Could it be that we have been bewitched & distracted by chasing temporal riches & have missed eternal treasures (souls)?
James 1:27
“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”
So many are starving for the Hope that only God can give them.
Will we walk by Jesus (the least of these) on our way to our church services like I almost did today & have done too many times in the past?
Or will we take a few moments, Love them, share the good news with them & Give them the message that can change their destiny & eternity!
May God change our hearts & give us his compassion to reach this Lost and dying world. Amen!
-Joshua Lindquist
GlobalRevivalHarvest.com
