Drawn

I was standing outside the chapel one Sunday morning, when I overheard an old man greeting a passer-by, whose path he was crossing:

“Don’t let them draw you in!”, he called, referring to us.

The old man must have been disappointed to learn that the target of his rather ill-intended joke was one of our regulars, who politely explained that he was planning to attend.

I did not bother to address him or offer reproof; he can say what he likes and will one day rue his own failure to hear and respond to the gospel’s clarion call. Of course, we all know that it is God who draws and calls people, yet He does often use us, imperfect though we are. So in that respect, the old man was quite correct. Furthermore, I have come to the conclusion that some people are attracted to churches because the people within do indeed ‘draw them in’. Although some church people are disagreeable and put people off the Saviour, many others do not. They welcome anyone who attends and make them feel at home. Those incapable of attracting friends will find a ready-made circle of companionship within the local church. This sometimes means that unconverted people come for the wrong reasons, but our hope and prayer is that they might eventually respond to the Spirit’s own drawing and wooing- not to church, but to Christ.