Sermon Central
-
I Want To Share A Story That Has Changed The Way ...
Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007 (message contributor)
I want to share a story that has changed the way I view compassion. If I was a Hollywood film producer, I would make a movie out of it. It is a true story about a man named Bulus Tsetu. He and his family felt the call of God to start a Bible school in Nigeria, Africa. So after they had been there for sometime, the local Muslims learned that they were Christians trying to manipulate their people to leave Islam for Christianity. So one day when his daughter was walking home from school, a group of Muslims abducted her and raped her in a park. They told her to go back home and tell her dad that if he did not leave that they would find her everyday and do the same thing.
Soon Brother Tsetu’s wife became very ill. She was taken to the hospital, but as the doctors were taking tests she was left for three days without treatment. This caused her kidneys to fail. As a result, she desperately needed dialysis five times a week, but she was only able to get about two per month because of the shortage of machines for the great number of patients needing dialysis. The missionaries who they were there with called a friend in the United States who had great success getting things donated. Within two days, he had 11 dialysis units sitting in his garage. He shipped a container over at his own expense. It arrived in record time. All the paperwork was in order. Only one signature was needed. The man was ready and waiting for Brother Tsetu to bring in the paper. The secretary to this man, however, was greedy and kept Brother Tsetu waiting for three months because he would not pay a bribe. The very day one of the machines was finally setup and ready for his wife’s use and she died.
You would think he would go back to the States, but the story continues. Some who called themselves Christians came to him and said, “Either you are for us or you are against us.” These so called Christians told Brother Tsetu that, if he did not fight for them, they would kill his family.
HE LATER SAID HE DID NOT KILL ANYONE, BUT HIS ARM WAS SO TIRED FROM SWINGING A MACHETE TO DEFEND HIS FAMILY THAT HE COULD NOT LOOSEN HIS GRIP NOR LIFT HIS ARM FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS AFTERWARD.
His fellow missionaries soon lost contact with him during the riots. After four days, he came to their compound. He had just pulled an arrow from his side. He had wrestled a knife away from his neck and his leg was cut where someone tried to cut off his foot. You might be thinking to yourself, why were the Christians so angry with him? This going to blow your mind but they knew that he was harboring Muslims in his house The man who had suffered so much at the hands of Muslims was now harboring Muslims in his house and he was paying a great price.
The people who took part in his wife’s passing and his daughters abuse were the very people he was risking his own life to protect. He was compassionate like the Samaritan. Just think how the Muslims might have felt when they realized that the missionary they wanted to kill was risking his neck for them.
Related Sermon Illustrations
-
Psa 91 – Engineer Unit (1943-45)their Chaplain ... PRO
Contributed by Michael Dugal on Jul 20, 2003
Psa 91 – engineer unit (1943-45)Their chaplain encouraged them to carry a copy of this Psalm with them as they went into battle. During two years and over 20 intense battles, the unit expereinced no deaths. During Operation ...read more
-
In The West During The Torrential Spring Rains, ...
Contributed by Tim Zingale on Oct 10, 2005
"In the west during the torrential spring rains, the rivers frequently rise and flood the lowlands. There was a little girl who lived In the valley of one of these mighty rivers and one weekend "he was going with her parents to visit friends. As she was packing, she placed her dearest possession in ...read more
-
2. Cal And Rose Samra Share This Story From Holy ... PRO
Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 8, 2005
2. Cal and Rose Samra share this story from Holy Hilarity: From Rev. John L. Wallace. Christmas: It wasn’t long ago that a psychologists started telling us that the ‘holidays’ are not a source of joy for everyone. Like the drunk I encountered on the subway on Christmas Eve, they’ve been told the ...read more
-
How Much Do You Want Knowledge? PRO
Contributed by Donnie Martin on Aug 2, 2002
HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT KNOWLEDGE? There’s a story about a proud young man who came to Socrates asking for knowledge. He walked up to the muscular philosopher and said, “O great Socrates, I come to you for knowledge.” Socrates recognized a pompous numbskull when he saw one. He led the young man ...read more
-
Charles Swindoll Says That Competitive ...
Contributed by Richard Wafford on Nov 24, 2004
Charles Swindoll says that competitive excellence requires one hundred percent all of the time. If you doubt that, try maintaining excellence by setting your standards at 92 percent. Or even 95 percent. People figure they’re doing fine so long as they get somewhat near it. Excellence gets reduced ...read more
Related Sermons
-
Forgive Or Not To Forgive
Contributed by Anthony Zibolski on Feb 28, 2012
Forgiveness is the way the Lord releases us from guilt and sets us free to continue loving God and others.
-
Core Values - Compassion
Contributed by Paul Cull on Apr 18, 2007
Compassion is a core value in our church - why?
-
What To Do, After Easter
Contributed by Harold Laubach Jr on Apr 13, 2013
Sermon on Following up with our life, after Easter is over. Acts 2 gives us the road map on what to do and when to expect those signs and miracles from God.
-
A Real Man
Contributed by Rodney V Johnson on Jun 16, 2012
This messages focuses on why society's notion of a real man hinders fathers from developing strong relationships with their children.
-
Paradise Lost
Contributed by Kerry Haynes on Mar 5, 2017
Like our first parents, each of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. The story of the Fall tells us much about God's giving heart, Satan's destructive lies, and humanity's need for a Savior, of which God provided from the beginning.
