On this night there are only 15 days left to this journey! On this night I wish to share with you about the transforming power of a message! I started out on this journey for spiritual renewal and that mission has been accomplished on a grand new scale!
Over the course of this journey I've attended First Baptist Church Newport News several times because I had work meetings and that church was closer than driving all the way back into Williamsburg/Croaker when I had to work the same afternoon at 2. Anways, on a Sunday morning at FBC Newp0rt News I sat in the third row and the service began. We sang songs of praise to God and the fellowship was ever so sweet! Then it was time for the sermon! On this day his sermon was on Salvation! It was a powerful sermon, but this story was the most powerful part of that sermon. Please sit back, relax and read this story and may it touch your heart.
A man and his son were very close. The father was a renowned artist and painted frequently. He repainted many different works of art to include The Mona Lisa and multiple others. The son soon took after His father and together they would paint. Friends and loved ones began to tell them they should open a gallery to display their paintings. Eventually, they did build a gallery in the back of their yard. The son grew up and looked at his dad one day and told him he'd decided to join the military. This broke the father's heart but he understood. One day a tap came at the door of the father. An officer dressed in his military blues had come to tell the father his son was killed in battle. The father was heart broken. Memories adorned the walls of his home and in the gallery of the many paintings they did together. After the funeral the father painted some but not as often. One day while painting a knock came at the door. He wasn't expecting anybody to come visit. He opened the door and a young soldier stood at the door. The father said, "Can I help you?" He said, "Hi, my name is Sgt. Smith and your son and I served together during the war. He was a brave person and he took the bullet that should've killed me. He jumped in front of it." In the soldiers hands was a box. He said, "He gave this to me but it really belongs to you." The father opened up the box and it was some of the belongings of his son and a picture. He took out the picture and hung it in the middle of the wall amidst all of the finest paintings they'd ever painted together. It was the focal point of the gallery; the first picture you saw.
The father grew ill and eventually died. In his will he'd left word to sell/auction off the entire painting gallery. The paintings were worth millions of dollars. There was no expense spared to advertise for this auction. Auction day came and thousands of people showed up to bid on the paintings. The attorney stood up and said my client said in his last will and testament that everything must go, but nobody can bid on anything until they bid on the picture of his son.
The people started to grumble. I didn't know his son, I don't want a picture of the son. Then finally in the very back of the room a man raised his hand and said, "I"ll buy the picture of the son for $50. He was a good kid." The auctioneer said, "SOLD for $50 the picture of the son and then glanced over at the attorney. The auctioneer then said, "Thank you ladies and gentlemen for coming today the auction is now over." The people didn't understand. They were angry and livid. They'd traveled from all over and bought bunches of money with them to buy and bid on these works of art. The attorney stood up and he said, I'd like to read the rest of my client's will.
PLEASE SELL EVERYTHING! WHOEVER GETS THE SON GETS IT ALL. It's just like our Christian faith: WHOEVER GETS THE SON TRULY GETS IT ALL!
-Alicia Roark
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