His house was in a poor area of the community.
A church there
had a bus Pastor that came knocking on his door one Saturday
afternoon. The child
came to answer the door and greeted the
bus Pastor.
The bus Pastor asked if his parents were home and the small boy
told him that his parents take off every weekend and leave him
at home to take care of his little brother.
The bus Pastor could not believe what the child said and asked
him to repeat it. The
youngster gave the same answer and the
bus Pastor asked to come in and talk with him
They went into the living room and sat down on an old couch with
the foam and springs exposed. The
bus Pastor asked the child,
“Where do you go to church?”
The young boy surprised the
visitor by replying, “I’ve never been to church in my whole
life.”
The bus Pastor thought to himself about the fact that his church
was less than three miles from the child’s house”.
Are you sure
you have never been to church?”
he asked again. “I’m
sure I
haven’t”, came his answer.
Then the bus Pastor said, “Well, son, more important than going
to church, have you ever heard the greatest love story ever
told?” and then he proceeded to share the Gospel with this little
nine-year-old boy. The
young lad’s heart began to be tenderized
and at the end of the bus pastor’s story, the bus pastor asked if
the boy wanted to receive this free gift from God.
The
youngster exclaimed, “OF COURSE!”
The child and the bus Pastor got on their knees and the lad
invited Jesus into his little heart and received the free gift of
salvation. They both
stood up and the bus Pastor asked if he
could pick the child up for church the next morning.
“Sure,” the
nine year old replied.
The bus Pastor got to the house early the next morning and found
the lights off. He let
himself in, snaked his way through the
house, and found the little boy asleep in his bed.
He woke up the
little boy and his brother and helped get them dressed.
They got
on the bus and ate a doughnut for breakfast on their way to
church.
Keep in mind that this boy had never been to church before.
The
church was a real big one. The
little child just sat there, clueless
as to what was going on.
A few minutes into the service, these tall unhappy guys walked
down to the front and picked up some wooden plates.
One of the
men prayed and the child, with utter fascination, watched them
walk up and down the aisles. He
still did not know what was going
on.
Suddenly, like a bolt of lightning, it hit the child what was taking
place. These people
must be giving money to Jesus. He
then
reflected on the free gift of life he had received just twenty-
four hours earlier. He
immediately searched his pockets, front
and back, and could not find a thing to give Jesus. By this time
the offering plate was being passed down his aisle and, with a
broken heart, he just grabbed the plate and held on to it.
He finally let go and watched it pass on down the aisle.
He turned
around to see it passed down the aisle behind him.
And then his
eyes remained glued on the plate as it was passed back and forth,
back and forth all the way to the rear of the sanctuary.
Then he had an idea. This
little nine-year-old boy, in front of God
and everybody, got up out of his seat. He walked about eight
rows back, grabbed the usher by the coat, and asked to hold the
plate one more time. Then
he did the most astounding thing I
have ever heard of. He
took the plate, sat it on the carpeted
church floor, and stepped into the center of it.
As he stood
there, he lifted his little head up and said, “Jesus, I don’t
have
anything to give you today, but just me. I give you me!”
Author Unknown
