HELP!

Our Sunday school lesson last Sunday was on Peter taking the Gospel to the gentiles. He needed a special vision from God before he understood that God had always intended to include people of all nations in the plan of salvation. One of the aims of the lesson was to challenge us to think about ourselves and if we are failing to reach out to some classes of people because we think they are hopeless.

Our nephew was scheduled to teach the men's class at his church so he decided to conduct an experiment before church. He dressed in scruffy clothes and walked back and forth along the road by the church holding a sign that said, "Help! Unemployed. Need food for children."

Lots of people passed him on their way to church. Of those who turned in and parked at his church, ONE man walked out and asked what he could do to help him. When it was time for church to start he went inside, changed clothes, and joined in the service.

As he taught the men's class he kept referring to "that homeless man" walking along the road that morning. Yes, most of them had seen him. No, they had not done anything about it. Just before the class was dismissed he confessed, "that homeless man was me." He said it was worth every bit to see the looks on their faces.

Gotcha! It's easy to sit in a Sunday school class and talk about reaching out to all classes of people and agree that's what we should do. But it is something else to actually SEE someone in need and DO something about it.

Reality check. We don't drive that stretch of road on our way to church but what would we have done if we had? Would we have been a Good Samaritan or just passed by on the other side?