Altar Call –
Opelika-Auburn News
Walter Albritton
January 28, 2018
Do you know my friend
Jesus?
Harry Denman was one of the most unusual
men I have ever known. His unique way of sharing his faith caused hundreds of
people to become Christians. Though never ordained to preach, Harry became
known as “Mr. Evangelism" among Methodists. His favorite question to
strangers was this: “Do you know my friend Jesus?”
Here is one example of how he did it. Walking
down the street one day Harry came upon a man high above his head working on a
telephone pole. Harry called out to him: “Do you know my friend Jesus?” The
lineman replied, “No, I don’t think so; does he live around here?” Harry
responded, “If you will come down for a few minutes, I will tell you about him.”
Intrigued by Harry’s invitation, the man
came down. Harry introduced himself, explained who Jesus was and soon invited
the man to give his life to Jesus. Using this direct but simple approach, in
ordinary situations, Harry introduced hundreds of people to his friend Jesus
during his lifetime.
When Harry talked about his friend
Jesus, you quickly realized that nothing was more important to Harry than his
relationship with Jesus. He loved Jesus so much, and thought so much of him,
that he wanted everyone to get to know him. Harry’s whole life was centered in
loving Jesus and making him known.
The longer I live, the more convinced I
am that inviting people to become friends with Jesus is the best kind of
evangelism. The best thing we can offer people is Jesus. We fail miserably as
friends of Jesus if we only get people “in” church. That is because
Christianity at its best is not a “religion” but a transforming friendship with
Jesus. The sad truth is, you can go to church all your
life without becoming a friend of Jesus.
When
he began his ministry Jesus called people of diverse backgrounds to become his
disciples, to bond with him in a sacred friendship. It was a signal moment
when, only days before his crucifixion, he told his disciples they were no
longer servants but friends. He described this friendship as being so close
that it was like branches connected to a living vine. And without that
connection, there was no life.
Jesus explained that his disciples would
prove they were truly his friends by loving one another and caring for those in
need. They would bear fruit and make disciples.
I like thinking of Jesus as my friend,
my best friend, a friend beyond compare. I love the old gospel song that says,
“I have found a friend in Jesus. He’s everything to me. He’s the fairest of ten
thousand to my soul.” But whenever I remember my friend Harry, it occurs to me
that I need to be more intentional about joyfully introducing others to my
friend Jesus because honestly, there is no more wonderful person anyone could
ever meet. + + +