Most of  you have heard of Dr. Francis Dickson. In fact most of you have some of his lessons and sermons filled with rich material in your library.  Dr. Francis Dickson is in heaven now, but  he was a well known preacher.

In his church there in London , one day, a man raised his hand at the close of the service and said, “Dr.Dickson, can I give  a testimony?” he said, “Certainly.” The man came to the platform and  said, “My name is Mr. Noah. I am here this morning because I am a Christian. My company sent me on business out to the country of Australia. I came to the beautiful city of Sydney. I was walking down a famous street, almost as famous as Pennsylvania Avenue to us. I was walking down the street called George, which was named after King George. As I was walking down the street, a little old man with white hair stepped out and said, “ I wonder, Sir,  if I could ask you a question?” He said, “Certainly.” “If you died, do you know you would go to heaven?” Mr. Noah said, “You know I could never get that question out of my mind. I came back here to England and sought out my preacher and he led me to Christ.” Dr. Dickson said, “That’s wonderful.” Then Dr. Dickson went over Australia and  was preaching a meeting in Adelaide. In that meeting when he gave the invitation, a lady came forward and he met her at the front. She said to him, “Sir, If I died today, could you tell me how  I could to go to heaven?” He said,” I certainly can.” In a few minutes he led her to Christ. Then he said, “ma’am’ how come you came and asked that question?” She said, “Well, My family and I were on a holiday a few weeks ago. I was walking down the street that is called George there in the beautiful city of Sydney and a little man with white hair steeped out and said, ”Could I ask you a question?  I said certainly.” He said, “If you died today, do you know you would go to heaven?” She said, “I just couldn’t get that question out of my mind. I hear that you were preaching here tonight and I came. When I heard you preach, I knew that I had to come and get the answer to that question.”  “Oh,” he said, “that’s wonderful.” Dr. Dickson then went over to Perth and he was preaching there in Perth. As he got through preaching, one of the men who  was a deacon in the church took him out to eat. While they were eating, he said, “Sir , how did you come to know Christ?” “Oh,” he said, “I haven’t always lived in Perth. There was a time that I lived in Sydney. One day I was walking down the street that is called George. There was a little old man with white hair that stepped out  and said, “Sir, could I ask you a question?”  and I said, “yes.” He said, “If you died  today, do you know that you would go to heaven? It’s worth thinking about” The deacon said, “I couldn’t get that question out of my mind. I looked up a Missionary  and he told me how to be saved. I ‘m now  living in Perth and I am a member of this church. I’m a deacon and I teach a Sunday School class.” Dr. Dickson said, “That’s wonderful.”  He went back to England. He was preaching in a Keswick Convention. there were 7,000 people there. For the first time he related this story, all three incidents. When he got through, four  people met him out in the vestibule and said, “Dr. Dickson, that’s strange. We were over in Australia. We went to the beautiful city of Sydney and were walking down the street called George. That same little old man with white hair approached us and said, “If you died today, do you know you would go to heaven?” We came back to our country and we found Christ as our Savior. We are here today because of it.” Dr. Dickson said, “That’s amazing.” He received a call to go out to India to a missionary conference. He was there in India and met this Indian missionary. he said, “Sir, tell me, how did you come to know Christ?” “Oh,” he said, “ Dr. Dickson, I haven’t always been a missionary. I was an ambassador for my country. They sent me to, of all places, Australia. I was walking down the street called George one day. A little old man with white hair came out and said, “Sir, could I ask you a question? If you died today do you know you would go to heaven? it’s worth thinking about.“ He said, “I never could get that question out of my mind. I came back to India and I searched out a missionary and said to him, “Could you tell me how I could know I am going to heaven?’ That missionary led me to Christ. Now I ‘ve been called to preach. I’m a missionary to my own people.”  Dr. Dickson said, “That’s amazing.” He received a call to go to Barbados. It was there in Barbados that he related the story; no the three incidents,  but he began to add those incidents along. When he was through and the invitation was over, six people met him out in the vestibule. The said, “Sir, our company that employs us sent us to Australia. We walked  down that same street called George.  A little man  with white hair stopped us and asked us that question and we are saved today and members of this church because of it.“  Dr. Dickson said, “That’s absolutely wonderful.” Dr. Dickson came to America. He was preaching in the New England states, Boston probably. While he was preaching a young man came up to him and said he was a chaplain. In the course of the conversation  Dr. Dickson said, “Young man, how did you come to know Christ?” “Well,” he said, “I haven’t always been  a chaplain. I was in the Navy for a while. Our country had anchored in the bay of Sydney. We got shore leave in the city of Sydney. I was walking down the street that is called George one day. A little old man with white hair stepped out and said, “Sir, if you died today, do you know you would go to heaven? It is a good thing to think about.”  He said, “I didn’t know. I came back to America . I sought out my preacher and he led me to Christ. Since then God has called me to be a Chaplain. “  Dr. Dickson said, “I have had about all of this I can take. I’ve got to go to Sydney. “  He went to Sydney as fast as he could and  called one of his dear preacher brethren. he said, “Sir, I want to know, do you know a little old man  with white hair down on the  street called George that witnesses to everybody that comes by?”  “Oh,” he said, “Yes, we know him.” Dr. Dickson said, “Do you think you could take me to find that little man?” “Oh Yes.” “Do you know his name?” “Yes, his name is Mr. Genno.” They drove to a little old broken down one room house and knocked on the door. A little old man men them  who wasn’t long for this world came to the door shuffling his feet. He opened the door. they said, “Are you Mr. Genno?” He said, ”Yes.”  They introduced themselves.  He said, “Would you come in?” They said, “Yes,” and they came in.  Dr. Dickson related this story to him. The old man began to cry uncontrollably. Dr. Dickson said, “Sir, if I have upset you I am so sorry.” “Oh, “He said, “No, you haven’t upset me. Many years ago I was the most wicked man there ever was. I was a sailor. I sailed the high seas. Everybody hated me. Out on the deck of a ship about ten years ago  I met God. Jesus came into my heart. I promised God that day there on the deck of that ship, that every day I lived I would witness to ten people. I have been doing that now for over ten years and this is the first time I have ever heard of anybody  being saved. Dr. Dickson said, “Sir, you are known around the world!”

