36. JESUS EXTENDS YOU A GLORIOUS INVITATION
“Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.” (Hebrews 13:13)
We present-day Christians can say “Yes” to this most bless-ed invitation from the Lord Jesus Christ, by doing the following things out in public. Passing out Christian literature. Singing hymns aloud. Reading aloud from the King James 1611 Bible. Preaching from that Bible. Holding up Gospel banners and signs. By renting a booth or table at flea markets, swap-meets and such places to put out Bibles and Gospel literature for free, and stand there in our rented spot singing hymns or reading the Holy Bible. By wearing an upper garment with a prayer or Gospel message printed on the backside of it.
God called me to be a missionary in Japan in 1974, when I was flying TA-4 Skyhawks jets in and out of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station, Iwakuni, Japan. He set my soul ablaze with a burning desire to preach the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ to every soul in Japan. While still serving at Iwakuni as a Marine pilot, I started attending Japanese churches here and there. Those churches were ever so small in number. And once as I watched Japanese Christians stand in front of their small church inviting the many passersby to come in and attend the Friday evening service, most every passerby treated the Christians rudely and coldly. None came inside. That night, God planted the following thought in my mind, and it steadily grew→’Tho they so stubbornly oppose, I could still go without, raise my voice, and preach Christ to them right here as they pass by me.’
On the 18th of May 1978, I preached out in public for the first time in my life on The Pacific island of Guam, U.S.A., and on several following days before returning to Japan in a few weeks. (I was going to Guam 2 times or so a year, and it was easier to start street preaching in my native language of English, than in Japanese. Then when I returned to Guam months later, from Sunday night January 21st, 1979, thru Saturday morning the 27th, I spent hours each day that week, preaching in front of bars and several places where humanity streamed thru, crowning the week without the camp at the crowded Saturday morning Flea Market in Harmon Field. As the crowd of eternal souls milled around me, a good number of them stopped to listen for a while.
A Pacific Daily News reporter took my picture & asked me a few questions.
After that, I drove back to my host family’s condo, and was sitting in the living room chatting with the wife (and mother) of the house when the doorbell rang. I regretted that interruption, as we in the house were basking in the joy of our Lord being glorified at the Flea Market. The wife headed for the door but then the phone rang. Another interruption. ‘Terrible, these interruptions’, or so I mistakenly thought. “You get the door. I’ll get the phone,” the wife said to me with a shrug and a chuckle.
I open the door to behold 10-year-old Marie standing there. “Mother said we may ride the bus to church tomorrow.” Great joy that miracle brought to me! Each of the several times I had invited Marie and her 2 sisters to ride the bus to Harvest Baptist Church, their Filipino Mother shook her head saying, “We’re Catholic.” Now, the Mother gives them permission, thank God.
I am basking in this joyous talk with Marie when the wife calls out to me, “Sam, the phone is for you.”
‘Another interruption.’ I didn’t think either the doorbell or the phone call would be for me, but both were. I left Marie and headed toward the wife who was holding out the phone to me.
“It’s Mrs. W____ from _____ Apartments,” she told me. And I knew this was a most important call. Upon arriving on Guam this time, I drove to the office of that large apartment complex, and told the 2 managers (Mr. & Mrs. W.) that I would like to rent an apartment, if one were available. (Many Asian families live in these dozen or more apartment buildings with an abundance of children. I want to have daily children’s services in my apartment, teaching them the One Way to go.)
“Yes, there are apartments available,” they kindly told me.
‘Then I would like to rent one for 30 days.’
“I’m sorry, but we require a minimum of a 3 month lease.”
It had never crossed my mind that such might be the case. Thus, I was stunned and greatly setback in my mind. I am to be here less than 6 weeks, a few days of which have already passed. Has my desire and plan come to naught? As I stand there “bumfuzzled”, kind Mr. W. soon speaks up. “We can send a fax to our head office in Hawaii, asking if they will accept a 30 day lease, but I know what their answer will be. They’ll say ‘No’.”
‘Please go ahead and send the fax, and call me at this number when you get their reply.’
He nodded. “It will take about 3 days.”
He knew that their head office in Hawaii would refuse my request. But as my Guam hostess hands the phone to me, I am about to learn just how greatly my Lord honours a child of His who will go unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach.
‘Hello.’
“We got a reply back from Hawaii, and they said that you may rent for 30 days.” In a few minutes, I pack up most of my few belongings I brought to Guam, drive to the apartment complex office, pay a month’s rent and receive the key to my apt.
The next day (Sunday), Marie and her older and younger sister ride the church bus to Harvest Baptist. At invitation time, Marie and the younger sister go to the altar, kneel and pray to Christ to save them. (The oldest sister had trusted in Christ some time ago.)
The next morning (Monday), I grab my host’s morning newspaper and quickly find the 1 page feature they did about the Flea Market, I am one of the 4 “venders” pictured and described. “The gentleman at the right, Sam Yerby, isn’t selling anything, he’s giving it away. Yerby, a missionary from Japan, goes to the Flea Market each weekend to spread the word of the New Testament.”
“Lord Jesus, please open our eyes to behold how greatly it honours and glorifies Thee, for Christian believers to go unto Thee without the camp, bearing Thy reproach, to lift Thee up high, in front of all the devil’s children around us. Save us from desiring the praise of men, and cause us to desire to please Thee only. Please give each of us the necessary courage and boldness to do exactly as Thou doest call on each of to do, in honour unto Thee, without the camp. Amen!”
Richard Yerby (Matsuida, Japan) www.Christ-is-all.us