Pastor Lewis started up again. “Jesus has just told his disciples that he’s gonna go away. He further tells them they know the way to where he’s goin’. Thomas—the one who later doubts Jesus—tells him they don’t know the way, and this is what Jesus says to him: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’”
He stepped away from the pulpit. “Pretty plain and simple, and yet we constantly try to complicate it. Just like we do with most of the issues in our life. There’s almost always a simple answer, but we don’t want to take it.
“Jesus made a way for us to have eternal life with God the Father, but still we refuse to believe. A lot of folks think it can’t be that simple. Some folks are still confused by what it means. I’ve been preachin’ a lot of years, and I’ve learned in my lifetime that comin’ to Jesus is as easy as believin’ and confessin’. Turn with me over to Romans ten, verses nine and ten.”
Again, he waited while folks turned the pages in their Bibles. Pastor Lewis remained where he was, not bothering to return to the pulpit nor read from his Bible. “‘That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.’
“Did you understand that, my friend? It’s as simple as confessin’ with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believin’ in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead—a death, I might add, that He accepted on your behalf. A death on the cross as one final sacrifice for sin.”
Someone sniffed back tears, and somewhere up front a man blew his nose. Owen could remember realizing his own sinfulness and coming to God humbled by the truth of who he was without a Savior.
“It’s not complicated, folks,” the pastor said, softening his voice. “Jesus knew it couldn’t be complicated, or we would never get it figured out. He’s standin’ here today with his arms reachin’ out to you. He knows you’re tired of trying to figure things out by yourself. He knows you have a lot of pain and sorrow. He knows this world can be a terrible place on your own. But, folks, you don’t have to be on your own. He’s waitin’ here right now. Won’t you come forward if you’d like to make your peace with him?”
To Owen’s surprise, several of the men he knew from the railyards stood and stepped forward. A couple of other people followed suit. Here he was thinking about his own problems, and there were half a dozen people in need of a Savior.
Someone started humming a hymn, and it wasn’t long until most of the church had joined in. Pastor Lewis nodded and began to pray with each person who’d come forward.
Owen bowed his head. Lord, forgive me for focusing on myself and my problems. I know You’ll see me through—I know You’ll give me the answers I need. I’m thankful for my salvation, Lord, and glad to see others coming to You. Forgive me that I wasn’t one of those who helped them along.
Susanna had never seen people coming forward and getting saved like this. At their church back in Topeka, services were much more formal, and if a person wanted to discuss salvation or anything else with the pastor, they made an appointment for sometime later in the week. As Pastor Lewis prayed with each person, Susanna could tell her folks were more than a little uncomfortable, but the experience of watching people yield their lives to God touched her deeply. They were making their decision public—letting the entire church see that they were giving their lives to God. What a wonderful way of letting the truth be known. Susanna had never had such an experience, and something about it nudged at her until she got to her feet and made her way forward.
When Pastor Lewis looked her in the eye, she could very well imagine Jesus gazing at her. The old man smiled and leaned close to whisper, “And do you want to take Jesus as your Savior?”
“I thought I had,” Susanna replied. “But this public confession seems important to me. I don’t know why, but here I am.”
He smiled and nodded. “Sometimes it’s just nice to show everybody where you stand. Do you believe Jesus is the only Son of God—that He came to earth to save us and gave His life on the cross to take away our sins? Do you believe He rose from the dead and has prepared a place for us in heaven?”
Susanna nodded. “I do.”
“See how simple that was?” Pastor Lewis grinned. He bowed his head, and Susanna closed her eyes. “Lord, bless this child of yours. She has publicly accepted your free gift of salvation. Direct her steps now and always as she chooses to live for you. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
“Amen,” Susanna whispered.
He moved on to the next person and left Susanna to wonder in awe at how right this moment felt. She had done nothing more than admit to things she’d believed for most of her life, so maybe she hadn’t needed to make this public confession, but somehow it seemed to be one of the most important things she’d ever done.
After Pastor Lewis finished praying with the others, he took his place at the pulpit and asked the congregation to pray a blessing on those who had come forward. Susanna bowed her head and smiled. She truly did feel blessed.
Later, when church had been dismissed, Susanna found herself surrounded by people. Some gave her hug, and others commented on being surprised by her actions.
“I figured you were already a Christian,” one of the women from her quilting group said. “If I’d known otherwise, we would have gotten you saved at our sewing party.”
Susanna smiled. “I’ve known Jesus was Lord for a long time, and I have always believed in God. I just never made a confession like Pastor talked about.”
The old woman nodded. “I understand. Sometimes we just sort of fall into a thing without really knowing what it’s all about and what’s expected of us.”
Several other women came up, saying much the same, and Susanna felt obliged to explain herself to each one. She didn’t want people thinking that she’d been a heathen. By the time Mrs. Lewis came to see her, however, Susanna was beginning to think that maybe an explanation wasn’t so important.
“Isn’t God a wonder?” Mrs. Lewis asked.
Susanna nodded. Finally, it wasn’t about her. “Yes! I was just thinking about that. It’s so amazing how He joins us all together through Jesus. People I’ve never known or only known a little have become family. All because of Jesus.”
Mrs. Lewis nodded. “Indeed. All because of Him.” She gave Susanna a hug. “I’m so glad you’re a part of the family.”
Susanna was still in awe as she exited the church. Her parents were nowhere to be found. No doubt they were humiliated and embarrassed by what she’d done. Gary hadn’t even bothered to come to church today, but no doubt he’d hear all about it. She began walking toward the hotel.
“Say, you want to have some lunch with me over at the Harvey House?”
She turned and found Gary’s friend Herc behind her. She smiled. “No, but thanks for asking.” She gave it no other thought and turned to go.
Herc, however, grabbed her arm and spun her back around. Instinctively, Susanna raised her gloved hand and slapped him.