by Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001)
THE CUSTODIAN IS A SOUL WINNER TOO
Recently we had a wedding at our church. At 4:00 two of our fine young people were married in our chapel. Some of the guests arrived early, and one of the families asked to see the auditorium. Our custodian unlocked the doors and showed them the auditorium. As he did so he asked the man, "Sir, if you died today, do you know for sure that you would go to Heaven?"
The man who had come for the wedding said, "No, I'm not sure that if I died today I would go to Heaven."
The custodian asked "Do you have a few minutes? There's still time before the wedding. Let me show you." So in the auditorium our custodian led a man to Jesus Christ. Isn't that a wonderful story?
Then I got to thinking of two rather humorous
experiences. I was pastoring in Garland, Texas, and we had two custodians. We
were having a soul-winning campaign trying to win everybody we could to Christ.
One day one of the custodians came running to my study saying, "Hey Preacher,
come quickly."
"What in the world is it?" I asked.
"We've got a man on his knees but we can't bring him in." I went over to our auditorium. There in front of the auditorium in the flower bed between two bushes was a man on his knees. He was a well-dressed salesman who sold custodial supplies. The custodians had witnessed to him and asked him to pray, but they couldn't win him. He was on his knees, however, so the men said, "Hold it! Wait a minute, and we'll go get the Preacher." I then won him to Christ there because of two faithful custodians.
One of the sweetest, most humorous experiences took place in a city out West several years ago. I arrived at the church about 45 minutes early for a service one morning. Nobody was there but the custodian. He hadn't met me yet so I walked in and told him my name, but he didn't hear it very well. We chatted for awhile. Finally he said to me,
"Mister, could I ask you a question?"
I said, "Sure."
He said, "Do you know, if you died today, you'd go to Heaven?" (Of course, that sounded word-for-word like my soul-winning book.)
I said, "Well, I think so."
He said, "Mister, would you like to know so?"
I said, "Well, sure, who wouldn't?" So he started telling me how to be saved. I let him because I wanted to see how he would do it. He used my little Roman Road plan right down the line and told me how to be saved.
I said, "You know, I think I've done that."
When?" he said.
"Oh, years before I started preaching."
"Preaching?"
"Yes, preaching."
"What did you say your name was?"
"Jack Hyles." I thought for a moment I had a heart patient. Then I put my arm around his shoulders and said, "You stay with it! Custodians can win folks to Christ, too."
Those three experiences reminded me of blessed men who have been custodians for me through the years, men who have a heart for souls, men who have a burden for the unsaved. Maybe today your job is not that of being the preacher, the choir director, or a deacon. Maybe you hold an office that would not be considered one of the big jobs in the church, but you can make your job big if you'll do the biggest job in the world-winning folks to Jesus Christ.
