Anatomy Of A Salvation

Acts 2:37
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"

Good group last night....
Larger than normal.....
The message?
Wasn't anything spectacular or would cause you to think that it was one of the best you'd ever heard.
I spoke on the serenity prayer.
There are times, if you teach/preach enough that you are aware of when God's Spirit is working behind what you are saying. Call it a feeling....an unction....a sense that something is happening. The words come easy and you just know that this is one of those moments where everything seems to be coming together. You are also very much aware that you are the least likely part in this cosmic divine encounter. You are merely a conduit....a voice that is being used by God at this time.  You grateful to be used, but you do so with no false sense of your own  self worth in this equation. God is the one working and moving on the hearts of those present. His Holy Spirit is the convictor and Power present to awaken hearts long dead under the weight of sin. Inside I was praying that someone would meet Jesus maybe for the first time ever. Someone would be saved. After all, that is why we teach and preach, share our story isn't it? For the chance to introduce Jesus. 

As the message progressed, I tried to keep everything in perspective. 
"God, your in charge, not me. This is Your meeting. You've called the ones here in the room to be here tonight. I believe that you did so because someone is going to come needing you."
I've never been very good with what some refer to as "altar calls". I spent far too many years where there were pleas for some one to come to Jesus. I sat through times where we were threatened with Jesus..."You could leave here tonight and be killed in a wreck." I remember one night in particular where we sang "Just As I Am" 12 times (all the verses). 
So invitations have not been some thing I'm good at. To me, it is a time to simply say..."Why don't you come and let's pray together and see what God is doing."

As I began to talk about our need for Jesus, a young woman to my right began to fidget in here seat. Could this be the Holy Spirit at work? I didn't know. I spoke on how we've struggle with our addiction and that tonight could be the night that recovery becomes more than just a word.....it becomes a true lifestyle. The woman to my right was not bent over in her seat and you could tell that she was crying.

"What do you have to loose....except maybe your old way of life. What do you have to gain...except eternity with Jesus. You gain a new way to live here and now."
She stood up and made her way to me. A lady on the prayer team of this meeting got up to come and meet her. The woman was ready to be saved.

Her name is Alfreeda.....The years had taken a toll not only on her life, but her spirit as well.
She had been beat down by addiction and life. There was no where else to go. Hope was in short supply, but something (or rather someone) spoke straight to her heart and her situation. She was ready to change. Through a flood of tears, she said over and over and over....."Oh Jesus, please save me...What do I have to do...Please save me." And He did.
As we prayed over her, the Spirit of God settled in and you could visibly see her change. Her face, once hard and drawn into a frown, was now relaxed and her features were soften under the hand of God. Her cry for being saved turned into a chorus of "Thank you Jesus"....
With the amen, I hugged her and looked at her. A huge smile spread across her face as she hugged me back...No words spoken, but you knew that the family of God had grown by one.
Like I said...
it was a good night.

God on you....
mb