Turning Point

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12, NKJV)

On May 24, 1738, a discouraged missionary went “very unwillingly” to a religious meeting in London. There a miracle took place. “About a quarter before nine,” he wrote in his journal, “I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”

That missionary was John Wesley. The message he heard that evening was from Martin Luther’s commentary on Romans. The gospel is still transforming people’s lives, just the way it transformed Martin Luther and John Wesley. The one scripture above all others that brought Luther out of mere religion into the joy of salvation by grace, through faith, was Romans 1.17 “The righteous will live by faith.” The Protestant Reformation and the Wesleyan revival were both the fruit of this wonderful letter.

Almost Persuaded

In the Peanuts cartoon the team statistician brings Charlie Brown, the manager, his report.

"'I've compiled the statistics on our baseball team for last season,' Linus says. 'In twelve games we almost scored a run and in nine games the other team almost didn't score before the first out. In right field, Lucy almost caught three balls and once almost made the right play.

"'We led the league,' he concludes, 'in almosts.'"

In Paul's day King Agrippa was also an almost … he was almost persuaded to become a Christian. We hope that he did while he had the opportunity. However, if he didn't, he is lost forever because there is no indication anywhere in God's Word that anybody is given a second chance after death to receive Jesus as their Saviour

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Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” (Acts 26:28, NKJV)

The Prodigal Saint

Augustine  was a shameless and immoral man who lived in the city of Carthage. He had a very godly mother whose prayers and holy life served to stab his conscience. He decided to run away from her and get away from her influence. He thought he could escape the claims of God on his life. So off he set to the wicked city of Rome where he continued in his wicked ways. 

One day, whilst sitting in a garden in Rome, he heard a childlike voice repeatedly saying, "Take and read". He found a scroll containing some words from the Bible.  Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires." (Romans 13:13-14, NLT)

The Word of God is alive and powerful and St. Augustine became a transformed man and turned out to be one the great theologians of the Christian church.  God had caught up with him and there was no running away.

St Augustine's godly mother, Monica, kept praying for him and was greatly concerned when he decided to leave home and venture off to the city of Rome. As she stood at the harbour bidding her prodigal son a tearful farewell, Ambrose the local bishop, came to her and said, “Fear not Monica, it cannot be that the child of these thy tears should be lost.”

Don’t stop praying! God has not forgotten your prodigals. They are still on His radar. He is the Good Shepherd and will bring those wayward sheep back into the fold.  

I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!(Psalm 139:7, NLT)