“No One Ever Visits Me”
By Keith Bellamy
Many years ago, a preacher was visiting a Christian sister in the hospital. She had not darkened the door of the church in years. When the preacher entered her room, the woman asked, "Where have you people been?' The preacher responded, with the question, "Sister, where have you been?' Needless to say, the woman did not like that preacher after that encounter.
The point is this. Yes, we are to make visits. And some of our folks are good at making visits. Have you made visits when there was a need? Do you make visits now?
I remember a lady responding to the invitation at a church bus workshop. She wanted strength to be able to make more phone calls for Christ. Her habit was to call church members who were absent from the assembly. She would also call people she did not know and invite them to church. Although she was blind, she did not let it hold her back. What an example of someone who really believed the message of Jesus was Good News.
So, what can you do? You can be friendly to those who visit the church, and you can visit some of those folks and encourage them to come back. Who knows? They may just come back because you cared!
Consider the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46. "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
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