This past weekend we had a memorial service for a wonderful man in our church family who recently passed away at 90, Steve Stoltzfus.  He had an extraordinary life and the service went almost 2 hours as people shared how they had been impacted by him.  The word “legacy” comes to mind.  Several people asked for a copy of the devotional I wrote.  I typically don’t publish sermons.  They’re hard enough to listen to in person, haha! But in this case, I thought I’d make it available on the blog for those who are interested in reading or re-reading.

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On August 27, 2021, I had the privilege of rebaptizing Steve Stoltzfus based on his confession of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. To date, he’s the oldest person I’ve ever baptized. A record he will likely continue to hold for the rest of my life! He wrote one of the most powerful and stirring testimonies I have ever heard. And I’d like to share it with you today:

Sixty‐nine Years Overdue
When I was a young Amish boy, I had a quick temper. One day while I was harvesting corn with my dad, things kept going wrong and I started to get angry. My dad stopped me and warned me not to give in to sin, but I struggled with my anger like the Apostle Paul said in Romans 7:15, “For what I am doing, I do not understand, for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.”

This verse rang true to me. I was raised Amish, had joined the church, and was even baptized when I was 16, but somehow God’s power was not in me. I didn’t understand what I was missing until I attended a Brunk Brothers Revival in Morgantown when I was 20 years old. After that meeting I surrendered everything to Christ, realizing that not even a “good” Amish boy could earn his way to heaven because we are only saved by grace alone. But by surrendering to God, I had to risk it all, even family. I knew I would be shunned by my parents and some siblings, but I also knew it was worth it. Miraculously God did a work in my parents as well, allowing me to preserve our relationship even though leaving the Amish church was a bitter disappointment to them. I soon noticed a change in my spirit as my anger faded and I was able to control my temper.

I knew that I had been baptized before I was actually a Christian and I should get baptized again, this time by immersion, but I let each opportunity slip by. Once I started attending Bethany with Steve and Rozanna, I felt the conviction about baptism again, and I asked Pastor Benedict and Gene Pierce for help. They said they would be glad to make it happen. I’m 69 years overdue, but it just goes to show that it is never too late to obey God.

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As I read and reread Steve’s testimony of faith in Jesus alone for salvation and reflected on his life, this scripture kept coming to mind in the gospel of Luke 9:57-62 and I’d like it to be the text of my meditation this morning.

⁵⁷ As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

⁵⁸ Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” ⁵⁹ He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” ⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” ⁶¹ Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” ⁶² Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

I think these Bible verses perfectly capture Steve’s story, because hearing and obeying Jesus’ words were of utmost importance to Steve and the words of God shaped the entire trajectory of his life.  Early on, Steve encountered the Lord and Christ who said to him, “Follow me” But unlike the three men in our text who missed out on a lifetime adventure with Jesus… Steve did follow with his whole heart and life and adventure sure followed!

But not without cost… and these three men who encountered Jesus on the way, each had to count a different cost to follow our Savior.

The First Man found that he much choose Jesus over COMFORT.  I will follow you, he volunteered… but Jesus said there’s something you need to consider: “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but if you follow me, you’ll have no place to lay your head.”

Steve left a lot of comfort to follow Jesus.  The warm and predictable rhythms of the Amish community. The beautiful, peaceful farmland of Lancaster County. The agrarian lifestyle. A familiar language and customs to serve in the Peruvian jungle- with different language, customs, food. A different people, different color of skin and foreign human experience. I’m sure there were times when his heart longed for some level of stability, a good beef pot roast with mashed potatoes, a glass of iced tea.  How much does a whoopie pie cost in the Amazon jungle?  And then later in his life… as he traveled to Texas, Alaska, south America, Atlanta, the middle east, Dubai, Qatar … I wonder if he missed a place to lay his head. But to the glory of God and his grace alone, wherever Jesus sent, Steve went. There’s a cost in following Jesus.

The Second Man in our story discovered that he must choose Jesus over all other PRIORITIES. His priority was to bury his father. BUT Jesus’ priority was for him to proclaim the Kingdom of God. He had to make a choice… our text doesn’t explicitly say, but we are left to believe that this might have been too high a price for this man to pay. Frankly, this demand of Jesus feels hard and offensive, doesn’t it?  He only wanted to honor his father. But we must remember, Jesus knew this man’s heart, knew exactly where to challenge him and where his rival idols lay.  And Jesus’ clarion challenge rings across the ages.  “Do you love me more than these? (John 21:15)” And so each person who encounters the word of God and is confronted by Jesus must decide where his priorities lie. In their own agenda or Jesus’, their own concerns, or the kingdom of God.

Steve made his priority the kingdom of God.  In the Amazon, Steve assisted and literally pave the way for the gospel to get to unreached people groups.  Making the word of God plain and clear in the language of the people was instrumental in Steve’s conversion and it became a part of his lifelong call. And so, in obedience, Steve prioritized the words of God above the custom and tradition of his youth, above the allure of wealth and fame, above the “great American dream.”

He, in the words of saint Paul, “counted [everything] as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith. “

Our Third Disciple wanted to “go back and say goodbye to my family.” But Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”  I believe this speaks of choosing Jesus over RELATIONSHIPS.

I cannot pretend to know the pain that came when Steve chose to leave his family and the Amish community at age 20.  I suppose the sting of that may still linger now 70 years hence.  I certainly know that the way we handle ourselves and the things we say at 20 years old is not the way we would handle it after gaining years of wisdom and maturity.  I don’t mean to project that back on Steve… for I am not privy to those intimate conversations.  I speak of my own experience.

But however painful, I am grateful that through the years, relationships were restored among family and friends.  And I suspect that over the years, as news of Steve’s love for God and his passion for the advance of the gospel filtered back to Lancaster County… if not full understanding, a mutual respect developed between all parties.

Steve prioritized Jesus over relationships.  And as difficult as that season must have been… in hindsight, I ask… did he really have a choice? I mean, if Steve read plainly in the word of God, if the spirit of Jesus spoke to his heart, and if he discerned that the Father had beckoned him to enter his service… dare he refuse?  May we all have the courage to hear the voice of God and follow in obedience.

Three men, three different responses, three choices that we too must make…

Jesus over comfort

Jesus over priorities

Jesus over relationships

But in the end, I think Steve would say the gain outweighed the cost.  For to follow Jesus with all his heart and answer God’s call by setting aside our own comfort, priorities, and relationships, is the very definition of being a disciple. “For the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:44-45)

And so, let us recognize and accept the gift that Jesus offered these 3 men.  It is a gift Jesus offered to Steve Stoltzfus and he offers it to us.  Our Savior beckons us through the free gift of salvation and his extraordinary grace to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto [us]. Matthew 6:33