This past Sunday was a different type of Sunday for us. We were blessed with a visit from Joe Burns and his wife, Cindy, and Joe served as our speaker for both the morning and evening services. What a treat!
Mr. Burns formerly preached in Placerville from 1981 (the year I was born) to 1991 (the year I turned 10). It’s great to see relationships continue after such a long period of time has passed! Joe and Cindy also lived in Littleton, CO for a period of time, before moving to L.A. where they are currently involved in the Church ministry in the Hollywood area. Joe has been able to travel to India to help and encourage the Christian brothers over there, and he shared a lot about his ministry there. It was great to hear about all the work being done there! Not an easy job in the least!
Here is a related passage from the Gospel of John:
John 4:34-35
34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
Joe spoke about the story of the Samaritan woman meeting Jesus at the well (from John 4) and related some points to us. Here are just a few of them:
* There are still many people looking to be filled in their lives. The woman at the well needed to be filled and Jesus made an effort to supply that need. Jews and Samaritans traditionally didn’t mix with one another and many of them even hated each other. What Jesus did here was truly revolutionary. He stepped across that unspeakable boundary line. He turned the tables on the prejudice and the racism that existed even in His day. The same type of prejudice that, sadly, we still see in our world today. But in reaching out to the woman, Jesus was able to truly fill her needs. Her spiritual needs.
* The woman realized that Jesus was Messiah partly because Christ paid attention to her and had a genuine love for her soul. Mr. Burns related a very helpful story to us from his own experience in India. One day he came across a young man selling bootlegged copies of DVDs out on the street, and Joe noticed that the young man was disabled and had no use of his legs. So Joe spoke with the young man and got to know him better. His name was Satish (sp?) And when Joe asked him if he had a wheelchair, Satish said, no, he didn’t. So Joe offered him one for free (this is a part of the ministry they have in India). Satish’s brother would later tell Joe that nobody had ever noticed that Satish was disabled, or acknowledged his disability, and so began their introduction to Christianity.
Later, when Satish would ask if he could attend services with the local church, Joe spoke to its members to make sure that it would be okay with them. He did this because there is still an “unofficial” or rather, unspoken, caste system still very much alive in India. Some people are just unwilling to associate with those of a “lesser” class than them. But the church welcomed Satish with open arms! They said, “We are Christians. It won’t be a problem.” What a wonderful testament to the power of Christ in overcoming our social and mental barriers! Thank God for the genuine Christian love that Satish was able to experience simply because someone stopped and noticed him.
* Jesus saw a harvest in the most unlikely places! Oh how wonderful it would be if we would only do the same! Even Christ’s disciples had trouble overcoming their own prejudices, and many of us have our own prejudices to overcome. We just need to be aware of the bottom line: bringing souls to Christ. It’s not about our own personal comfort, and Jesus is the best evidence of that.
Luke 10:1-2
1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.
2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
Joe mentioned this passage, as well. “Everyone has a chance to be involved,” he said. How true! If only we opened our eyes to the many opportunities in front of us every day! Think of all those chances we might be missing! We all have gifts; how are we using them? Or are we even using them at all? God forbid that we aren’t!
May our attitude be like Isaiah’s attitude, and may we have that kind of willingness to step in and serve in whatever way we are needed.
Isa 6:8
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Thank you for your encouragement, Joe! And may God bless you and Cindy with the work you are doing for the Lord in Southern California.
-Jonathan
