God led me to accept the pastorate of a church in deep trouble. They started an auditorium to seat 1200 people with only 200 people attending and ran out of money with the outside walls built to the tops of the windows and ran out of money. God warns not to start a building without counting the cost lest you cannot finish it and it becomes a scoffing. That is what happened to these dear people. It sat there for about 3 years and the first question was when are you going to finish the building. My first Sunday there, I said, "the first person who asks "When are we going to finish the building, I am going to throw a book at you. We are going fishing for souls first and foremost."
A beautiful 13 year old girl got saved in our church. At ten o'clock, one Saturday night she called and said she had 18 of her family at her house and she was trying to tell them once saved always saved. They did not believe her but would let me come over and try to explain it to them. That just is not the best time for a preacher to be out running around. He usually is spending that time wrapping up his sermon and soaking his heart and mind with the message. Of course I went. It was fantastic. Ann's mother got saved that night. In the next six months everyone in that room had gotten saved.
There is no way one could have planned it the way it happened but seven contractors had gotten saved and an eight contractor who was just a nominal Christian rededicated his life and joined our church.
We had a deacon's meeting and realized we need that auditorium finished. One of the deacons said, "Preacher, we have some new contractors in our church now. " We put their names on a chalk board and what they were contractors of. Each was a contractor in a different area. We called a building committee meeting for Monday night. It was the most awesome meeting I have ever been in. Earl the biggest contractor asked Foy, the smallest contractor, what he was doing now. He was between jobs but had bids out and was sure one would come through that week. Earl said, "Why don't me make Foy the general contractor and we will all work for him and finish that building. That night it was settled and they saved the church the equivalent of one million dollars. Remember Jesus said, go fishing and you will find the money in the fish's mouth.
Only God could have done that. We just went fishing and God sent the right fish our way. Not one church I pastored had any financial problems cause we just kept fishing for men and the finances came in.
ABC Sumner
It is everlasting true, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men"
"Pray for kings and all in authority" 1 Tim. 2:1-4. The whole world is at a fork in the road to go God's way or the lost worlds way.
"Prepare to meet thy God" Amos 4:12.
