THREE POLICE BULLETS IN HIS TORSO

Now listen to Missionary Richard Yerby in Japan, telling what he experienced on the Pacific island of Guam, standing beside the hospital bed of a murderer who had come ever so close to being killed by policemen, and who was then recovering from having three police bullets surgically removed from his torso.

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” The Lord Jesus Christ said that to His disciples in Matthew Chapter 4, Verse 19. My fellow brother or sister in Christ, if you are not fishing for the eternal souls of the human race around you, you are NOT fully following the Lord Jesus Christ. Believe that truth, and fully submit yourself to your Saviour, to follow His Guidance regarding telling the many lost souls around you, of eternal salvation in Jesus Christ.

When a Christian clearly and simply explains the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ to a small child, typically that tender heart will fully believe that Truth. And if you guide the little boy or girl correctly, soon that child will trust in Jesus Christ to save them.

But typically, hardened sinners, like Jack in my Sermon 2024-1, angrily resent and resist a Soul Winner’s efforts to win them to Jesus Christ and eternal blessed-ness. My Soul Winning Christian Friend, do not be easily discouraged and give up. Be strong in faith, to faithfully hold forth the word of life to that rebel, as long as he or she has breath. Let me tell you about my encounter with a murderer, and his reaction to me preaching Jesus Christ to him personally.

It was on an afternoon in January 1982, or thereabouts, when I drove into the parking lot of the hospital on Guam to preach outside the hospital’s entrance, just a brief time before driving on to my apartment for my scheduled children’s service that afternoon. I often preached outside the hospital’s entrance in the evening, during visiting hours, because a steady stream of visitors were coming in and going out. Also, a good number of them were sitting, relaxing and talking on outdoor benches near where I stood preaching.

I didn’t expect many people to be in that area at mid-afternoon, but I had more than 20 minutes to spare, and I felt led to use the time there. I preached for about 5 minutes with almost no one coming within hearing of me. So I was beginning to feel like it was a total waste of time, when a young guy in his late 20s or so, walked past me heading into the hospital. He was clean-cut, attired in jeans and a color T-shirt, typical attire on tropical Guam. But he walked a few steps past me, and then turned and came back to me.

“Will you go with me and visit the patient in Room 314,” he asked me.

‘Sure,’ I replied.

So he turned to walk on, and I fell in just slightly behind him and to one side. Under his left arm, he was carrying a stack of a few comic books, and on top of the stack, was a brown paper bag. The open top of the bag was flared open, and facing backward toward me. Inside that paper bag, I could see the back end of the stock of a Colt .45 automatic pistol.

‘That’s quite heavy hardware you are carrying there,’ I commented to him.

He chuckled lightly, “Yeah, I’m guarding that prisoner up there from Ponape.”

About 3 days before, big news had come to Guam from the island of Ponape (a few hundred miles to the southeast). There had been a big shootout between a few bad guys on Ponape and a few policemen. One or two policemen and one or 2 bad guys had been killed, a total of at least 3, possibly 4 killed, and at least one killed on each side of the policemen and the murderers.

Most of the survivors involved on each side had been hit by bullets, and wounded. The murderer of policemen up in Room 314, whom I am now going to face, had been hit in his torso by three .38 special caliber police bullets. He was flown to the hospital on Guam because the Ponapean hospital was more primitive. He came ever so close to being killed. But doctors on Guam had removed all 3 bullets from his body. So right now, he lies on a hospital bed just upstairs from me, under 24 hour police guard.

Likely the hospital prefers that the policeman on guard wear casual attire, so as not to attract attention. And this young Christian policeman is even carrying his Colt .45 pistol in a brown paper bag, with the bag’s top flared open. Talk about casual, laid-back, tropical police procedures. Oh, well!

On hearing whom it is that I’m about to tell about Christ, I swallowed hard. The Holy Spirit told me to just relax, and tell him about the only hope for murderers, straight and simple, and in a most kind manner.

The policeman entered the room first, and spoke to the prisoner lying on his back on the bed. “Herb, I brought this man to talk to you.” Herb is a brown Ponapean, stocky and somewhat chubby. I told him my name, and asked how he was doing.

“Not so good,” came his faint reply, in his weak state from the trauma of the 3 serious wounds and the invasive surgery of removing those 3 bullets lodged in his torso. I said that I would pray for a good recovery for him. And he thanked me.

I knew better than to delay my “sermon” to Herb with chitchat. So in a casual, kind voice, I began preaching.

‘Herb, Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world. He came into this world to save sinners. We all have sinned against God, and need Christ’s salvation. I have sinned.’ Then pointing to the policeman standing nearby, I said, ‘And this policeman has sinned.’

Next, looking at Herb, I asked, ‘Herb, do you believe that you are a sinner?’

“Y-e-a-h,” came the slow, faint, weak, honest confession.

Three days ago, as Herb was firing his pistol at the policemen for all he was worth, as one after another, 3 police bullets were slamming into his torso, likely Herb was finding it easy to believe that “the wages of sin is death”.

‘Herb, if you will repent of your sins to God, and ask Jesus Christ to save you from the eternal punishment of your sins in Hell fire, Jesus will save you. Are you willing to ask Him to save you?’

“Y-e-a-h,” readily came his weak reply.

‘Right now, are you willing to follow me in prayer, asking Christ to save you?’

“Y-e-a-h.”

So, one sentence at a time, Herb repeated after me, a simple “sinners” prayer, confessing that he is a sinner, asking God for forgiveness, and asking Christ to save him. When the prayer ended, I briefly encouraged him with words of assurance, told him that I would come back to visit him in a couple of days, and then I headed on out, because the children who attend my services would be waiting outside my apartment door.

The policeman followed me out into the hallway. So I asked him if he had already led Herb to trust in Jesus Christ, thinking I might have “jumped the gun”. But the policeman said, “No, I explained salvation to him, but he would never come to the point of making a decision”.

One compassionate “Fisher Of Men” planteth. Another caring “Soul Winner watereth”. And Almighty God, the Saviour for all mankind, Who is not willing that any should perish, giveth the increase. Praise be to God!

Two afternoons later, as I returned to visit Herb, upon entering the 3^rd Floor hallway, I see the same policeman on guard duty now, coming toward me, pushing Herb in a wheelchair. Policeman told me he was giving Herb a Joy Ride. I then briefly spoke to Herb of Spiritual things, never again to see him in this life.

When Herb recovered enough to be flown back to Ponape, he was jailed there, then tried for his crimes, and might have been given the death penalty. Perchance he got a long prison sentence; likely he died in prison, at the very latest, up to 10 years or so later. In Ponape’s year round hot tropical climate, at that time, local people started dying of old age in their 50s, and the average life span was likely in their 60s. I hope Herb sincerely repented, truly trusting in Christ the Saviour. I hope to soon see Herb in Heaven.

Have faith in God. He’s on His Throne.

Have faith in God. He watches o’er His Own.

He cannot fail. He must prevail.

Have faith in God. Have faith in God.

My Friend without Christ as your Saviour, I invite you to, right now, call on your Creator God to save you. Please pray to Him in the following manner.

Almighty God in Heaven, please have mercy on me a sinner, to forgive me of all my transgressions against Thee and against mankind. Please cleanse me from sin, and make me into a new creature, a child of God. Amen.

These Radio Sermons and other Bible teachings are on my website. That URL is Christ Is All dot US. Separate the 3 words with 2 dashes. Please invite everyone to view my site.

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