Joe was a brilliant student who, while attending college, became an ardent follower of its liberal thinking. During his time there, Joe’s appearance changed to wild hair, Tshirts and jeans with holes, and bare feet or scuffed sandals. But then he began to attend a campus Bible study and eventually accepted the Lord Jesus as his personal Saviour.
Across the street from the campus a very conservative, fundamental group of Christians met in a neat, tidy and well-maintained building. Many of them, successful, affluent professionals, had wanted to begin an outreach to the college students.
Joe, who had never been inside the imposing building, read their invitation posted on a bulletin board in the college student union and decided to attend. He came to the service in his normal attire—scuffed sandals, ragged jeans, torn T-shirt and unkempt hair. He was late (as usual) and the service had already begun. Joe slowly walked down the center aisle, looking for a seat in the packed room.
Many of the well-dressed families began to feel quite uneasy as they stared at the disheveled character slowly making his way ever closer to the front of the room while searching for a place to sit.
Finally realizing that there were no seats available, Joe did what was considered completely acceptable behavior by his peers in the college fellowship he attended. Squatting down, he sat cross-legged on the carpeted aisle, directly in front of the speaker.
It was then that an impeccably dressed, silver-haired, elderly member of the congregation, respected as a leader among them and known for his godly, dignified life, began slowly making his way towards Joe, his cane tapping softly on the carpet.
The mood grew tense, for everyone knew what was about to happen such a sober, discreet elderly gentleman couldn’t be expected to understand the habits and dress of modern-day college students.
The brother who was to present the message, unable to begin in the face of the unfolding drama, silently waited for the inevitable to take place.
The elderly saint finally reached the scruffy young man sitting on the floor and looked down at him. Then, with obvious difficulty, he laid down his cane and slowly lowered himself to the floor, sitting next to Joe so the young man wouldn’t feel alone.
When the speaker was finally able to control his emotions, he simply said, “What I’m about to talk about, you may not remember, but what you have just seen, I trust you will never forget.”
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God... made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and... humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:5-85Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:5‑8)).
Ed.