Louie was a big guy—an outgoing man who would talk to anybody. His Saturday morning walk around town took hours because he talked more than he walked.
He was also a man with a big reputation. Although he was probably in his sixties when I was a kid (who knows exactly? Everyone seems old when you're a child), my great-grandmother knew him her whole life.
Living just down the street, she remembered him as a notorious drunk. The stories of him drinking too much and getting into fights were known all over town. Then, he'd go home and get into a loud, raucous fight with his wife, who was also an alcoholic. Everyone knew you could count on Louie and Maude to put on a show—their battles were legendary.
And then, one day, Louie came to Jesus and experienced a radical transformation. No more drinking, no more fighting. He became a kind man with one goal: to tell everybody else he knew about the difference Jesus could make in their lives.
When I knew Louie, he was totally different from the man my great-grandmother described. He was a leader in our church. He and his wife were a fun couple. He helped her with her physical issues instead of fighting with her all the time. But the thing I remember most about him was his passion for witnessing. It was his new identity.
Much like the apostle Paul, Louie knew who he was before Jesus saved him—heck, everyone around town knew. Louie was so grateful for his salvation, his deliverance from alcohol, and the transformation in his life that he wanted everyone he knew to come to Jesus.
I still remember him walking around town, stopping to talk to everyone he came across about Jesus. He went to veterans' homes to talk to men who were sick or dying about Jesus' love and His offer of salvation. If he knew someone who was sick and dying in our town, he visited and shared the Gospel. And it was Louie who took my own Dad to the altar, saying, "Jim, it's time you commit to Jesus."
For Louie, there was no embarrassment in witnessing. He knew the power of God to change a life, and he told everyone about it.
As men of God, we need to follow Louie's example.
We should be so grateful for our salvation that we can't wait to share our testimony and bring others to Jesus.
It's what God has called us to do.
"And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.’" (Mark 16:15, ESV)
As men of God, it's what we do. Who can you tell about Jesus today?
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