THE RAILROAD SPIKE MINISTRY
A Testimony of the Search, the Price,
and the Value of Every Man
THE BEGINNING OF THE SEARCH
This is a true story: One day, two ministry partners from Man to Man Men's Conferences (The Encounter) decided to gather a few railroad spikes — a physical representation of the spikes driven into Jesus' hands and feet before the cross was lifted.
“But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace
was upon Him; and with His stripes
we are healed.” — Isaiah 53:5
What started as a search for only three spikes became a search for ten, then fifty, then a hundred, then a thousand. With every mile walked, we found ourselves contemplating the extreme and incomprehensible agony God endured to save each and every one of us. Each spike looked different — some completely rusted through, some bent, some weathered by years and years of exposure to the elements. No two were exactly alike, yet every one had done its job and was cast aside.
BURIED, WEATHERED, HARD TO FIND
The search stretched over days and weeks and many miles of railroad track. Some spikes lay exposed, easy to spot. Many more were barely visible, buried beneath stone and soil, and had to be dug out by hand. Week after week, we returned to the tracks, hauling the growing collection back to the truck — every trip a careful, deliberate task, stepping over rocks, debris, and railroad ties, fighting to keep our footing with every load. It was an arduous task that we felt had to be done, not simply as a representation, but for our own thoughts and prayers and to get closer to God. By the end, we had gathered a thousand spikes.
A PICTURE OF MEN CAST ASIDE
The symbolism became clear as the pile grew. The spikes were a picture of men — some lost, some buried so deep they'd been forgotten, others rusted and worn down by life, cast aside as if they held no value, used up and discarded.
“For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out... I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick.” — Ezekiel 34:11, 16,
Every spike in that pile had once held a tremendous amount of weight. Buried in the ground, holding the rail tracks to the tie, each one absorbed the full pressure of trains passing overhead — bearing a load no one saw and few would thank it for. That is the picture of so many men: Carrying the weight in silence, unnoticed, until they're finally worn down and thrown aside. But being cast aside by man does not mean being cast aside by God.
“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?
THE VALUE GOD PLACES ON EVERY MAN
The message is this: No man is lost beyond reach. No one is abandoned. No one is without value. God values every man — the rusted, the bent, the buried, the forgotten.
"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. — 1 Peter 1:18–19
THE CHALLENGE OF DISCIPLESHIP
Our challenge is to go after these men — to pull them from the depths where they've been buried and bring them home. To show them they were bought at a price too high to be measured, and that they are not worthless, not disposable, not forgotten.
“Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my
brethren, ye have done it unto me.” — Matthew 25:40
We are all called to this — every man, to go after the one still buried in the dirt. This is discipleship.
Man to Man Men’s Conference
"The Encounter"
MyEncounterMyFreedom.com
