A Cold Ember and a Cold Member

The story is told of an old man who left the church for various reasons. He said there were too many hypocrites in the church, and he thought that he could be just as good a Christian out side church as he could be in it.

After hearing about the old man leaving the church, the pastor thought to visit and talk with him. After a couple hour discussion, the pastor left disappointed. The old man just stubbornly refuses to step inside the church again.

The pastor was transferred and a new one took his place. He also decided to pay this man a visit to encourage him to come back into the church, but to no avail.

Months later a new pastor arrived. Going through the church books, he discovered this same old man that hasn’t been to church in a long while. After asking the elders about him, he found out that even through many prayers and persistence he refuses to come back to the church. The elders told him it was no hope to visit him again, for he has already turned two pastors away and gets upset every time they talk to him about coming back.

Nevertheless, the pastor decided to give it a try. That Friday he showed up at his house. The old man let him in. He showed the pastor to a spot right next to the fireplace. “I guess you know why I’m here,” the pastor asked. “Yep,” the old man said. “I guess there is not much I can say that hasn’t already been said.” The old man said, “I guess you’re right.”

After setting there a couple of minutes without saying a word, the pastor reached out and took the fire poker, and with it rolled a little piece of coal away from the fire. As they sat there, they saw that piece of coal, which was red-hot turn cold and black.

After a while the pastor rolled that little piece of coal back into the fire where it once again glowed red with the rest of the fire.

The pastor then stood up to leave. The old man stood up as well. With a smile on his face, the old man shook his hand and said, “I will see you in church tomorrow.”