A small group of coal miners stood by the office of a large coal mine. It was payday, and they were waiting for their paychecks. A tall man, black with coal dust, joined them, his pick on his shoulder and his lamp and hard hat in his hand.
"Why, Fred," exclaimed one of the men, "we were just talking about you. They say you've turned saint since last week."
"Or is it angel?" asked another. "If it is, you will soon have white wings and must never go down to blacken them in a coal mine."
"No, no, don't razz him," said a third miner. "He'll turn into a preacher and be preaching at us all."
"Good! Let him start right now!" exclaimed the oldest man among them. "Come on, Fred, here's your congregation before you; can you make out with this block of coal for a pulpit, and preach us a sermon?"
"A sermon! A sermon!" echoed a chorus of voices. "Give us a sermon! There's five minutes before they start to pay."
"Now then, Fred, mount the pulpit and preach us a three-minute sermon," said one. "I'll be clerk."
All this time Fred had not spoken, but just stood listening with a good-natured smile. Very quietly he stepped on the block of coal amid exclamations from the men: "Ah! what a joke it is! Fred Sharpe, of all people, turning preacher!"
"Well, fellows, I—" he began.
"No, no! That won't do for a sermon," they cried. "You must begin with a text, Your Reverence!"
There was a moment's pause, and then the miner began earnestly: "My text will be Christ's words to Saul of Tarsus: I am Jesus. For the last week those words have been always in my mind. You said, boys, that you wanted to know about the change in me, and I've been wanting to tell you what God has done for me. You may well say that Fred Sharpe is the last man you would expect to see on the Lord's side. Two weeks ago I was cursing and swearing and saying I didn't believe there was a God. Now—today—I can say I know there is a God, and I know that He's my Father; I know there is a Savior and that He has saved me; I know there is a Holy Spirit, and that He is willing to teach me."
By this time the little group of miners was listening in amazement as he continued: "Fellows, are you wondering how did all this happen? Well, I can hardly tell, but do you remember how Saul was changed into the Apostle Paul? Do you remember how he suddenly heard a voice speaking from heaven? Well, it was almost like that with me. I was traveling fast on the wrong road; I'd had warnings and kind words from my friends, but I wouldn't listen to them. Then God spoke to me!
"You have heard, maybe, that on last Wednesday I missed the last bus from town. For a wonder I was sober; it was a pitch-black night, and I had to walk that nine miles back. You know how bad the road is, and a bad time I had of it to find my way. It was cold and I thought I'd never get through.
"Suddenly there flashed into my mind a few words my mother—bless her!—once said to me. It was something about two roads, and the one that led to God being lighted by His presence. Then all at once came the thought: Fred, you are certainly not on that; your life won't bear God's light on it, and then, boys, I will never forget how I seemed to see all my sins before me. As I stumbled along in the dark my whole past life seemed spread out before me, and I couldn't stand the sight. I knew I was lost, not just lost in the night, but lost forever, and I cried out from my very soul, 'Lord, it's true, all true, but oh, Lord, save me!'
"I don't know how much time passed, but suddenly I remembered as a boy learning to say a verse: Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And I, who had cursed His name and mocked His people, heard Him saying to me: I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. And with those words light came into my soul. Yes, and I was rescued, too, as you know, and brought home."
Not one of Fred's congregation moved or spoke as he continued earnestly: "And now, boys, I'm no preacher. I wish I were, if I could reach your hearts and just make you come to this wonderful Savior. He's standing by your side, and He says, I am Jesus, and Jesus means Savior. Oh, boys, you know what I've been, but He saved me just as He did the persecutor Saul, and I tell you, He longs to do the same for you. Oh, won't you let Him?"
The sermon was done. There was a hush as Fred stopped speaking and quietly slipped down from his block pulpit. As he did so, one of the men went up to him and said: "You said, 'Won't you let the Lord Jesus save you, as He has done for me?' and I want to say before them all, 'I will.' That is, if He will have the likes of me."
"Jesus said, Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out," answered Fred, grasping his friend's hand. "You've got His word to depend on."
Before six months had passed Fred knew that, through God's blessing on his words that afternoon, three of those men were happily serving and following Christ.