Abe's Gas Station

Monday, July 17, 2007

Let me tell you a true story. This story is true (to the best of my [Barry's] recollection) from my own experience. Well, it was really my mother — I was just a kid, but I learned from the events.

There was an old gas station in my town. The gas station was at the fork in the road where North Eighth Street meets Goffle Road in Hawthorne, New Jersey. The buildings in the area have changed, but Abe's gas station was in the section between the two streets on either side, and at the end, of the fork.

The gas station building was run down, and the old mechanic, Abe, didn't even have a car lift at his station. Instead, there was an outdoor pit in the ground with level ramps onto which he pulled the cars, and then he went down stairs into the pit to work on the underside of the cars. Of course he could not work on the underside of cars in real bad weather.

Well, at one time, another brand new modern gas station was built directly across the street from Abe's station. That new station had 3 or 4 bays with lifts and several mechanics. Old Abe lost much business as everyone flocked to the new station for gas and repairs.

However, it wasn't long before people began to return to the old man for business. You see, Abe knew more about car repair than those folks at the new station. His repairs were well done and people knew that with Abe the repairs would be done right the first time and would last. Abe never gained enough to fix up his old station, but in time the new station closed for lack of business, while Abe kept busy with his repair work. Of course Abe eventually died, and his station was torn down, but people came to him because they knew that he had the right answer.

If "we" are to ever make a difference to victims who have been hurt by religion and their tactics, and even more to others seeking an answer that many churches choose to not provide, then it is "we" who must have the right approach toward those who come to our gas station for repairs. We must lead them to the Cross of Christ and His Finished work on that Cross. We must lead them to Grace and away from Law.

Big new edifice churches, religious dogma, myriads of programs, etc. may look appealing, but it is only by Christ's Love lived out in and by us through example that people will be drawn to the true Healer of our wayward souls. It is only He that can make lasting repairs to our inward parts. And He often chooses to use the old broken down repairmen who have the knowledge of Him who has brought us from darkness into light.

I must ask myself, can it be that so-called christian (lowercase "c" intended ^{endnote 2}) organized religion is the anti-Christ?