The old man  died  shortly but he had a hero’s welcome in heaven. the Lord undoubtedly said, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful  servant!” Let’s keep on doing what we’ve been doing!

Told by Alvis Edmondson, 1994

Wool Gathering  - By Robert Lewis  – 1998

To The Pastors Elders and Deacons (of . . . . EVERY Church)

It seems good to me that the problem of “STRAYING SHEEP” should be dealt with in a Biblical fashion following the admonitions of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is impossible for us to govern the affairs and activities in your ministries. We don’t wish to do that. It is not our intent. It is our intention however, to declare unto you how we would treat your wandering sheep or persons who were at odds with you or your ministry when or if they come to us. No amount of potential “wool gathering” is adequate to entice us to covet the fruits of your ministry. The whole idea of church discipline is often ignored by those who are not concerned with maintaining a charitable relationship with others of like precious faith. Our promise to you is to recognize your ministry and treat you with Christian ethics.Therefore we make you these promises.

1. If one of your sheep comes to our fold we will call you immediately to inform you.
2. We will not listen to your sheep’s bleating about you unless you are present.
3. We will not allow your sheep to join our flock unless there is a letter of recommendation from you stating that this sheep is spiritually healthy.
4. We will not “feed” your sheep. That is, we will not encourage them to absent themselves from their own fold, where their own shepherd (pastor) has an adequately nutritious meal prepared for them.
5. We will take no action against you or your sheep except that we will not get involved with them in any way without you.
6. If you inform us that the sheep that has strayed into our fold is not healthy and needs to work out some problems with the context of your fold, we will not allow that sheep to join with us conditionally or any other way.

We have no idea whether or not you will take a similar position. That is up to you. We mean you no evil. We will not do anything, or, omit to do anythingwhich the Lord has commanded to ensure that the relationship that we enjoy is based upon sound scriptural principles. We do not believe that we are better. We do believe that we are under the commandment of God to be right with God and our Neighbors.Church discipline cannot work and confusion will abound in any community where the church leaders are not in harmony about the matter of church membership and discipline. If church discipline fails in your ministry, by God’s grace it will not be because we involved ourselves with your sheep.

RL

There was a time on earth, when in the book of heaven -
An old account was standing  For sins yet unforgiv’n
My name was at the top – And many things below,
I went unto the Keeper, and settled long ago!
Long ago, Long ago,
Yes, the old account was settled long ago.
And the record’s clear today, for He washed my sins away,
When the old account was settled long ago!

Nicholas Can

A Story  is told about  a steward who worked for Nicholas  II, Czar of all the Russians. This steward had been embezzling from the Czar. One day the Czar called his stewards into the throne room and told them that on the next day they were to bring their books and give an account of their stewardship. Panic struck the guilty steward who rushed back to his chambers to attempt to reconcile his books. Late into the night he worked trying to find a way to justify the shortages, but alas, there was no hope. His pilfering had dug too great hole. What was he to do? Exhausted by the effort and the lateness of the hour, depressed by his guilt, and fearful of the Czar’s anger, there was only one thing to do. He scribbled a note and then reached into the drawer of his desk. His hand closed around the grip of a pistol. His finger found the trigger as he brought it to his temple. Across the courtyard of the palace, the Czar, who could not sleep, was pacing when he noticed the light in the steward’s room. Intrigued, he made his way down the dark corridors until he came to the right door. He quietly pushed it open. There sprawled across his desk lay the motionless steward. The pistol, yet unfired, lay near with his finger still on the trigger. Sleep had overtaken him before he could pull it and end his miserable existence. Nicholas looked at the ledger and saw the huge deficit. And there scribbled across the page were the words, Such a debt! Who can pay it! The Czar touched by the scene took the quill from the stewards fingers and in bold letters wrote, Nicholas can – Paid in full.

 And the record’s clear today,
for He washed my sins away,
When the old account was settled long ago!